VOLUME 9 ISSUE 23

JUNE 15TH-JUNE 22ND, 2013

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VOLUME 9 - No. 23

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15 PERCENT TAX WARNING

Premier Ewing says prices should not be increased by 15 percent

BY VIVIAN TYSON

Premier for the Turks and Caicos Islands Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing has warned business persons against increasing the price of their items by 15 percent because of Government’s plan to add a 15 percent tax on the freight and insurance of imports.

In fact, the Premier said that the proposed 15 percent flat rate customs duty on certain commodities for the 2013/2014 budget will not have an adverse effect on consumers because it would only add a few cents to the items targeted.

The commodity tax, which is an element to the broader tax measure that the administration wants to bring on stream to shore up its budgetary intake, is to rake in approximately $4.5 million into government coffers for this financial year.

Speaking at the post cabining news briefing on Thursday, June 13, at the Tourist Board, Premier Ewing said that the tax proposed was conceptual-

Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands Ric Todd inspecting the uniforms of children from Grand Turk who participated in the Queen’s Birthday Parade in the country’s island-capital.

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Clarence Selver is new PDM chairman PAGE 8

New airline wants Investors interested in Dellis Cay, to fly between Salt Cay and TCI and Florida Joe Grant Cay PAGE 9

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MP slapped in Bahamian Parliament PAGE 32

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

15 PERCENT TAX WARNING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

ized with the consumers’ wellbeing in mind, and so the impact would be negligible. On top of that, the premier said the tax measure could have an expiry date.

“The impact on the individual consumer would be minimal. There are several things that are exempt such as fuel and, we are looking at all types of fuel including gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, liquid and petroleum. There are other things that are exempt that would reduce the cost of living overall. The impact would be on some merchants, who will have to pay an additional $600 per container load of goods,” Ewing said.

Ewing said also that motor vehicle is exempt under the measure.

Already individuals are beginning to compare the new tax with the discarded Value Added Tax (VAT), which the government, with assistance from the Opposition and the business sector, successfully fought against. But the premier said that there is no comparison since VAT is onerous while his tax plan is mild.

“Most persons would ask how it is (new tax plan) compare to VAT. I give you a perfect example. If you have a container load of goods that have 5,000 items and the cost for

that container is $3,500 and the cost of the insurance is $500, the total of the freight and the insurance is $4,000. Then with 15 percent charge on that $4,000 will bring the freight to an extra $600, which the importer would have to pay.

“That $600, when you are selling the goods, is to be distributed among all 5,000 items in the container. All that will do is add another 12 cents to each item. So, if you want to increase, the most you should increase by is 12 cents for each item to offset the cost,” he explained.

Making the comparison between the proposed tax measure and VAT, the premier said: “If you have an item which normally costs $10, then the new price (under proposed tax measure) would be $10.12. But with VAT, if the cost of that item is for $10, and you put 11 percent VAT on that item, it would be an additional $1.10, so it would move from $10 to $11.10.

So that is how VAT is different from this particular tax.”

Asked how consumers would be protected from unscrupulous merchants, who it has already been said, were already beginning to jack-up prices higher than the tax proposed

by Government, Ewing said that while his administration believes in the free market system, it is not rul-

ing out dusting off the age old legislation that addresses such actions and update it into play.

He said that consumers would be asked to be vigilant when they go to shop, so as not to be overcharged.

“Many people may not know, but there is legislation that speaks to persons that involved in price gouging, and they can be penalized under the law for it. It is very old and maybe needs to revise too, but it is very useful.

“We have already heard that persons, with just hearing that there may be a tax, people are trying to increase the price of goods in their store by 15 percent, which is not necessary because it is essentially 15 percent increase on the container load when you take out the freight and insurance, if you get insurance.

“Quite honestly there is nothing to stop persons from increasing their goods, but those are something that can be monitored and we can have those persons reported on a case-by-case basis. And I will ask the consumers, the one who shop every day, to be vigilant and look at prices now and compare later. Because those are things that we would need to address through legislation if it comes to that,” he said.

Responding to the question of

the country already being overtaxed, Premier Ewing pointed out that such situation could change in a matter of months when the blue ribbon commission is put in gear, to revise the current tax system.

“When we look at indirect taxation, we are a jurisdiction that has numerous taxes, and that is why I consider this to be almost a temporary tax measure because we are establishing a blue ribbon commission that would look at modernizing our tax structure, trying to make one uniformed tax instead of having these multiple taxation.

“And hopefully this would fall away when the other tax structure comes into place. It could be several other forms of taxes, but we wouldn’t know that until we get the blue ribbon commission. That’s why we did not go ahead and implement the full CIF (cost, insurance and freight).

“This is not the full CIF. The full CIF would have been very burdensome. On the bill of laden sometimes you have about 10 different charges of different items that do not apply to this particular cost. Full CIF would definitely be unbearable, and that was the method that was going to be used in VAT – putting full CIF in place,” he said.

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JUNE 15TH-JUNE 22ND, 2013

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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JUNE 15TH-JUNE 22ND, 2013

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

LOCAL NEWS

Using The Justice System To Settle A Personal Vendetta

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

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always thought that the that never had a loan, or by system of justice was denow have paid off that origisigned to provide a level nal loan, so they have ownerplaying field in a society. I ship free and clear from any thought that no matter how encumbrance. low you station in life might I now come to the crux of be, you had an equal chance the matter here. I have nevof getting a reprieve as the er in my born days seen so man with millions of dollars much making up of legal theat his disposal. My faith and ories on the hoof as what

BY ROYAL S. ROBINSON, MBE trust is being shaken when I is now being done. I grew view what is taking place under the guise up listening to both of my Grandfathers of righting a wrong that had been meted talking about Crown grants and town plat. out to the people of this country by our po- It was only after I joined the Land Survey litical leaders and senior public servants.

Department in 1967 on a fulltime basis, and I was in court recently listening to a cer- became involved in the Adjudication protain case. If some of the persons who invit- cess that those words began to have meaned the British in to “take over” our coun- ing for me. try were to sit and listen to what is being The Crown grant was and still is the proproposed as justice, they would rue the day cess by which land is devolved from the and damn the hour that they thought that Crown to the individual, and he gets the this set of British people would do well by “fee simple” or what is commonly known them or our country. now as the freehold title to that land. Only I know that from ancient times, most mineral rights or air space still remain with wars started and ended with the issue of the Crown. land and the war that we are now forced What these people are proposing is that to fight is all about land. We have grown even though you would have gotten the up as a people wanting to own and possess freehold from the Crown, you are in fact, land. That is in our DNA. These people that just holding it “in trust” for the Crown! And come here, in the main came from a posi- because in recent times most persons got a tion of servitude in that area. Never in their 75% discount on Crown land, then the busiwildest dreams would they aspire to own- ness that you built, with your sweat and ing that “40 acres and a mule”. tears and some bank financing, the Crown We want to buy a piece of land and is entitled to 75% of the profits from that enbuild a house for ourselves to live in or to terprise, so you must open your books to rent to someone. Their aspiration goes as the Crown so that they can evaluate and get far as living in a Council flat for the rest their share that is due them. These are not of their natural lives. We want to “make a notions that are expressed at the corner rum money”, and buy an expensive car to drive shop, but form the basis of legal arguments twenty miles down the road. They on the and are presented in Court documents! other hand, are prepared to catch a bus and It is clear for Prize of Blue Hills to see train forever, as their main mode of trans- now! These people’s aim and object are to portation. make us kowtow to them and make the orSo now when they come here and see us dinary Turks and Caicos Islanders surfs in living in our own homes and driving fancy our own country. Oh hell, I forgot that they cars, they have a serious problem with that. constantly refer to us as a territory and as Their thoughts are, “how in the world can such, our people should not have the luxa black man from a small third world coun- ury of owning anything. Man, my Grandfatry afford such, when we from the metrop- thers Isaiah Missick and Harold St. George olis cannot get same”. They do not take into Robinson would roll over in their graves to consideration that many of these things know what is now being proposed for their are owned by the individual and whatever lineage! lending institution that advanced the monAt some point and time these preposey. Now mind you, there are many persons terous assertions must stop. These fellows

Read us online at www.suntci.com Publisher & Editor-in-Chief: Hayden Boyce Senior Editor: Vivian Tyson Office 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.

are using millions of dollars going after $ 195.36, because that is the difference in rent owed to the Crown, because you pay the receipt voucher on the 5th of a month and the Governor did not get around to signing the document until the 9th of said month.

These people are clutching at straws and we are being asked to foot the bill! You can further see where their mind set is when they can collect $19.5M on our behalf, pay themselves $13M of that and be bold faced and brassy enough to say that we got a good deal when they gave us $6.5M, because if the money were to have been invested, we would have realized a interest payment of 17%, so we must just shut up our mouths and take what they give us.

It cannot be right that a single English law firm should make over $4M per year from one client, the Turks and Caicos Islands Government and there is not one Turks and Caicos Islands lawyer benefitting from such payola! I say before and I say again, that a proper accounting of how our money was collected and dispersed to them must be had. It is imperative that it be done. The real TCIG, which have been elected by the people of this country, must demand that it be done! What Lord Denning said? He said that “Justice must not only be done, but it must be seen to be done”!

Royal Robinson was a former deputy premier and minister of finance in a Progressive National Party (PNP) Administration.

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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JUNE 15TH-JUNE 22ND, 2013

LOCAL NEWS

New York conference was a success, says Premier T

he Turks and Caicos Islands Government mission to the Invest Caribbean Now Conference in New York last was a huge success. The revelation was made by Dr. Rufus Ewing, when he made his national address Wednesday, June 12.

“Today I like to report that the mission to New York was a huge success. We have already received fallow-up emails and are actively pursuing opportunities and linkages, which we forged during those meetings,” the Premier said. “Our visit and the message was warmly received by all in attendance, which sparked a buzz throughout the investment conference,” the premier added.

He said that in addition to making a public presentation, government held several private one-onone meetings with investor groups, to explore investment options. He said government will now take steps to remove bureaucratic business hindrances so not to frustrate the process of persons doing business in the country.

“To this end, my government will take a closer look at the immigration process, the planning process, the business licensing process, to see if there are avenues and opportunities which we can improve upon. In this day of technology, the fast paced world it is no longer ac-

Premier Rufus Ewing ceptable for work permit application to take months to be approved.

And investor or a business person should not have to wait six monthsplus to get feedback on his her planning application,” the premier noted.

He said that while his government would be promoting the liberalization of the business licensing process, it would make sure that sufficient protection is put in place to empowering Turks and Caicos Is-

landers so that they would obtain the maximum benefits from the investment made in the country.

“To this end, we will revisit the business licensing process to ensure that the reserved categories of business for Turks and Caicos Islanders are restored,” Premier Ewing said.

The Premier pointed out that his administration would shortly work on investment policy documents so that the country would be prepared when investors are make up their

New York investors have concerns about Turks and Caicos I

nvestors interested in expanding to the Turks and Caicos Islands have expressed concern regarding operation cost and the immigration and labour process. And their apprehension has gone on deaf ears, as government would be taking a balanced approach aimed at creating the climate beneficial to both those individuals and the country in general.

Premier Dr. Ewing made the disclosure while making his bi-monthly post cabinet news briefing on Thursday, June 13, at the Tourist Board in Grace Bay. He said that during the Invest Caribbean Now Conference in New York last week, which highlights the annual Caribbean Week activities, investors who met with the Turks and Caicos Islands delegation, led by him, and included Finance Minister Hon. Washington Misick and the private sector, expressed concern at the cost of energy and also country’s immigration and labour system and the restrain they could have on their business if adjustment is not made.

He said that government has acknowledged the concerns and will act according to merit.

“There are works that we need to do to make sure that our windows are widened, because during that meeting, what we gathered was that a number of investors were indeed concerned about a number of issues such as the cost of energy – electricity – especially as it relates to going into other sectors such as manufacturing and the technology park (proposed for North Caicos).

“They are also concerned about the immigration processes we have to go through and labour.

So those are issues that we are going to look at as a government to ensure that we have a true red carpet treatment for investors and to ensure that we can attract and retain investors to our shores here in Turks and Caicos.

In the meantime, Premier Ewing said that while adjustment will be made to the way immigration matters are being dispensed based on New York meetings, government was already on the ball to making adjustments through the proposed new Immigration Bill to come on stream soon.

“It (meetings with investors) doesn’t change (plans that government has for immigration) because those are the things we already know what to do; things that we are in the process of doing with the new immigration ordinance that is being developed now.

“When we look at immigration there are two issues – one, the rights and liberties of Turks and Caicos Islanders, and two, the need to ensure that we can encourage investors into having policies whereby we remove all of the bureaucracies and the red tape when it comes to investment developments,” he said.

The premier added: “Persons, when they invest money in this country, they would like to make sure that they can have significant return on their investment. And we should not have any processes that prohibit that. At the same time, the investment must be beneficial to Turks and Caicos Islands on the whole and its people.”

minds to set up shop here. He said the policy documents would be presented to the public for their input.

“In the weeks ahead my government shall formulate policy discussion documents which I will share with the public for consultation on streamlining many of these processes. As you no doubt would agree, it is pointless to go out and market the Turks and Caicos Islands as open for business but only to have investors bugged down through paperwork and unnecessary bureaucracies. Permit me to be clear, when I speak of investors I mean local and foreign investors alike,” he said.

The premier pointed out also that he has received many complaints from the small that they are finding it very difficult to do business in Turks and Caicos Islands due to unnecessary bureaucracies.

“We aim to strengthen areas which need strengthening and do away with unnecessary red tapes and replace these red tapes with red carpet approach for all. We will engage businesses, labour and other social partners for the pursuit of solutions. No single force acting individually can achieve the objective we have set out for ourselves.

“We must all work together in the building of our nation, whether you are a civil servant, a taxi driver or managing a hotel,” he said.

HEALTH MINISTER TO ATTEND WESTMINSTER SEMINAR ON PARLIAMENTARY PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE

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inister of Health and Human Services Hon. Porsha Stubbs-Smith and the Clerk of the House of Assembly Mrs. Tracey Parker, will leave the TCI on June 15, 2013, to attend the 62nd Westminster Seminar on Parliamentary Practice and Procedure in the United Kingdom.

This year’s meeting will run from June 17 to 21, 2013 and will bring together recently-elected parliamentarians and mid-career clerks from Commonwealth countries for a five-day programme on the Westminster framework.

The aim of the seminar is to explore parliamentary practice and procedures in order to enhance the capacity of participating parliamentarians and clerks. Through discussion sessions, workshops and constituency visits, delegates will have the opportunity to explore a wide range of ideas and practice with UK Members, senior Westminster officials, and fellow participants.

The seminar will address the following: · The role of Parliament in holding the Executive to account. · The role of opposition parties and cross-party relations. · Party discipline and transparency. · The role of a second chamber and bicameralism. · The relationship between Parliament and the media.

The Minister returns to TCI on June 23, 2013.

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

LOCAL NEWS

Clarence Selver is new PDM Chairman

TURKS AND CAICOS RECOGNISED IN HM THE QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY HONOURS LIST

H

that the branches are up and functioning and that the various activities of the party regardon. Clarence Selver, Opposition’s Ap- ing current events are brought to the fore,” he pointed Member to the House of Repre- said. sentative has assumed the chairmanship of Selver continued: “Over the next week or the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) in two we will probably be looking at organizing midstream after Lynden Hall relinquished meetings with the branches throughout the that position last week. islands, to keep them apprise of what the parSelver will serve until Octy is doing. And also speaks to tober when the party elects having public dialogue with a new executive, but is interpersons in the various comested the position beyond munities, especially now that point, since he believes that we are moving into budthat he has a lot to contribget time and people are conute to the party. cerned about what is in store In his statement anfor them in this budget that nouncing his departure the government will be prefrom the position Hall said: senting sometime in July.

“At this time, as National “And I don’t think that the Chairman I have completed issues have been laid propermy year of committed and ly by the government so that unwavering service and, afthe population can underClarence Selver ter careful consideration I stand and respond in a way conclude that I will not be offering myself that they can fully appraise of the implicafor a second term. However, I will continue tions.” to remain an active of member of this parWhile he is hoping to hold on to the chairty.” manship at the convention in October, Selver Selver said that he is happy to have been explained that he would accept any position selected for the job and is interested in the po- the party deemed fit for him to take on. sition at the October convention.

“My reaction to service in the party is be“I am assuming this position until we re- ing able to serve at whatever capacity the parconvene in October, and if it is the wish of ty sees fit. I have served as national chairman the convention at that time for me to serve as in the past, I have served as deputy leader the national chairman, well I do so. But at this of the party several times and I have served time I will be basically focusing on attend- as branch chairman. So whatever post they ing to some of the primary functions of the think my skills and knowledge is best served I national chairman, which involve ensuring am willing to serve,” he said.

BY VIVIAN TYSON

H

DEL MAR DEVELOPMENTS LTD. CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER REQUIREMENTS - BA/BSC Degree or equivalent - Plus MBA or currently obtaining, Computer Degree or equivalent - 10 years post qualification experience in real estate development - 10 years of international multi-unit property experience - Solid training in all areas of Accounting from A/P, A/R, General Ledger, Credit, Collections, Audit , Inventory Control, Budgeting, Costing, - Advanced knowledge and skills in computer systems and report generating software - Thorough understanding of HOA contracts and contract management - Ability to design condo/hotel concept and take it through design phase, construction stage and through to opening launch DUTIES INCLUDE - Develop condo/hotel concepts, oversee development and open property - Manage day to day operations of two real estate developments, including accounting department and corporate property - Production and presentation of detailed financial reports including, budgets, forecast monthly, quarterly and annual revenue streams - Closely monitor corporate performance and introduce changes or rationalize costs in order to achieve monthly, quarterly and annual budgets and forecasts - Actively involved in yield management and revenue enhancement - Introduce internal audits and controls - Construction monitoring and overseeing all aspects of opening of new developments - Accountable for all operational and financial management of developments and resorts - Create and maintain strong relationships and positive communications with stakeholder groups, owners, suppliers and community members Salary Commensurate with Experience Send CV and references to Del Mar Developments by email at delmardevelopments@gmail.com.

Suitable applicants will be contacted for an interview.

BUTTERFIELD GOLD GROUP OF COMPANIES POSITIONS AVAILABLE Island Pride Foods One (1) Store Manager Over ten (10) years experience in supermarket retail and wholesale management.

Applicant must have current product knowledge of the retail industry and record ability to achieve the budget financial and operating results including sales profitability and wage percentage.

Must have experience in managing the human resource activities.

Must have the ability to identify, develop and direct the implementation of business strategy and report to owners on organizational plans.

Applicant must be able to work extended hours including nights, weekend and holidays.

Pay commensurate with experience salary range form $65,000.00 - $75,000.00

Submit applications to by June 20, 2013 to: Butterfield Gold Ltd., Human Resource Department, Town Center Mall Providenciales Tel: 649-946-4211

er Majesty the Queen has approved awards to the following people in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) in this year’s Birthday Honours, it was announced at 5.30pm on Friday, 14 June 2013. · An OBE is awarded to Rhondalee BraithwaiteKnowles, Deputy Attorney General, Turks and Caicos Islands, for services to the development and reform of the public service of the Turks and Caicos Islands. · A BEM to Shirlen Forbes, Chief Statistician, Turks and Caicos Islands, for services to the development of statistics in the Turks and Caicos Islands. · A BEM to Mrs Angela Musgrove, Director, Youth, Ministry of Health and Education, Turks and Caicos Islands for services to youth development in the Turks and Caicos Islands. · A BEM to Norman Watts, Chartered Civil Engineering Advisor to the Turks and Caicos Islands Government, for services to infrastructure development in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

In addition, a further honorary MBE is to be bestowed upon Desiree Downes, Chief Legislative Drafter, Turks and Caicos Islands, for services to legislative drafting in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

This Honorary award was approved by Her Majesty as part of the New Year 2012 round. All awards to non-UK citizens require the approval of that individual’s home country, in Desiree’s case Guyana, which has now been received.

“Her Majesty’s decision to recognise the hard work and efforts of these five individuals, all of whom play a significant public role in the life of the Turks and Caicos, is the highest recognition of how public servants are working together to make TCI an even better place in which to live and work,” said His Excellency Governor Ric Todd.

“I am sure that we can all come together at this special time to say a hearty congratulations and to say thank you by way of appreciation for all of their hard work on our behalf.”

MCKNIGHTS International Law Firm

NOTICE OF PUBLIC AUCTION SALE First Caribbean International Bank (Bahamas) Ltd as Chargee pursuant to the Registered Land Ordinance hereby gives Notice that it will cause to be sold by Public Auction the following scheduled property outside the offices of: MCKNIGHTS Attorneys at Law, 46 Salt Mills Plaza, Grace Bay, Providenciales 10:00 am Friday, 28 June, 2013 Registered Title: 60602/278 Norway & Five Cays, Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands Registered Proprietor: Marina Antonia Rigby Property: 0.70 ac.The land is in the settlement of Kew Town which forms part of the downtown area of Providenciales with close proximity to the airport.

Description: Single story apartment building with 12 one bedroom apartment units and 2 areas of covered walkway. To the south east of this structure is a detached building comprising a shop unit and bar with attached apartment/store.

A reserve price will be fixed. A 10% deposit will be required after successful bid.

