VOLUME 9 ISSUE 39 by The SUN Newspaper

NOVEMBER 2ND - NOVEMBER 9TH, 2013

Website: www.suntci.com

VOLUME 9 - No. 39

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MIKE TO RETURN IN TWO WEEKS Former Premier ‘overjoyed and elated’ about returning home BY HAYDEN BOYCE PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ormer Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Michael Misick, is overjoyed and elated at the news that he will be coming home to the Turks and Caicos Islands, possibly in another two weeks. In an exclusive interview with the SUN, the former Premier’s brother, real estate executive Phillip Misick said that contrary to some media reports, the former Premier has not fought the extradition process, but rather, he facilitated it by insisting that his Brazilian lawyers do all they can for the process to be expedited. Phillip Misick told the SUN that he received an email from his brother’s Brazilian lawyers on October 30th, 2013 in which they said that when they told Michael about the results he was happy because he was going home. The email stated: “As you have already heard Michael will be extradite. This is what Michael wanted all along. We would have preferred to hear his asylum appeal ﬁrst but Michael personally contacted Helen Garlick indicating he wanted to come home. The extradition will be within two week as the decision has to be published and there are bureaucratic steps to be followed. Michael told us that he asked God to decide what was best for him and that was His answer. He instructed us not to appeal this decision and to desist in the asylum process. He then asked us to make the extradition as fast as possible.”

Brazilian courts made the decision about Misick’s extradition on Tuesday October 29th. A statement from Attorney General Huw Shepheard stated: “The decision of the Brazilian Courts to extradite Michael Misick is welcome as it is in the best interests of the Turks and Caicos Islands that allegations of wrongdoing are thoroughly investigated. Michael Misick’s lawyers vigorously opposed

his extradition, but after hearing arguments on both sides the court was unanimous in its decision. Arrangements will be made to return him to the Turks and Caicos Islands as soon as possible. He faces trial in the Turks and Caicos Islands Supreme Court on a number of serious charges relating to corruption and maladministration in the Turks and Caicos Islands during his time in ofﬁce.”

The 47-year-old Misick, a lawyer by profession, was arrested in the Brazilian capital of Rio de Janeiro by that country’s Federal Police on Friday, December 7th, 2012 while trying to board a domestic ﬂight at the Santos Dumond airport en route to see his Brazilian attorney. He was released on bail in February 2013 but re-arrested in April.

AG finally resigns

FCO boss has high hopes for TCI

Premier’s Office officially opens

Murder-accused acquitted

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Halloween is an event that the world looks forward to each year, and the Turks and Caicos Islands is no different. The celebration was widespread this year, especially on the island of Providenciales, where individuals dressed up in their favourite scary garb to go trick or treat. And while Halloween is ofﬁcially celebrated on October 31, a number of events were days prior. These photo highlights show the Blue Haven Resort event, which was held on October 25.

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MIKE TO RETURN IN TWO WEEKS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Phillip Misick told the SUN that his brother was adamant about coming home to the Turks and Caicos Islands. He added: “I can tell you as a matter of fact that Mike elected to forgo his asylum appeal so as to having the extradition process expedited. There is no credence to media reports that claim that mike had exhausted his appeals as it relates to his asylum request. Mike decided to abandon his asylum appeal so as to have an earlier extradition hearing wherein he requested to be sent home as early as possible. The fact is that the Brazilian supreme court was simply echoing the reﬂection of what Michael wanted.” Phillip added: “Mike was most concerned about sorting out his extradition process and returning home to the Turks and Caicos Islands. That was his goal an objective after his lawyers realized that there was no agreement to be had with Helen Garlick for a speedy voluntary return of Mike to the TCI.” Giving an update on the extradition hearing, the Premier’s brother said that there was on oral hearing on the matter about two months ago, but they were waiting for the Brazilian courts to resume sitting in early August 2013. When

it resumed sitting, a date of 14th of October was given and when that

date came Mike’s lawyers were notified that the hearing was reschedule for 29th October 2013.” According to Phillip Misick, long before he was arrested by the Brazilian authorities in December of 2012, the former Premeir wanted to come home. He told the SUN that the former Premier wrote no less than five (5) letters to Helen Garlick expressing his desire to voluntary return to the TCI. In each case Helen refused Mike offer to voluntary return to the TCI. The former Premier’s brother said that in a letter dated 20th December 2012 to Michael Misick’s London Attorneys Helen wrote “the extradition process has been put in motion ….. that makes voluntary return as requested by your client impossible, unless the TCIG was p[prepared to withdraw its provisional warrant …. That would be a course of action that could only be taken by the AG, since he it is he and not I who is the requesting authority…… my advice to the AG is that a full extradition request be submitted in accordance with the terms of the treaty and that your client may then be agree to be extradited as soon as possible without challenge.” According to Phillip Misick, Michael Misick’s London attorneys became “frustrated by the stance of Helen Garlick and came away feeling that it was Helen Garlick who did not want the former Premier to return to the jurisdiction although she was the one who sought his arrest for extradition”. He added: “It was strange to read in the press the official line

that Mr Misick was resisting coming back to the TCI when it was difﬁcult to get an answer from Helen Garlick as to what she really wanted. She kept saying we want him extradited but every time an opportunity came she refused. The feeling in the inner circles of Misick’s legal; team was that Helen Garlick wanted him to suffer in Brazilian prison rather than agreeing for him to voluntarily return to the TCI. SIPT and Helen Garlick did nothing to expedite the process in fact they frustrated the proceedings.” Misick’s initial arrest stemmed from an international arrest warrant that was issued by Interpol and a further warrant issued by Brazilian Supreme Court, based on information provided by the TCI Special Investigation and Prosecution Team (SIPT) which is headed by British attorney Helen Garlick, formerly of the UK’s Serious Fraud Ofﬁce. Misick is wanted for questioning by the SIPT in relation to an ongoing investigation into issues arising from Sir Robin Auld’s 200809 Commission of Inquiry relating to alleged corruption and mal-administration. The former Premier, who was living in Brazil for more than a year prior to his arrest, has never been charged with any offences by the SIPT. A few months ago, Misick dismissed reports that he is negotiating a plea bargain with British and/or American law enforcement authorities that would implicate United States citizens and senior politicians in Jamaica, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.

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CONTROVERSIAL ATTORNEY GENERAL HUW SHEPHEARD FINALLY RESIGNS BY HAYDEN BOYCE PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ttorney General of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Huw Shepheard, has tendered his resignation effective November 1st 2013. According to a press release from the Governor’s Office, he has also given notice of his intention to file legal charges against the Turks and Caicos Islands Government for reputational and other damages. “Since this matter is now subject to legal proceedings this (Governor’s) office cannot comment any further,” the press release added. The statement noted that TCIG is keen to ensure that the work of the Attorney General’s Chambers continues to progress, and as such Rhondalee Braithwaite-Knowles will be sworn in as Acting Attorney General. Responding to the AG’s resignation, Premier Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing stated: “The Government can confirm that we were informed by the Governor, of the Attorney General’s intention to resign from his post in the Turks & Caicos Islands. While we have not been informed of the Governor’s office being in receipt of the official document, we have reasons to believe that Huw Shepherd has in fact tendered his resignation to the Governor’s Office this morning, to become effective November 1, 2013. We can further confirm that Huw Shepherd has indicated his intent to bring legal proceedings against the Government in respect to his tenure and as such we can provide no further comment on this matter, except to say that the Government will seek legal guidance in our response should defense of the Government becomes necessary.” On October 11th, 2013, Premier Hon Dr. Rufus Ewing, through the law firm Misick & Stanbrook, filed court documents to challenge the lawful authority of Attorney General Huw Shepheard to make certain decisions without consulting Cabinet.

Fomer Attorney General Huw Shepheard

Premier Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing

According to the originating summons which was obtained by the Turks and Caicos SUN, the grounds of the application are that a dispute has arisen between the Attorney General and the elected members of the Cabinet as to whether the Attorney General has the authority under the Constitution to commence and defend civil proceedings by or against the Government as the Attorney General sees ﬁt, without seeking the prior approval of Cabinet, and that it is in the public interest that this dispute which involves an important issue of the proper interpretation of the Constitution be resolved by the Supreme Court. Premier Ewing is seeking the determination of the court of the following questions and the following relief, namely: That it may be determined whether the true construction of Section 41 of the Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order 2011 or any other provision of the Constitution, the Attorney General is authorised to institute and prosecute civil proceedings on behalf of the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands and to defend proceedings brought against

the Government (a) without informing the Cabinet of his intention to institute proceedings and prosecute such proceedings, and (b) without obtaining the prior approval of the Cabinet for the instruction, prosecution or defence of such proceedings except where such proceedings involve matters on which the Governor is not required to consult and act in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet. If the answer is no, that a declaration that the Attorney General has no such authority be granted to the Plaintiff (Dr. Rufus Ewing). That costs of and incidental to this application be paid to Government. The SUN also obtained a copy of an afﬁdavit which was signed by the Premier, which stated, among other things, “ By section 41 the Attorney General is the legal adviser to the Government. Whilst this provision states that in exercising his functions the Attorney General is not to be subject to the control of any other person, this does mean that the Attorney General can institute and defend proceedings without reference to Cabinet. I have attended most of the meetings of Cabinet

Opposition Leader Hon Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson held since my appointment as Premier. In respect of those meetings that I have not attended, I have read the relevant minutes. The Attorney General has never, to the best of my knowledge, having reviewed minutes of Cabinet meetings, seen it ﬁt to inform the Cabinet or seek the Cabinet’s approval to institute or defend proceedings against the Government. I have learnt through various press reports of several actions which were brought on behalf of the Government by the Attorney General before and after the last general elections as well as claims against the Government which are being defended by the Government. I understand that under the Crown Proceedings Ordinance the Attorney General is the person who brings proceedings on behalf of the Government and is the proper defendent in respect of claims again the Government. That does not, however, as I understand it, relieve the Attorney General of the obligation to obtain the approval and instructions of the Cabinet before instituting proceedings, defending claims, or indeed in running litigation.”

TCIG, AG row embarrassing for TCI, says Opposition Leader BY VIVIAN TYSON

pposition Leader Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson has said that the legal battle that former Attorney General Huw Shepheard has threatened against the very government that he was the legal advisor up to Thursday (October 31), could be another embarrassing chapter for the Turks and Caicos Islands. Cartwright-Robinson made the comment while holding a news brieﬁng outside the Premier’s Ofﬁce on Providenciales on Wednesday, October 30, shortly after meeting with the United Kingdom’s Overseas Director for the Overseas Territories Peter Hayes. “Turks and Caicos is just dynamic. Everything is just shifting within the day, without much information in understanding the circumstances and situations,” she said. “I believe we are going to be pulled into an-

other embarrassing moment, and I trust that we can resolve that as quickly as possible on any matters or issues that he (attorney general) would have raised as to why he resigned. The opposition would be watching it carefully.” Cartwright-Robinson said that the latest episode could prove bank-breaking for the Turks and Caicos as it is unknown this time around how much would be expended to undertake the legal showdown between the elected government and its former top legal advisor. It could very well be (expensive). I believe that you would have seen where the deputy governor speaks of constructive dismissal. I am not going to speak what I have heard in the document because I haven’t seen it, but it can be an expensive venture. In the meantime, Cartwright-Robinson said that the Opposition, this time around, would stay at ringside and take a spectator approach

at least for the time being. She said that her party would only take arena only when the country’s good image is threatened. “This is not our fight, what is going on. And we believe it becomes out fight when it drags the nation into it. And that is something that we would be speaking to, and you can look forward to a full response from us when that happens. Shepheard resigned as Attorney General from pressure from Dr. Rufus Ewing government, which often accused of multiple legal missteps, which it said was costing the country a great deal of cash. The fiasco reached a head after ex-governor Ric Todd renewed the attorney general’s contract, knowing that the government was not in favour of it. This, the government believed was a slap in the face on the part of Todd, and so, vowed not to work with shepheard.

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Guyana and Venezuela: The consequences of ideology and avarice BY SIR RONAD SANDERS

he internal politics of Venezuela is playing a big part in the sudden deterioration of that country’s relations with its smaller neighbour Guyana after a period of steady improvement. Elements in the military apparatus of Venezuela appear to be determined to press a spurious claim to two-thirds of Guyana’s territory. On present evidence, it seems that, unlike his predecessor Hugo Chavez, President Nicolás Maduro lacks the clout to restrain them. There have been two serious actions taken recently by the Venezuelan military. The first was on August 31, the very day that Maduro was paying an official visit to Guyana to release with the President of Guyana, Donald Ramotar, a joint declaration of co-operation. Armed and uniformed Venezuelan soldiers entered Guyanese territory with a party of civilians. One of the civilians, a law student identified as Ricardo de Toma, is reported to have said: “We came here to carry out a civil exercise of sovereignty, but we do not understand what was Nicolás Maduro doing there (in Guyana)”. The second military incident is the arrest and detention on 10 October of a survey ship used by Texas-based Anadarko Petroleum Corp which had been granted an exploration licence by the Guyana government in a southern Atlantic block named Roraima. Both the Guyana and Venezuelan governments say that the ship, the RV Teknik Perdana, was in their territorial waters. The fact is that the ship was in Guyana’s territorial waters which the Venezuelan government unlawfully claims. A spokesperson for the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry is reported by the Venezuelan Newspaper El Universal to have said that “Venezuela expresses its profound concern about the way in which foreign vessels, authorized by Guyana’s government, barge into Venezuela’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone without permission.” In a previous commentary, I had pointed out that shortly after Guyana issued the exploration licence for the Roraima block on 26 June, El Universal carried a story claiming that the Venezuelan Navy had “raised the alarm” about an oil concession granted by the Guyana government “in front of the Venezuelan Atlantic front of Orinoco Delta”. The unnamed source “revealed that the Navy was concerned about the way this issue is being tackled, namely, Venezuela’s claim over the Essequibo and its silence over multiple actions carried out by Guyana in the area”. Even earlier, in September 2011, when Guyana applied to the United Nations to extend its continental shelf, Venezuela’s foreign ministry described the application as an “irregular situation” and said it was working to protect its maritime rights.

The action by the Venezuelan navy to detain the survey ship shows a determination by the Venezuelan military to maintain and fuel hostility toward Guyana. A subsequent meeting in Trinidad and Tobago on 17 October between the Guyana foreign minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and the Venezuelan foreign minister Elías Jaua Milano resulted in a stand-off. They were unable to resolve the issue of the ship’s detention despite the formal language in a joint statement that they “recognized that the delimitation of maritime boundaries between their two States remains an unresolved issue and agreed that such delimitation will require negotiations. In this regard, (they) agreed to explore mechanisms within the context of International Law to address the issue of maritime delimitation, and that within the next four months a technical team will meet to exchange views on how such delimitation could proceed”. But four days after the meeting, El Universal reported that “sources said that at such upcoming meetings Venezuela would advocate the stance that maritime delimitation is impossible, insofar as no satisfactory solution is found for the practical settlement of the controversy between Venezuela and the United Kingdom”. The work of any technical team, therefore, seems doomed before it even starts. The effect is that, not for the first time, through the use of military force, Venezuela has again stopped Guyana from pursuing the economic benefits of its territory - both land and sea. And this is being done on a basis that has no legal foundation. In 1899, an Arbitral Panel of distinguished judges reached a “full, perfect and final settlement” of the border dispute. The issue was reopened in 1962 by then Venezuelan President Rómulo Betancourt for avaricious and ideological reasons, absolutely unrelated to legality. According to declassified US State Department documents, Betancourt professed “to be greatly concerned about an independent British Guiana with Cheddi Jagan as Prime Minister” who he suspected “is already too committed to communism”. Betancourt is reported in the documents covering the period 1962 to 1965, as being “convinced that the area contiguous to the present boundary abounds in natural resources”. He proposed to both the British and the Americans that they agree to zone it for development by private funds from Britain and the US “under Venezuelan sovereignty”. This, he said, would stop “the danger of infiltration of Venezuela from British Guiana if a Castro-type government ever were established”. His position was founded on avarice and constructed on a cold war ideology that has cast a long shadow over Guyana. This was the real basis for the Venezuelan claim even though Betancourt’s government’s position in the international community was that the decision of the Arbitration was fraudulent. The declassified documents

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reveal that neither the British nor the Americans gave him any encouragement or support. Nonetheless, he pursued it. And, over the years, nationalist hostility toward Guyana has been generated and enflamed in Venezuela on the bogus assertion that the 1899 award was a fraud, despite the fact that it was accepted at the time and not challenged for 63 years. Regrettably, every Venezuelan government – until the latter years of Hugo Chavez’s Presidency – has promoted that false claim. They have done so even in the school system, so that every child grows up nurtured on it. The lie is now so all pervasive that even political leaders who know the truth are trapped by its consequences. That, in part, is the dilemma of President Maduro. How does he break away from this claim to Guyana without being branded a traitor by those in the Venezuelan society whose interests it serves? It is a dilemma which neighbouring countries, particularly Brazil and the countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), must help him to resolve. A possibility now opens in proposals (the details of which are not yet known) from the UN Secretary-General’s Good Offices representative over the Venezuela-Guyana issue, Professor Norman Girvan. Undoubtedly, Girvan’s proposals will be within the framework of international law and precedence. They should have broad appeal to any government that is willing to bring an end to this controversy that has hurt the potential economic integration and growth of Latin America and the Caribbean as a whole, and that has stood in the way of wider and deeper co-operation between Venezuela and Guyana that would benefit both their peoples. Guyana’s development should not continue to be unfairly stunted by - nor should the country have to continue to live under - the threat of Venezuelan military intervention.

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FCO boss Peter Hayes has high hopes for TCI BY VIVIAN TYSON

eter Hayes, Director for the Overseas Territories in the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said that his Turks and Caicos Islands trip was to flesh out ideas with government, the opposition and business community on how to shore up the TCI economy. Speaking with the media shortly after hosting the opposition People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) at the Premier’s Office on Wednesday (October 30) in Providenciales, Hayes said that the UK Government is interested in the success of its overseas territories, which includes the Turks and Caicos. The big focus on my visit is about economic development, it is a big priority for the TCI government, the British Government and governments around the world. We are all struggling to get back that economic development, to get jobs, to get sustainable economic development. So a big part of the discussion is to see what support we (the UK) can provide to assist the TCI overseas territories to get that growth,” Hayes said. He said that premiers and chief ministers of its overseas territories will be using their rendezvous in London in November to make linkages with investors. “One of the things that we are going to be doing in the next month in

Peter Hayes (third from left), Director for the Overseas Territories in the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), speaks with members of the opposition on Wednesday (October 30) in Providenciales. London, when the premiers and Chief Ministers are there is to get the opportunity to reach out into the ﬁnancial centre in London, to have the territories make connection to the international community of international investors,” he said. Asked about the changes he has seen this visit that were not evident on the previous trip, Hayes noted: “Like governments everywhere, there are some things that you can make progress on very quickly and some things that take longer. And so, what really struck me is the economic recovery has started to appear all around the world. “That has not happened in a long time. I think people are still hurting, I think people are still feeling the pinch. But your tourism numbers are being good this year. People are cautious in being too optimistic until it is all over.

Hayes stressed the need for the government to get it right on the economy since the world economy is still in recovery mode, and could any wrong move could result in downward spiral again. “Governments around the world have to balance the budget, just like you and I do in balancing our family budgets. We have to not spend more than what we take in. And so, this is a challenge for us as to how we are going to do it when there is only two options – you either spend less or you raise more money through taxes. “But the real answer, of course, is economic growth, because if you

can get the economy growing, then all of these things become easier. So, the whole focus on the discussions is what we can do together to help TCI government to get that elusive growth. One of Hayes’ interactions while on his trip here was with the students at the Provo Campus of the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College. “We have been talking about vocation training, training in particular for young people. I went to the Community College Yesterday (Tuesday October 29) and I spoke to the young children about their homes aspirations,” he said.

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DEMA Sets the Record Straight on Fishing Study T

he Ministry of Environment, Home Affairs and Agriculture and the Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) are clarifying misleading information regarding a UK-funded pelagic fishing now being carried out in TCI Waters. The study which started a week ago will help to determine whether or not the off-shore fishing stocks in the territorial waters of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) are economically viable for development. DEMA is the department of government charged with overseeing the study. The Ministry notes that despite being surrounded by productive marine resources, the TCI imports most of the marine products consumed on the islands. These include a variety of marine species like tuna that are available in TCI waters. As it seeks to reduce the food import bill and bolster the nation’s food security, TCIG is looking for options that will provide sustainable harvesting of pelagic fish for local consumption. Kathleen Wood, Director of DEMA said: “If we can sustainably harvest pelagic fish for local consumption in TCI, we will not only eliminate these global environmental impacts but will provide business opportunities and multiplier effects across the entire TCI economy. “As long as people continue to eat wild-caught fish in the Turks and Caicos Islands, it simply doesn’t make economic or environmental sense to do otherwise. We remain hopeful that people will be able to put aside the misconceptions being propagated by a few private interests and see the big picture,” Wood said. The Ministry labels as false, charges that the pelagic fishing study is being undertaken to allow foreign long-line fishing fleets to operate in TCI waters, as well as to allow foreign boats to engage in practises not allowed in US Territorial waters.

Wood continued: “Nothing could be further from the truth. For one thing, Dayboat Seafoods is the only pelagic fishing fleet in the United States that is Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) sustainably certified. This requires that they meet the highest standards of sustainable fishing practises. As a US flag-carrying fleet, they must maintain these standards, even when they are fishing in TCI territorial waters.” Belonger-owned and operated Caicos Pride is partnering with Dayboat Seafoods to conduct this study and Belongers are being employed and trained in this new area. Wood clarified further: “Fishing data can be collected only by fishing, as fish do not stay in one place to be counted. Worldwide, the vast majority of fisheries data is collected through recording catch characteristics. This is how we assess stocks for all fisheries in TCI, including conch and lobster.” The DEMA Director also noted that while the fish that is caught is being sold as part of this study, this is necessary as it is the only reliable way to collect the quantity of data required in the short time the study will be conducted. In addition, she pointed out that TCI-based sport fishing enthusiasts have been reluctant to provide TCIG with data that would otherwise assist in such studies. The Ministry urges the sport fishing sector to aid the data collection process by providing TCIG with catch data to support maintenance of their sport as well as research. The Ministry is also assuring fishing interests that the study will in no way threaten their livelihoods by depleting stocks of targeted and non-targeted species, including endangered species. Wood noted: “While these fears are understandable, they reflect a misunderstanding about the nature of renewable resources, in general and

pelagic fish specifically. Fish are not a finite resource. As long as we are not harvesting them at a rate faster than they are replenishing themselves, no harm will come to the resource.” She continued: “With pelagic fish, this concept is extremely relevant because these fish are not resident in the Turks and Caicos Islands but migrate across the entire Atlantic Ocean, in some cases”. The DEMA Director further explained that such stocks are protected by international rules and quotas to ensure that global stocks are protected. “With regard to endangered species, we have developed conditions of approval that allows us to halt the study should the by-catch of rare, threatened or endangered species become detrimental to the stock of those species. We are pleased to report that no marine mammals or sea turtles have thus far been affected by the study,” she said. Mrs. Wood noted that while an Atlantic whitetipped Shark -a species that is listed by the IUCN as Vulnerable globally and Critically Endangered in the Caribbean- was caught and released dead, this is not detrimental to the overall stocks of this specie. The Ministry notes that DEMA and the TCIG are keeping “a close eye on all by-catch mortality and will respond with remedial action, should such action become necessary.” The Ministry is mindful of the contentious nature of the study but assures that the long term benefits of the study are being carefully weighed and assures TCI that TCIG stands ready to halt the study should it negatively impact the wellbeing of any marine species. All catch data is available for viewing at the National Environmental Centre during normal business hours.