Terms and Conditions of Sale by Auction are available on request from MCKNIGHTS (649) 941 2330/cell: (649) 331 7250/email: peter@mcknights.tc

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JUNE 15TH-JUNE 22ND, 2013

LOCAL NEWS

New U.S. airline courts TCI

BY VIVIAN TYSON

A

United States based airline company is planning on operating between Ft. Lauderdale and the Turks and Caicos Islands that would give a more extensive service than what the current international airlines are now offering, according to an aviation source.

Applications to the local Air Transport Licensing Authority (ATLA) and the operations clearance body - the Turks and Caicos Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) - have not been made yet, but The SUN understands that the requests could be made soon, as the potential investors have been making ďŹ nal preparations to launch their venture bid.

The source told this newspaper that the investors “are deďŹ nitely interestedâ€? in the Turks and Caicos. If granted the clearances, they would ďŹ rst begin to operate weekly scheduled ights and would increase its services based on demand.

The airline intends to y two days per week between Ft. Lauderdale and the JAGS McCartney International Airport in Grand Turk and four days a week between Ft. Lauderdale and the Providenciales International Airport. At the moment, the JAGS McCartney International Airport does not get international ights.

The inside source, who is close to the planned operation, said that the airline company wants to make sure that plans are far advanced before

making a public statement, being mindful of the cut throat disposition that often permeates the aviation industry. “They kind of want to get everything straight in terms of documents from the Turks and Caicos side before they go ahead and make press releases about wanting to y here. Because you know how the big airlines go, once they have knowledge of somebody coming to give them competition, they would try to put them out of business fast. So they are trying to keep it under wraps until most of the paperwork is sorted out, especially from the Turks and Caicos side,â€? the source said.

The process of starting an airline company in the TCI is ďŹ rst to make an application to the ATLA for an aviation license. After clearing the ATLA, the applicat would then have to submit another request this time to the TCI Civil Aviation Authority for an Air Operating CertiďŹ cate (AOC).

That documentation is only granted when the CAA is satisďŹ ed that the applicant is able to, among other things, disclosed its operating viability, which includes its ďŹ nancial backing and the experience behind its operation. It is also to provide the CAA with the kind of craft that the company is expected to employ on the route.

Once all the documentation is in place, the process of granting the licenses could take less than a year.

Police looking for missing woman P

olice are seeking the public’s assistance in locating a 30-year-old woman.

OfďŹ cers of the Criminal Investigations Department are investigating the disappearance of Damaris Martinez who is a native of the Dominican Republic but resides in Providenciales. She was reported missing on Tuesday.

Damaris Martinez was last seen on Monday, June 10th at approximately 10PM at Jimmy’s Bar in the Grace Bay area of Providenciales. She is described as a woman with a fair complexion, standing at about ďŹ ve feet six inches tall and of a slim build weighing about 130 pounds.

She has blonde shoulder length hair and was wearing a black blouse and a green & black knee-length skirt.

On Wednesday there were several reports that her body was found in the Leeward or Long Bay area, but up to press time, those reports could not be conďŹ rmed.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police at 9414448 extension 81843 or 81837, or use the untraceable, anonymous Crime Stoppers Miami number at 1-800-(TIPS) or 1-800-8477.

GOVERNMENT VACANCY DIRECTOR OF AGRICULTURE D E PA RT M E N T : Agriculture MINISTRY: Environment and Home Affairs LO C AT I O N : Providenciales GRADE: T34-T39 JOB SUMMARY: This job is a Senior Management position within Turks and Caicos Islands Government. The role has responsibility for the Administration of the Department of Agriculture and the enforcement of Laws and Regulations pertaining thereto. The Director of Agriculture also has responsibility for the Animal Health Division as it relates to the prevention of the spread of pests and diseases which might affect agriculture as well as human beings. The Director shall therefore work closely and regularly with the media, the TCIG Press ofďŹ ce, and members of the public at any public forum deemed suitable to promote understanding and to effect sensitization in these critical risk areas.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: ƴ 'PSNVMBUFT BOE JNQMFNFOUT QPMJDZ GPS UIF %FQBSUNFOU ƴ &ODPVSBHFT GBNFS QBSUJDJQBUJPO JO BHSJDVMUVSF EFDJTJPO NBLJOH ƴ 0WFSTFFT BHSJDVMUVSBM SFTFBSDI BOE EFWFMPQNFOU PG QSPHSBNNFT UISPVHIPVU UIF JTMBOET ƴ &OTVSFT QSPQFS SFWFOVF DPMMFDUJPO QSPDFEVSFT BSF NBJOUBJOFE ƴ $IBJST TFOJPS NBOBHFNFOU NFFUJOHT UP EJTDVTT DPMMBUF BOE EJTTFNJOBUF QPMJDZ BOE TUSBUFHZ NBUUFST ƴ 1SFQBSFT %FQBSUNFOUBM CVEHFUT SFWJFXT BOE FOTVSFT CVEHFUBSZ DPNQMJBODF ƴ /FUXPSLT XJUI UIF EFQBSUNFOUT PG IFBMUI FOWJSPONFOU DVTUPNT BOE QVCMJD IFBMUI UP FOTVSF UIBU GPPE TBGFUZ BOE CJP TFDVSJUZ QSPUPDPMT BSF JNQMFNFOUFE ƴ .BOBHFT UIF GFSBM BOJNBM QPQVMBUJPO UISPVHIPVU UIF JTMBOET ƴ %FWFMPQT FGGFDUJWF MJOLT XJUI UIF JOXBSE JOWFTUNFOU VOJU TP BT UP FOTVSF TNPPUI BOE TFBNMFTT QSPDFTTJOH GPS QPUFOUJBM JOWFTUPST M I N I M U M Q U A L I F I C AT I O N S & E X P E R I E N C E : ƴ .BTUFSƭT %FHSFF JO "HSJDVMUVSBM &YUFOTJPO TJNJMBS NBOBHFNFOU ˡFME PS FRVJWBMFOU ƴ #BDIFMPSƭT EFHSFF JO 5SPQJDBM "HSJDVMUVSF SFMBUFE ˡFME PS FRVJWBMFOU ƴ " NJOJNVN PG UFO ZFBST FYQFSJFODF JO IBOET PO BHSJDVMUVSF JO UIF USPQJDT PS TVC USPQJDT BOE QSFGFSBCMZ JO UIF ESZ IJHI Q) DPOEJUJPOT QFSUBJOJOH JO UIF 5$* 5IJT FYQFSJFODF NVTU IBWF JODMVEFE B DPOTJEFS able time in senior management. ƴ .VTU IBWF QSBDUJDBM FYQFSJFODF JO BMM BTQFDUT PG BHSJDVMUVSF ƴ &YQFSJFODF JO NBOBHFNFOU XPVME CF BO BTTFU CO M P E N S AT I O N : ƴ #BTJD 4BMBSZ Ɗ QFS BOOVN ƴ )PVTJOH "MMPXBODF QFS BOOVN 4VCKFDU UP NBSJUBM TUBUVT BOE JTMBOE XIFSF QPTUFE

Ć´ 5SBOTQPSUBUJPO "MMPXBODF QFS BOOVN *G QFSTPOBM WFIJDMF JT VTFE JO UIF FYFDVUJPO PG EVUJFT

Ć´ *TMBOE "MMPXBODF QFS BOOVN 4VCKFDU UP JTMBOE XIFSF QPTUFE

ƴ 5FMFQIPOF "MMPXBODF QFS BOOVN A P P L I C AT I O N P RO C E D U R E 3FTVNFT XJUI DVSSFOU DPOUBDU JOGPSNBUJPO NVTU CF BDDPNQBOJFE CZ B $PWFS -FUUFS UXP MFUUFST PG SFGFSFODF POF QSFGFSBCMZ GSPN B GPSNFS FNQMPZFS DPQJFT PG FEVDBUJPOBM DFSUJˡDBUFT B 1PMJDF $FSUJˡDBUF BOE B DPQZ PG UIF 1BTTQPSU QIPUP QBHF "QQMJDBUJPOT TIPVME CF BEESFTTFE UP UIF 0GˡDF PG UIF )VNBO 3FTPVSDF %JSFDUPSBUF $IVSDI 'PMMZ (SBOE 5VSL 'BDTJNJMF PS TFOU CZ FNBJM UP SFDSVJUNFOU!HPW UD XJUI UIF TVCKFDU MJOF CFJOH %JSFDUPS PG "HSJDVMUVSF "QQMJDBUJPO "QQMJDBUJPOT TFOU CZ QPTU PS CSPVHIU CZ IBOE TIPVME IBWF UIF TVCKFDU %JSFDUPS PG "HSJDVMUVSF "QQMJDBUJPO DMFBSMZ NBSLFE PO UIF FOWFMPQFT 4VDDFTTGVM BQQMJDBOUT XJMM XPSL JO BDDPSEBODF XJUI UIF 1VCMJD 4FSWJDF 0SEJOBODF Qualified Belongers will be given first consideration.

A P P L I C AT I O N D E A D L I N E : 3 r d J u l y, 2 0 1 3

Page 10

JUNE 15TH-JUNE 22ND, 2013

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

TENDER NOTICE FOR CROWN LAND The Turks and Caicos Islands Government (TCIG) is in receipt of a proposal to acquire a leasehold title over a portion of Parcel 60803/96pt, The Bight & Thomas Stubbs, Providenciales, comprising of approximately 0.41 acre – as shown and depicted on the MAP, Annex 1, attached, for a commercial / tourism related development.

In the spirit of good governance and in keeping with Section 34 of Crown Land Ordinance 2012, we would like to open the tender process for competing tenders to this parcel of Crown Land. This process promotes transparency and helps to mitigate against favouritism and corruption; as well as affords the Government the opportunity to get the best value for the land.

ATTORNEY GENERAL CHAMBERS LANDS DIVISION CROWN LAND UNIT

The parcel is located between the Beaches and Verandah Resorts, directly opposite the Beach Venders Cultural Market, which is located within the Bight Community. The parcel is currently zoned as a “Beach Access”, but the proposed developer is seeking a change of use of the parcel to commercial / tourism related development. All bids for such developments must be guided by the Project Proposal Guidelines, attached hereto as Annex 2, and also found on the TCIG website - www.gov.tc.

All bids must be submitted to the Procurement Board and must be accompanied by the appropriate nonrefundable application fee payable (please refer to the schedule of fees (also attached)) at any Treasury location within the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Closing Date of Tenders: The closing date for all Tenders is 4:00 pm on Tuesday, 16TH July 2013.

Bids are to be enclosed in a sealed envelope marked “Tender for Parcel 10507/61pt.” on the top left hand corner of the envelope, and must be addressed to:

Secretary to the Procurement Board Central Purchasing Unit White Sands Road Grand Turk Turks and Caicos Islands

TENDER NOTICE FOR CROWN LAND The Turks and Caicos Islands Government (TCIG) is in receipt of a proposal to acquire a leasehold title over a portion of Parcel 10507/61pt, South Suburbs, Grand Turk, comprising of approximately 0.73 acres – as shown and depicted on the MAP, Annex 1, attached, for a commercial / tourism related development.

In the spirit of good governance and in keeping with Section 34 of Crown Land Ordinance we would like to open the tender process for competing tenders to this parcel of Crown Land. This process promotes transparency and helps to mitigate against favouritism and corruption; as well as affords the Government the opportunity to get the best value for the land.

ATTORNEY GENERAL CHAMBERS LANDS DIVISION CROWN LAND UNIT

The parcel is located immediately north of the Grant Turk Carnival Cruise Port in an area zoned for commercial and or tourism related development and, therefore, all bids should be guided by the Project Proposal Guidelines, attached hereto as Annex 2, and also found on the TCIG website - www.gov.tc.

All bids must be submitted to the Procurement Board and must be accompanied by the appropriate nonrefundable application fee payable (please refer to the schedule of fees (also attached)) at any Treasury location within the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Closing Date of Tenders: The closing date for all Tenders is 4:00 pm on Tuesday, 16TH July 2013.

Bids are to be enclosed in a sealed envelope marked “Tender for Parcel 10507/61pt.” on the top left hand corner of the envelope, and must be addressed to:

Secretary to the Procurement Board Central Purchasing Unit White Sands Road Grand Turk Turks and Caicos Islands

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 11

JUNE 15TH-JUNE 22ND, 2013

LOCAL NEWS

TCI urged to tap into billion dollar Asia, South America investment markets

BY VIVIAN TYSON

L

ocal business luminary Harold Charles is urging government to mount an aggressive campaign to attract development and tourism business from South America and Asia rather than continuing to milk the already established U.S. markets.

Charles, who just returned from Hong Kong and Singapore, where he spent the last few weeks luring investors to the TCI, pointed to the level of investments that China and Brazil are making within the region and South Florida.

He said some of those investments should have been landed here since the Turks and Caicos Islands has arguably the best environment for business.

He said however, that key investors from those regions may not come and plough their hard-earned money into our economy unless they are given a clear cut reason to do so. “Everybody in New York knows Turks and Caicos. I don’t think there is much more we can do to get more (development opportunities and tourists) out of New York. I think we need to open new doors. The majority of our trafďŹ c now comes from North America. So we need to go someplace else. We need to go to South America. We need to go to Central America,â€? he said. “Take a look at how much the Brazilians are spending in South Florida. They are next door - 600 miles away from us. Take a look at what the Chinese are doing in Nassau. Take a look at what the Chinese are doing in Bimini. They just

bought a huge business there. They have a master plan for Bimini. “If they can go to the Bahamas, they can come here. Here we are much friendlier to do business than the Bahamas for sure by far. We don’t have (workers) union, we don’t have a central bank, (we have the) U.S. dollar. Somebody has to go out there and be much more aggressive to bring business in the Turks and Caicos,� Charles continued.

He acknowledged that any government that comes to ofďŹ ce after four years of local power vacuum would have a torrid time getting the country to move forward due to greater administrative input by the British. Nonetheless Charles urged that a new approach should be devised to entice business to the TCI in the short term. This, he said, is needed since the world of ďŹ nance and investment has taken on new faces over the past 15-plus years. “We all know that whatever government gets in, this four years is going to be very challenging, very difďŹ cult, because they can’t really make much of a decision on their own without speaking with the governor or the Foreign OfďŹ ce ďŹ rst. “The whole world has changed. The guys who used to be in the game 15, 20, 25 years ago, most of them are partly out. There are now new billionaires. You just have to know who they are.

And again, take a look at what has happened in the last 10 years. Take a look at where China has come from and where they are today. It’s a whole different ball game,� Charles said.

He said that it is imperative that the Government acts now to seek new investments for the

country because procrastination can spell danger. “ If the government doesn’t make some hard decisions, take some strong steps to turn the country around within the next 12 months, I think it is going to be very bad for us,� he said.

In the meantime, Charles said that the business reception towards the Turks and Caicos, from his recent experience has been lukewarm.

He said this feedback could mean that investors are playing an economic chest game, now waiting on government’s next investment policy move. “It used to be a lot of interest, and I think that most people are waiting and watching to see exactly, what is our new (investment) policies are going to be before they make some real strong bold move. And I think it is for the government, again, to make some bold step, to go out there and promote the country and to let the whole world know that we are open for business. “They also need to come up with a development policy (that says) “here is what we will do; here is what we want to do; here is what we expect when you come to do business in the Turks and Caicos’. I don’t think we have that (investment policy) now,� he said.

Charles told The SUN that he would be willing to step up his campaign for foreign business attraction to the Turks and Caicos, but blessing from Government would be paramount.

While in Hong Kong, Charles met with CEOs for ďŹ ve of the largest development companies in that country.

SOUTH DOCK ROAD, PROVIDENCIALES TEL: (649) 941-7872 / 941-7873 FAX: (649) 941-7874 POSITION:

LABOURER

Cleaning and maintaining of yard and help with the loading and off loading of fuel tankers. Assist with warehouse duties. Must be willing to work weekends, and some holidays.

Location: Cheshire Hall Medical Centre Providenciales, TCI Medical Coding/Billing Education: Completion of high school or equivalent, two years of coding experience using (ICD-9, CPT). Not contact with patients required.

Responsible to: Abstracts all necessary information and assigns codes (ICD-9, CPT, which most accurately describe each documented diagnosis and procedures according to established guidelines.

WAGES/SALARY: 7.50 per hour.

Interested persons should submit their resume along with a cover letter to the following: The Manager Mr. McAllister Hanchell Caicos Oil Ltd., P.O. Box 653, South Dock Road, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands or email at mhanchell.caicosoil@gmail.com

cc: smillscaicosoil@gmail.com and jwilliamscaicosoil@gmail.com The deadline for receipt of all applications is June 28th, 2013

Our company consist of a diversified group of companies, ranging from financial services to hotels and resorts as well as other industries.

We are now looking for a candidate for the following position: Applications are invited for the position of Forensic Accountant We require an individual who is CPA or CFE qualified. You must have the ability to analyze a myriad of detailed, complex transactions. You must be detail oriented and able to decipher complicated financial statements and knowledgeable in legal and accounting practices.

Must have skills and experience in the following areas: t Bankruptcy t Insolvency t Reorganization t Fraud t Data collection t Data preparation t Data analysis and reporting.

The ability to read Spanish is preferred. ***Salary for this position will commensurate with qualifications and experience.

BELONGERS NEED ONLY APPLY. PLEASE SUBMIT APPLICATIONS TO: P.O. Box 622 Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands and/or Hospitality622@gmail.com

Biomedical Engineer with 4 yrs experience: 1UALIČśCATIONSÄ?ANDÄ?%XPERIENCE a. $EGREEÄ?ORÄ?DIPLOMAÄ?LEVELÄ?QUALIČśCATIONÄ?INÄ?BIOMEDICALÄ?ENGINEERINGÄ?ORÄ?SIMILARÄ?ACCEPTABLEÄ?DISCIPLINE b. 0ROOFÄ?OFÄ?SIGNIČśCANTÄ?CERTIČśCATIONÄ?OFÄ?MAINTENANCEÄ?COMPETENCYÄ?ONÄ?AÄ?WIDEÄ?RANGEÄ?OFÄ?EQUIPMENTÄ?

ASÄ?VALIDATEDÄ?BYÄ?MANUFACTURERSÂ…Ä?CERTIČśCATES d. Proven experience in a wide range of medical equipment maintenance 2EMUNERATIONÄ?PACKAGESÄ?WILLÄ?BEÄ?BASEDÄ?ONÄ?QUALIČśCATIONÄ?ANDÄ?EXPERIENCE Ä?%MAILÄ?QUALIČśCATIONSÄ? and experiences to: Recruitment@interhealthcanada.tc Deadline for application: Friday 21st June 2013

Page 12

JUNE 15TH-JUNE 22ND, 2013

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

LOCAL NEWS

Investors interested in Salt Cay, Joe Grant Cay and Dellis Cay which were part of Commission of inquiry

BY VIVIAN TYSON

T

hree cays in Turks and Caicos that were at the centre of the 2009 Commission of Inquiry into alleged government malfeasance are getting the irty look from investors at the Invest Caribbean Now Tourism Conference in New York last week.

Salt Cay, Dellis Cay and Joe Grant Cay were all on show at the investment conference, and Premier Dr. Rufus, Ewing, who led the delegation, which also comprised local private business leaders, said that those islands received numerous expressions of interest from investors in attendance.

The premier made the disclosure while hosting the bi-monthly post cabinet press brieďŹ ng at the Tourist Board in Providenciales on Thursday, June 13. He said that investors were also interested in other islands, including North Caicos, where a technology park is being proposed. “We are expecting interests from major developers, from major ďŹ nanciers, from major movie stars. We had persons interested in developing technology parks in North Caicos, persons interested in salt Cay – building a major resort in Salt

Cay; persons interested in looking at developing Joe Grant Cay. “We also had the receivers of both Dellis Cay and Ambergris Cay present in person also at the investment meeting, with us behind them, promoting, trying to take a look at buyers. They made their own individual personal connections, and I am sure they are negotiating with persons who they may have made contact with, who may be interested in buying properties,� the premier said.

He said that government would now work hard to secure the majority of the developments for Turks and Caicos, by follow-ups and addressing some of the concerns that the investors expressed during the meetings. “So it is just a matter for us as a government to follow up on those initiatives, ďŹ nd out exactly what they want; what will make them bite and makes them take anchor here,â€? he said.

Asked as to whether any new projects could begin construction this year, Premier Ewing said the two most likely developments would be the JW Marriot and the Shore Club, which was put on hold by government after Britain seized control of the Turks and Caicos in 2009 and instituted the former Interim Administration. A clandestine

Royal West Indies Resort ROYAL WEST INDIES RESORT, is looking for motivated proactive individuals to join its ‘Resort Team’ and contribute to this growing Condominium Resort. Candidates MUST want to actively participate in creating an excellent and professional guest experience. Ć´ -"#063&3 Ć´ ("3%&/&3 Ć´ )064&."/ REQUIREMENTS: Ć´ .645 TQFBL &OHMJTI BOE UIF BCJMJUZ UP XSJUF BOE SFBE &OHMJTI Ć´ "CJMJUZ UP NBJOUBJO QPPMT BOE IPU UVC DIFNJDBMT BOE NBJOUFOBODF JTTVFT related to same Ć´ 'JU BOE BCMF GPS IFBWZ MJGUJOH Ć´ 1FSTPOBMJUZ TVJUFE GPS UIF IPUFM JOEVTUSZ Ć´ .VTU CF DVTUPNFS GSJFOEMZ Ć´ 8JMMJOH UP XPSL TQMJU TIJGUT IPMJEBZT BOE XFFLFOET Ć´ *SSJHBUJPO TZTUFNT Ć´ (SFFU BOE FTDPSU HVFTUT UP SPPN Ć´ .POUIMZ IPVTFLFFQJOH JOWFOUPSZ Ć´ %BJMZ SFQMFOJTINFOU PG SPPN JUFNT BOE SFTUPDLJOH PG DMPTFUT Ć´ %BJMZ DMFBOJOH PG CVJMEJOHT Ć´ .VTU CF BCMF UP XPSL PO XFFLFOET BOE QVCMJD IPMJEBZT GENERAL MAINTENANCE Ć´ .645 TQFBL &OHMJTI BOE UIF BCJMJUZ UP XSJUF BOE SFBE &OHMJTI Ć´ "CJMJUZ UP NBJOUBJO QPPMT BOE IPU UVC DIFNJDBMT BOE NBJOUFOBODF JTTVFT related to same Ć´ 'JU BOE BCMF GPS IFBWZ MJGUJOH Ć´ 1FSTPOBMJUZ TVJUFE GPS UIF IPUFM JOEVTUSZ Ć´ .VTU CF DVTUPNFS GSJFOEMZ Ć´ 8JMMJOH UP XPSL TQMJU TIJGUT IPMJEBZT BOE XFFLFOET Ć´ ,OPXMFEHF PG XBTUF XBUFS USFBUNFOU QMBOUT Ć´ ,OPXMFEHF PG $PNNFSDJBM -BVOESZ &RVJQNFOU JODMVEJOH QSPQBOF TZTUFNT Ć´ "JS $POEJUJPOJOH TZTUFNT 'JSF "MBSN TZTUFNT %PNFTUJD 8BUFS TZTUFNT including Water Heaters WAGES $6.50/HOUR All resumes and applications must be forwarded to: 3PZBM 8FTU *OEJFT 3FTPSU 1 0 #PY 1SPWJEFODJBMFT 5VSLT $BJDPT *TMBOET You may also fax to:

deal was eventually reached between the Shore Club developers and the Interim Administration for the project to get back on stream. “When you look at the timeline with the ones (projects) that are already on the books, the closest to coming forward is the JW Marriot and the Shore Club, in terms of terms of construction activities and development on Providenciales. The JW Marriot, because of the different steps in development, even though they are committed and we have a development agreement, we can look towards having shovel going into the ground probably sometime around January, February next year,’ The Premier said.

In the meantime, Premier Ewing said that the developers for the North Creek Resort and Marina in Grand Turk have been making headways in having the project moving forward with speed.

He said that government would ink an MOU deal with the principals in short order. He said that the project could begin as early as year-end. “The North Creek developers are very, very serious, and even though we are just about to sign an MOU, I think it is something that we can fast track pretty quickly and to see some work done by the end of the year,� Premier Ewing said.

Government of Canada

Gouvernment du Canada

REGISTRATION OF CANADIANS ABROAD INSCRIPTION DES CANADIENS À L'ÉTRANGER

If you are a Canadian travelling or living in Turks and Caicos, sign up for the Registration of Canadians Abroad service. Registration enables us to contact you in case of an emergency abroad, such as a hurricane, an earthquake or civil unrest, or inform you about an emergency at home in Canada.

Register online at www.travel.gc.ca or in person.

Always remember to obtain and protect your Canadian Passport. A Canadian passport is the only reliable and universally accepted travel and identification document available to Canadians for international travel. For more information, contact: High Commission of Canada 3 West Kings House Road, Kingston 10 Tel: (876) 926-1500, Fax: (876) 733-3493 E-mail: kngtn-cs@international.gc.ca

Consulate of Canada 29 Gloucester Avenue, Montego Bay, Jamaica Tel: (876) 952-6198, Fax: (876) 952-3953 E-mail: cancon@flowja.com

Si vous êtes un Canadien(ne) qui voyage ou qui rÊside aux Iles Turks & Caicos, inscrivezvous auprès de notre service d’inscription des Canadiens à l’Êtranger.

L’inscription nous permet de vous contacter en cas d’urgence à l’Êtranger, comme par exemple lors d’un ouragan, un tremblement de terre, des troubles civils ou pour vous informer d’une urgence familiale au Canada.

Inscrivez-vous en ligne Ă www.voyage.gc.ca ou en personne.

Souvenez-vous de toujours obtenir et protÊger votre passeport Canadien. Le passeport Canadien est le seul document de voyage et la seule pièce d’identitÊ fiable et reconnue universellement aux fins de voyages internationaux. Pour des informations supplÊmentaires, contactez-le: Haut-commissariat du Canada 3 West Kings House Road, Kingston 10 TÊl: (876) 926-1500, TÊlÊc: (876) 733-3493 Courriel: kngtn-cs@international.gc.ca

Consulat du Canada 29 rue Gloucester, Montego Bay, JamaĂŻque TĂŠl: (876) 952-6198, TĂŠlĂŠc: (876) 952-3953 Courriel: cancon@flowja.com

*Information obtained through registration is confidential and is used in accordance with the provisions of Canada’s Privacy Act *Les renseignements fournis sont confidentiels et utilisÊ en conformÊment à la Loi sur la protection des renseignement

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 13

JUNE 15TH-JUNE 22ND, 2013

LOCAL NEWS

Crackdown on litterbugs! he Turks and Caicos Islands Government has

T

vices Hon. Porsha Stubbs-Smith, to formulate a

cern to everyone, and so, all should play their part

vowed to get tough on unscrupulous individ-

task force comprising of representatives from the

regardless of their professional.

uals who wantonly dump garbage in undesignat-

Environmental Health Department, Planning De-

“If I may use the phrase from the Tourist Board,

ed areas and those who hurl wastes from their ve-

partment, Ministry of Government Support Ser-

which states that ‘tourism is everybody’s busi-

hicles while driving.

vices, Tourist Board, Road Safety Department,

ness’; we, as the government, the civil service, pri-

Premier Ewing, in a national address on

Traffic Department, the Police Force and Public

vate sector, moms, dads, aunts and uncles must

Wednesday (June 12) said that he has mandat-

Works, to use the combined resources of their of-

adopt this phrase. We all have a part to play in the

ed his minister of Home Affairs and Human Ser-

fices and various legislations to actively engage

visitor experience,” he said.

vices Hon. Porsha Stubbs-Smith to put together a

offenders and address the mounting problem of

task force aimed at cracking down on this prac-

littering,” the Premier said.

tice, since it has been getting out of hand in recent time.

Hundreds of bags of garbage are collected during the clean-up calendar event - TCI Shine –

The premier emphasized that when people unite a lot gets done and so, is calling on everyone to play their part to foster a culture of national pride and zero tolerance towards littering.

“The practice of throwing empty bottles and

which is spearheaded by the Tourist Board. The

“The past few years have demonstrated that

cans out your car window must be stopped im-

troubling state is that those volume of garbage are

where the people intervene strongly and consis-

mediately. We have to hold people more account-

collected each year from those same areas, which

tently, it can turn around any major threat, as it

able for their actions and take steps in an effort to

means that unconscionable people have been lit-

has happened in our campaign against VAT (Val-

enforce the law. The current law requires that all

tering those areas as soon as they are cleaned up.

ue Added Tax). We now need a campaign to build

persons must keep their premises and adjacent

The premier stressed that littering can have an

this economy by promoting investment opportu-

adverse effect on the country’s tourism. To this

nities, doing our part to service the tourism indus-

“Consequently I have directed the minister

end he reiterated that the well-being of tourism

try and build a better and brighter future for our

with responsibility for health and human ser-

in the Turks and Caicos Islands should be of con-

children,” the premier noted.

road clean.

NOTICE OF SALE BY PUBLIC AUCTION Scotiabank (Turks & Caicos) Ltd. of Cherokee Road, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands hereby gives notice of its intention to sell by Public Auction the following properties pursuant to its power of sale as registered Chargee under the Registered Land Ordinance of the Turks and Caicos Islands: 1. Parcel 60900/190 Leeward Going Through, Providenciales. Comprising of single storey main residence and a single storey two bedroom guest house. The main house provides four bedrooms, three bathrooms, living room, dining room and kitchen. The guest house provides two bedrooms, one bath, living and kitchen area.

Registered Proprietors: Sonovia Darshann Gardiner 2. Parcel 60003/08 North West and North Central, Providenciales comprising of a single storey residential home with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen and a laundry room. Some commercial amenities are available nearby; however, the downtown area is readily accessible via Millennium Highway which is accessed via a paved road leading from the subject estate.

Registered Proprietor: Alan James Percy 3. Parcel 10401/115 East Suburbs, Grand Turk comprising of two- two bedroom and one bedroom apartments and one- one bedroom, one bathroom apartment.

There is a derelict lean-to addition and cistern at the rear of the property.

Registered Proprietor: Coralene Lou Phillips 4. Parcel 60802/39 The Bight and Thomas Stubbs, Providenciales comprising of 0.65 acres of undeveloped land. The Subject property is steeply sloping down towards the Lower Bight and benefits from distant ocean views from elevated southern section.

Registered Proprietor: Jay Leonard Steinberg 5. Parcel 60611/67, Norway & Five Cays, Providenciales, Comprising of 0.21 acres of Undeveloped land. The subject property is a corner parcel with access along the south east/south west boundaries and is located just off the South Dock road.

Registered Proprietor: Anisha Crishell Ewing 6. Parcel 60506/26 Blue Hills and Stamers Run, Providenciales, Comprising of 1.90 Acres of a well elevated undeveloped inland lot. The land is zoned as a Low Density Residential (3 units per acre) and can be located by taking the Thompson Cove road North off the Leeward Highway.

Registered Proprietor: Moriba Atiba Baker 7. Parcel 60002/355 North West & North Central, Providenciales, this property forms part of the Phase Two of the Priton Homes affordable housing scheme which consists of an extensive residential estate. This residence has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a laundry room and open living areas.

Registered Proprietor: Jameka Lashawn Williams The auction will be held at the offices of Scotiabank (Turks and Caicos) Limited, Grace Bay Branch, Providenciales at 10 o’clock in the morning on Friday the 28th day of June 2013.

A reserve price will be fixed on all parcels. A deposit of 10% is due immediately upon all accepted bids.

Terms and Conditions of Sale by Auction are available by request from Scotiabank Collections Department (649) 339-7100.

Page 14

JUNE 15TH-JUNE 22ND, 2013

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

LOCAL NEWS SHAY CAFE COFFE SHOP in the grace bay area is looking for a GELATO MIXOLOGIST and ASSISANT MANGER with gelato storage and production experience and excellent customer service and truoble shooting skills

HOUSEKEEPER Responsible for household management, child care, pet care, elder care, household accounts, cleaning, assistance with guests and business entertaining, cooking with ability to follow special dietary requirements, Must have CPR training, own transport, ability to work evenings, weekends, holidays or live in as needed. Salary commensurate with experience.

please forward your resumes to petulaw2@yahoo.com

debbyclaire@gmail.com

PASSION BEAUTY SALON & SUPPLY Is looking for a

HAIRDRESSER To work 6 days per week Salary

$5.00 per hour

Contact 333-1235

ROSHEEDA RUSSELL

IS SEEKING TO EMPLOY A

DOMESTIC WORKER

4 $5

TO WORK DAYS A WEEK SALARY PER HOUR

CONTACT ˸ ˸ ,/ ROSHEEDA@YAHOO.COM

JLX

CLOTHING STORE SEEKS 1 SALESMAN SALARY $5.50 per hour 6 days per week Contact 244-3548

AUTO REPAIR TECHNCIAN Must be able to diagnose and repair all electronic computerized engine management systems for both diesel & gasoline engines.

Rebuild engines for both computerized & non computerized systems and also troubleshoot & repair all transmission for all systems.

Contact 231-2358 LIVE IN DOMESTIC WORKER AND DOG SITTER

D S

R

E

E

A E

D K

Z S

1 Hairdresser

WOODS CONTRACTUAL SERVICES is looking for a

Salary $6.00 per hour

BOOK KEEPER

6 d a y s p e r we e k

Rate $8.00 per Hour

Interested person should

Interested persons contact

contact

342-2182

941-4575

D&G TIRES

Must be available to work holidays and some evenings.

Salary $6.00 per hour

Contact 244.3572

TIRE MAN

MERVIN JENNINGS

SALARY

$5.00

S E E K S

PER HOUR

1 CARPENTER Salary $10.00 per hour

DANDGTIRES@HOTMAIL.COM

Interested applicants please contact 941-8714

CONTACT

BY VIVIAN TYSON

A

s the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force searches for a main building on Providenciales to house its headquarters, it has decided to shift manpower from the tiny Five Cays station to the Chalk Sound station to bolster activities there.

Commissioner of Police Colin Farquhar, who conďŹ rmed the readjustment exercise, said that the decision to lessen the manpower at the Five Cays Station and add numbers at the Chalk Sound facility, is a matter of ďŹ nding ways to make the men and women of the force feel more comfortable. “Chalk Sound has actually kind of been the main station for a while. We are just taking a little of the focus away Five Cays Station. Superintendent Grant is just moving a couple of the bodies over towards Chalk Sound. But we still share the policing tasks between Five Cays, Chalk Sound and even the Grace Bay Police Station. “We are always just struggling with ofďŹ ce space and so it is a matter of readjusting the resources to try and make people more comfortable and the working environment a little better,â€? Commissioner Farquar said.

He said that for the past year the top brass of the force has been looking to establishing a police post in the ever growing Blue Hills community. He explained that the post would not open 24 hours and day, since the intention is to have police presence in the community at all times and for police to interact with the community and to address the needs.

As it relates to Blue Hills, it has been something that we’ve been looking at probably for probably at least a year, about getting some focus out that way.

Now, I never want a police station because manning a police station takes people off the road, and what I want is for people patrolling and being proactive and not sitting in the ofďŹ ce and being reactive. “I want to get some focus out there, so we are looking at having a police post that is open during the days, so when people need to make reports they don’t have to go all the

way down to make reports there. There will be a point of contact (in the area)

and if they (police)

need to go to the high school, then they can and then they can go back to ROSECARMENE the post and do up some notes if they need to,� he further explained.

Commissioner Farquhar said that location for the police post has not yet been identiďŹ ed but Salary 5.00 per hour discussions have been going on with 4 days per week owners of the buildings in the commuContact 345-1036 nity to arrive at a suitable location.

S E E K S

IS LOOKING FOR

Must be able to care for 2 dogs, including walking them. Able to work 6 days per week

Police shifting manpower from Five Cays to Chalk Sound

44 hours per week

DOMESTIC WORKER

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 15

JUNE 15TH-JUNE 22ND, 2013

LOCAL NEWS

POST CABINET UPDATE

BY GOVERNOR TODD H

is Excellency Governor Ric Todd chaired the meeting of the Turks and Caicos Islands’ (TCI) Cabinet on Wednesday, 12 June 2013 at the House of Assembly Building on Grand Turk. The Premier and all Ministers, except the Deputy Premier, were present at the meeting. The Deputy Premier was in London representing the Government of TCI. At this meeting Cabinet: • Discussed draft legislation prepared by AG’s Chambers at the request of the Minister of Finance on the introduction of a at rate customs duty on the cost of freight and insurance for cargoes imported into the TCI. This new revenue raising measure was an integral part of the Financial Framework prepared previous by the Ministry of Finance and ďŹ nancial modelling by ofďŹ cials had shown the duty, whilst necessary, would have only a small impact on the cost of individual imported items. Ministers said they would view very seriously any evidence where individual businesses appear to increased prices unjustiďŹ ably. Cabinet agreed the Bill and the Minister of Finance will present it to the House of Assembly at the next sitting (on 24th June) with a view to it becoming law on 1 July; • Also, discussed draft legislation prepared by AG’s Chambers at the request of the Minister of Finance on amendments to the application of stamp and share transfer duty. Several technical changes were explained relating to the threshold ceiling on stamp duty payable for multi-million dollar loans; the percentage duty applied to loans for property purchase and on loan transfers to a different provider; the percentage allowance made when property is purchased to account for furnishings and chattels; and the applicability of stamp duty to share transfers with respect to land holding companies.

The proposals from the Minister of Finance were supported by Cabinet and the AG was instructed to bring forward draft amending legislation to be reviewed at the next Cabinet meeting; • Received a presentation on disaster preparedness by the Director of Disaster Management, Dr Virginia Clerveaux. The presentation explained the preparations that had been put in place and those that were still underway. Cabinet noted that lessons had been learnt since Hurricane Ike and as much as possible will be done within the constraints of public ďŹ nances. There can never be total assurance but where priority improvements still need to be made resources will be found. Dr Clerveaux also explained the funds available from international bodies and how TCI could do more to secure them. All ministers acknowledged the need for their ministries to be well prepared and integrated into disaster management plans. They also undertook to encourage public institutions to ensure they have plans in place to address emergencies and for citizens, communities, churches and the private sector to understand what is expected of them; • A further presentation was made by the management of the NHIB to describe to Cabinet the ďŹ ndings from their review of the ordinances and regulations under which they operate. They explained several areas where the body could improve its effectiveness and value for money. The NHIB were requested to present to the Ministers of Health and Finance as swiftly as practicable a detailed set of changes to their underlying legislation and procedures, together with draft text for any necessary legislative changes to be taken forward and to consider the efďŹ ciencies from a possible merger of the NHIB and NIB payments systems; • Considered and supported a proposal from the Minister of Finance that an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) be concluded with NCPA Ltd for the development of a marina at North Creek on Grand Turk and agreed that the Governor would sign the MoU when it had been ďŹ nalised by AG Chambers;

• Agreed that the order bringing into effect the Universities, Colleges and Technical Institutes Ordinance from 1 July 2013 should be signed by the Governor; • Heard an update from the Minister of Border Control and Labour that work on a draft Ordinance on Immigration and Citizenship was at an advanced stage. He noted that the legislation was essential and it was agreed the preparation of the draft Ordinance would be the ďŹ rst priority of AG’s Chambers when the necessary Finance Ordinances had been prepared; • Noted that the CFO and the Budget had, as requested by Cabinet at its meeting on 29 May, clariďŹ ed remaining issues relating to the 2013/14 Budget and that the Budget will, with CFO’s support, be sent forthwith to UK Ministers by the Minister of Finance; • Noted the following ministerial travel commitments:

•

the Deputy Premier would represent TCI on behalf of the Premier at the G8 Event on Trade, Tax and Transparency hosted by Prime Minister Cameron in London on 15 June as well as related events and would meet FCO Minister Simmonds on 13 June • the Premier would attend the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Trinidad from 3-7 July • the Minister for Health would visit the UK from 18-20 June to attend the 62nd Westminster Seminar • the Minister for Government Support Services would attend a CEDEMA Ministerial Conference on disaster management in Suriname from 24 - 30 June.

Further information on the issues addressed by Cabinet will be provided by Ministers in due course.

Cabinet took the opportunity to offer their best wishes to Dr Philip Rushbrook on the completion of his posting to the Governor’s OfďŹ ce when he moves to a new role in London at the end of the month.

Cabinet will meet next on Wednesday, 26 June 2013.

IMMEDIATE OPENING COSMETOLOGIST Requirements: ƴ 1SJPS FYQFSJFODF XPSLJOH BT B $PTNFUPMPHJTU JO UIF TQB EFQBSUNFOU JO B MVYVSZ SFTPSU ƴ &YDFMMFOU DPNNVOJDBUJPO TLJMMT ƴ "CJMJUZ UP VOEFSTUBOE UIF HVFTU JOUFSOBM BOE FYUFSOBM BOE NFFU BOE FYDFFE UIF OFFET PG CPUI UIF HVFTU BOE UIF DPNQBOZ ƴ "CJMJUZ UP QSPWJEF HFOVJOF TFSWJDF UISPVHI BDUJPOT UIBU EJTQMBZ TFMG DPOˡEFODF HSBDF BOE DPVSUFTZ UP HVFTUT BOE DPMMFBHVFT ƴ .VTU CF BCMF BOE XJMMJOH UP XPSL BMM EBZT BOE TIJGUT Duties Include: ƴ 1SPWJEFT DPOTJTUFOU QSPGFTTJPOBM IBJS USFBUNFOUT JO BDDPSEBODF XJUI TQB QSPUPDPMT BOE BDDFQUFE DFSUJˡDBUJPO QSBDUJDFT ƴ $PNQMFUF LOPXMFEHF BOE VOEFSTUBOEJOH PG BMM TFSWJDFT BOE QSPEVDUT XIJMF FEVDBUJOH HVFTUT JO UIFTF BSFBT ƴ 6QIPMEJOH UIF TUBOEBSET PG TBOJUBUJPO BOE TUFSJMJ[BUJPO BT EJSFDUFE CZ MBX BOE UIF TQBƭT QPMJDJFT BOE QSPDFEVSFT ƴ 1FSGPSNJOH QSFQ XPSL BOE QSPQFSMZ DMFBOJOH BOE SFTUPDLJOH XPSL BSFB BT SFRVJSFE

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4UBSUJOH TBMBSZ QFS IPVS OPU JODMVEJOH TFSWJDF DIBSHF LABOURER/GARDENER Duties Include: Ć´ (FOFSBM MBCPSFS EVUJFT BT BTTJHOFE CZ UIF TVQFSWJTPS PS NBOBHFS Ć´ 8JMMJOHOFTT UP XPSL WBSZJOH TDIFEVMFT TQMJU TIJGUT OJHIUT XFFLFOET BOE IPMJEBZT

4BMBSZ BO IPVS OPU JODMVEJOH TFSWJDF DIBSHF MANAGER OF TRAVEL INDUSTRY SALES

3FHFOU 1BMNT 5VSLT BOE $BJDPT JT B TVJUF MVYVSZ SFTPSU XIJDI GFBUVSFT FMFHBOUMZ BQQPJOUFE MVYVSZ SPPNT XJUI POF UXP BOE UISFF CFESPPN TVJUFT 8PSME DMBTT BNFOJUJFT JODMVEF B TRVBSF GPPU TQB CBORVFU GBDJMJUJFT BOE UXP TJHOBUVSF SFTUBVSBOUT 5IF .BOHFS PG 5SBWFM *OEVTUSZ 4BMFT JT B LFZ QBSU PG PVS 6 4 CBTFE TBMFT UFBN SFTQPOTJCMF GPS HSPVQ BOE MFJTVSF TBMFT Requirements: ƴ 1PTU TFDPOEBSZ EFHSFF PS FRVJWBMFOU RVBMJˡDBUJPO CZ FYQFSJFODF ƴ 4USPOH XSJUUFO BOE WFSCBM TLJMMT XJUI EPDVNFOUFE SFTQPOTJCJMJUZ GPS QSPNPUJPOT TBMFT BOE NBSLFUJOH ƴ 1SPWFO TVDDFTT JO MVYVSZ USBWFM IPTQJUBMJUZ TBMFT XJUI FTUBCMJTIFE SFMBUJPOTIJQT XJUI UPQ MVYVSZ UPVS PQFSBUPST USBWFM BHFOUT JODFOUJWF IPVTFT BOE NFFUJOH QMBOOFST ƴ .VTU IBWF FYQFSJFODF TFMMJOH MVYVSZ $BSJCCFBO QSPQFSUJFT BOE VOEFSTUBOE XIPMFTBMFST '*5 BOE IJHI FOE USBWFM BHFODZ QSPGFTTJPOBMT ƴ Must be able and willing to work all days and shift

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Page 16

JUNE 15TH-JUNE 22ND, 2013

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

LOCAL NEWS

Ambergris Cay development could restart soon

BY VIVIAN TYSON

T

he Players in the Ambergris Cay residential development have been busying trying to win investment to that island, about five years after the project was taken into receivership by the Lord Michael Ascroft’s British Caribbean Bank.