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Premier’s Office opens in Provo with much expectation BY VIVIAN TYSON

he major symbol of democracy on Providenciales – the Premier’s Office - officially opens on Wednesday, October 30, with the who’s who of that island in attendance as well as members of the local communities. The office sited on the Hilly A. Ewing Building upstairs National Insurance, once occupied by

Premier Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing (left) his father and patron of the Hilly A. Ewing Building (centre) and the premier’s father, engage Governor Peter Beckingham in a conversation during the function to signal the opening of the Premier’s Office at the Hilly A. Ewing Building in Providenciales on Wednesday, October 30. the former Michael Misick and the cameo Galmo Williams Administrations before the rug was pulled from under the local government’s feet by the British Government, who suspended parts of the Constitution and instituted direct rule from Britain through the governor, in 2009. Democracy returned to the TCI November 12, last year with elections being held, and which saw the Progressive National Party (PNP), led by Dr. Ewing, eking out a one seat victory – 8-7 – over the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM). But the administration was force to adopt a nomadic disposition in Providenciales even long after elections were held, since the building was occupied by the British government appointed Special Investiga-

tion and Prosecution Team (SIPT). The SIPT eventually vacated the building in August after identifying space upstairs Flamingo Pharmacy, in the vicinity of the Graceway IGA Supermarket. Its exit came after the Premier issued an ultimatum. Speaking at the opening on Wednesday, Premier Ewing said that the opening of the building was cause for celebration since it represents the centre from which decisions are made and a place where local electorate can make appointments to speak with their elected representatives or a minister on matters of concern or importance. He said that it is refreshing once again to see the structure occupied by elected representatives, saying that such move augurs well for the

Opening of Premier’s Office on Providenciales T

he Premier’s Office on Providenciales located on the Hilly A. Ewing Building upstairs the NIB Building officially opens on Wednesday, October 30. The opening attracted a wide cross-section of the TCI community, including the clergy, medical, banking, hospitality and legal fields. The dedication of the building was done by Rector for the St. Monica’s Anglican Church in Providenciales Ft. Bernard Been. The following are photo highlights of the event. His Excellency Governor Peter Beckingham (left), converses with Fortis TCI Boss, Eddington Powell

(centre) and Scotiabank’s Managing Director, Cecil Arnold (1) His Excellency Governor Peter Beckingham chats with his deputy Her Excellency Anya Williams (2) Human Rights Commissioner Doreen Quelch-Stubbs (left) Director of Public Prosecution JoAnn Meloche (3) Government Ministers (from left) Hon. Porsha Stubbs-Smith, Hon. Amanda Misick and Deputy Premier Hon. Akierra Missick reacts to the His Excellency Governor Beckingham’s speech (4) Rector for the St. Monica’s Anglican Church Ft. Bernard Been asks God’s blessing on the building (5)

future of the Turks and Caicos Islands, which he said looks bright. “Your presence here today is not just for us to celebrate the opening of a building but it is for us to celebrate the people’s house, the governments’ house, a place that is symbolic as a place of democracy. This is the place where you, the people, can interface and interact with the government, with government ministers, the governor, his staff and other staff within this building,” the Premier said. Each Member of Parliament will have an ofﬁce at the building from which to conduct the country’s business when in Providenciales, and the premier has urged members of the public, who wish to see their elected representative or a minister to schedule their appointments so as to avoid chaos. “Sometimes I do have days when I say these are open days – so called walk-in days. That can happen from time to time, but you must be polite and understand the constraints that we work under and the many issues that need to be addressed.

And everyone’s issue is important, but we, as a government, must prioritize how we address those issues,” the Premier said. Former Member of Parliament and patron of the building Hon. Hilly A. Ewing, who is also the premier’s father, was in attendance at the function, and was recognized for his contribution to nation building. The elder statesman, who is a member of the Opposition People’s Democratic Movement (PDM), served in the House of Assembly – then the Legislative Council – for 33 years. For his part, the governor referred to the Ewing family as having a distinguished dynasty in Turks and Caicos Islands politics, and said that he is fortunate to be here at this time to share in the opening of the building in honor of the Ewing patriarch and also to have been given an office on the building. “I must say the office here is much nicer and comfortable than the office in Grand Turk,” the governor quipped, much to the amusement of the gathering.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Administrative Assistant An Insurance Agency and Brokerage is seeking a dynamic, outgoing proactive person, with a background in Administration and Customer Service with a minimum of 5 years experience in General & Motor Insurance. Job entails the processing of applications, policy documents, client renewals, supervision and assistance with claims. Secondary languages will be an asset along with any accounting knowledge or computer training with Folio or TAM Software Systems. Kindly send resumes to: Human Resource Manager P.O. Box 355 Providenciales

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Official minutes from last Cabinet Meeting H

is Excellency the Governor, Peter Beckingham, chaired the 23rd meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday 30 October 2013 at the Hilly Ewing Building on Providenciales. All Ministers were present. At this meeting Cabinet: Received a presentation from Peter Hayes, Director of the Overseas Territories Directorate. Mr Hayes thanked Cabinet for receiving him, and reaffirmed the UK’s continued commitment to assist TCI to develop its economy. He also gave an overview of what the Joint Ministerial Council to be held in London in November would focus on, and looked forward to the Premier’s attendance. • Was pleased with the better than anticipated financial position of TCIG for the period July to September 2013, as submitted in the Second Quarter Financial Report from the Accountant General. For the second quarter of FY 2013-14 the Consolidated Fund recorded a deficit of $1.4m, which was better than anticipated, however it was noted that there will be additional challenges as the year progresses through unavoidable additional costs and implementation delays in some of the already-announced tax increases. It was agreed that the report would be passed to the House of Assembly for discussion and released to the public. Agreed with the decisions of the Procurement Board to award contracts for the construction of restroom blocks at Ianthe Pratt Primary School, Providenciales, and Clement Howell High School, Providenciales. Noted the draft Young Adult Empowerment Policy and approved in principle the objectives proposed. A formal policy docu-

ment will be created, and care will be taken to ensure it is consistent with existing legislation and initiatives. The policy has a number of goals it hopes to achieve by 2020, including: A significant increase in the percentage of Young TC Islanders employed in a managerial position; A significant increase in the percentage of Young Turks and Caicos Islanders owning a first home by age 35; A significant increase in the percentage of Young Turks and Caicos Islanders owning a business; A significant Increase in the percentage of young Turks and Caicos Islanders accessing tertiary education degree level programmes; A significant increase the percentage of young Turks and Caicos Islanders with a certified employable skill. The Young Adult Empowerment policy will be facilitated by many policy initiatives and incentives focused on empowering people between the age of 18-35 years and expanding the middle socioeconomic class. The empowerment policy will be informed by information obtained from a youth empowerment survey, to be conducted by the National Epidemiology Research Unit in collaboration with the SPPD and Ministry of Education, and available census information. Agreed to amend the Customs Ordinance to address the issue of incorrect pre-entry of imported goods into the customs clearance system. By automating the entry system it is anticipated there will be a clearer audit trail for customs inspectors to follow as well as

an increase in the rates of revenue collection. In line with the MoU with Third Turtle Resort, agreed to grant approval for the Chief Gaming Inspector to proceed with the processing of Casino licenses for the Third Turtle Resort and Casino. As this application is for a casino that will be situated within a hotel, it is consistent with the exclusive license as a stand-alone casino on Providenciales currently held by the Casa Blanca. Agreed to the establishment of a Public-Private Sector Forum. The body will be made up of representatives from the private sector and from across TCIG (including the Ministry of Finance, AG’s Chambers, the Governor’s Ofﬁce and the Opposition), and will provide a forum for consultation, discussion and advice on matters concerning inward investment and development. The body will be consultative in nature, and any proposals it produces will be progressed through normal government channels as appropriate. Reviewed and agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bankers’ Association that sets out the terms on which a community based, small business development program will be established. Based on highly successful schemes operating in North America and the Caribbean, the not-for-profit programme will provide valuable support to those looking to establish small to medium enterprises in TCI. Heard a presentation from Apex Ltd on the current status of the West Caicos development. Cabinet looked forward to receiving finalized plans early in the New Year.

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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Elvano Rahming acquitted of killing Wensley Joseph BY VIVIAN TYSON

lvano Rahming, who the police believed to be the trigger man in the shooting death of 16 year-old Clement Howell High schoolboy Wensley Joseph, walked from the Providenciales Supreme Court a free man on Wednesday, October 30, after being acquitted by a 12 member mixed jury. Rahming, who maintained his innocence through-out the trial, could not hide his delight after the jury foreman read the verdict. After the court was dismissed he hugged a few people, including a uniformed police woman, who was standing nearby, but to her surprise. The Joseph’s body was found at the side of the road in Kew Town on the morning of April 12, 2009, with gunshot wounds and what appeared to be tyre tracks on his body. This was after residents heard a barrage of shots in the area the night before. His death sent shockwaves, especially through the Haitian community, and on the Monday following his death, councilors had to be called in at the Clement Howell High School to council grieving students, some of whom told the media that Joseph was their best friend. Sometime after Joseph’s death, several suspects were held but later released. Rahming was arrested and charged for the crime in 2011,

Elvano Rahming but was release after his sufﬁciency hearing. The prosecution, which was led by Leonard Franklyn, argued that Rahming was among a group of men who discharged a hail of bullets in Joseph’s direction, who at the time was walking with friends along a main road in Kew Town. The armed posse, the prosecution said, which was travelling in an F150, included the prosecution star witness Shefﬁeld Cox, Fritz Forbes and Darison Nash. The prosecution said that the shooting stemmed from an earlier bottle and stone-throwing incident by rival gangs. Members of the group with which Joseph was walking, ran in different directions, and his death was realized only at daybreak. His attorney Courtney Barnett said that even though he had a duty

to represent Rahming as client, it was his personal belief that he was innocent of the charge, after leafing through the background of the case. Barnett said he believes that the prosecution wanted a scapegoat and in their eyes, his client was the perfect specimen. Rahming, during the trial, said that he was at home when Joseph was shot and therefore could not have caused his death. He said that he was so sure of his innocence that while out on bail, went to the Bahamas to spend two weeks, but returned from his born land to clear his name. He said that the charge made his life and those around him unstable, including his wife, child and parents, but said that his faith was always in God, who he believed could vindicate him. Barnett represented Rahming under the Legal Aid system, and even before the trial had ended he did not hide his disappointment on being paid $600 a day, which he borders on disrespect and racism. He told The SUN a day before the trial that the only reason he did not drop the case was his belief that Rahming was innocent. Barnett also took the police to task for what he described as the inept manner in which they went about investigating the case, including the timely gathering of forensics.

TCI FIRST RESPONDERS GET GIS MAPPING TRAINING BY VIVIAN TYSON

11 first responders, disaster management personnel as well as other governmental response agencies have been equipped to become more logistically efficient especially in times of disasters, thanks to a newly-introduced software and instrument to simplify the response method they currently use. The Geographical and Information System (GIS) devices digitally maps out critical areas before hand, including those that are prone to natural and other disasters, thereby giving first responders a leg up as to where exactly an emergency situation is, how to tackle it and if necessary, where persons should be evacuated to. The information on the Juno Handheld devices was imparted to local first responders over a two day period at the Department of Disaster Management and Emergency (DDME) on Monday and Tuesday, October 28 and 29 respectively by workshop facilitator Allisia Williams. According to Williams the twoday session was held to assist the Turks and Caicos Islands to improve on the way it manages its disasters. She said under the new method, less time would be spent collecting and cleaning the data, while making for less time on the field and in the office.