Businessman Harold Charles told The SUN that much in-road has been made to resuscitate the development but could not give specifics sine negotiations are at a delicate stage.

“All I can say is that much progress have been made, but I can’t say much more on it because we are still in the negotiation stage,” Charles said.

Heather Allen, the attorney for Ambergris Cay Services Ltd said that the receiver has been making headway in securing investors for the project.

Allen made the revelation in an email correspondence with The SUN. “Investigations have been taking place to identify and secure a sustainable development and investment path that will ensure the long term success of the cay, which in turn will support the long term development of TCI. The Receiver is working diligently to identify such a solution,” Allen said.

The luxury residential development was plunged into receivership in November 2008, resulting in it being plugged by BCB – its financier – leaving approximately 34 people out of work.

All operations on the tiny island were suspended and all but a handful of security and maintenance staff sent packing and nine firms as-

sociated with the exclusive $1bn scheme – once dubbed the Hamptons of the TCI – were placed in the hands of Provo-based receiver Dean Charles Boyce.

The Turks & Caicos Sporting Club opened on 1,100 acre Ambergris Cay in 2008, selling home sites for up to $6.5m. In addition, the island featured a spa and fitness centre, environmental learning centre, bar and restaurant.

The previously uninhabited island, 50 miles from Providenciales, was to eventually feature 350 private family homes with all the amenities of a five-star resort. Only a handful were ever constructed.

In November 2008, 34 workers were dished pink slips following a slouch in sales said to have been caused from the collapse of the U.S. financial market.

The tiny cay is home to the region’s longest private airstrip – the Harold Charles International Airport - which allowed international visitors to fly there directly without having to clear immigration in Providenciales. The 5,700-foot runway was also said to have been closed after the development went into receivership.

Ambergris Cay was bought by Canadian businessman Henry Mensen in 1995. Mensen helped lead the Sporting Club project along with Charles.

The two were bought out in March 2008 by developers DPS TCI Ltd and some private investors.

DPS creates private five-star sporting communities on historic and unique properties around the region.

Other sites include the Greenbrier Sporting Club in West Virginia, Snake River Sporting Club in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the Ford Plantation in Georgia and Deep Water Cay Club on Grand Bahama Island.

In the meantime, Allen revealed that the airport has been operational for the past two years and that various facilities are being maintained and full utility services are being provided to cottage owners.

“I can confirm that Ambergris Cay is operational, and that it has been in constant use over the past two years. The airport has been and is available for use, with private flights (TCI airlines and privately owned planes) using the strip on a regular basis,” she said.

In the meantime, Allen said that the Airport was never shut down, but instead operated on a restricted basis.

“What did happen was that the receiver voluntarily had the classification for the airport on Ambergris Cay reduced to that of an uncertified aerodrome and as an international port of entry. So whereas before, you could fly an international jet direct to Ambergris Cay and clear Customs and Immigration on Ambergris Cay, you can do longer do that and you now have to land in Provo (or other international port first), clear customs and immigration there first and then fly to Ambergris Cay. Now some owners have been denied access to the airport for not paying their community assessments,” she said.

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 17

JUNE 15TH-JUNE 22ND, 2013

LOCAL NEWS

Understaffed AG Chambers holding up legislation drafting T

he understaffing of legislative drafts personnel in the Attorney General Chambers is holding up the crafting of the Immigration Reform Bill, according to Ministry of Border Control and Labour Hon. Don-Hue Gardiner.

Fielding questions during a post cabinet news briefing on Thursday, June 13, at the Tourist Board in Grace Bay, Hon. Gardiner, said that since his ministry was going for complete overhauling of the current immigration law, coupled with the consideration that the single drafts person is tied up with other legislative assignments, it may take some time before the bill becomes a reality.

“We are reviewing the legislation in its entirety. You would appreciate that there are certain bench marks that we must enshrine in the Constitution, which I thing itself we need to go back and begin consultation and reviewing as well.

“We need to consider to whom we give Belonger status; what mechanisms there will be for granting them; we need to consider how we handle spouses of Belongers when they get married and how long persons will have to wait in order to get status and whether or not those status could be revoked; and Howe we handle the question of permanent residency and whether we should revisit the question of investor category for people,” he explained.

The minister pointed out also that consideration should be given as to whether the country needs an immigration board at this time or begin to pursue another path that would be faster and more efficient in processing immigration documents.

“We also need to consider whether or not we continue with an immigration board or for example, or set up a system of case, as they exist in many other countries, because persons have been complaining about the delay. And (also) when you consider that the persons on the Immi-

gration Board have other jobs,” he said.

He said the drafting of such legislation would need the input of all members of parliament and the general public, adding that his ministry has already begun to move the ball on immigration, with discussions that piqued ideas amongst movers and shakers within that ministry.

“We have had internal discussions amongst our ministry staff, the technical personnel in the ministry, and we have broadened that to have discussions with members of parliament generally, including discussions with persons on both sides of the political divide. And then we have formulated instructions to the Attorney General Department, who are responsible for drafting the legislation,” Gardiner said.

He said that the drafting of the bill could have been much farther that the staged that it is at, but its slouch is due to lack of manpower in the Attorney General Chambers.

He said that the hope is to have it presented in the House by the beginning of the fall.

“The hold-back to date has been that there is only one legislative drafts person in the Attorney General Chambers, and that person obviously has a number of other things to do, including drafting the various financial bills that would need to have in place in the next short while. And so, what it is envision is that either we are going to farm out the drafting out of that legislation or it will be prioritized to begin the drafting work once the new set of financial legislations has been dealt with in the House.

“And so, I expect at the very least we could begin the actual drafting toward the beginning of the month of July with a view, in any event, to have it brought into the public domain for public consultation sometime, I am hoping, toward the end of August and with a view to having it in parliament by mid September,

POSITIONS AVAILABLE

The following positions are available for a construction site based in South Caicos. Applicants must have a minimum of five (5) years work experience in the relevant area, must be able to work well with others and must be prepared to live in South Caicos.

Salary Starts at $18/hr or $900 weekly MASON (2)

INTERESTED PARTIES SHOULD FAX THEIR RESUMES TO 9463611 OR CALL 9463612

later September this year,” he said.

He said that the Immigration Reform Bill is but one of many such legislations that government is working to bring forward but faces delay because of lack of resources.

“There are a number of other bits of legislations that we are working on and we find ourselves generally in the same position. We are working on revamping, for example, the Trade Union Legislation. And we have done in house a considerable bit of consultation so that we could give instructions for the drafting. I would prefer to have a bill out in the public for consultation as opposed to some nebulous concept that persons may not necessarily be prepared or willing to comment on.

“So we would rather have something more concrete. We are looking as well at revamping the legislation dealing with births, death and marriage generally. As you would know, there are many deficiencies in the legislation when you consider the need for computerization and the need in this day and age to ensure that a birth certificate, for example, is married to an individual.

“We have no way, as is the case in many of the Caribbean countries, of saying that if you show up with a birth certificate that you are the person that is represented by that certificate. And so, lour legislation would seek to enable us to make those kinds of changes as well. And so, there is a flurry of activities going within the ministry. However, given the lack of capacity in government for drafting, we have actually being held up,” said.

The minister was quick to point out that the legislations hold-up was not to be blamed on the solitary drafts person, but the level of work load, including financial bills that should go with the impending budget.

“It (delay in drafting of bills) is no reflection at all on the legislative drafts person. I am fully content and happy with her abilities and I am sure whenever she is able to get around to it, she will do a marvelous job for Turks and Caicos.”

In the meantime, the minister said there are plans to hire additional drafts persons, noting that it had come to his attention that adverts have been sent out to attract qualified individuals.

RegulaƟon 7 of the Physical Planning (Development Permission) RegulaƟons, 1990 An applicaƟon, registered as PR-11178 by Leeward Limited, has been submiƩed to the Department of Planning, to remove and replace an exisƟng coastal groyne structure with associated beach nourishment along Pelican Beach in Grace Bay. Anyone wishing to make any representaƟon(s) may do so in wriƟng to the Director of Planning, South Base, Grand Turk, or through the Department of Planning, Downtown, Town Center Mall, Providenciales within twenty eight (28) days of publicaƟon of this NoƟce.

NoƟce dated: May 31, 2013

Page 18

JUNE 15TH-JUNE 22ND, 2013

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

LOCAL NEWS

Calls for Provo Post Office upgrade

BY VIVIAN TYSON

facility to our attention, said.

a major clean up exercise. Regularly cutting

“Now, I am not blaming the government of the grass on the property has been taking

S

ome Providenciales residents believe that of the day… at least not yet, because they just the post office on that island is not a good

place ever since. That is, however, not enough

came to office and sorting out themselves. for some of the island’s people.

representation of the Beautiful by Nature But at the same time, we should remember

At a government post cabinet news confer-

theme on which the Turks and Caicos pride

that the state of the post office is a reflec-

ence recently, where he spoke on the matter

itself.

tion of the country and that includes the gov-

of protocol and the respect that is due to gov-

The post office is the first government ernment. So I urge them to do something to

ernment officials and others in society, Pre-

building that visitors see after leaving the make the place look better,” he said Providenciales International Airport on their

mier Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing said that steps

A Kew Town resident added: “The post of- were being made to upgrade government

way to their various destinations on the is- fice is the first government building that you buildings and restore national pride. pass when you’re coming from the airport. It

He said in addition to giving the buildings

dition that the building and its surrounding is also the last government building that you

a good facelift; flags will be planted to identi-

is in is not a good reflection of the country. pass when you heading to the airport. To me

fy those structures.

land, and some residents believe that the con-

They said that swift action should be taken to the location is an open yard with an abanrectify the problem.

“We just want to build a culture of Turks

doned building on it…that’s how it looks not and Caicos Islanders being proud of their

One resident said that proper landscaping only to me but many people I spoke with. It

people, of themselves first and foremost, of

of the property should be done not only for

is an eyesore, man. I even learn that when it their country, and (to) give people the respect

aesthetics purposes but also to show a sense

rains some parts of the building leaks. That is

that is due to them. It takes education, and

of national pride.

not a condition we want people to work in.

we ought to set the guidelines, rules and prin-

We can do better than that as a country.”

ciples, and educate the public so that we can

“When I pass there and look at the building, it is not a place that I am proud of. As a matter of fact, I am saddened by the state of

The post office, up to the recent past, was have those common courtesies extended to camouflage by huge clumps of bushes on the

it,” one resident, who brought the state of the property. The location was cleared up during

people within our community,” the premier said at the press conference.

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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JUNE 15TH-JUNE 22ND, 2013

LOCAL NEWS

Realty Times

BY JUSTIN MISSICK

It’s a Buyer’s Market!

In Real Estate timing is everything; now is the right time to buy. Take advantage of this market; the opportunity allows you to make smart investments like getting the home you always wanted or attaining a property for the potential capital appreciation typically purchasing the property for cheaper than you would usually get it; this is a Buyer’s market. A buyers market is one in which the supply of available property exceeds the demand of persons to purchase them, giving purchasers the advantage to negotiate lower prices in many cases.

We have all been around long enough to witness the ups and the downs in the real estate market. In 2002 we experienced the rapid growth of the real estate market. The Number of Resorts on Grace Bay Beach seemed to double overnight and real estate was the hottest commodity to get your hands on. Then in late 2007 the perfect storm hit the Turks and Caicos Islands....World Wide Global recession...Stock market crash... and the Turks and Caicos Islands experienced an ac-

JUSTIN MISSICK tive storm season. Put all that together and you have a downturn in the local Turks and Caicos Islands real estate market... which brings us to 2013. Real estate prices are the lowest they have been in 8 years, the good news is that the market has stabilized and is well positioned for a steady uptick. 2011 & 2012 were still very slow years compared to the hay day, but you began to see transactions and pricing on the increase; steadily returning to their pre-recession values with quality inventory and very competitive pricing across the board this makes it an extremely attractive prospect to get in now before the resurgence.

I have heard the stories

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many times from countless residents and visitors who have expressed how they should have bought when property was inexpensive only to witness not so many years later the same property worth 10 times the amount. So to my original point in Real Estate timing is everything it’s a buyer’s market so don’t miss this second opportunity that faith has given you to purchase that property you always wanted but could not previously afford. Now is the right time to buy in Turks and Caicos.

My goal is to provide you with the peace of mind and comfort that you have made the right real estate investment decision and to ensure your entire purchasing and selling experience in the Turks and Caicos Islands is professionally handled, ďŹ nancially sound and stress free. Justin Missick is a Sales Associate at Prestigious Properties Realty He can be reached at (649) 347-4564 or justin@ prestigiousproperties.com Social Media pages LIKE http://www.facebook. com/TurksandCaicosProperties FOLLOW @TurksNCaicosRE

D

igicel is making the 4G experience affordable and accessible to all with the launch of its own affordable Android smartphone.

Dubbed the Digicel Smartphone DL600 and featuring a large 3.5 inch display, the latest version of the popular Android OS (Jellybean 4.1), a 1Ghz processor and an aesthetically appealing and fresh design, Digicel’s smartphone is 4G capable with speeds of 7.2 Mbps.

Fully loaded with a range of popular and useful apps which will allow customers to do more, play more, listen more and share more, the Digicel Smartphone DL600 is sure to appeal to young people on the go who want style, functionality and affordability - as well as superfast speeds to suit their busy lifestyles.

With the continuing rollout of its 4G and LTE networks across the Caribbean and Central America, Digicel’s sights are ďŹ rmly set on ensuring that everyone everywhere can beneďŹ t from access to superfast internet speeds at affordable prices and achieve extraordinary things in their everyday lives. As such, the Digicel Smartphone DL600 will be competitively priced – free on postpaid and $75 on prepaid when you sign up for a 4G plan, making it the most attractive handset of its calibre available on the market today.

Brian Finn, Commercial Director for Digicel Group, comments; “This is all about bringing the amazing experience of 4G to as many people as possible. It’s about accessibility, style and affordability. Ideally suited to the youth market who want to be connected via messaging, social media and other lifestyle and information apps, the Digicel Smartphone DL600 is a fun, fully loaded Android smartphone which empowers people to do more, play more, listen more and share more.�

Our company consist of a diversified group of companies, ranging from financial services to hotels and resorts as well as other industries.

We are now looking for candidates for the following positions: Applications are invited for the position of Executive Chef, Food Service Manager Responsibilities t %JSFDU GPPE QSFQBSBUJPO QSPEVDUJPO BOE DPOUSPM PG BMM GPPE SFTUBVSBOUT MPVOHFT BOE CBORVFU GBDJMJUJFT BU NVMUJQMF QSPQFSUJFT FYJTUJOH BOE QSPKFDUFE t &OTVSF DPOTJTUFODZ JO UIF RVBMJUZ BOE TUBOEBSET PG GPPE QSPEVDU BOE GPPE EFMJWFSZ t 1SPWJEF TVQQPSU BT B NFNCFS PG UIF &YFDVUJWF $PNNJUUFF QBSUJDVMBSMZ UP UIF 'PPE #FWFSBHF 0QFSBUJPOT .BOBHFS t "TTJTU NBOBHFNFOU JO UIF QSFQBSBUJPO PG UIF BOOVBM EFQBSUNFOUBM PQFSBUJOH CVEHFU BOE ĕOBODJBM QMBOT XIJDI TVQQPSU UIF PWFSBMM PCKFDUJWFT PG UIF PQFSBUJPO Requirements t (PPE DPNNVOJDBUJPO TLJMMT CPUI WFSCBM BOE XSJUUFO t &YUFOTJWF LOPXMFEHF PG NFOV EFWFMPQNFOU JOTJHIU JOUP NBSLFUJOH DPTU BOE XBHF DPOUSPM t ćPSPVHI LOPXMFEHF PG GPPE QSPEVDUT TUBOEBSE SFDJQFT BOE QSPQFS QSFQBSBUJPO t "CJMJUZ UP TVQFSWJTF B MBSHF JOUFSOBUJPOBM TUBČ DPNQMJNFOU BOE DPOUSPM QFSGPSNBODF PCKFDUJWFT JO NVMUJQMF PVUMFUT t ZFBST FYQFSJFODF JO BO VQTDBMF ĕOF EJOJOH SFTUBVSBOU BOE IPUFM FOWJSPONFOU .JDIFMJO 4UBS 3BUFE 3FTUBVSBOU &YQFSJFODF 3FRVJSFE Applications are invited for the position of Hotel Operations Manager Responsibilities t %JSFDU UIF SPPN SFWFOVF NBOBHFNFOU PQFSBUJPOT PG UIF IPUFM t $PPSEJOBUF XJUI LFZ TUBLFIPMEFST UP FOTVSF QSPQFS DPNNVOJDBUJPO PG DPNQBOZ HPBMT BOE PCKFDUJWFT t "TTJTU NBOBHFNFOU JO UIF QSFQBSBUJPO PG UIF BOOVBM EFQBSUNFOUBM PQFSBUJOH CVEHFU BOE ĕOBODJBM QMBOT XIJDI TVQQPSU UIF PWFSBMM PCKFDUJWFT PG UIF PQFSBUJPO t "TTJTU JO UIF TFMFDUJPO USBJOJOH BOE EFWFMPQNFOU PG IPUFM QFSTPOOFM Requirements t (PPE DPNNVOJDBUJPO TLJMMT CPUI WFSCBM BOE XSJUUFO 1SPĕDJFODZ JO PUIFS MBOHVBHFT XJMM CF BO BTTFU t ZFBST FYQFSJFODF JO BO VQTDBMF IPTQJUBMJUZ FOWJSPONFOU t "CJMJUZ UP TVQFSWJTF B MBSHF JOUFSOBUJPOBM TUBČ DPNQMJNFOU BOE DPOUSPM QFSGPSNBODF PCKFDUJWFT JO NVMUJQMF PVUMFUT t .VTU IBWF XPSLFE GPS BO JOUFSOBUJPOBMMZ SFDPHOJ[FE 'JWF 4UBS )PUFM #SBOE Applications are invited for the position of Facility Manager Responsibilities t %FWFMPQT FČFDUJWF BOE BUUBJOBCMF XPSL QSPHSBNT t $PPSEJOBUFT GBDJMJUZ NBJOUFOBODF BOE QSFWFOUBUJWF NBJOUFOBODF QSPHSBNT

t t t t t

.BOBHFT BOE EJSFDUT UIF PQFSBUJPOT PG .BOBHFST 4VQFSWJTPST BOE UIFJS BTTJHOFE XPSLFST 1SFQBSFT CVEHFUT BOE XPSL TDPQFT GPS DPOUSBDUFE BDUJWJUJFT *EFOUJÄ•FT BOE QVSTVFT PQQPSUVOJUJFT UP PQUJNJ[F FÄŒFDUJWFOFTT PG BMM QSPQFSUJFT %FWFMPQT BOE BENJOJTUFST NBOBHFNFOU SFQPSUJOH TZTUFNT 1SFQBSFT BOE QSFTFOUT JOGPSNBUJPO DPODFSOJOH PQFSBUJPOBM FÄŒFDUJWFOFTT BOE TFSWJDF MFWFMT UP TFOJPS NBOBHFNFOU

Requirements t (PPE DPNNVOJDBUJPO TLJMMT CPUI WFSCBM BOE XSJUUFO 1SPĕDJFODZ JO PUIFS MBOHVBHFT XJMM CF BO BTTFU t ZFBST QSFWJPVT 'BDJMJUZ &OHJOFFSJOH .BOBHFNFOU &YQFSJFODF JO B EJWFSTJĕFE FOWJSPONFOU t 1SPWFO BCJMJUZ UP TVQFSWJTF B MBSHF JOUFSOBUJPOBM TUBČ DPNQMJNFOU BOE DPOUSPM QFSGPSNBODF PCKFDUJWFT JO NVMUJQMF PVUMFUT t .VTU IBWF XPSLFE GPS BO JOUFSOBUJPOBMMZ SFDPHOJ[FE 'JWF 4UBS )PUFM #SBOE Applications are invited for the position of 3D MAYA ENGINEER Responsibilities t %JSFDUMZ SFTQPOTJCMF GPS EFTJHOJOH BOE CVJMEJOH % NPEFMJOH UPPMT GPS DSFBUJOH WJSUVBM UPVST PG PVS IPUFMT BOE CVJMEJOHT t %FTJHOJOH % DPODFQUT PG QSFTFOU BOE GVUVSF QSPQFSUJFT t 8JMM XPSL JO DMPTF DPPSEJOBUJPO XJUI UIF %FTJHO 5FBN BOE PVUTJEF FOHJOFFSJOH BOE BSDIJUFDUVSBM DPOTVMUBOUT BOE ĕSNT t 5P QSPWJEF SFBM MJGF % ĘZ UISPVHI NPEFMT UIBU XJMM FOBCMF VT UP FYFDVUF EJČFSFOU EFTJHO PQUJPOT Requirements t 4PVOE LOPXMFEHF PG .BZB t *OUJNBUF LOPXMFEHF PG "VUPEFTL #MFOEFS t 5FYUVSFT .BQQJOH 1PMZHPOT 7FDUPSJOH t "OJNBUJPO -JHIUOJOH &ČFDUT t 'MVFODZ JO &OHMJTI BOE PUIFS MBOHVBHFT Applications are invited for the following line positions (BSEFOFST )PVTFNFO +BOJUPST -BCPVSFST BOE 3PPN "UUFOEBOUTyUP RVBMJGZ GPS UIFTF QPTJUJPOT ZPV TIPVME CF BCMF UP QVTI QVMM DBSUT XFJHIJOH VQ UP MCT .VTU CF BCMF UP FOTVSF UIF DMFBOMJOFTT PG BMM BSFBT BTTJHOFE XIJDI NBZ JODMVEF HVFTU SPPNT QVCMJD BSFBT MJOFO DMPTFUT XBMMT ĘPPST HBSEFOT BOE HSPVOET :PV NVTU CF BCMF UP TUBOE GPS MPOH QFSJPET PG UJNF BOE BMTP IBWF UIF BCJMJUZ UP DMJNC TFWFSBM TUBJST TFWFSBM UJNFT FBDI EBZ ***Salaries for all positions will commensurate with qualifications and experience.

BELONGERS NEED ONLY APPLY.

PLEASE SUBMIT APPLICATIONS TO: P.O. Box 622 Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands and/or Hospitality622@gmail.com

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JASON DERULO

The other side In the beginning I never thought it would be you When we were chillin Smiling in the photo booth But we got closer (Yeah) ‘Till you were eating off my spoon And coming over And we would talk all afternoon Tonight we’ll just get drunk Disturb the peace Bind your hands all over me And then you bite your lip Whisper and say, “We’re going all the way” Tonight, take me to the other side Sparks ly like the Fourth of July Just take me to the other side I see that sexy look in your eyes And I know, we ain’t friends anymore If we walk down this road We’ll be lovers for sho So tonight kiss me like it’s do or die And take me to the other side

This could be perfect But we won’t know unless we try (Try) I know you’re nervous So just sit back and let me drive Tonight we’ll just get drunk Disturb the peace Bind your hands all over me And then you bite your lip Whisper and say, “We’re going all the way” Tonight, take me to the other side Sparks ly like the Fourth of July Just take me to the other side I see that sexy look in your eyes And I know, we ain’t friends anymore If we walk down this road We’ll be lovers for sho So tonight kiss me like it’s do or die And take me to the other side (Woah) Kiss me like it’s do or die And take me to the other side

Tonight we’ll just get drunk Disturb the peace Let your love crash into me And then you bite your lip Whisper and say, “We’re going all the way” Tonight, take me to the other side Sparks ly like the Fourth of July Just take me to the other side I see that sexy look in your eyes And I know, we ain’t friends anymore If we walk down this road We’ll be lovers for sho So tonight kiss me like it’s do or die And take me to the other side (Woah) Take me to the other side (Woah) And take me to the other side (Woah) Kiss me like it’s do or die (Woah) And take me to the other side

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News CARIBBEAN

Female Bahamian opposition MP slaps government member in parliament

N

ASSAU, Bahamas -- Opposition member of parliament Loretta Butler-Turner said she was “provoked” into slapping a fellow MP Dr Andre Rollins in the House of Assembly in The Bahamas on Wednesday after, according to her, the Gaming Board chairman embraced her, whispered “horrific” things in her ear and would not let her go.

According to the Nassau Guardian newspaper, when he spoke to reporters afterwards, Rollins denied that he made disparaging remarks to Butler-Turner and said she “lost her cool”.

He said he only encouraged her to seek a therapist because of her frequent emotional outbursts in Parliament.

Rollins said he hoped something positive would come out of the incident and show young men that they should remain cool in the face of conflict.

The altercation took place at the House of Assembly’s top staircase landing moments after the House broke for lunch.

The Nassau Guardian, along with several other spectators, including some MPs, witnessed the slap.

As Butler-Turner walked towards the staircase, Rollins approached her, put an arm around her shoulder and spoke into her ear.

The Guardian heard Butler-Turner loudly tell Rollins to stop touching her and when he did not, she slapped him once across the face, leaving onlookers stunned.

As she walked downstairs, Butler-Turner continued shouting at Rollins not to touch her again.

Rollins went into the Smoker’s Room, and Butler-Turner made her way out of the House.

She walked back in shortly after.

Loretta Butler-Turner

Dr. Andre Rollins

She spoke with reporters about the incident after a brief meeting with Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Dr Hubert Minnis in the Minority Room.

Before the break, Butler-Turner had a verbal clash with several government MPs as she defended herself from criticism from MICAL MP V. Alfred Gray.

Gray had criticized the former government over the conditions at Simpson Penn Centre for Boys.

Butler-Turner is the former minister of state for social development.

Rollins was one of several government MPs who heckled Butler-Turner during the House proceedings.

During the sitting, Butler-Turner also shouted criticisms at Minister of Social Services Melanie Griffin.

The FNM deputy leader said Rollins’ taunts became “personal” after the session was suspended for lunch.

“In reaching the bar, he said some very despicable things to me, I walked away, and I must agree that I also resorted to responding to him.

“As we got to the top of the stairs,

he put his arm around me, pretending to be embracing me but actually saying some very horrific things in my ear. When he did not remove his arm while saying those things, I slapped him.”

The two have exchanged heated words in Parliament in the past.

“I usually ignore him,” she said.

“If he had not had his arms around me as he did, I asked him to remove them, I probably would not have been provoked to that. But he chose not to remove his arms.”

Butler-Turner said Rollins’ actions were offensive because they did not have the kind of relationship that warranted him embracing her.

She said she knew Rollins before either of them was elected to Parliament and that back then, the two had an amicable relationship.

“I’ve always had a cordial relationship until [he got elected] to this place. He almost seems schizophrenic to me.”

Rollins said that comments he made in reference to Butler-Turner in the House were in response to her “unwarranted” verbal attack on Griffin.

LIAT TAKES POSSESSION OF FIRST AIRCRAFT IN US$100 MILLION RE-FLEETING EXERCISE

S

T. JOHN’S, Antigua – The financially strapped regional airline, LIAT, Thursday announced it had taken possession of an ATR 72-600 aircraft as it upgrades its aging fleet.

The airline said the French-manufactured ATR is being leased from the lessor GECAS (GE Capital Aviation Services) and “is the first of a total of eight ATRs -four 68-seat ATR 72-600 and four 48-seat ATR 42-600sthat will be introduced into LIAT’s fleet.

“The introduction of these brand new ATR-600s in LIAT’s current fleet of 14 aircraft is a part of the airline’s restructuring plans aiming at fleet modernization and network improvements. By progressively replacing its current fleet of former turboprop aircraft with the modern and fuel efficient ATRs, the airline will significantly reduce operating and maintenance costs, gain further in profitability and offer more comfort to its passengers due to its

enhanced seats design,” the airline said in a statement.

At the moment, the Antigua-based carrier has a fleet of 18 Dash-8 aircraft, with 15 that have a seating capacity of 50 and three 37-seater planes.

LIAT, which flies to 21 destinations in the Caribbean, has put a price tag of US$100 million on the re-fleeting exercise and said it is seeking to borrow between US$60 and US$70 million from the Barba-

He said he was hesitant to comment on the matter and only did so to clear up misconception.

“Some people have been speculating, wondering if I made any comments about her size or things of that nature,” said Rollins in the Majority Room.

“I made no insulting remarks about the member for Long Island.

What I did say is that she needs help.

I said that, in my view, she needs to seek the help of a psychiatrist. “. . . I meant that not in a way to demean her, but to encourage her.

She responded very forcefully by slapping me. But I at all times maintained my composure.

“I can’t say that I was surprised because I have come to understand the member for Long Island and her makeup.

“Perhaps she feels that in a male dominated arena she has to compensate for what society perceives as her weakness as a woman. I don’t think that she has to do as much as she does. I think it is overcompensation on her part.”

He also said, “It would be untruthful for me to say that we have a good relationship, but I would never do anything to cause people to say that as a young man, in a society where one of our major problems is violence against women, I’m guilty of perpetuating the problem.”

Rollins said he will not press charges against the Long Island MP and was disappointed that the incident took attention away from the ongoing budget debate.

Butler-Turner said she hoped that she could have a meeting with Rollins, Minnis and Speaker of the House Dr Kendal Major to try to get the Fort Charlotte MP to “temper his remarks” in the future.

dos-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

The Antigua-based airline last December unveiled a new business plan it said would help reverse an EC$43 million (One EC Dollar = US0.37 cents) loss in 2011 while projecting a two per cent profit in 2013.

The LIAT statement said the lineup of the full new generation ATR model range will allow LIAT to optimize their fleet on their pan-Caribbean network with aircraft of one same family, offering both 50 and 70 seat capacity.

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JUNE 15TH-JUNE 22ND, 2013

CARIBBEAN NEWS

Cayman police drop theft charges against former Premier McKeeva Bush F

ive theft charges filed against former Cayman Islands Premier McKeeva Bush earlier this year were dropped on Wednesday, 5 June, according to his attorney.

However, other charges against Mr. Bush alleging “misconduct in a public office contrary to common law” have been brought, Michael Alberga confirmed Tuesday, according to the Caymanian Compass newspaper.

Mr. Alberga said the theft charges, which had formed a part of the case against Mr. Bush, were discontinued.

However, Mr. Bush is still facing six misconduct charges in Grand Court as well as five charges of breach of trust under the Anti-Corruption Law. The case is set for mention again in Grand Court on 28 June. Contacted by phone Tuesday, Mr. Bush declined to comment on the matter and directed calls about the case to Mr. Alberga.

Mr. Alberga said the five theft charges against Mr. Bush had been dropped because they were “completely unsustainable”.

The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service did not respond to requests for comment by press time Tuesday.

Late Tuesday, the police service published a statement, attributed to an unnamed spokesperson: “The case against Mr. Bush is now in the courts system and the issues therein may be considered subjudice. It should also be noted that any decision made in relation to charges and the framing of indictments is a matter for the Director of Public Prosecutions’s office.

“The RCIPS understands that no charges have been dropped, but that

Former Cayman Islands Premier McKeeva Bush consideration has been given to consolidating some of the charges. You will be aware that any confirmation of such action, or any comment relating to it, must be made by the DPP’s office and not the RCIPS. It would be inappropriate for the RCIPS to comment further on this matter.”

The Caymanian Compass has obtained a copy of the indictment filed against Mr. Bush on 5 June and there are no theft charges against the former premier contained in it.

The number of charges, 11 in total, is the exact same number as what previously faced Mr. Bush. However, those charges now consist only of misconduct in a public office contrary to common law and breach of trust contrary to the Anti-Corruption Law.* Mr. Bush, the longest-serving member of the Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly, was re-elected on 22 May following his removal as premier via a no-confidence vote by a majority of lawmakers. He is now

the Cayman Islands opposition party leader. All of the current 11 criminal charges facing Mr. Bush relate to his use of government credit cards.

Police have released Mr. Bush from bail in relation to an ongoing investigation into the importation of explosives without a valid licence.

Mr. Bush was released from police bail in April and was not rebailed to return for further questioning in the investigation, according to local police.

Businessmen Suresh Prasad, who was arrested on the same day as Mr. Bush in December 2012 in relation to the explosives importation investigation, has also been released from police bail.

Neither man has been charged with any offences relating to the explosives importation probe. However, police said the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the importation of explosive substances without valid permits, on or before February 2012, was still ongoing.

US Embassy in Nassau temporarily closed after American diplomat robbed in The Bahamas T

he United States Embassy suspended nonimmigrant visa services in The Bahamas on Monday, one day after a US diplomat was assaulted and robbed in Nassau.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell told the House of Assembly on Monday afternoon that the US government had informed him that the suspension was “as a result of the injury to its vice consul at the U.S. Embassy”.

The 74-year-old diplomat was accosted, robbed and injured on her way to church around 11 am on Sunday, police said.

Mitchell noted that the matter was now with police.

He told Parliament, “Unfortunately, however, the embassy says that the absence from work of that

officer means that no visa processing for Bahamians took place today (Monday) and the [Chargé d’ Affaires John Dinkelman] thought that this would be for an unspecified period of time.”

Mitchell added, “I made known our concern at these developments even while understanding the situation. I am happy to report that I have now been informed by the charge that visa processing will begin again tomorrow (Tuesday) morning.”

The embassy said in a statement nonimmigrant visa services provided by the Embassy’s Consular Section will be available on a reduced basis on Tuesday.

The embassy said it intends to resume full nonimmigrant visa ser-

vices on Wednesday. The embassy said, “On the way to worship services in downtown Nassau this morning (Sunday), a diplomat assigned to the United States Embassy was accosted, robbed, and injured.”

According to Superintendent Paul Rolle, who heads the Central Detective Unit, around 11 am, a 74-year-old American woman was robbed by a man as she walked to worship at St Francis Xavier Cathedral on West Hill Street. He said a man approached her, threw her to the ground and stole her purse, cash and jewelry.

“The man left heading east along West Hill Street towards Baillou Hill Road on his bicycle, where he was able to make good his escape,” Rolle said.

WORLD BANK ISSUES WARNING ON CARIBBEAN GROWTH

W

ASHINGTON D.C., United States – The World Bank has warned that growth in the Caribbean “will be held back” by large fiscal adjustments necessary to bring fiscal deficits to sustainable levels and help reduce public debt burdens.

“Growth in the Caribbean continued to disappoint, decelerating to 3 percent in 2012 as growth decelerated in the Dominican Republic and in Haiti, while Jamaica’s economy fell into recession,” said the Washington-based financial institution in its “Global Economic Prospects, June 2013.”

“Regional growth in the first quarter as approximated by industrial production softened, with industrial production remaining relatively flat, after a slight contraction in the fourth quarter,with growth decelerating to slightly below potential, the positive output gap nearly closed in 2012,” it continued Overall, the World Bank said growth in the Latin America and the Caribbean region decelerated an estimated 1.4 percentage points to 3 percent in 2012.

In per capita terms, it said growth has fallen below 2 percent for the first time since the global crisis.

The decline in growth was partly due to “bottlenecks that constrained growth in some of the larger economies in the region, partly because of softening in global activity mid-year due to Euro Area uncertainty, and partly because of a decline in non-oil commodity prices.”

But even with gross domestic product (GDP) growth below potential in 2012, the report said the positive output gaps that opened during the recovery from the 2009 crisis “still persist or have only now closed.”

The World Bank said slower domestic consumption, in conjunction with weak external demand, caused economic activity to slow in many countries in the region, stating that inflation rates in the region have remained “relatively anchored” for the most part, especially core inflation, “although they have remained stubbornly high or even accelerated in countries where economic output is at or near potential.”

The report said lower food and energy inflation also contributed to the decline in inflation in Central American economies, while inflation in some of the Caribbean economies was “low on account of weak domestic demand.”

The Bank pointed to strong domestic demand in many countries in the region and in some cases small or positive output gaps which led to a “worsening in current account positions in 2012.” (

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CARIBBEAN NEWS

Bermuda PM says not ready to sign convention L

ONDON - Bermuda’s premier is not ready to sign an international transparency convention that he said Britain’s prime minister had planned to achieve ahead of the G8 summit in Northern Ireland next week, potentially scuppering a broad deal.

Bermuda’s Premier Craig Cannonier told Reuters on Wednesday he was ready to accept wider sharing of information with international tax authorities but was not ready to commit to signing a convention already agreed by more than 50 countries.

“There’s some clauses in there that we need to look at, that may need to be adjusted, and ... our finance ministry is going over it with a fine-tooth comb,” Cannonier said in a telephone interview.

A deal could give British Prime Minister David Cameron a coup against tax campaigners who question Britain’s commitment to the issue, given the prominent role played

by British Overseas Territories in facilitating tax evasion, avoidance and the hiding of stolen assets.

Cameron has invited the main-

ly Caribbean territories to London in advance of his hosting the annual gathering of the G8 group of leading economies, at which he has put tax avoidance and evasion high on the agenda.

Cameron previously said he would like the territories to sign up to the convention but although they share Britain’s monarch as head of state, the British government’s writ does not extend to the self-governing states, so Cameron must rely on persuasion to secure an agreement.

Murray Worth, a campaigner with the British anti-poverty charity War on Want, said Cannonier’s comments showed Cameron needed to take a tougher line on the territories.

POTENTIALLY DAMAGING Bermuda has no corporate income tax, which has helped it become a major international centre for reinsurance. Many big multinationals, including Google, also have subsidiaries there.

The island denies being a tax haven but is regularly accused of facilitating tax avoidance by large companies.

Multinationals typically park intellectual property (IP) in letter-box companies on the island. These companies then charge fat fees for the use of the IP to affiliates in countries where the groups have big sales, thereby channelling profits to the island, which levies no corporate income taxes.

Cannonier said it was unfair to blame Bermuda since it was “only one link in the chain” but added the country could tighten rules so that Bermuda-registered subsidiaries needed to have more economic substance on the island to enjoy its tax benefits.

Cannonier said Bermuda already met most of the standards in the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters, including having a register of beneficial owners of companies that other tax authorities can check.

However, he said the convention, drafted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, a body of mainly rich nations, had potentially damaging elements for Bermuda.

World’s second-oldest man, a Barbadian, dies at 113 D

o 41,363 days sound like much time?

You very likely won’t live that long, but James Sisnett did.

That’s long enough to have seen the first silent movie, when it came out, provided a movie theater even existed back then on the island of Barbados, where Sisnett spent his life.

James Sisnett was born in 1900 He was three years old the first time Orville Wright took the first ever flight in an airplane and barely a teenager when World War I broke out.

When he died Thursday, Sisnett was the oldest man in the Western Hemisphere, whose age had been validated, according to the Gerontology Research Group. He was likely the second oldest man on the planet.

GRG is a private organization that verifies the ages of centenarians, people over 100

years of age, and supercentenarians, people over 110.

Living as long as Sisnett did is quite a feat, but since women outlive men on the whole, there are a few women still alive between Canada and Argentina, who are even older than he was, according to GRG. Five of them live in the United States.

The verified oldest living person in the world is Jiroemon Kimura of Japan. He turned 116 in April, GRG said.

The oldest person who ever lived was Louise Calment of France, a woman who topped 122 years, the Guinness Book of World Records reports.

On the island of Barbados, which is less than 30 miles long, Sisnett was a celebrity, family member Gerard Sisnett told CNN. He was considered a living reference for historic events there, where he was known under the nickname “Grandad.” As a symbol of honor, he was given the keys to the capital of Bridgetown when he turned 100. That was well over a decade ago.

The government may make the national stadium available for his funeral, Gerard Sisnett said.

James Sisnett was born in the last year of the 19th century, on February 22, 1900, and was 113 years and 90 days old, when he passed away in his sleep, Gerard Sisnett said.

That’s 41,363 days, including 28 extra days for leap years.

Originally a blacksmith by trade, Grandad retired in 1970.

He was about 70 years of age then. That’s nearly three years more than the average lifespan in the United States.

Seventy years add up to 25,550 days, not including extra days from leap years.

Seize one, while you can.

War on Want said the convention did not go far enough and told Cameron to push for greater transparency standards, including on trusts as well as companies.

In May, the territories, which also include the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands, agreed to share taxpayer information with Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, but the convention will include many more countries and more information.

Cannonier questioned whether Cameron would achieve broad agreement from all the territories this week, to sign up to the Convention.

However, a spokesman for the Cayman Islands government said it had agreed on Friday to commit to the Convention. () A British government spokeswoman declined to say what kind of deal Britain hoped to achieve this week. A spokesman for Cameron added that the prime minister expected to continue to see progress on transparency “in the context of the G8”.

ST LUCIA PM SAYS CUBA CUTTING BACK ON ASSISTANCE TO REGION

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ASTRIES, St. Lucia – The St Lucia government says several policy changes taking place in Cuba will severely affect Havana’s contribution to the health sector of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries.

Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony, who recently ended a week long official visit to Cuba where he held talks with President Raul Castro and other senior government officials, said the changes have been brought about as a result of the worsening global economic climate.

He said the changes will bring to an end to Cuba’s traditional support for the regional health sector.

“Cuba which once provided doctors free of charge to the rest of the world community, whether it be Africa, Latin America and even here in the Caribbean has indicated that those services will no longer be for free.

“The Cuban government has indicated that the export of these services has now become critical and crucial to their economic survival and while they are prepared to continue to make doctors available to the world, their assistance will be at a cost,” Anthony added.

Cuba has traditionally enjoyed close diplomatic relations with CARICOM and a number of Caribbean students have benefitted from scholarships to study in Havana.

Prime Minister Anthony noted that there was a time when as many as 500 St. Lucians were undergoing studies in Cuba, but the authorities there have signalled that “ while we may continue to get scholarships, those will be significantly reduced.

“We cannot now disagree with the decision of the Cuba government, Cuba has been too generous to us in the past for there to be any disagreement,” Anthony said, adding that in terms of assistance to St. Lucia, the cut back has already began with 94 students now pursuing higher education in Cuba.

“The St. Lucia government is grateful for the generosity of the Cuban government and there is no ill will towards the implementation of their new policies.

“St. Lucia cannot be an exception to imminent global change and is quite aware of the economic challenges facing many countries,” he added.

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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News W

RLD

Obama steps up military aid to Syrian rebels

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ASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s authorization of military aid to the Syrian rebels “dramatically” increases U.S. support for the opposition, the White House said Friday, while acknowledging that it will take time for the supplies to reach fighters struggling in their clashes with Syrian President Bashar Assad.

U.S. officials said the new aid would include weapons and ammunition and comes in response to firmer evidence from the White House of chemical weapons use by Assad’s regime.

“There’s already material that’s been flowing to the opposition and that will continue in the weeks to come,” said Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser.

Obama has said the use of chemical weapons would cross a “red line,” suggesting greater American intervention. While a small percentage of the 93,000 people reportedly killed in Syria are said to have died from chemical weapons — U.S. intelligence puts the number at 100 to 150 — the White House views the deployment of the deadly agents as a flouting of international norms.

Rhodes said Obama made the decision to authorize military aid to the rebels over the past few weeks. He also defended the president’s caution on the issue, saying “these are not steps the president takes lightly.”

The full scope of the assistance authorized by the White House is still unclear. But the administration could give the rebels a range of weapons, including small arms, assault rifles, shoulder-fired rocket-propelled grenades and other anti-tank missiles. The opposition forces could operate most of that equipment without significant training.

In Syria Friday, the Foreign Ministry said, “The White House has issued a statement full of lies

about the use of chemical weapons in Syria based on fabricated information. The United States is using cheap tactics to justify President Barack Obama’s decision to arm the Syrian opposition.”

And in Moscow, President Vladimir Putin’s foreign affairs adviser said Russia not convinced with Washington’s claim that Syrian regime had used chemical weapons against the opposition.

Yuri Ushakov told reporters the information provided by U.S. officials to Russia “didn’t look convincing.”

Rhodes, in response to Ushakov’s comments, said the U.S. had “very firm” evidence, including physiological samples of sarin use.

The commander of the main Western-backed rebel group fighting in Syria said he hoped that U.S. weapons will be in the hands of rebels in the near future, noting it would boost the spirits of the fighters on the ground. “We hope to have the weapons and ammunition that we need in the near future,” Gen. Salim Idris told Al-Arabiya TV. “This will surely reflect positively on the rebels’ morale, which is high despite attempts by the regime, Hezbollah and Iran to show that their morale after the fall of Qusair deteriorated,” he said, referring to the town near the border with Lebanon.

Obama’s opposition to sending American troops into Syria makes it less likely the U.S. will provide sophisticated arms or anti-aircraft weapons that would require large-scale training. Administration officials are also worried about high-powered weapons ending up in the hands of terrorist groups. Hezbollah fighters are among those backing Assad’s armed forces, and al-Qaidalinked extremists back the rebellion.

The CIA and special operations trainers are already running some weapons training programs

for the rebels and are expected to take charge of teaching the opposition how to use the weapons the U.S. has agreed to supply, another U.S. official said.

There is also some debate within the administration about who would provide the lethal aid and how it might be delivered, the U.S. officials said.

All the officials insisted on anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak on the record about internal administration discussions.

Obama has resisted arming the rebels until now, a cautious approach that underscores the deep divisions within his administration. The proponents of more aggressive action, including Secretary of State John Kerry, appeared to have won out over those wary of sending weapons and ammunition into the war zone.

The U.S. has made no decision on operating a no-fly zone over Syria, Rhodes said.

The U.S. has so far provided the Syrian rebel army with rations and medical supplies. The administration has also agreed in principle to provide body armor and other equipment such as night-vision goggles to the rebels, although the Pentagon has said there has been no movement on that as yet.

Word of the stepped-up assistance followed new U.S. intelligence assessments showing that Assad has used chemical weapons, including sarin, on a small scale multiple times in the last year.

Obama advisers believe Assad’s regime still maintains control of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles and does not see any evidence that rebel forces have launched attacks using the deadly agents. However, British Prime Minister David Cameron said Friday that there were some indications that “al Qaida-linked elements” in the opposition have “attempted to acquire chemical weapons for probable use in Syria.”

The Obama administration announced in April that it had “varying degrees of confidence” that sarin had been used in Syria. But they said at the time that they had not been able to determine who was responsible for deploying the gas.

Dozens hurt in deck collapse at Miami sports bar A

uthorities in Miami were trying to determine Friday why a crowded deck at a MIami sports bar collapsed as fans cheered for the Miami Heat basketball team playing, tossing dozens of fans into Biscayne Bay. Lt. Eugene Germain, spokesman for Miami Dade Fire Rescue, told CNN on Thursday that 33 people were injured, 24 of whom were taken to hospitals. Two of the injuries were considered serious, Germain said.

North Bay Village Mayor Connie Leon Kreps promised a thorough investigation.

Germain said scores of people were watching the basketball game on TVs at Shuckers Waterfront Grill when part of the deck collapsed

into shallow waters of Bay. He said he had no information indicating prior problems with the deck, and that the fire department makes annual safety inspections.

Crystal Infante, 23, told the The Miami Herald she was on the deck eating and watching the game with a friend when the deck, about five feet over the water, collapsed.

“There was just a crack, and then we were in the water,” Infante told the Herald. “It was really hard to get out, and you couldn’t find anyone.”

Infante told the Herald the water was shallow enough for them to stand, but it was difficult for them to get out because wood, umbrellas, tables, chairs and other debris surrounded them.

Chris Volz, 39, told the newspaper he was sitting at the western end of the bar, about 10 feet from where the deck gave way.

“Everybody’s watching the game.

It sounded like a freight train, then everyone was gone. The deck went down like a V.” Many people seemed in shock, with cuts and gashes on their faces. Eric Williams, 42, of Atlanta described the scene as “pandemonium,” with people scrambling to get out.

Divers searched the waters as helicopters overhead shined spotlights onto the scene, and authorities said later that crews had completed their search and everyone was accounted for.

“We did an extensive search and after completing the search, we didn’t find any other victims,” Germain said.

The accident occurred around 9:45 p.m. ET as customers were watching the Miami Heat play the San Antonio Spurs. The Heat won in San Antonio to tie the series at 2-2.

North Bay Village is a small island in Biscayne Bay with a strip of restaurants, hotels, houses and condos that is attached by causeways to the mainland and also to Miami Beach. Though not as trendy as South Beach, North Bay Village is one of the many tourist spots in and around Miami where locals and visitors converge.

“This is a real tragedy,” Kreps said. “Shuckers has been here for many, many years. People come from all around to enjoy the view and the food. This is really unfortunate.”

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WORLD NEWS IMF URGES REPEAL OF ILL-DESIGNED US CUTS

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he International Monetary Fund urged the United States on Friday to repeal sweeping government spending cuts and recommended that the Federal Reserve continue a bond-buying program through at least the end of the year.

In its annual check of the health of the U.S. economy, the IMF forecast economic growth would be a sluggish 1.9 percent this year. The IMF estimates growth would be as much as 1.75 percentage points higher if not for a rush to cut the government’s budget deficit.

The IMF cut its outlook for economic growth in 2014 to 2.7 percent, below its 3 percent forecast published in April. The Fund said in April it still assumed the deep government spending cuts would be repealed, but it had now dropped that assumption.

Washington slashed the federal budget in March, adding to the drag on the economy created by tax increases enacted in January.

The IMF said the United States should reverse the spending cuts and instead adopt a plan to slow the growth in spending on government-funded health care and pensions, known as “entitlements.” The Fund would also like the United States to collect more in taxes.

“The deficit reduction in 2013 has been excessively rapid and ill-designed,” the IMF said. “These cuts should be replaced with a back-loaded mix of entitlement savings and new revenues.”

The IMF warned cuts to education, science and infrastructure spending could reduce potential growth.

While the Fund said total debt across all levels of government would likely decline after 2015, public finances are nevertheless on an unsustainable path due to an aging population and higher spending on health care.

“Now our advice is not just to slow down (budget cuts),” IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said at a news conference. “Our advice is also to hurry up: hurry up with putting in place a medium-term road map to restore long-run fiscal sustainability.”

She said effects of higher spending on health care and other programs build up over time, so it was important to act quickly to address them.

KEEP EASING FOR NOW The Fund recommended that the U.S. Federal Reserve keep up its massive asset purchases at least through the end of the year to support the U.S. recovery, but should also prepare for a pullback in the future.

The Fed is currently buying $85 billion per month of Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities in an effort to lower borrowing costs and spur employment growth. Lagarde said the IMF has assumed that the Fed would begin trimming bond purchases next year.

Speculation over when the Fed might start to pare back its bond buying has roiled financial markets recently. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke stoked market speculation last month when he said a decision to pare the Fed’s current pace of asset purchases might happen at one of the Fed’s “next few meetings” if the economy looked set to maintain momentum.

Recent outflows from bond funds and the rise in volatility offer a worrying glimpse of how markets are likely to behave as the Fed works to scale back its enormous monetary stimulus.

The IMF said unwinding the easy-money policies would likely present challenges, and it was key for the Fed to communicate effectively with markets.

It also said the long period of low interest rates could have unintended consequences in the future, sowing the seeds of future financial vulnerabilities.

Turkish Prime Minister makes conciliatory move to end Turkish protests T

urkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told protesters on Friday he would put redevelopment plans for an Istanbul park on hold until a court rules, striking a markedly more conciliatory tone after two weeks of fierce anti-government demonstrations.

Financial markets rose on hopes that environmentalists who oppose the construction on Gezi Park would be satisfied, but it remained unclear whether other protesters with a wide variety of grievances against Erdogan would go home.

Erdogan’s gesture at an overnight meeting was largely symbolic as the government is required by law to respect the court decision on an action brought by the environmentalists trying to block the plan.

However, it contrasted with Erdogan’s earlier defiance when he attacked protesters on Taksim Square who accuse him of autocratic behavior, and insisted the redevelopment would go ahead in the adjacent park.

“Of course the government respects judicial rulings and is obliged to implement them,” said Huseyin Celik, deputy chairman of the ruling AK Par-

ty who also attended in the talks. “Until the judicial ruling is finalized there will not be any action whatsoever on Gezi Park.”

A police crackdown on peaceful campaigners in the park two weeks ago provoked an unprecedented wave of protest against Erdogan and his AK Party - an association of centrists and conservative religious elements - drawing in secularists, nationalists, professionals, unionists and students.

At the overnight meeting, Erdogan met a delegation made up largely of actors and artists but also including two members of the umbrella protest group Taksim Solidarity hours after saying his patience had run out and warning protesters occupying Gezi Park to leave.

The delegation welcomed what they said was Erdogan’s promise to respect the outcome of the court case filed against the plans to build a replica Ottoman-era barracks.

This commitment followed an offer on Wednesday of a referendum on the plans if the court found in the government’s favor.

“The prime minister said

that if the results of the public vote turned out in a way which would leave this area as a park, they will abide by it,” Tayfun Kahraman of the protest group told reporters following the meeting.

“His comments that the project will not be executed until the judiciary makes its decision is tonight’s positive result.”

Taksim Solidarity said in a subsequent statement the group would decide as a whole what course of action to take after consulting on the meeting, leaving it unclear whether they would continue their protest.

Financial markets, recently under pressure due to the protests and a general sell-off in emerging economies, welcomed the apparent easing of tensions. The lira rose for a third straight day to its level before the protests started, while bond yields dropped and shares rallied 2.7 percent.

Five-year credit default swaps, the cost of insuring Turkish debt against default, fell 12 basis points to 157 bps, according to Markit, their lowest level since June 5, after hitting 10-month highs in the previous session.

Iran votes for new president, Khamenei slams U.S. doubts M

illions of Iranians voted to choose a new president on Friday, urged by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to turn out in force to discredit suggestions by arch foe the United States that the election would be a sham.

The 50 million eligible voters had a choice between six candidates to replace incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Having been vetted by Iran’s electoral authorities, none is seen a challenge to the Islamic Republic’s 34-year-old system of clerical rule.

Polling stations closed five hours later than planned in the capital Tehran because of what Iranian state media reported were large queues of people waiting to cast their vote. Voting was extended by four hours across the rest of the country.

With authorities estimating a turnout of over 70 percent, fi-

nal results are unlikely to be announced until Saturday.

The first presidential election since a disputed 2009 contest led to months of unrest is unlikely to change rocky ties between the West and the OPEC nation of 75 million, but it may bring a softening of the antagonistic style favored by Ahmadinejad.

World powers in talks with Iran over its nuclear program are looking for any signs of a recalibration of its negotiating stance after eight years of intransigence.

Voting in the capital Tehran, Khamenei called on Iranians to vote in large numbers and derided Western misgivings about the credibility of the vote.

“I recently heard that someone at the U.S. National Security Council said ‘we do not accept this election in Iran’,” he said. “We don’t give a damn.”

On May 24, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry questioned the credibility of the election, criticizing the disqualification of candidates and accusing Tehran of disrupting Internet access.

All the remaining contenders except current chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili have criticized the conduct of diplomacy that has left Iran increasingly isolated and under painful economic sanctions.

REVOLUTIONARY VALUES After casting his vote, Jalili said: “Everyone should respect the name that comes out of the ballot boxes and the person people choose,” according to ISNA news agency.

Hossein, a 27-year-old voter in Tehran who belongs to the hardline Basij volunteer militia, said he would vote for Jalili, 47, Khamenei’s national security adviser and a former Revolutionary Guard who lost a leg in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.

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WORLD NEWS

NSA director says surveillance helped stop ‘dozens’ of attacks T

he head of the National Security Agency said on Wednesday that extensive U.S. surveillance efforts had helped stop “dozens” of possible attacks, and warned that making details of the top-secret programs public had compromised national security.

In his first appearance before Congress since an NSA contractor lifted the veil on the agency’s broad monitoring of phone and internet data, General Keith Alexander defended the program as an essential tool in the fight against terrorism.

“It’s dozens of terrorist events that these have helped prevent,” the NSA director told a U.S. Senate committee. “Both here and abroad, in disrupting or contributing to the disruption of terrorist attacks.”

Relying on documents from NSA contractor Edward Snowden, Britain’s Guardian newspaper and the Washington Post revealed last week the vast U.S. government effort to monitor phone and internet data at big companies such as Google Inc and Facebook Inc. Alexander said the disclosures, which have sparked a criminal investigation and an internal Obama administration review of the potential national security damage, had jeopardized safety in

BRITAIN ASKS AIRLINES TO BLOCK US NSA LEAKER SNOWDEN

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ritain has asked airlines worldwide to block American Edward Snowden, who leaked details of U.S. government telephone and internet surveillance programs, from boarding any plane headed for the United Kingdom, the Associated Press reported on Friday.

The Associated Press, in a report out of Bangkok, said British officials confirmed a travel alert from its Home Office issued on Monday telling airlines to deny Snowden from boarding because “the individual is highly likely to be refused entry to the UK.” Snowden, a former U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) contractor who traveled to Hong Kong before the programs were made public, revealed on Sunday that he was behind leaked information describing the American government’s surveillance efforts.

Various airlines in Thailand, Malaysia and

PROTESTS HIT BRAZILS BIGGEST CITIES, ADDING TO UNREST

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n estimated 5,000 protesters, including many university students, blocked main avenues and vandalized buildings in central Sao Paulo, causing traffic chaos for the fourth time in eight days on Thursday. When police tried to disperse the crowd, violence erupted, injuring dozens and leading to nearly 200 arrests.

Demonstrations also were held in Rio de Janeiro and the southern city of Porto Alegre, raising the prospect they could spread as Brazil prepares to host soccer’s Confederations Cup - a warm-up event for next year’s World Cup - for two weeks starting on Saturday.

Police have taken an increasingly hard

the United States and elsewhere.

“Great harm has already been done by opening this up,” Alexander said. “There is no doubt in my mind that we will lose capabilities as a result of this and that not only the United States but those allies that we have helped will no longer be as safe as they were two weeks ago.”

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday found that 31 percent of Americans saw Snowden as a patriot for leaking details of the programs, more than the 23 percent who viewed him as a traitor. Forty-six percent said they did not know.

Snowden, who traveled to China-ruled Hong Kong before the program was made public, said in an interview published on Wednesday that he planned to stay in the former British colony and fight any effort to bring him back to the United States for criminal proceedings.

“I am not here to hide from justice. I am here to reveal criminality,” Snowden told the South China Morning Post, an English-language newspaper in Hong Kong.

“My intention is to ask the courts and people of Hong Kong to decide my fate,” Snowden said. “I have had many opportunities to flee Hong

Singapore confirmed the alert, according to the AP, which said it learned of the British letter to airlines from a photograph of the request seen at an airport in Thailand.

A spokeswoman for the Hong Kong Airport Authority said it has not received any notice from British authorities requesting that airlines block Snowden.

Snowden has said he plans to stay in Hong Kong to fight any effort to bring him back to the United States to face charges.

A spokesman for Britain’s Home Office declined to comment on the AP report as did a spokesman for British Prime Minister David Cameron. U.S. officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd declined to confirm the British request or the AP report, saying it was “inappropriate” to discuss government communications. Other airlines could not be immediately reached or had no immediate comment.

The British alert was issued by the UK Border Agency’s Risk and Liaison Overseas Network, the AP report said.

line against the protests, firing rubber bullets and tear gas, injuring several bystanders and journalists covering the demonstrations. One widely circulated image showed police firing pepper spray at a TV cameraman filming the protests in Sao Paulo.

The crackdown has touched a nerve in a country that endured two decades of repression under a military dictatorship that ended in 1985.

The protests themselves have rallied around opposition to a 10-cent hike in bus and subway fares to the equivalent of about $1.60, leading some pundits to blame them on inflation running at 6.5 percent annually and an economy that has cooled down considerably after last decade’s boom.

Those issues contributed to a decline of 8 percentage points in Rousseff’s public approval rating in a poll released this week, although it still remains high at 57 percent.

Kong, but I would rather stay and fight the United States government in the courts, because I have faith in Hong Kong’s rule of law.”

Hong Kong, which has a degree of autonomy from Beijing, has an extradition agreement with the United States that has been exercised on numerous occasions. But Snowden has not been publicly charged so far and the United States has not filed for his extradition.

Snowden, who had been working at an NSA facility as an employee of Booz Allen Hamilton, has drawn a mix of condemnation and praise for the revelations. He told the Hong Kong newspaper: “I’m neither traitor nor hero. I’m an American.”

The controversy over the program has renewed the debate about the balance between privacy rights and security concerns in the United States in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks. Alexander said the NSA operated with that balance in mind.

“I want the American people to know that we’re trying to be transparent here and protect civil liberties and privacy but also the security of this country,” he said at the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the cybersecurity budget.

India to be world’s most populous country by 2028 I

ndia looks set to overtake China as the world’s most populous country from 2028, according to the United Nations.

At that point, both nations will number 1.45 billion people each. Subsequently India’s population will continue to grow until the middle of the century, while China’s slowly declines.

The UN also estimates that the current global population of 7.2 billion will reach 9.6 billion by 2050.

That is a faster rate of growth than previously estimated.

The population growth will be mainly in developing countries, particularly in Africa, the UN says.

The world’s 49 least developed countries are projected to double in size from around 900 million people in 2013 to 1.8 billion in 2050, whereas the population of developed regions will remain largely unchanged.

The UN said the reason for the increase in its projection is largely new information on fertility levels in certain high birth rate countries.

Large developing countries, such as China, India and Brazil, have seen a rapid fall in the average number of children per woman, but in other nations, such as Nigeria, Niger, Ethiopia and Uganda, fertility levels remain high.

Nigeria’s population is expected to exceed that of the US by the middle of the century, and could start to rival China’s by 2100.

China’s population is expected to start decreasing after 2030.

“Although population growth has slowed for the world as a whole, this report reminds us that some developing countries, especially in Africa, are still growing rapidly,” commented Wu Hongbo, the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.

The United Nations publishes an assessment of past, current and future population trends every two years, in a recurrent series known as the World Population Prospects.

Researchers have used data for 233 countries and areas to produce Friday’s report.