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TC Associated Taxis want private contractors pulled from airport line BY VIVIAN TYSON

ome taxi operators are crying foul over the situation where a particular set of operators who have entered into a private contract with Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort and Spa â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the largest hotel in the country â&#x20AC;&#x201C; are still being allowed to operate on their public passenger licenses thereby competing with non-private contractual taxis for tourists at the airport. George Hinson, Head of the Turks and Caicos Associated Taxis, argued that by allowing the taxis that have entered into contractual arrangements with resorts to compete on the airport line with other taxis is wrong because the taxis who have no private contracts have just one source of income. He told The SUN that after government had granted an increase to taxi operators earlier this year, operator under the umbrella of Turks and Caicos Bus and Group Ltd., entered into a contract with Beaches Resort and Spa to ferry their guests for a reduced cost. He believes that since the taxi operators who signed the contract with Beaches now do mass transportation, they need to have a mass transportation license instead of public passenger license, and so he believes that the operators under the Turks and Caicos Bus and Group Ltd. banner are operating contrary to their licenses. And he is calling on government to address the situation.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The government, as you know, raised the taxi fares by 33 percent across the board. Turks and Caicos Bus and Group Ltd. approached Beaches to move their guests for less than what the government rate is. They signed a contract with Beaches to carry their guests. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What we are saying, as the Turks and Caicos Associated Taxis, is that, if they signed a contract with Beaches, they now have to get a mass transportation license, you have a private contract now with Beaches to do all of their transfer from the hotel to the airport, and their plates have to be green, as private plates,â&#x20AC;? he said. He added; â&#x20AC;&#x153;These guys are doing their transfer for Beaches, and then join the line on the airport. We cannot go to Beaches for any job, and they have a private contract signed with Beaches for two years and still be joining the taxi line. That is the reason why we are petitioning government, that once they enter into this contract, there is no longer public service, they are now private because they now have a signed contract and they should not be able to work from the airports, ports, or any business other than Beaches, for what they have been contracted. That is our contention,â&#x20AC;? Hinson said. He said that one that would make them drop their claim is only if Beaches relinquish the contract with Turks and Caicos Bus and Group Ltd., and allow all taxis the free will to

pick up guests from its property. He said that the organization which he heads has made representation to that effect. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I said to Beaches, if you allow your doors to open to all the taxis, I will ask government to repeal three dollars. We have asked government for 12 dollars, and the government gave us $13:50, so that becomes $27 round trip. We agreed and said to Beaches in writing, we would do $12 across the board once the doors remain open. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t decrease the rate ourselves, we had to go back to the minister (Hon. Amanda Misick). We told Beaches, once you send me the letter of conďŹ rmation that you are going to open the door for all taxis, we would then meet with the government and have the government write off $3 from that rate,â&#x20AC;? he said. Hinson said that he does not buy the argument that the reason Beaches had selected Turks and Caicos Bus and Group Ltd., because other taxi men were indiscipline, since a top member of that group was, not long ago, suspended from the Beaches compound due to unruliness. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am not beating Beaches in a sense, but what I am asking the government to do is, once they (taxi drivers) have the contract they must argue under mass transit rules as Executive Tours who does all the transfer for Club Med others who do that service,â&#x20AC;? Hinson said.

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

NOVEMBER 2ND - NOVEMBER 9TH, 2013

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LOCAL NEWS

TCEM Landfill changing waste management on Provo M

ore than 30,000 tons of open waste have been consolidated, covered and compacted and vegetation is starting to regenerate thanks to a successful public-private partnership at the Providenciales landfill. On Saturday, October 20, Turks and Caicos Environmental Management (TCEM) invited members of the community inside the landfill site, located in Blue Hills, to see the progress made over the past 18 months. “It has been dirty work, but with consistency, security and a smooth working relationship, we have been able to achieve great work,” said Jim Hodge, TCEM president. When TCEM took over the dump site in 2012, there was literally tons of garbage that had to be dealt with, in addition to tackling the daily processing of waste on the island of Providenciales. Consolidation, cover and compaction are the three operational functions of the now successfully operating landfill, explained Hodge. “You have to do everything right, every day,” he says. TCEM’s Tim Hodge, who manages the Turks and Caicos based operation works closely with the Environmental Health Department’s Manager Kenrick Neely to ensure the public private partnership is an on-going success. “This is a real public private effort and that’s what countries like this need to do, particularly with sustainable environmental projects,” adds Hodge. Former member of the Consultative Forum and current Chairman of the National Health Insurance Board, Drexwell Seymour, walked the site on Saturday commenting, “You would not think this is the same place. It is great for our

Hon. Goldray Ewing (third from left), Member of Parliament for the Blue Hills Constituency joins a number of other movers and shakers on the Provo community for a photo op at the Landfill, after the operators invited the public to view its operation and progress. environment, especially for the residents here in Blue Hills….people did not want to be in this area…and I personally believe as a result of this project you have seen more people moving into homes in this area.” Seymour commended the team of TCEM for the work they are doing to improve the environment, but also noted the project is establishing the Turks and Caicos as trailblazers in the region in this area. “We are setting a pace for others (in the region) to follow,” said Seymour. Former Minister of Health Karen Delancy, who worked on the project in its earlier stages, said, “I can stand here on the ground, I can look around, I can see the homes, I can see everything is so much better now and it is simply

because a few persons cared enough to invest in the Turks and Caicos, and not just to invest in the country, but in the livelihood of the people, especially here in Blue Hill.” Delancy congratulated the team from Turks and Caicos Environmental Management, “I like what I am seeing. Blue Hills resident Jason Doraty also commended TCEM on “a job well done.” Doraty said his family and neighbours endured smoke almost nightly due to unmanaged fires at the dump. “There has not been a fire in about 18 months…it has improved our lives greatly.” Another Blue Hills Resident, Steve Kendrew said he had seen a massive difference in the environment in the area noting a reduction in both smoke and smells. With daily operations moving along well, TCEM is looking forward to the next steps. They have proposals in to the government for adding a lining to the Providenciales landfill, expanding the service to the family islands, closing the open-landfills, and operating cleaner operations on North Caicos and South Caicos and opening transfer facilities on the other neighbouring islands. “It is amazing to see how far we have come from a public dump to a public-private partnership cooperation,” said government representative for Blue Hills Hon. Golday Ewing. “It shows what we can do together as partners in business and how we can help the environment. “I will keep my foot on the pedal, making sure we improve as we go along, and this is not the end of it,” Ewing said.

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CONSUMER PRICE INDEX COMING TO TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS

he Statistics Unit in the Strategic Policy and Planning Department (SPPD) announced today October 29, 2013 that it has started work on a monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) Survey for the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). The Consumer Price Index is a statistical measure designed to monitor the changes in the prices prevailing in an economy based on a ﬁx basket of goods and services usually from one month to the next. As part of the production of the CPI, the Unit has begun collecting the prices of various consumer goods sold in the islands in an effort to produce a monthly CPI. The CPI will allow TCIG to monitor food and commodity pricing by allowing SPPD to measure the changes in the general level of prices of consumer goods and services purchased by private households. The index is therefore a measure of price movements of a given quality and quantity of goods and services. The mix of these consumer goods and services comprising the index, also known as a “shopping basket,” includes items from the following expenditure groups or sectors: Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages, Rent, Clothing & Foot-

wear, Tobacco & Liquor, Fuel & Power, Transport & Vehicles, Household Goods, Services & Communications, Restaurants and Hotels, Education, Recreation & Reading, Health & Personal Care, Miscellaneous Goods and Services In constructing this “shopping basket”, selected goods and services are organised ﬁrst by commodity type, divided into subcomponents and then assigned to a major expenditure group. Commenting on the start of the CPI study Chief Statistician Shirlen Forbes said: “It is hoped that the provision of the CPI data will give Businesses and government an idea of what is happening with prices in the TCI economy and will also facilitate the calculation of other economic indicators and allow for the proper assessment of the well-being and development of the Turks and Caicos Islands using international comparisons.” He noted further: “The main objective of this project is to therefore develop a mechanism for the monitoring of price movements in the TCI on a monthly basis.” The ﬁrst set of CPI data should be available by the end of December 2013.

14 AND 15-YEAR-OLD CHARGED WITH 2 COUNTS OF BURGLARY

fter a thorough investigation by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, two charges of Burglary has been laid against a 14-year-old male and a 15 year old female of Blue Hills, Providenciales. The charges are relating to two incidents, one which is alleged to have taken place on Friday August 30th, 2013 and the other on Monday September 02nd, 2013 in Blue Hills, Providenciales. The 14-year-old male and 15 year old female are presently out on bail to appear before a Magistrate in the Magistrate’s Court at a later date.

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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Lewis Astwood is Provo’s top LIME agent BY VIVIAN TYSON

ewis Astwood has been voted the LIME’s top agent for the populous Providenciales, beating out Pastor Solomon Morency and Stanley Williams into second and third place respectively. Astwood was named top agent during LIME’s Annual Agent’s Appreciation Luncheon, held on Wednesday (October 30) at LIME’s Corporate Ofﬁce on the Leeward Highway. Astwood, the owner of Lulu’s Variety Store located on Touch of Class Plaza along Airport Road and H&C Variety Store in Blue Hills, said that he has been an agent for 14 years, and for most of those years he has won top agent. He said that his stores sell top-up for LIME but in the coming year, they may offer more merchandise. “But I can say that we transfer minutes anywhere in the world, and we have been doing that for the last 10 years. Whether you are in China, Afghanistan, Iraq, we have done it before, and we could do it again,” Astwood said. Stacia Arthur of Arthur’s Variety in Middle Caicos was named the winner for that island. Arthur in a later interview said that she has been an agent for more than eight years. Arthur said that she won top the agent award in the past. Yvette Handiﬂed, operator of Mydees store in North Caicos, won the agent award for that island, while Norman Cox, operators of Seaview Market is the South Caicos winner.

Lewis Astwood accepting his prize as the tope LIME Agent on Provo from Delleriece Hall, Head of Sales for LIME Delleriece Hall, Head of Sales for LIME said that the annual event is held to recognize and award the hard work of its agents. She said that started from 1999, where all the agents are recognized and the top agents for each year announced. “Every year we host the agents’ appreciation, where we give back to the agents for their commitment and loyalty. We offer them lunch, we give them gifts, just to say thanks. They are family, they are like an employee, so we have to treat them in that respect,” Hall said. An agent in this respect sells LIME’s products and or services. Some may sell just topup services, while others may peddle, in addition to top-up services, products for ﬁxed line and mobile devices. LIME has approximately 300 agents. Guest speaker at the event was Pastor for the Abundant Life Ministries International, Bishop C.A. Williams III.

LOCAL NEWS AMBULANCE WORKERS GET IMPROVED WORKING CONDITIONS BY VIVIAN TYSON

overnment has responded favourably to the decrepit conditions under which employees at the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) have been working for sometime, including no running water and unsanitary condition. One complaint from the ambulance workers was that personnel were not able to clean themselves up after an emergency because the building has no running water. They said also that the toilet facilities were unusable because is it unable to flush due to the water lock-off. The first responders said that on many occasions after an emergency, workers were forced to either go home or find the nearest location that would allow them to clean themselves. Because of the condition that existed at the time, they said that alternative bathroom means had to be sought whenever nature calls. They said also that an unbearable stench that emanated from the bathroom, forced the workers from the building for long periods during their working hours. It is mostly good news now though. A source told The SUN that water was reconnected no later than two weeks after a news story broke about the deplorable condition under which the first responders had been

working, in addition to other amenities, including, the installation air conditioning unit and wireless internet. “While we believe that if we had not gone to the media these things would not be addressed, we thank the government for responding the way it did, even though we could debate that it part of their job. Be that as it may, we still appreciate it,” the source said. The source said that water has now been restored, the bathroom and other dilapidated areas of the building has been ﬁxed, noting however, that the matter of proper sleeping facilities, replacing the dingy mattress they now have, is being looked about. However, the source said that matter represents but a small part of the health risk that they were facing, and so, are much happier about the current condition at the facility. The source said however, that another concern of whether or not EMS employees qualify as civil servants is promised to be looked into by the authorities. The SUN understands that the current location that houses the Emergency Medical Services is temporary, and government has been actively searching for a place to relocate it, which could probably be the reason closer attention was not paied to situation.