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WORLD NEWS

For the world economy a slower more stable growth T

he global economy may be entering an era of slower but more sustainable growth as the effects of the recent crisis fade, the World Bank said Wednesday in its latest update on world economic conditions.

The semiannual report said that global trade has picked up, while easing commodity prices are keeping inflation in check. Even after Congress agreed earlier this year to raise taxes and allowed the spending cuts known as the sequester to go into effect,the U.S. economy is expanding and growth is expected to accelerate next year. The major emerging markets are likely to experience growth that is slower than the pre-crisis boom, but also less volatile.

The slower, more stable growth is a welcome development, said Andrew Burns, the lead author of the report and the World Bank’s manager of global macroeconomics. “The potential cliff events we have been talking about have receded into the background . . . and it is a bit of a game changer. What we are talking about here is sustainable,” Burns said.

Even the recent volatility in the markets, with the Dow Jones in-

dustrial average undergoing daily 100-point swings, may be a healthy sign of the transition from crisis back to normalcy. Investors are simply adjusting to the gradual end of policies put in place to battle the extraordinary effects of a global crisis, Burns said.

Indeed, analysts have attributed the volatility spike to speculation that the Federal Reserve will start withdrawing its bond-buying program sooner than expected because of the improving economy.

The report notes particular improvements in the U.S. labor and housing markets. The U.S. economy is projected to grow by 2 percent this year, slightly higher than the 1.9 percent that the World Bank projected six months ago. Still, the report notes that a “fairly robust private sector recovery is being held back, but not extinguished, by fiscal tightening.”

In Europe, financial conditions have improved but the economy continues to contract and unemployment is up. High-income countries in general continue to face challenges in their efforts to restore financial sector health, reform institutions and get fiscal policy onto

a sustainable path. However, the World Bank notes that the likelihood of these challenges provoking a major crisis has declined.

The World Bank has lowered its estimates for the euro-zone economy this year, as fiscal and banking consolidation is dragging down growth, and is now projecting an economic contraction of 0.6 percent for 2013, compared with the previous projection of 0.1 percent. But Burns said that Europe is “past the worst of the crisis” and that as confidence rises, growth should resume.

Kaushik Basu, chief economist at the World Bank, noted that important positive actions have been taken on banking supervision, monetary policy and fiscal consolidation to stabilize the situation in the euro zone, but said more steps are needed to improve fiscal coordination and create a stronger banking union.

In Japan, a dramatic relaxation of macroeconomic policy has sparked an uptick in economic activity, at least over the short term.

The World Bank also has recalculated potential growth in the developing world, now estimated at 6 percent. “We used to hear talk that countries will grow 9 percent like

Zimbabwe PM won’t agree to July elections Z

imbabwe’s prime minister said Wednesday that he won’t agree to hold elections in July after President Robert Mugabe said he would go ahead with the long-awaited polls.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said that Mugabe cannot decide on an election date without consent from other leaders in the power-sharing government.

Tsvangirai said any elections held at Mugabe’s behest will not be deemed “legitimate.”

“It seems they are determined to commit suicide, it is what they want,” he said at a press briefing of civic leaders.

Mugabe was forced by regional leaders to form a coalition government with former opposition leader Tsvangirai after violent and disputed elections in 2008.

POPE FRANCIS REPORTEDLY ACKNOWLEDGES EXISTENCE OF GAY LOBBY IN VATICAN

I

n remarks that indicate he intends to implement serious reform within the Holy See curia, Pope Francis last week allegedly spoke of an active “gay lobby” in the Vatican.

Chilean website Reflection and Liberation, which deals with religious affairs, earlier this week reported that the pope had referred to the issue during a June 6th meeting in the Vatican with Clar, the Lat-

The nation’s highest court in May ordered Mugabe to hold polls by the end of July, arguing that the elections should be linked to the dissolution of the parliament at the end of its current five-year term on June 29.

Mugabe has said he will abide by the ruling and hold the vote July 31 despite objections from his partners in the coalition. Tsvangirai has said he wants polls to end the embittered four-yearold coalition in September at the earliest.

A lawsuit was brought to the court on May 24 to force Mugabe to call early polls. The private court application claimed the country could not be run without the existence of the parliament, rendering the government illegal.

A new constitution overwhelmingly accepted in a March 16 referendum requires amendments

in American Confederation of Religious.

Asked by one of the Clar delegation about problems within the Holy See curia, Francis allegedly said: “In the curia, there are holy people, but there is also a stream of corruption. People talk about a gay lobby and it’s true, it exists. We’ll have to see what can be done about it . . .”

Private meeting Vatican senior spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi said he had nothing to say on the issue since the al-

China,” Burns said. “Increasingly there is a recognition that they will have to do a lot of really difficult things to achieve that.”

Those difficult steps include undertaking structural reforms, such as opening up international trade and foreign investment and investing in infrastructure and human capital, Burns said. “These measures underpinned strong developing country growth over the past 20 years and are worth sticking with,” he said.

Global trade is expected to expand by 4 percent in 2013, in part due to rapid expansion in trade among developing countries. More than 50 percent of developing country exports now go to other developing countries. At the same time, commodity prices are easing: Metals and minerals are down 28 percent and energy by 14 percent since their peaks in early 2011, the World Bank said.

Despite the improving picture, there is no denying that “the slowdown in the real economy is unusually protracted,” Basu said. “This is reflected in the stubbornly high unemployment in industrialized nations and in the slowing growth in emerging economies.”

to voters’ lists as well as a 30-day registration of new voters that will end on July 9.

Tsvangirai claimed the lawsuit was instigated

by Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party loyalists eager for early polls so that they can take advantage of loopholes in the electoral laws to rig the vote.

“That ruling is a political directive which has been given a legal effect, it doesn’t create an environment for a legitimate election” Tsvangirai said.

Mugabe, 89, who has ruled the country since independence from colonial rule in 1980, has been accused of appointing sympathetic judges from the justice ministry and the legal profession.

Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change party is also demanding media reforms to end bias by the nation’s dominant state media controlled by Mugabe loyalists and an end to political intimidation by the partisan police and military.

“We want to remove all obstacles to a free and fair election. If ZANU-PF wants to roughshod us, I will just stand up and say I will not agree with you,” Tsvangirai said.

leged remarks had been made at a private meeting. It is not clear how the comments found their way to the website but Clar yesterday appeared to confirm their authenticity when pointing out that after the meeting, some members of the delegation had drawn up a “report” of the exchanges with the pope.

It seems this report, which was not intended for publication, somehow found its way to the Reflection and Liberation website.

Although there have been occasional reports of gay “activity” in

Holy See circles over the years, the issue assumed renewed newsworthiness in May of last year with the publication of Gianluigi Nuzzi’s bestseller, His Holiness – The Secret Papers of Benedict XVI. While it focused on the careerism, rivalry and corruption endemic in the Roman curia under Benedict, it also indicated various Holy See figures were active gays. This “gay lobby” was concerned more with careerist self-promotion than with campaigning for gay rights, it claimed.

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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usiness B AND

O T Facebook rolls out hashtags ECHN

LOGY

for ‘public conversations’

F

acebook is looking to become more of a public forum, the company said Wednesday, by introducing hashtags to the site.

Following the lead of rival social network Twitter, Facebook is adding the ability to tag your posts with phrases noting that it’s part of a larger conversation.

“To date, there has not been a simple way to see the larger view of what’s happening or what people are talking about,” wrote Facebook product manager Greg Lindley in a company blog post. Facebook hashtags, like those on just about every other social site, will be denoted with a “#” sign.

He added that hashtags are the first in a “series” of features to highlight interesting discussions users are having on the site.

While Facebook has more users than Twitter

— about 655 million active daily users when compared with Twitter’s 200 million — the company hasn’t been as successful as Twitter at marketing itself as a place for online discussion. But the content, Lindley noted, is there.

For example, he said, between 88 and 100 million Americans post on Facebook during prime-time television hours each night and comment actively on what they watch.

Anyone who’s ever had to cut themselves off from social networks to avoid spoilers knows that all too well. In fact, the company said, there were around 1.5 million posts referencing the now-infamous “Game of Thrones’s” ‘Red Wedding’ episode on HBO (Note: link defiundreds of IBM employees in Westchester and nitely contains spoilers) — a particularly Dutchess counties received pink slips Wednesday as the Armonk-based computer giant began a round of layoffs aimed at trimming its U.S. workforce -- part of a $1 billion restructuring.

The reduction targets employees with a range of seniority, from rank-and-file workers to executives, said a person familiar with the company’s plans, who asked not to be named because the information is private. bullets.

Some U.S. employees began to receive notifications of “We pay a little bit more for the bullets the cuts Tuesday night, according to Lee Conrad, a coornow, but it’s mainly a supply and demand dinator for Alliance@IBM, an employee group. type deal,” Cummings said.

Local jobs eliminated Wednesday include positions Smith & Wesson’s preliminary figures with IBM’s systems technology group and global busishow sales in its most recent quarter rose 38 ness services, Conrad said. Employees from the former percent versus a year before to $179 million -work with IBM’s server unit and research and developearnings up from 40 cents a share in the priment, while systems technology employees work director fiscal year. ly with clients, Conrad said.

Both figures came in slightly ahead of anOn Wednesday, the Alliance@IBM website “job realyst expectations. Smith & Wesson shares ports” section featured several hundred posts from inrose 5.3 percent in after-hours trading. dividual employees reporting layoffs in their depart“A lot of times we go weeks without the ments. The posts mention layoffs at IBM facilities across gun and we have customers that have althe country. ready prepaid for the gun, so when it comes The company did not return calls on Wednesday but in it doesn’t even hit the shelves,” Cummings said in a statement, “Change is constant in the technolosaid. gy industry and transformation is an essential feature of Smith & Wesson guns are not for hunting. our business model. Consequently, some level of workThey’re either guns used at a shooting range force remix is a constant requirement for our business. or a gun one would carry for protection.

Given the competitive nature of our industry, we do not So why is the brand so popular? publicly discuss the details of staffing plans.”

“They are a classic name in the gun indusThe company is probably cutting 6,000 to 8,000 try,” Cummings said. “It’s got a lifetime warjobs globally, based on the $1 billion cost figure, said ranty and are reasonably priced, too.”

Laurence Balter, an analyst at Oracle Investment ReCummings says the store’s sales have search in Fox Island, Wash. That would represent less been up 200 percent compared to last year than 2 percent of IBM’s total workforce of 434,246 as of and that although its only halfway through Dec. 31. the year, numbers indicate more people are buying guns.

Smith & Wesson gun sales hit record $588M J

ACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The last year has been bad for gun violence, but good for Smith & Wesson.

The gun maker reported preliminary results showing sales for the fiscal year, ending April 30, hit a record $588 million, a 43 percent increase versus the year before.

The gun industry saw a spike in demand from consumers who were afraid their gun rights would limited during the national gun debate.

“Probably December, the end of December, they’ve been steadily going up,” said Casey Cummings, of St. Nicholas Gun and Sporting Goods.

The trend began with President Barack Obama’s reelection and accelerated in the months after a gunman killed 20 children and six adults in December in Newtown, Conn.

The U.S. Senate failed to pass gun control legislation in April that would have expanded background checks and banned some semiautomatic weapons.

“People died for that right to have guns, and I think we’ll continue to have guns and there will always be people against it,” Cummings said.

One other noticeable spike is the price of

impressive number when compared with the audience of 5.2 million who tuned into the episode.

Hashtags on Facebook will work in much the same way they do on Twitter. When you see a hashtag in a post, you can click on it and see a feed of other posts from people’s profile and pages that use the same conversation marker.

Users can also search for specific hashtags if they’re interested in finding out more information about a certain trending topic and can click on hashtags that originate on other services, such as Facebook’s photo site, Instagram.

Posts that have been hashtagged, however, do follow the same sharing and privacy rules as normal posts. So even if you litter your posts with pound signs, no one will see it unless you say they can.

IBM lays off hundreds in $1 billion restructuring

H

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

BUSINESS AND T ECHNOLOGY

Apple unveils music streaming service, revamps iOS S

AN FRANCISCO - Apple Inc unveiled a music streaming service called iTunes Radio and new mobile software on Monday, in the biggest redesign of its operating system since the original iPhone was introduced in 2007.

The new software, designated iOS 7 and announced at Apple’s annual developers’ conference in San Francisco, sports a streamlined design, employs translucency and a fresh palette of colors, and features animation in apps.

Apple’s iTunes Radio, one of the more highly anticipated features of the new iOS 7, comes free, supported by ads across many devices including iPhones, iPads and the Apple TV. Much like rival Pandora Media Inc’s Internet radio, the service - which launches in the fall, months after Google Inc’s “All Access” on-demand competitor debuted - allows listeners to customize their own radio stations by genre, skip songs multiple times, or just tune in to some 200 featured stations.

Apple has been talking to record companies for the past year in hopes of getting the service off the ground, seen as crucial to retaining users as music consumption grows alongside smartphone use. It will also come free of ads for customers who subscribe to Match, another Apple music service.

Executives also showed off a new line of Macbook Air computers. They gave a sneak peek at a cylindrical Mac Pro desktop, in a rare preview of upcoming hardware. And, in a continuation of efforts over the past year to wean itself off arch-ri-

New Apple Mac pro Desktop val Google’s services such as maps, Apple’s updated Siri voice software on the iPhone will turn to Microsoft Corp’s less-popular Bing as its default in-app search engine.

Previously, Siri handled Web search queries by asking users if they would like to access Google, which dominates Internet searches. With iOS 7 however, users can still choose to ask specifically for Google results.

The latest Macs will run a new computer operating system christened OSX Mavericks - named after a famous California surfing spot and a departure from Apple’s penchant for naming software after big cats like Mountain Lion.

The real makeover was reserved for iOS 7, a

smartphone and tablet platform overhauled by resident creative honcho, Jonathan Ive. It comes with a new edgeto-edge look that uses translucency to highlight underlying content, new typefaces, and new icons. Apple plans to release iOS 7 in the fall.

It will support multitasking for all apps.

“It’s the biggest change to iOS since the iPhone,” said Chief Executive Tim Cook.

Robert Brunner, founder of design consultancy Ammunition and a former design head at Apple, said it was past time Apple changed the look of software that had become “busier and busier” visually and, to some degree, busier and busier functionally.

“The iOS look and feel had become long in the tooth,” said Brunner, who hired Ive while he was at Apple. “So what Jony has done is really gone in and cleaned it up. He made it feel more sophisticated, more modern.”

“It seems like quite a lot to have done in a relatively short period of time,” said Brunner, who uses an iPhone.

The conference, whose tickets sold out in just over a minute after they went on sale in April, comes as Samsung Electronics Co Ltd solidified its lead in the smartphone market in the first quarter with a 33 percent share followed by Apple with 18 percent, according to market research firm IDC. Cook is under pressure to show that the company that created the smartphone and tablet markets is not slowing as deep-pocketed competitors like Samsung and Google encroach on its market.

Tax havens hit back at G8 pressure T

he Isle of Man and Jersey have hit back at accusations that they facilitate tax evasion and avoidance ahead of next week’s G8 summit.

The offshore jurisdictions, frequently described as tax havens, suggest recent pressure from world leaders is politically motivated.

They also argue that they are more open about their tax regimes than they are given credit for.

G8 leaders will hold their latest summit in Northern Ireland on Monday.

Ways of combating aggressive tax avoidance and mass tax evasion are expected to be high on the agenda of leaders including UK Prime Minister David Cameron, US President Barack Obama and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Up to now the focus of the world’s media has been on big countries pointing their fingers at small islands - accusing them of helping big corporations and wealthy individuals avoid paying tax.

But now the leaders of some of those offshore financial centres suggest that the world’s largest economies should get their own tax house in order first.

“Politicians love scapegoats,” said the Isle of Man’s Chief Minister Allan Bell. “And the G8 agen-

da is being politically driven because there’s always someone else to point a finger at.”

There is no universally accepted definition of a tax haven, but international bodies cite low tax rates and secretive financial systems as the major characteristics.

Most companies pay no corporation tax in the Isle of Man, but the island has recently signed tax information sharing agreements with the UK, US and European countries.

Mr Bell said that when it comes to tracing who actually owns some of the world’s more secretive bank accounts, the Isle of Man is a decade ahead of other larger countries especially the UK and the US. He also accused President Obama of double standards, given that the US federal government has no direct control over the tax policies of individual states.

That is especially relevant when it comes to the tiny US state of Delaware which has only 900,000 citizens but over a million registered companies - most of which are “brass plate” entities controlled by very private entities or individuals.

“We just want a level playing field when it comes to tax transparency,” said Mr Bell.

“It’s totally selfish from the USA because they want to track down their own tax evaders overseas, without looking at Delaware.”

The channel island of Jersey also charges zero corporation tax for foreign-owned companies.

Like the Isle of Man it also has a maximum income tax rate of 20%. At any one time it is home to £120bn of cash deposits.

But Jersey’s Treasury Minister, Philip Ozouf, rejected the notion that his government is any softer on tax issues than countries like the UK. He cited the case in the UK where wealthy individuals with “non-dom” status can pay a one-off levy of £30,000 a year to avoid being taxed on their income.

I’m not going criticise the decision of democratically elected governments or parliaments,” he said.

“I’m leading the kind of charge against tax evasion here that the UK chancellor is doing to UK residents. We expect our taxpayers to comply with all tax codes just as much as the UK does.”

The foreign super-rich can move to Jersey thanks to a tax benefit that requires the payment of a flat rate of up to $185,000 (£118,000) a year.

However some millionaires pay

only $5,000 a year thanks to deals signed in the 1970s and 1980s.

While their low tax rates are obvious, both the Isle of Man and Jersey claim to be far more open about who holds money on their islands than any of the G8 countries which are demanding more transparency from them.

One of those key demands to be discussed at the G8 summit will be a call for a central global register of companies showing who owns and controls companies wherever they are based in the world.

This is where some alleged tax havens are reluctant to open up their books.

Jersey and the Isle of Man say they are happy to share details of who banks with them with advanced democracies because they know that that extremely private data will not get passed on to anyone - including criminals or political and business rivals of their customers.

But they argue there are no such guarantees with developing countries without sound tax-gathering authorities.

Offshore financial centres are therefore caught between protecting those who bank with them and helping to share tax details.

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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Sports LOCAL

CONCACAF boss hails TCI’s Sonia Bien-Aime for elevation to FIFA ranks

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IAMI, Florida -- CONCACAF has congratulated Turks and Caicos’ Sonia Bien-Aime for being voted to the FIFA Executive Committee in a co-opted position.

Bien-Aime was welcomed into the highest ranks of soccer’s governing body at the 63rd FIFA Congress in Mauritius recently.

To watch a member of our confederation rise to a FIFA Executive Committee position is always gratifying,” said Jeffery Webb, CONCACAF’s president. “However being able to witness history unfolding as someone like Sonia Bien-Aime is recognised by the global football family is unique. We want to congratulate Sonia for her career-long achievements and offer her the full support of the confederation as she embarks on this new stage in her football career,” the Caymanian added.

Bien-Aime’s distinguished career as an administrator and trustee of the game in the Caribbean began first as a member of the executive committee of the Turks and Caicos Football Association nearly a decade ago, two years prior to becoming the organisation’s general secretary in 2006.

But well before those experiences in the board room, it was the knocks she took on the field as a centreback and midfielder for those Turks and Caicos national team sides that Bien-Aime credits for instilling the per-

Sonia Bien-Aime

sistence and dedication needed to make it all the way from the Caribbean islands to the highest chamber of FIFA. “We’ve never done very well within the region in terms of competition, as we don’t have a very large pool of players to choose from,” she explained. “Turks and Caicos Islands has only a population of about 35,000, so there you have it, our pool isn’t a very large one, as far as players. But playing was great experience for us and it developed us within ourselves,” she told the official website of CONCACAF. A legal assistant and paralegal for many years, Bien-Aime’s more recent laurels read like a litany of triumphs throughout the region and -- indeed -- the world.

She’s CONCACAF Women’s Championship Committee member, chairperson of the Women’s Football Committee for the Caribbean Football Union, FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup Planning Committee member, among many others.

Bien-Aime joined the FIFA Executive Committee along with two other women -- Burundi Football Association president Lydia Nseker, who is a full FIFA Executive Committee member, and Asian Football Confederation vice-president Moya Dodd, who also has co-opted status.

Beaches remain unbeaten

BY MICHAEL PEREIRA

B

eaches easily beat KB Homes on Sunday 9th June 2013 as the HAB Group sponsored T20 competition continued at the Down Town Ball

Park in Providenciales.

KB Homes won the toss and elected to bat first and were dismissed for modest 123 runs from19.1 overs. Top scorer was Paul McKenzie with 21 runs which include two 4s.

The Beaches Team

Man of the match Sidue Hunter

Bowling for Beaches Keneth Lewis claimed 3 wickets for 20 runs from 3.1 overs and Stephen Robinson bagged three wickets for 21 runs from three overs.

In reply, Beaches reached the target in 13.3 overs for the loss of four wickets. The Principal contributors were Sidue Hunter with 54 runs

which included eight 4s and two 6s.

Damian St Ange added an unbeaten 33 runs which included two 6s and three 4s.

Bowling for KB Homes Blair Mason took 2 wickets for 32 runs from 4 overs.

Sidue Hunter was named Man of the Match.

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

LOCAL SPORTS

Player of the Season – Kadine Delphin A

fter a dramatic and exciting Women’s Beach Soccer Season the players were treated to a final day of fun as Captain Marvin’s (the league sponsors) allowed the players to spend an afternoon Parasailing. The TCIFA decided to combine the event with its award’s ceremonies ensuring that everyone could have as much fun as possible.