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Wine makers hail TCI as important destination BY VIVIAN TYSON

he Turks and Caicos Islands might be a small dot on some world maps and may not even be etched any at all on others, but wine-makers who attended the Caribbean Food and Wine Festival on Providenciales all agreed that this high-end destination is critical to their world renowned businesses. Among the wine makers who have given the Turks and Caicos Islands the thumbs up are the owners and operators of the House of Mandela Wines – Maki Mandela, daughter of legendary leader Nelson Mandela and her daughter Tukwini Mandela, who held a news conference at the Wine Cellar along Leeward Highway on Wednesday, October 30. Tukwini Mandela described the Turks and Caicos Islands as an important link in the world of wines scheme of things. She said that since the TCI is such a small place, makes it easier for relationships to forge and the wine industry to enhance. “It is such a great melting pot here in the Turks and Caicos. Somebody from China, for example, can come here in Turks and Caicos, and they can go and talk about the wines in China. So just from this small market, opens up bigger market for yourselves. One of the pleasant surprises that my mom and I had when we came here is that we have people here

Tony Garland, Galmo “Gilley” Williams (of the Wine Cellar), Tuck Beckstoffer of Tuckbeckstoffer Wines; Tukwini Mandela and Maki Mandel of House of Mandela Wines Christopher Silva of St. Francis Wines; and wine and spirits distributors Larry Nocera raise and toast to good and long lasting relationships. from all over the world, so you don’t know where your wines might reach,” she said. She added: “You may have, for example, somebody here from Thailand, and they may go back to Thailand to open the doors for you. I think this (TCI) is a great hub to reach the entire world market. It is a great melting pot as well because we have so many different tastes and talents.” Tuck Beckstoffer, of Tuck Beckstoffer Wines said that the TCI is a very important market to his company, since it is small settings like these that establishes and long lasting and real relationships.

“It is a very important market for me. While the Turks and Caicos represents a small population if you will, it represents the melting pot of the world. If you go to any of these dinners this week, I promise you there will 15 different countries represented in each one of those dinners, and all of these people are consumers from these countries that vacation here or moved here, or what have you. “They all have different tastes. It is amazing the different cultures that represented in these small islands. And for us, that gives us an opportunity to present our wines in front the world in this small place, and that is

important to us. We develop relationship, I believe in a small place like this,” Beckstoffer said. In the meantime, Christopher Silva of St. Francis Wines said that a part of building a successful wine business is to market the business in important places, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, which is a magnet for the world’s elites, is one of those important places to peddle his wares. Part of building locally, regionally, globally is cache. We want to be features in some of the best places in the world. Certainly is certainly the place where people see our wines. For example for the last six months I have been focusing on some of the best hotels in Las Vegas because people go there and they associate it with highend experience,” he said. Silva added: “One who spends a few days on Turks and Caicos is going to leave experienced some of the best scenery, some of the best food, and some of the best hospitality in the world. If our wine is a part of that everybody beneﬁts from that process because they will remember this highend luxury global international experience. And they will remember St. Francis wines as part of that.” Following, the news conference, a wine-tasting event was held, which saw invited patrons, many of whom ﬂew in the TCI as guests for the Caribbean Wine and Food Festival, engaging in sampling the different wines.

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TCI to create history again through international kite-surfing BY VIVIAN TYSON

lue Haven Resort, the former Nikki Beach Resort, located in Leeward, Providenciales, is scheduling a grand opening never seen before in all of the Turks and Caicos Islands – the Atlantic Kite Challenge. The Atlantic Kite Challenge is kite-boarding relay event comprising six kiters, who will start their expedition from Spain late November and ending on the Blue Haven Resort and Marina beach, to signal the official opening of the resort. Enabledpassion.com – the official website of the event stated that between November 20th and 25th, the team of six kitesurfers will cross the Atlantic Ocean by kite. According the site, in a 24-hours non-stop relay session, every rider will be surfing 4 hours a day: 2 by day, 2 by night. The changing of kitesurfers will be done by a routine operation using a support rib connected with yachts. The site further noted that the team will take the Southern Atlantic route – departing from the Fuerteventura, Spain Canary Islands – arriving 6000 km (or 3200 Nm) later (on the beach at Blue Haven and Marina Resort) in the Turks and Caicos Island. The trip, the organizers say, is estimated for between 2 to 3 weeks, depending on winds and currents, and should arrive between December 7 and 15. The local launch of the event was held at the Blue Haven Resort and Marina on Friday, October 25, and was attended by Premier Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing and President of the Turks and Caicos Islands Hotel and Tourism Association Michel Neutelings.

Adam Foster (right), General Manager for the Blue Haven Marina, gets the attention of (from left) Gerry Dallas, General Manager for the Blue Haven Resort; Premier Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing; President of the Turks and Caicos Islands Hotel and Tourism Association, Michele Neutelings. Adam Foster, General Manager for Blue Haven Marina said that the Atlantic Kite Challenge should be a proud moment for the Turks and Caicos Islands, since it is the ﬁrst time that such an event will be gracing the shores of these islands. “This is something that has never been done before and will deﬁnitely enter in water sports’ history,” Foster said. He said that Blue Haven Resort and Marina is to be represented at the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show in Florida this week, to push for the Turks and Caicos becoming a boating destination. For his part, Premier Ewing said that Kitesurfing has become a popular event in the TCI, with a great deal of tourists etching it on their to-do list during their vacation. “We are also elated that the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Blue Haven Marina and Resort in particular is chosen as the landing destination for the

Atlantic Kite Challenge,” the premier added, asserting that the journey will be synonymous to that of Christopher Columbus from Seville, Spain to the TCI in 1492. “These kiteboarders will veer across the Atlantic non-stop and land here at Blue Haven Resort and Marina. So it is also only ﬁtting as historical, as the TCI has always been the ﬁrst place after many historical journeys. Turks and Caicos Islands gained international attention in 1962, when John Glenn’s Friendship 7 Mercury Spacecraft landed off the Grand Turk shore line,” the premier noted. The premier explained that kite-boarding will augur well for the Turks and Caicos Islands, since it leaves no environmental footprints on the general environment, which is why the government is keen on promoting such sport within these islands. In the meantime, Neutelings, said that the exposure that the event stands to create for the TCI will be lasting, and so, it will be a grand opportunity to show-off the diverse tourism product, including the lovely beaches, spectacular reef system and rich culture. In the meantime, Gerry Dallas, General Manager for Blue Haven Resort – the site on which the boarders will land - said that the 35 suites/ 16 premier guest room resort is being marketed as a destination within a destination, with a wide range of activities and three dining venues. “We already have the opening of the Salt Bar and Grill at the Marina, and to come, we will have the Fire and Ice Restaurant in the resort and market, which is a café, convenience store in the boathouse building,” Dallas said.

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Digicel says its 4G network proven to be most favourite among customers BY VIVIAN TYSON

review of its 4G rollout has left telecommunications provider Digicel elated, as according to its Chief Executive Officer E. Jay Saunders, customers rate its service far better than its competitors. Saunders, in a news conference on Thursday (October 17) at the company’s corporate office located at Graceway House along the Leeward Highway, to launch its new 4G promotion and announce the company’s ambassadors, said that in comparison to the other networks, Digicel gives the best value. He said although Digicel was giving best value for money in the 4G arena, the company has seen it fit to offer much more sweeteners. “We started out with 5 gigabits then we went to 10; now we are going to give you 15 gigabits for $45, when the others are giving 12 (gigabits) for $50. We are also giving 50 gigabits for $125,” Saunders said. Saunders noted also that Digicel’s 4G offering makes it the most genuine high speed provider in

Digicel’s ambassadors from left – Kaz Forbes, Sonia Bien-Aime and Chef Nik. the Turks and Caicos Islands. “One of our competitors, their ﬁxed ADSL offering offers a maximum speed of 8 gigabits per second. The other ﬁxed provider, I think their maximum speed is three (gigabits per second). The other low bar provider, I think their maximum speed is either 3 or 4 (gigabits. “Our devices - my phone – sometimes go up to 16 (megabits per second). Our home devices get around 15 or 16 (megabits per sec-

ond). So our mobile offering is faster than the fastest ﬁxed offering from our competitors,” Saunders said. As part of the promotion, Saunders said that customers who purchase a Blackberry handset, which he said are at drastically reduced costs, would receive one month’s worth of free 4G internet. He said also that Digicel will be offering reduced prices on android phones, such as the Samsung Galaxy SIII Mini.

He said that Digicel is also offering an education plan. Under that plan, students will be able to purchase a tablet for $125 and pay $40 per month for internet. He said that persons who bring their own tablets for internet connection would be charged $25 per month. Under the plan customers will be given five gigabits speed. Saunders said that Digicel intends to outfit all schools across the Turks and Caicos Island with WIFI internet by next school year. He said that Clement Howell High School and the Community College in Providenciales are already benefiting from the service. “Every child going to school in the Turks and Caicos will be educated on internet provided by Digicel,” Saunders said. He said also that Digicel was sourcing tablets at very affordable prices for school children, which he hope to bring on stream sometime next year. In the meantime, the Digicel ambassadors are Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association (TCIFA) General Secretary Sonia Bien-Aime; local celebrity chef, Chef Nik and local fashion designer Kaz Forbes. All three were present at the event.

Blue Haven Resort is inviting suitable applications for the following positions:

DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING

We are seeking to employ an experience Director of Engineering who will be reporting to the General Manager and Corporate General Manager. Responsibilities and essential job functions include but are not limited to the following: Ɣ Oversee and supervise engineering & maintenance staff including staffing, training, coaching/counseling, and performance management to insure their work productivity and quality meets standards and deadlines. Complete weekly work schedule for department Ɣ Develop & manages department & capital budget and projects. Ɣ Assumes responsibility to insure departmental spending and payroll remains within budgeted guidelines. Ɣ Control utility consumption and ensure compliance with all codes and regulations. Maintains hotel’s special permits and licenses as required by local authorities. Ɣ Establish and maintains a preventative maintenance program Ɣ Develop, maintain, monitor all safety policies, procedures, and programs for the property. Coordinates with other departments all work necessary to maintain general conditions, safety and health standards & training set form by hotel policies and other legal requirements. Ɣ Inspect facilities, equipment, or work areas to ensure conformance to established standards. Ɣ Oversee ongoing and emergency repairs required to keep the hotel facilities in a marketable condition at all times. Ɣ Negotiate contracts for property operations. Ɣ Interact as needed with guests, contractors, vendors, and corporate executives Ɣ Assist department staff with all of their tasks as needed to include trouble shooting, regular maintenance and repairs. Ɣ Conduct regular inspections via walk-throughs of public areas, back of the house areas, guest rooms and exterior areas. Ɣ Compile and prepares reports for upper management’s review and use Qualifications: Ɣ Engineering Degree (B. A.) from four-year college or university Ɣ 10 years previous Engineering / Facilities Management Experience Ɣ Must be able to read and interpret documents to include: blueprints/schematics, procedural manuals, budgets/financial statements. Ɣ Ability to troubleshoot/repair and/or maintain: physical building including all FF&E, AC and refrigeration equipment, electrical systems, mechanical equipment (motors, starters, pumps, fans, etc.), plumbing and drains, fire alarm and life safety equipment. Ɣ Excellent interpersonal and communication skills Ɣ Demonstrated leadership - Proven ability to effectively lead and train a diverse workforce. Ɣ Demonstrated analytical ability and financial acumen and reporting writing skills Ɣ Comprehensive knowledge of equipment and facility maintenance programs, procedures and safety principles and practices Ɣ Considerable knowledge in the use of personal computer systems and o present facts and recommendations effectively in oral and written form Ɣ Considerable analytical and mathematical ability Ɣ Ability to identify and recognize unsafe conditions or work practices Ɣ Ability to plan, organize, and delegate work to achieve desired results

Ɣ Ability to make effective and persuasive presentations to senior management, public groups, and boards of directors

ASSISTANT RESTAURANT MANAGER

Ɣ Supervises and coordinates the production of food according to menu specifications. Ɣ Assists the Chefs and Cooks in preparation of specific cuisine. Ɣ Inspects quality of food products used to prepare cuisine. Informs Reporting to the Restaurant Manager, responsibilities and essential job Executive Chef when quality is not acceptable. functions include but are not limited to the following: Reporting to the Director of Finance and Corporate General Manager, Ɣ Ensures all cuisine served to guests follow establish guidelines for responsibilities and essential job functions include but are not limited to quantity, quality, appearance, and palatability. Ɣ Consistently offer professional, friendly, hospitable service the following: Ɣ Checks physical cleanliness of operations. Ensures all staff practice Ɣ Oversee restaurant operations ensuring compliance with Ɣ Ensure that all purchase order requests are properly completed and “clean as you go” techniques. departmental standards and meeting / exceeding guest expectations approved before a purchase order is prepared and the items are Ɣ Insures that staff is following all safe serve and health inspection Ɣ Knowledgeable of all food and beverage products purchased. standards. Ɣ Ensure proper staffing and scheduling in accordance to productivity Ɣ Negotiate prices, place orders based on requirements, and ensure Ɣ Maintains proper working order of all equipment. Inspects ovens, guidelines prompt delivery. burners, water faucets, and refrigerators. Reports deficiencies to Ɣ Communicate through pre-shift briefings, and departmental meetings Ɣ Assist management with obtaining competitive price quotations and Engineering Department. all necessary information to support the operation confirm purchase availabilities. Ɣ Train Team members in all job aspects – service, product knowledge Ɣ Ensure that the department works closely with the Corporate Requirements: and technical skills Executive Chef, Food & Beverage Manager and Retail Manager to Ɣ Graduate culinary art or Culinary degree strongly preferred Ɣ Cash handling and daily accounting purchase the highest quality product while constantly searching for the Ɣ 4-6 or more years previous experience as a cook Ɣ Capitalize on revenues by upselling and controlling expenses lowest price. Ɣ 1 year as sous chef trainee Ɣ Handle guest concerns in a timely and professional manner Ɣ Co-ordinate freight forwarding, shipping, and customs for products Ɣ Full knowledge of ordering work schedule. Ɣ Follow resort policies, procedures and service standards sourced internationally. Ɣ Ensure compliance with all Health & Safety policies Ɣ Provide the Controller with a monthly summary of outstanding Physical Aspects: (include but are not limited to): purchase orders for goods and services received. Ɣ Constant standing and walking throughout shift Ɣ Participate as required in the monthly count of food and beverage Requirements: Ɣ Lifting and carrying up to 25 lbs. inventories. Ɣ Previous Food and Beverage Supervisory experience Ɣ Pushing, pulling, lifting Ɣ Ensure that there are sufficient expendable operating supplies on Ɣ Degree or Diploma in Hospitality Management desirable hand for each department by coordinating regular inventories with the Ɣ Excellent written and verbal communication, interpersonal and storeroom personnel and /or department heads. leadership skills Ɣ Assist the Accounts Payable Clerk in researching any discrepancies on Ɣ Fluency in English Reporting to the Restaurant Manager, responsibilities and essential job invoices. Ɣ Ability to work independently, multi task and prioritize responsibilifunctions include but are not limited to the following: Ɣ Coordinate the corporate annual OS&E requirements with the ties appropriate Hotel Managers. Ɣ Strong guest service orientation and training skills background Ɣ Consistently offer professional, friendly, hospitable service Ɣ Coordinate purchases related for capital projects. Ɣ POS experience Ɣ Oversee operations of designated station ensuring compliance with Ɣ Follow all health and safety policies ensuring best practice. Ɣ Computer proficiency in Microsoft Office departmental standards and meeting / exceeding guest expectations Ɣ Additional duties as assigned. Ɣ Knowledgeable of all food and beverage products Requirements: Ɣ Train Team members in all job aspects – service, product knowledge Ɣ Previous Purchasing Manager experience – 4 Years or more. and technical skills Ɣ University accounting qualification. Reporting to the Executive Sous Chef, responsibilities and essential job Ɣ Capitalize on revenues by upselling and controlling expenses Ɣ Related hotel background is preferred. functions include but are not limited to the following: Ɣ Handle guest concerns in a timely and professional manner, and Physical: report issues to Supervisor and Manger when necessary Ɣ Lifting and carrying up to 50 lbs. Ɣ Assists in conducting periodic food inventories. Ɣ Follow resort policies, procedures and service standards Ɣ Pushing and pulling heavy equipment up to 500lbs. Ɣ Assists the Executive Chef with departmental human resource Ɣ Ensure compliance with all Health & Safety policies Ɣ Ascending or descending ladders and stairs. functions. Ɣ Other duties as assigned Ɣ Initiates and oversees ordering of food and kitchen supplies.

PURCHASING MANAGER

LEAD SERVERS

SOUS CHEFS

Salary for these positions will commensurate with qualifications and experience. Please Submit Applications to: hr@alexandraresort.com A copy should also be submitted to the TCI Labour Department. Submissions to be no later than November 11th, 2013 Turks and Caicos Islanders need only apply.

Requirements: Ɣ Previous Food and Beverage Supervisory experience Ɣ Excellent written and verbal communication Ɣ Fluency in English Ɣ Ability to work independently, multi task and prioritize responsibilities Ɣ Strong guest service orientation and training skills background Ɣ POS experience – (IQ Ware desirable) Physical Aspects: (include but are not limited to): Ɣ Constant standing and walking throughout shift Ɣ Lifting and carrying up to 25 lbs. Ɣ Pushing, pulling, lifting

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SUNRISE AIRWAYS REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO TURKS & CAICOS

unrise Airways announced that it plans to launch a second nonstop flight between Cap Haitien and Providenciales in the coming weeks, building upon its already successful once-daily service as part of the airline’s continuing commitment to strengthen business links between Haiti and the Turks & Caicos. “The market has responded very favorably to our service over our first few weeks of operation,” said Philippe Bayard, President of Sunrise Airways. “Strong passenger demand, positive feedback, and tremendous partnership among public and private sector tourism interests in both countries have us bullish on the prospects for incremental growth in terms of flights and business development targeting not just tourism, but other vertical industries, as well.” Since the start of its service to Providenciales in August 2013, Sunrise Airways has made business development a central focus of its operations linking Haiti and the Turks & Caicos. A trade mission to Haiti hosted by the airline just prior to the start of regularly scheduled service brought members of the Providenciales Chamber of Commerce in direct contact with their counterparts in Haiti in an effort to stimulate trade and new commercial opportunities. “One of the areas where we really see great potential is agriculture,” said

Hamish Davidson, COO of Sunrise Airways. “Our initial trade mission back in August uncovered some tremendous opportunities for farmers in Haiti to supply fresh produce to a whole new market of customers in the Turks & Caicos, particularly the many fine restaurants and hotels along Grace Bay, and elsewhere in Provo. We have ready suppliers here in Haiti and the demand is there. Our commitment is to bring the two sides together and help each community grow.” Davidson, and other Sunrise Airways officials, continue to hold talks with public and private sector leaders in Haiti and the Turks & Caicos to explore import/export opportunities in the agricultural sector, as well as tourism development initiatives enticing visitors to combine beach vacations to Providenciales with excursions to Haiti’s historical and eco-tourism attractions. “The growth potential in tourism that our flights create is readily apparent, but that’s not what Sunrise Airways is all about,” said Davidson. “Each community that welcomes us in not only gets an airline, they also get a business development partner; one that’s keen on digging beneath the surface to identify the types of sustainable economic opportunities that help us thrive together.” Sunrise Airways serves the Haiti-Turks & Caicos market with 19-seat

Jetstream 32 EP aircraft, offering ample head- and leg-room, plus the added comfort of refurbished cabins and fresh upholstered seating. Sunrise Airways (IATA: S6) is a new Haitian owned commercial airline launched in November 2012 that aims to establish a hub in Port-au-Prince to better serve air travel needs within the Western Caribbean. The airline currently operates daily scheduled passenger service between Cap Haitien and Providenciales, Turks & Caicos, as well as domestic routes within Haiti, and charter ﬂights to various gateways throughout the Western Caribbean. New service to Holguin, Havana and Santiago in Cuba, Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, and Kingston, Jamaica are planned for 2013. Sunrise Airways owns and operates a ﬂeet comprised of Jetstream 32 EP aircraft offering the comfort of leather seating and ample in-cabin cargo room for a maximum capacity of 19 passengers. Headquartered in Port-au-Prince with a dedicated maintenance facility in Santiago, Dominican Republic, Sunrise Airways is owned by noted Haitian businessman and philanthropist, Philippe Bayard. Members of the airline’s leadership team average more than 15 years of aviation experience with such well-known industry brands as Aerocaribbean, Air Jamaica, BAE Systems, Condor Airlines, Jamaica Air Shuttle, and LAN Airlines.

LEEWARD COMMUNITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS

ll members of the Leeward Palms Long Bay Hills Constituency who are interested in serving their community are hereby invited to submit their names to serve on the Community Council. Submissions can be made during the nomination process, which will take place at 6 p.m. on Monday, November 4, 2013 at the Opus Business Centre in Leeward, Providenciales. The positions to be ﬁlled are Chairman, Vice Chairman and Treasurer. Additionally, persons interested in becoming Trustees can make their interests known during the nomination process as well. Elections will take place on Saturday, November 9, 2013 at the Opus Business Centre at 6 p.m. All registered persons in the Leeward Palms Long Bay Hills Constituency are eligible to vote. Also, persons who live in the area and would like to participate in the voting process are eligible to do so uponpresenting a copy of their utility bill or other document evidencing proof of residency. This also applies to nonregistered voters in the last general elections. These persons are also entitled to enter their names for nomination in theCommunity Council elections if they wish.

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THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT

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Airport Plaza, Airport Road, Providenciales Tel:649-339-5878 to call for appointment or just stop by Tel:649-231-0013 email: tumbletotz@gmail.com Tel:649-332-0013

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ION T C U sets s A A C t I L n ura PUB : a t e s c i e t R No nd a , s g n ildi u B , e t a eal Est

Beach Hut Holdings Ltd., as holder of a registered first Charge under the Registered Land Ordinance and of two registered Debentures and other collateral security, hereby gives notice of its intention to cause the following property to be sold by Public Auction: 1. Parcel 60504/141, Blue Hills & Stamers Run, Providenciales, formerly the Horse-Eye Jack’s restaurant, being an oceanfront property of.73 Acres with approximately 220 feet of ocean frontage, and comprising five (5) building structures and expansive deck areas and board walks. 2. Restaurant equipment, furnishings & other non-real estate assets of Fuzzi Moon Ltd. 3. Restaurant appliances, furnishings & other non-real estate assets of Beach Bar Ltd. The Auction will be held at Bay Bistro Restaurant in Grace Bay on Tuesday, October 8, 2013, at 10:00 AM. For further particulars, please call (649) 342-8378, or send an email to Twa Marcelin Wolf, at tmw@tmwlaw.tc, with the reference code “Auction” in the heading. All sales will be subject to: (1) bids reaching the reserve set by the seller in its discretion; and (2) the successful bidder (a) paying a deposit of 10% of the sale price at the time the bid is accepted, and (b) agreeing to the terms and conditions of sale set by the seller.