Almost thirty players took the skies as they were treated a view of the island from five-hundred feet in the air. The laughter and screams of delight form the players could be heard from the shore. After the players had enjoyed their time among the clouds it was back down to earth for the awards presentation.

League champions were the Pink Marlins who narrowly defeated the Purple Pirates 5-4 in a dramatic and tense final as Yarileny De la Cruz scored the crucial winning goal with just ten seconds remaining. Third place went to the Blue Marlins as they overcame a youthful and spirited Great White Sharks team. This season the players themselves voted for the individual awards which went as follows.

Great White Sharks MVP – Melissa Jean Guy Blue Marlins MVP – Patrice Senior Purple Pirates MVP – Shinaydine Pluviose Pink Mermaids MVP – Kadine Delphin Top Goal scorer – Sarah Cenary Most Improved Player – Maniella Pierre League MVP – Shinaydine Pluviose Player of the Season – Kadine Delphin TCIFA Executives Candace Hanchell, Paul Slattery, Tamara Hall and Paula Garland were on hand to give out the awards and say a few words of congratulations to the players. Coral Pratt of Captain Marvin’s represented the sponsors who have supported the league for the last two years.

Technical Director Matthew Green was delighted with the season “this is the third year we have run the league but this was definitely the best season so far. Having our own facility makes it a lot easier to coordinate. The standard of play has also improved a great deal and

Kadine Delphin collects her Player of the Season trophy we have seen some amazing soccer this year.

Thanks to all the people who have supported the league, the fans, players, TCIFA executives, referees and our sponsors Captain Marvin’s who generously allowed our players to have an amazing experience today”. Green added “football is all about fun and Beach Soccer certainly brings out this side of the game. Sport should not be taken too seriously and at times players

often forget that when they compete against each other, however with the Beach Soccer it is certainly more about fun and sportsmanship although we have seen some amazingly tense and competitive games”. I am sure that the leagues will continue to get better and better every year and judging by how popular beach soccer is with young children it has a promising future in our islands”

North Caicos Football Programme growing T

he TCIFA continues to develop the world’s number one sport football throughout the country. Two months ago the Association launched a programme at Adelaide Oemler Primary School in North Caicos. The programme run by two teachers Mrs. Francis and Mr. Salmon and supported by TCIFA President Chris Bryan has gone from strength to strength as now almost 60 students are regularly playing the sport.

Last week Technical Director Matthew Green and Development Officer Sarah Cenary visited the school to assess the progress of the

programme. Cenary conducted a session with grade 5 and 6 students and their enthusiasm and dedication impressed both Cenary and the Technical Director.

Green was delighted with what he saw “it is clear that the kids love the sport and the teachers have been doing a great job. The children are very friendly, disciplined and well behaved which means they are easy to a coach. It has been a pleasure to see them in action”.

TCIFA President Bryan was equally full of praise for the children saying “the girls and boys are

eager to learn and try out their new skills and have had a tremendous amount of fun whilst doing so.

The programme here in North Caicos has the potential for becoming very strong as the schools in Bottle Creek has the benefit of currently having some of the best sporting infrastructure of all the schools in the TCI.” Regarding future projects, the Association hopes to include students from Hubert James in after school and Saturday morning sessions from September.

Green added “There is clearly great potential here in North Cai-

cos and I am impressed with the level of enthusiasm shown by the students and teachers. Our Association will ensure that we give them all the support they need to develop the sport. This can only help our Association develop and encourage other schools throughout the country to seek our help to introduce the sport and see it thrive”.

With programmes now in place in Provo, Grand Turk, South Caicos and North Caicos the TCIFA can now legitimately say that the whole country has the chance to play the world’s most popular game.

IF YOU NEED YOUR SPORTING EVENT COVERED JUST CALL US AT 946-8542 OR EMAIL US YOUR REPORTS AND PHOTOS AT sun@suntci.com

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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JUNE 15TH-JUNE 22ND, 2013

Sports CARIBBEAN

Usain Bolt sets track record in 200m in Norway

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iqued by suggestions of a possible decline, Usain Bolt responded with a blistering season debut at 200 metres and a new track record at the Bislett Games on Thursday in Oslo.

“I’m not in as bad shape as I thought I was,” Bolt said after his emphatic victory.

Bolt, whose condition was questioned after losing the 100 metres by one hundredth of a second in Rome the week before, finished in 19.79 seconds.

He is the only one to break 20 seconds this season.

“Overall it was a good run, I can’t complain. It’s sub 20,” said the Jamaican, who holds the world record at the distance in 19.19. “I could have done better. I think I need to work on my corners but otherwise it was a good race.”

Bolt topped the Bislett record set by Frank Fredericks of Namibia in 1996 by three hundredths of a second.

“At the end of the day it’s not about time. It’s about winning. Because if I run 20 flat at the world championships and I win, I’ll be happy,” Bolt said.

After losing to Justin Gatlin of the U.S. in Rome, Bolt was unfazed by a false start by European 200 champion Churandy Martina of the Netherlands. Martina was disqualified and Bolt powered on, finishing strongly in lane six and leaving the crowd on its feet.

“It’s always good to have someone directly in front of you,” said Bolt of Martina, who had been in lane seven. “It helps to push you harder to get

Usain Bolt, left, crosses the finish line in 19.79 seconds in the men’s 200 metres on Thursday in Oslo, Norway, the fastest long sprint run by anyone this season past them on the corner. But you have to learn.

This is always good, a learning curve. If it happens in the world championships, then it’s already happened here so you know how to deal with it.”

Bolt was disqualified for a false start at the 2011 world championships in South Korea.

Jamaican female athlete banned for six years

WICB DIRECTOR BLASTS ICC PENALTY IMPOSED ON RAMDIN

L

ONDON, United Kingdom - A director of the West Indies Cricket Board, Baldath Mahabir, has criticized the penalty meted out to West Indies wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin for claiming a catch off Misbah-ul-Haq during the Champions Trophy game against Pakistan at The Oval.

Ramdin, who pleaded not guilty to a charge of misconduct laid by the International Cricket Council, has been suspended for two one day internationals (ODIs) and fined 100 per cent of his match fees.

“Ramdin is no cheat,” declared Mahabir in an interview with the Guardian.

“He has always played the game within the spirit of it and to see this kind of penalty imposed on him is hard”.

Ramdin missed Tuesday’s match against India which West Indies loss by eight wickets and will miss the Caribbean side’s do or die clash with South Africa at the Swalec Sta-

dium in Cardiff on Friday.

Johnson Charles, who kept wicket against India and top scored with 60, is expected to substitute again against the Proteas.

“I think that if the match referee was not happy with what transpired, then he should have at least given him a suspended ban, so as to not upset the balance of the West Indies team at this tournament,” said Mahabir.

“He could have even let start his ban after the Champions Trophy. If there is an avenue to appeal the West Indies management should immediately use it”.

The wicketkeeper initially appeared to have caught the ball but lost control of it as he fell forward and it slipped out of his gloves on to the grass.

West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo, however, had defended Ramdin, saying the wicketkeeper did not act deliberately.

“I know how it feels, it’s not a good feeling,” he laughed.

“Now back to Jamaica to prepare for the worlds [in August]. My goals remain the same, to be the best in the world and to win three gold medals in Moscow.”

K

INGSTON, Jamaica - KINGSTON - Jamaican 400 metre runner Dominique Blake was banned for six years on Thursday for a second doping offence.

The Jamaica Anti Doping Disciplinary Panel issued the penalty after Blake tested positive for the banned stimulant methylhexanamine at last year’s Olympic trials.

It was her doping offence after she served a nine month suspension for testing positive to ephedrine in 2006.

“The panel unanimously decided that Ms. Blake did not satisfy the panel comfortably that the substance entered her body without the intent to enhance sporting performance and we decided on a sanction of six years commencing this day June 13, 2013,” said Kent Pantry, the chairman of the disciplinary panel.

Blake finished sixth at the trials and was picked as a relay runner for the London Olympics but did not compete at the Games. Jamaica’s women finished third in the 4x400m relay.

Blake’s attorney said the sanction was excessive and Blake may appeal.

Blake tested positive for methylhexaneamine at the Jamaica Olympic Trials last year.

Dominique Blake She finished sixth in the 400m at the trials and was suspended for ninemonths in 2006.

Blake represented Jamaica at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in March last year.

Her case was adjourned in March because of the absence of one of the members of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel.

Blake’s six year ban takes effect days after the Jamaican government announced a 16 million Jamaican dollar budget for drug testing of athletes.

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Sports W

RLD

NBA Finals’ 2-3-2 format not an issue with players

T

he 2-3-2 format for the NBA Finals is dissected and analyzed for potential advantages and disadvantages.

Does the team with home-court advantage really have an advantage with the middle three games on the road sandwiched by two home games at the start and end of the series? How much of advantage does home court give the Miami Heat vs. the San Antonio Spurs?

It is a fair question, especially considering the teams without home-court advantage won the past two NBA finals – the Dallas Mavericks vs. the Heat in 2011 and the Heat vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012.

But to the players and coaches involved in this series, the debate over the home-and-road Finals format is reduced to the core: it doesn’t matter where the games are played, just focus on four wins.

“Without obsessing, it’s just a sense of urgency when it’s the Finals,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “You’re talking about the first team to four. It doesn’t matter how you get there.

There’s nothing else you can change in terms of your routine or preparation. We’ve been on both sides of it. The next games is important not because of 2-3-2 but because it’s the quickest to four.”

By beating the Spurs 109-93 Thursday, the Heat got back home court “advantage” because two of the next three games would be played in Miami if the series goes seven games.

There are several different ways to breakdown the 2-3-2 format, starting with the fact that since

the NBA switched to it in 1985 the team with home-court advantage is 20-8. The NBA moved to arrangement to ease the travel burden of the 2-21-1-1 format, although that format is used in all series leading up to the Finals.

In a series in which the teams split the first two games of a 2-3-2 format – the case in the Heat-Spurs Finals – the team with home-court advantage is 8-5, and Game 3 has turned out to be pivotal. The winner of that game has won the championship 12 of 13 times.

“It doesn’t matter,” Heat forward LeBron James said. “Two best teams in the NBA at this point.

Both teams have won and can win on each other’s floor, so it’s not a biggie.”

The format makes it necessary for the road team to get a split in the first two games because just three times (2004, 2006, 2012) has the team without home-court advantage team won the middle three games on the road.

The Spurs did their part and put pressure on Miami with a split. If Thursday’s win in San Antonio is the only one Miami gets on the road, it would still need to win the final two games at home to win the title.

“At the end of the day it’s a Finals game,” James said. “Every game is important. Game 1, Game 2, 3, 4, no matter 2-3-2 format or it could be a 3-2-2 format. No matter what the format is, it’s the Finals. … Every game is important, no matter if you’re at home or on the road. …

“You can’t afford to not play with a sense of urgency in a playoff game.”

SERENA WILLIAMS WINS FRENCH OPEN TITLE

T

wo hours before her French Open final, Serena Williams practiced on center court, the stands deserted as she whacked one winner after another to the distant sounds of a brass band playing on the plaza.

When the music stopped, the seats filled and the match began, Williams went on defense, relentlessly chasing down one shot after another to defeat familiar foil Maria Sharapova. With a 6-4, 6-4 victory, the No. 1-ranked Williams won her first French Open championship since 2002.

“Eleven years,” Williams said in French during the trophy ceremony. “I think it’s unbelievable.

Now I have 16 Grand Slam titles. It’s difficult for me to speak because I’m so excited.”

Then the national anthem played for the first American singles champion at Roland Garros since Williams’ previous title.

Williams whacked 10 aces, including three in the final game, and the last came on match point at 123 mph -- her hardest serve of the day.

She then sank to her knees, screamed at the sky and buried her face in the clay.

The victory completed her rebound from a

SERENA WILLIAMS shocking loss to 111th-ranked Virginie Razzano in the first round at the French Open a year ago.

Since that defeat she’s 74-3, including titles at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the London Olympics and the season-ending WTA Championships.

Both finalists swung with their typical aggressiveness from the baseline, but Williams’ superior serve and defense proved the difference.

She silently ran side to side whipping groundstrokes with little apparent strain, while Sharapova often found herself lunging after the ball to stay in the point, with each shot accompanied by her familiar shriek.

When Williams once summoned a grunt herself to match Sharapova’s volume and pound a winner, the crowd responded with a laugh.

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

TEBOW THANKFUL TO BE A PATRIOT

F

OXBOROUGH, Mass. In his usual terse tones, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick blandly said little or nothing to promote Tebowmania Tuesday in his first press conference after the team signed controversial quarterback Tim Tebow.

“Anything we do is what we feel is in the best interest of the team,” Belichick said. “Tim is a talented player, smart, works hard, so we’ll see how it goes.”

Tebow, who chose to wear his high school uniform number (5), wasn’t nearly as guarded.

In his first -- extremely brief -- comments in a Patriots’ practice uniform Tuesday after the opening day of minicamp wrapped up, Tebow said he was glad to have a chance with New England.

“First and foremost, I just want to thank the

Tim Tebow Patriots for giving me an opportunity. I’m very thankful,” said Tebow. “It’s such an honor to be a Patriot and play for coach (Bill) Belichick and (offensive coordinator Josh) McDaniels, and learn under (quarterback) Tom (Brady), and be a part of this great franchise and very successful franchise. I found out firsthand. Lost to them several times. It’s going to be a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to working hard every single day and getting a lot better, and learning under some great people.”

The Patriots are in minicamp this week and Tebow is participating as a quarterback, though Belichick wouldn’t even say what uses he might have in mind for Tebow.

“We’re going to do what’s best for our football team, we’ll see,” Belichick said. “We’ve all seen him play, he can do a lot of things. We’ve seen that.”

Was there any consideration to the spectacle that Tebow brings with him?

“None. We try to do what’s best for the team.”

In the months since his April release from the New York Jets, it appeared no NFL team was going to sign Tebow, the former Florida Heisman Trophy winner and first-round pick by Denver.

But despite winning a playoff game, he became expendable when the Broncos signed Peyton Manning last year. He spent 2012 as the center of controversy with the New York Jets, where he played seldom and was released in April.

Jets coach Rex Ryan commented Tuesday on Tebow’s signing with the Patriots.

“I am happy for the young man to get another chance in the league,” Ryan said. “It didn’t work out here. He obviously had more success in Denver. If they want to replace Brady with him, that’s fine.”

Unlike the Jets, there will be no quarterback controversy in New England, where future Hallof-Famer Tom Brady calls the signals. Terms of Tebow’s contract weren’t disclosed. Multiple reports said the deal is for two years with no guaranteed money. The polarizing athlete is simply being given a chance to fit in.

Tebow, 25, is reunited with McDaniels, who was the Broncos’ head coach when Denver drafted him in 2010. He’ll likely compete with Ryan Mallett for the backup quarterback spot.

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WORLD SPORTS

FIFA says Brazil will be ready for World Cup R

IO DE JANEIRO - Three days before the start of the Confederations Cup and exactly a year before the World Cup kickoff, FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke dismissed concerns that Brazil will not be ready for the bigger tournament.

Flanked by soccer great Pelé, who urged Brazilian fans to stand unified behind their still evolving national team, Valcke unveiled a clock in Rio de Janeiro counting down the days until the World Cup starts.

Valcke said that 12 months is

enough time to finish work at airport terminals and the 12 stadiums that will play host to the event.

Aldo Rebelo, Brazil’s sports minister, has said repeatedly that the stadiums will be completed by a December deadline.

“That is going to happen,” Valcke said on Wednesday, echoing the comments by Rebelo, who was also at the unveiling of the clock.

“There is no Plan B. There is no solution other than having those 12 stadiums,” Valcke added.

Six of the stadiums, including in Rio, Brasília, Belo Horizonte and three cities in Brazil’s northeast, are mostly completed and are gearing up for the two-week Confederations Cup. The smaller tournament, an eight-team competition that starts on Saturday, will serve as a World Cup warmup and will help organisers test facilities ahead of the marquee event.

Pelé urged Brazil fans, known for booing the national team for any-

thing other than outright dominance on the field, to be patient.

The three-times World Cup winner said the team’s play is still a work in progress because the squad is predominantly made up of younger players including Neymar, the forward who recently joined Barcelona from Pele’s former club Santos.

“Barcelona is the best collective team in recent memory,” Pelé said.

“This full year that he spends with Barcelona will be great training before coming back to the national team

Rafael Nadal wins Kidd will be named 8th French Open next Nets head coach in dominating t’s Jason Kidd for the Nets choosing an untested commod- vious name, that of Lawrence fashion I heads coaching job. ity for such a high profile job Frank, former Nets and Pisafael Nadal became the first man to win Kidd, the man who once – these are not the Nets inher- tons head coach, has been men-

R

eight titles at the same Grand Slam tournament when he beat fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in the French Open final Sunday, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. Nadal broke the men’s record for match wins at Roland Garros, where he improved to 59-1, with his lone defeat against Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009.

For fans enthralled by Nadal’s semifinal victory over top-ranked Novak Djokovic, Sunday’s final may have seemed anticlimactic.

But not for the champion, who hit a fallaway forehand winner on championship point, then tumbled to the clay he loves and covered his face to hide his emotions.

Nadal’s path to the Roland Garros title was more arduous than usual. He fell behind in each of his first three matches and needed a fifth-set comeback to beat Djokovic.

And the latest title was especially sweet for the Spaniard because of his comeback after a seven-month layoff because of knee trouble.

Since returning in February, he’s 43-2 with seven titles in nine tournaments, and he has won his past 22 matches.

With his 12th Grand Slam title, Nadal moved into a tie for third place with Roy Emerson behind Roger Federer’s 17 and Pete Sampras’ 14.

Protesters tried to delay the final in the second set. One man jumped onto the court near Nadal with a fiery flare spurting white smoke, and security personnel pushed the protester to the ground and quickly dragged him away.

Other protesters also brandishing red flares climbed to the top of nearby Court Suzanne Lenglen and unfurled a banner calling for the resignation of French President Francois Hollande.

The interruptions were brief, and there was no stopping Nadal. He has lost a total of 16 sets in nine years at Roland Garros and was never in danger of doing so against Ferrer.

Both finalists grinded away from the baseline, with one rally lasting so long fans began to buzz, then started to shush each other.

The 5-foot-9 Ferrer, who was playing in his first Grand Slam final at age 31, often wins points by extending them with his dogged defense. But Nadal matched his retrieving skills, and the torque on his groundstrokes eventually had Ferrer reeling.

Trophy presenter Usain Bolt watched from the front row wearing sunglasses, even though the day was gray with occasional drizzle.

transformed the franchise from laughingstock to two-time NBA Finalists, will be named the Nets head coach either Thursday or Friday, according to several persons close to the situation.

“Jason is a good fit,” one of those persons maintained.

“He is a culture changer. He did it before. He really has impressed on everyone how badly he wants the job.”

The man many recently considered the frontrunner, Indiana Pacers assistant Brian Shaw, met with Nets officials for several hours yesterday about the position and while the meeting was termed “very good” by one person close to the situation, Kidd remained the favorite for the job. Kidd was so strongly entrenched as the odds-on choice that both sides had discussed the parameters of a three-year deal even before the meeting with Shaw.

Another person had predicted before the sit down with Shaw that “the job will be Jason’s on Thursday or Friday.”

The Nets previously had scheduled their meeting with Shaw, who with his experience and Phil Jackson pedigree, has been widely viewed as a head coach in waiting.

So Kidd should be in place within the next few days unless there is a huge change of direction. A three-year deal coincides with the length of the extension signed by Billy King late in the season. Makes sense. The general manager and the coach would be tied together.

There is a massive risk in

ited by Byron Scott or Johnson or any number of poor souls be-

tioned. Other names that have surfaced in various reports are

JASON KIDD fore them whose first task was honing up on the lottery. This is a playoff team coming off a season that equaled the second greatest win total in the franchise’s NBA history. Plus there are the red flags surrounding Kidd’s off-court escapades, including last July’s DWI days after signing with the Knicks.

But Kidd has impressed upon all who listen his earnest desire to try to again change the culture of a team and franchise whose culture as a player he not only changed but transformed with ugly duck to swan comparisons.

The gamble goes both ways.

The shelf life of recent Nets coaches during the Mikhail Prokhorov regime hasn’t exactly reached peaked expiration dates (Kiki Vandeweghe, Avery Johnson, P.J. Carlesimo). Kidd already has gambled, leaving $6 million in Knicks salary on the table.

The chief knock on Kidd is the lack of experience so the Nets would want an experienced staff around him. The ob-

highly regarded longtime assistant Tim Grgurich and former Heat, Pistons, Clippers and Suns head coach Alvin Gentry.

Kidd, though, usually makes the right basketball decision.

When he came to the Nets, a downtrodden franchise, he looked around and claimed he saw a playoff caliber team. Most called him a loon. Two NBA Finals and six playoff appearances later, most called him brilliant.

He saw when the Nets, largely though cost cutting, could not long compete and wanted the Dallas Mavs who he viewed as potential championship contenders. One title ring later, no one doubted him. Then he saw a closed window in Dallas and opted for the Knicks. The dream died there – but not until the Knicks compiled their best record, 54-28, in 16 years.

“Do I think Jason Kidd is going to be a great coach? Yes. Would I hire him? In a heartbeat,” Hall of Famer Magic Johnson said yesterday on a conference call promoting the NBA Finals.

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