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Pitbull Feel This Moment ft. Christina Aguilera Ask for money, and get advice Ask for advice, get money twice I’m from the Dirty, but that chico nice Ya’ll call it a moment, I call it life

But until the gates are open, I just wanna feel this moment (ohhh) I just wanna feel this moment (ohhh) I just wanna feel this moment [Beat break]

One day when the light is glowing I’ll be in my castle golden But until the gates are open I just wanna feel this moment (ohhh) I just wanna feel this moment (ohhh) I just wanna feel this moment Mr Worldwide Christina Aguilera Oye mamita, come on, dale, que la cosa esta rica (I wanna feel this moment) [Beat break] Feel this moment... Reporting live, from the tallest building in Tokyo Long ways from the hard ways Filled with so’s, and oh yeas Dade county it always, 305 all day Now baby we can parlé, Or baby we can part-ay She read books, especially about red rooms and tie ups I got her hooked, Cause she seen me in a suit with the red tie tied up Meet and greet, nice to meet ya, but time is money Only difference is I own it, Now let’s stop time and enjoy this moment One day when the light is glowing, I’ll be in my castle golden,

Feel this moment... I see the future, But live for the moment, Makes sense don’t it? Ha! Now I make dollars, I mean billions, I’m a genius, I mean brilliance, This street is what schooled ‘em, And made em slicker, too slick with the ruler I’ve lost a lot, and learned a lot But I’m still undefeated like Shula I’m far from cheap, I break down companies with all my peeps Baby we can travel the world And not given view, and all you can see Time is money Only difference is I own it,Like a stop watch, let’s stop time and enjoy this moment One day when the light is glowing I’ll be in my castle golden But until the gates are open I just wanna feel this moment (ohhh) I just wanna feel this moment (ohhh) I just wanna feel this moment [Beat break] Come on, feel this moment....(ohhh) I just wanna feel this moment (ohhh) I just wanna feel this moment

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Under the Patronage of The Honorable Minister of Education: Akierra Mary Deanne Missick

You are cordially invited to The TCI Community College Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

1ST ANNUAL FUNDRAISING GALA

Step By Step: A Journey in Education Growth Friday November 8, 2013 Regent Palms / Messel Ballroom Dinner and Programme 7:00 PM Tickets $100 / Cash Bar RSVP: 941.3210 / Fax: 941.8380 241.4111 / 245.6827

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News

CARIBBEAN

Bahamas political Leader Branville McCartney’s brother shot dead and ran over by his own vehicle

URT McCartney, the brother of Democratic National Alliance (DNA) Leader Branville McCartney, was shot and killed, with his own vehicle used to run over his body, in what his family believes was a premeditated murder. According to family members, Kurt had received a phone call earlier that night from a young woman who had allegedly threatened to kill him. He was said to have informed a close friend that he was going to “deal” with the matter and left to visit the girl in Gambier. When he arrived at the home, it is believed that he was assaulted by a male who was described as a “Rasta”. Kurt was then shot in the head. It is believed that the young woman, with a female companion sped off in Kurt’s vehicle – running over his body. According to the Nassau Tribune, Kurt’s brother Branville was visibly moved at the scene last night. He was seated in the backseat of a police jeep overcome with grief. Kurt’s vehicle was found almost 200 yards east of the scene – at the corner of Bahamia West — abandoned on the side of the road. According to a neighbour at that location, security footage showed that the two young women got out of the vehicle, walked along the beach, and were picked up by another car some distance up the road. Speaking to members of the media at the scene, Dr David Allen said that Kurt was a beautiful, brilliant young man with tremendous talent. “If this could happen to Kurt, it could happen to me, it could happen to you. We can’t build a country if we continue to kill our brightest and our best. It is painful,” he said. Kurt is the second son of Mr and Mrs William McCartney. His father owns the chain of Wilmac Pharmacies. Kurt managed the phar-

Leader of the DNA party Branville MCCarthey (left) and his brother who was killed. macy on Thompson Boulevard. He is survived by his parents, his brother, Branville, and two sisters. Meantime, DNA Leader Branville McCartney denied his public profile has influenced how police are treating his brother’s murder investigation. His comments came after speculation rose that police were giving Kurt McCartney’s murder, “special attention” because of his elder brother’s political profile. Speaking with The Tribune yesterday Mr McCartney said he sympathizes with all persons that have lost loved ones to murder. “If I could, I would give a reward for the capture of everyone that has been murdered in this country. Believe me when I tell you that, if I could I would. My brother was very special to me and my family and although there were other persons who have been murdered, they’ve always had a special place and their family, in my heart. So I sympathize with them as well, I’ve always sympathized with them, I want to see our country be a safe place, which it’s not,” he said. “I know the police are busy, they don’t take my calls. I know the police are busy and I think

they’re doing an excellent job with the resources they have. They don’t take my calls when I call, which is understandable because they have a lot of things to do as a matter of fact I have spoken to the police ofﬁcer in charge and he has said he’s gonna have to get back to me because he’s on some other matters and I understand. They have limited resources and they are doing their best they can and the circumstances in this country, it’s not a good place. “We offered a reward and I know they may be getting quite a number of calls, but I cannot comment on whether or not the police has taken a special interest. I think all the cases, all murder cases, are equally important. They have their hands full. I see it, I’ve tried calling the police several times and they just could not even speak with me because they’re busy. I know they’re doing their best.” Mr McCartney said he has faith the person or persons responsible will be found and brought to justice as well as other murderers. “They are going to get these people,” he said, “whoever is responsible, they’re going to get them and I just pray that they get other persons who have been committing murder and reeking havoc on this country. We must stop playing with these culprits and get serious so that they realize that there are consequences to their actions.” Police currently have eight persons in custody, six women and two men, in connection with Kurt McCartney’s death. No one has been charged with his murder. Police say they suspect that others have information relating to the case, but are holding out. On Monday, the McCartney family offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Kurt’s death.

Trinidad to introduce legislation to recall non-performing MPs

ven as she called on supporters not to split their votes and allow the PNM to regain control of local government corporations, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday revealed that legislation would soon be introduced in Parliament to give citizens the right to recall non-performing parliamentarians. Addressing a large crowd of boisterious supporters at Mid Centre mall car park, Chaguanas, Persad-Bissessar, resplendent in an elegant yellow dress, reminded supporters of a promise in the People’s Partnership 2010 manifesto about the right to recall non-performing parliamentarians. Saying a major mistake by Government was to not inform the population about its achieve-

ments, the Prime Minister said this may have been as a result of MPs failing to reconnect to their respective constituencies. “You have my email, you are on my Facebook, twitter, you can send me texts and tell me whether your MP fails to reconnect to you. I have legislation prepared which I shall bring to Parliament to give you the right of recall for those MPs who fail to perform,” she said. Quoting from various religious texts at times, Persad-Bissessar called on supporters to not be distracted by the Opposition parties, saying they must not vote for “criminals, bandits or international conmen.” “As your leader it has not been easy, but I say hold my hand and let us ﬁght for morality and integ-

rity and let us vote, for righteousness and integrity,’ she said. Persad Bissessar urged supporters to not split their votes, stating: “When you split your votes, you let the PNM back into ofﬁce.” Persad-Bissessar also reminded supporters that on October 22, she would still be their Prime Minister and that the People’s Partnership will still be in government. She also asked what ILP leader Jack Warner had delivered to Chaguanas West winning the bye-election in July. “The only time you got delivery was when you put the People’s Partnership into government, if you put the PNM back into government, everything gone,” she advised. Meanwhile, ﬁery Congress of the People political leader,

Prakash Ramadhar, trained his guns on both the Opposition PNM and ILP political leaders saying PNM leader Dr Keith Rowley could not be trusted as he tried to “mash up” his own party under the Manning administration while Warner still had to answer for the 1989 World Cup qualifying match between Trinidad and Tobago and the USA which the US won by one goal to nil. He also knocked the PNM’s presentation of 14 different manifestos for the 14 regional corporations, noting for one that the manifesto for the Arima corporation promised to construct the Mt Pleasant bridge which had been broken for the past 29 years and which had been repaired in the ﬁrst term of ofﬁce of the COP-controlled corporation.

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CARIBBEAN NEWS

No economic growth in Bermuda before next year G

overnment debt continues on an easy uphill climb, revenues were weaker than expected last year and the economy is limping along, according to the latest Government report. But the Finance Ministry manages a glimmer of optimism in its just released fiscal performance update and economic review, according to the Royal Gazette newspaper. A total of 226 new Bermudian hires were recorded for the second quarter of this year. Their employers will benefit from the Government’s two-year payroll tax holiday policy initiative announced in the Budget. And, reports the Finance Ministry, the first six months of 2013 saw 470 new international companies and partnerships registered in Bermuda — a 13.5 percent increase over the 414 registrations in 2012. Another positive sign, Government says, was a 0.5 percent increase in employment income in the first quarter of 2013 — to $883.3 million — compared to the same period a year ago. And, primarily driven by the redevelopment of the King Edward Memorial Hospital, activity in the construction sector in the first quarter doubled from an estimated value of work put in place of $23.2 million in 2012 to $46.0 million in 2013. But there is no expectation that the economy will begin to grow again before next year. “Overall, the Ministry of Finance anticipates that Bermuda’s GDP will be flat to negative 0.75 percent in 2013,” the report states. Higher costs for food, healthcare, overseas travel and accommodations have ensured a two percent inflation rate, and consumer spending in retail outlets between January and June is down $1.2 million or 0.2 percent to $514.0 million. Of

that amount, approximately $487.2 million was spent locally while $26.8 million was spent overseas. The first quarter of 2013 also saw a 4.5 percent decline in the number of visitors to the Island. While air visitors declined by one percent, the decline in cruise visitors was more drastic at 45.4 percent — due to the fact that ships coming to the Island in 2012 had a much greater capacity. Total visitor spending was down by 4.5 percent settling, at $34.1 million. Bermuda’s banks saw a 4.9 percent decrease in assets and gave out 7.7 percent less loans and advances in the first quarter of 2013 than the same period a year earlier. The Finance Ministry also gave highlights of the unaudited accounts of the Consolidated Fund. Fiscal 2012/13 $877.1 million in total revenue, down $37.1 million (4.1 percent) from the previous year’s revenue ($914.2 million). “Revenues were also below the original budget estimates by approximately $32.5 million (3.6%), primarily due to weak Customs Duty collections which were $28.8 million below budget estimates,” the report states. “The most significant generators of revenues for fiscal 2012/13 were Payroll Taxes, accounting for $339.2 million and Customs Duty, accounting for $171.2 million.” But current expenses, excluding debt service for fiscal 2012/13, at $974.7 million, were down 1.6 percent, while total capital account cash expenditure at $63 million was $3.5 million higher than the previous year. Government paid out $81.5 million in interest on long term debt — $31.5 million from the Con-

solidated Fund and $50 million from the Sinking Fund. “Net Public Debt, which excludes guarantees and is net of the Sinking Fund, increased by $240.9 million (2012 — $234.0 million) during fiscal 2012/13 standing at $1.477 billion (2012 — $1.236 billion) at the end of the year. This represents a 19.6% increase from fiscal 2011/12.” Revenues for the current fiscal year so far total $208.7 million — $0.3 million higher than the first quarter of last year and on track with estimates. But current spending, at $247.3 million is $3 million lower than last year but above budget. First quarter capital expenditures were $17.7 million, roughly $9.5 million higher than in June 2012 -primarily due to expenditures related to the Heritage Wharf project. “Total current and capital spending to date, excluding debt service, is $6.2 million higher than last year’s spend.” Government has spent $33.2 million in servicing the debt in the first quarter, $23.8 million was interest payments, while $9.4 million went into the Sinking Fund. “Interest expenses are $15 million higher than 2012. This is principally due to a portion of the 2012 interest expense being paid from the Sinking Fund in 2012,” according to the report. “On June 30, 2013, central Government gross debt, excluding guarantees, stood at $1.683 billion, while net debt was $1.586 billion.” Government is aiming for $871.2 million in total revenue for its $1.1 billion budget this fiscal year. Capital spending is budgeted at $84.6 million.

No knighthood for former Antigua Prime Minister Lester Bird or fastbowler Andy Roberts

T. JOHN’S, ANTIGUA –The Opposition Antigua Labour Party’s (ALP) request to have its former leader receive the country’s highest honour has been denied for a second time. Former Prime Minister Lester Bird’s name was presented to the national awards committee by his party’s executives for a knighthood, but their request was denied by Governor General Dame Louise Lake-Tack, sparking outrage in some sections of the public. While the exact reason for the governor general’s decision is unknown, there are reports that she has indicated to Opposition Leader Gaston Browne that her refusal to grant him (Bird) a national honour is for the fact that he remains an active politician, serving as a mem-

Former Antigua Prime Minister Lester Bird

Former West Indies fastbowler Andy Roberts

ber in the House of Representatives, for the constituency of St. John’s Rural East. This is the second denial against Lester Bird in two years, with the ALP expressing outrage that the governor general’s actions amount to politics and sheer hatred for the former prime minister.

The 2013 list of national honours will be revealed on Friday 1 November, 2013, when Antigua and Barbuda celebrates thirty two (32) years of political independence. Knighthood is the highest honour bestowed on citizens by the state of Antigua and Barbuda. In 2012, no such awards were giv-

IMF OFFICIAL SAYS CARIBBEAN ECONOMIES GROWING

IAMI– Director of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Western Hemisphere Division, Alejandro Werner, says Caribbean and Latin American economies are well placed to once again sustain relatively high growth rates. “Overall, we are expecting positive growth, a stable ﬁnancial environment,” said Werner who attended a forum here on Western Hemisphere Affairs, organized by the Miami-based Latin Trade Group. But Werner said that while the Caribbean and Latin America are on their way to an economic

come back, albeit slow, he warned governments to still remain prudent. “The region is kind of slowing down to more normal and sustainable rates of growth,” he said. “But this has to be handled prudently. The policy framework should recognize that this is a new reality and not try to push through policy, ﬁscal or monetary, to achieve growth rates that are not aligned with potential growth,” he added. The IMF ofﬁcial cautioned that slowdown of the Chinese economy, falling commodity prices, high fuel prices and upcoming changes in US

en, and reports are this year will be no different. When Browne attempted to offer cricketing great Anderson “Andy” Roberts as an alternative nomination for knighthood, Dame Louise also refused based on his past “disrespect,” said the source who requested anonymity. The second denial is reportedly because of Robert’s refusal of a lower national honour granted to him ﬁve years ago. The third nominee, calypso legend Paul “King Obstinate” Richards, was also declined, with Dame Louise reportedly refusing to even entertain discussion. Browne made a total of 12 nominations for national honours but the ALP is not optimistic that the governor general will review her decisions.

monetary policies “could all have a negative impact on the region’s fragile economies.” Werner noted that Caribbean economies are growing at a 1 percent, with some countries, such as Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, and Grenada, turning to the IMF for ﬁnancial aid. “The tourism dependent Caribbean faces a very difﬁcult challenge of jump starting growth, the region is decelerating a bit as the economy goes back to a more normal sustainable growth level,” he added. The Latin Trade Group considers itself a leading provider of information and business services to companies doing business in the region.

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More than 1000 permits extended in Cayman Islands T

he Cayman Islands Immigration Department closed the books late Tuesday on what may have been its busiest 48-hour period in the past decade. According to the Caymanian Compass, on Monday and Tuesday, the department processed nearly 1,200 non-Caymanian workers staying here on Term Limit Exemption Permits, and, according to Chief Immigration Ofﬁcer Linda Evans, most of those workers chose to have their extension permits approved through Dec. 9. After that date, the workers will either have to apply for and receive a new work permit, apply for permanent residency or leave the Cayman Islands for at least a year before returning to work. Not all the outstanding Term Limit Exemption Permits have been resolved. Of the 1,465 Term Limit Exemption Permits that were current as of Monday, 155 remained to be processed as of Tuesday evening, Ms Evans said. However, that number was believed to be manageable, and Ms Evans said anyone who came to the Immigration Department Wednesday, Thursday or Friday this week could still have their term limit exemption extended through Dec. 9. “We plan to be very ﬂexible this week,” she said. “Although anyone remaining here on a Term Limit Exemption Permit that expired [Monday] is overstaying.”

Overstaying is a criminal offense under Cayman Islands law. After this week, Ms Evans said, immigration enforcement officers would be likely to take a different view of workers who are here on expired term limit extensions. The Term Limit Exemption Permits, first granted in October 2011, allow any non-Caymanian worker whose seven-year term limit in the islands expired between Oct. 28, 2011, and Oct. 28, 2013, to remain up to an additional two years in Cayman. Under the previous Immigration Law, they would have had to depart the islands for at least a year. According to changes to the law approved last week by the Legislative Assembly, any non-Caymanian worker, including those on Term Limit Exemption Permits, who stayed in Cayman for at least eight consecutive years is eligible to apply for permanent residency – the right to remain in Cayman for the rest of one’s life. Difficultly arose when the Term Limit Exemption Permits, more than 1,500 of them at the time, were due to run out all at once. Legislators last week agreed to extend the deadline for a further 45 days. Of the 1,286 Term Limit Exemption Permit holders processed by the Immigration Department on Monday and Tuesday, more than 1,000 had their term limit exemptions extended until Dec. 9. Chief Immigration Officer Evans said a

small number of those people had no current employer. They were given visitors’ extension permits for long enough to get their affairs in order. In addition, some workers chose to take a 90-day visitors’ permit and leave Cayman, rather than accept a term limit extension and apply for another work permit. A handful of people married Caymanians before the expiration of their Term Limit Exemption Permit and therefore had to have their immigration status changed. Ms Evans expected far less hassle for visitors to the Immigration Department headquarters building than was experienced on Monday, when a line longer than a city block formed around the outside of the building. The Immigration Department opened a temporary processing center at Red Bay’s Mary Miller Hall on Monday and Tuesday to help sort out all the permit extensions. Ms Evans said that while there were some delays at department headquarters Monday, things ran smoothly both days at Mary Miller Hall. Premier Alden McLaughlin said, all things considered, the Immigration Department did very well in a tight spot. “[Monday] was a very busy day for immigration staff,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “While some people had to wait outside for a while at headquarters, the system was fair and efﬁcient.

Alleged members of drug trafficking organization nabbed in the Caribbean

AN JUAN, Puerto Rico– The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency says 10 alleged members of a drug trafﬁcking organization in the Caribbean have been arrested in a law enforcement operation. The operation, dubbed “Waterfront,” was a joint investigation led by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

“This case exempliﬁes that those involved in the importation of narcotics and other contraband into and out of our country will be vigorously investigated and prosecuted,” said Angel M. Melendez, special agent in charge of HSI San Juan, Puerto Rico. According to court documents, the individuals arrested conspired and coordinated the purchase of ki-

logram quantities of cocaine and heroin from sources in Colombia and Dominican Republic. The drugs were placed inside containerized cargo vessels that were scheduled to arrive in the seaport in San Juan. Once in Puerto Rico, longshoremen and other individuals working for private companies used their employment credentials and privileges

CHINA AND THE BAHAMAS SIGN ECONOMIC AGREEMENT

LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN FACE HIGH ENERGY COSTS DESPITE LARGE RESERVES

rincipal Director in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Fitzroy Vidal, says that the Latin American and Caribbean region continues to grapple with soaring energy costs, despite together, having the third largest resource of energy in the world. “The challenge is that the distribution of it is not according to where the demand is,” he said. He noted that countries have been struggling with economic growth over the last decade and “we have seen households in many cases ravaged because of the high cost of energy.” Mr. Vidal was addressing a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank on Wednesday, October 16, to provide details about the Second Meeting of the Ministers of Energy of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to be held from October 24 to 25 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James. He noted that the CELAC meeting, which is being organised by the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, will create an opportunity for all 33 countries in Latin American and Caribbean “to come together to share ideas and experiences for the development of energy resources in our country.” The Montego Bay meeting, he said, will focus on regional energy security, with special

emphasis on renewable energy, the use of biofuels, and the feasibility of interconnections and supply chains in the region. The Presidency of CELAC is held by Cuba, and the country’s Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency Bernardo Guanche Hernandez, who also addressed the Think Tank, stated that affordable energy is key to the sustainable development of the region. He said the fact that Jamaica will be hosting the meeting demonstrates the Caribbean’s commitment to strengthening the organisation. “In Montego Bay, we can create a plan that contributes to stability, even with the different views that we may have on energy,” he stated. He informed that several sectoral meetings focused on education, culture and social development, have been held by CELAC this year and there are plans to organise sessions on ﬁnancial employment, family agriculture and disaster risk reduction in the region. CELAC is the outcome of the February 2010 Unity Summit of Latin American and the Caribbean, which was held in Mexico, following the decision taken to launch a new institutional framework for the region. It is expected that CELAC will continue to provide a platform for the political consultation and integration between Latin American and the Caribbean with the consolidation of ideas and resources.

to gain access inside the containerized cargo vessels and secure areas inside the seaport to retrieve the controlled substances and deliver them to others waiting outside the seaport, court documents reveal. “Some of the drugs smuggled were distributed in Puerto Rico, and some were further transported to the continental United States for eventual resale,” ICE said.

ASSAU, Bahamas– Bahamas and China have signed an economic and technical cooperation agreement that Nassau said would provide funding for a number of projects in the country. Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell, who signed the accord with the Chinese Ambassador to The Bahamas, Hu Shan, said it underscores the riendship between the two countries. “We are deeply appreciative of the grant, which amounts now to a total of US$13 million. I know the Prime Minister has a list of projects which he has allocated to this. So it is a special pleasure to be able to accept the gift and to assure you that it will be used for the betterment and development of our country,” said Mitchell, who is due to visit China later this month. Hu said that Beijing fully supports Prime Minister Perry Christie’s “concrete ideas on the usage of the agreement” adding that the agreement also highlights the friendly cooperation between the two countries. Among the projects included in the agreement are an agricultural school and according to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Philip Miller, the signing followed the offer made by President Xi Jingping when he met with Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders in Trinidad and Tobago in June. “It is a sterling example of the type of cooperation that existed between our two countries since the establishment of diplomat relations in May 1997,” he added. Miller said the signing was the second of two agreements, noting that a technical agreement was signed in 2011 for ﬁve million US dollars. “We never drew down on it and in June when President Xi Jingping met with all of the Caribbean heads in Trinidad, he extended another eight million. Now all together we have $13 million for any projects that we will identify,” said Miller.

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RLD

Snowden seeks world’s help against US charges

ERLIN — NSA leaker Edward Snowden is calling for international help to persuade the U.S. to drop the charges against him, according to a letter that a German lawmaker released Friday after meeting the American in Moscow. Snowden said he would like to testify before the U.S. Congress about National Security Agency surveillance, and may be willing to help German officials investigate alleged U.S. spying in Germany too, Hans-Christian Stroebele, a lawmaker with Germany’s opposition Greens, told a press conference. But Snowden indicated in the letter that neither would happen unless the U.S. dropped the charges against him. Earlier Friday, Germany’s top security official said he would like to arrange for German authorities to talk to Snowden about allegations that the NSA monitored the cellphones of Chancellor Angela Merkel and other U.S. surveillance operations. In the one-page typed letter, written in English and bearing signatures that Stroebele said were his own and Snowden’s, Snowden complained that the U.S. government “continues to treat dissent as defection, and seeks to criminalize political speech with felony charges that provide no defense.” Snowden faces espionage charges in the U.S. “I am confident that with the support of the international community, the government of the United States will abandon this harmful behavior,” Snowden wrote. But he indicated he wouldn’t talk in Germany or elsewhere until “the situation is resolved.” Stroebele said Snowden appeared healthy and cheerful during their meeting Thursday at an undisclosed location in Moscow. “(He) said that he would like most to lay the facts on the table before a committee of the U.S. Congress and explain them,” Stroebele said. The lawmaker, a prominent critic of the NSA’s alleged activities, said the 30-year-old “did not present himself to me as anti-American or anything like that — quite the contrary.” Stroebele said it wasn’t clear whether anyone

Edward Snowden

Hans-Christian Stroebele

else has received the same letter. He said he sent it Friday to Merkel’s staff, German federal prosecutors and the speaker of Germany’s Parliament. Germany is seeking answers from U.S. authorities to allegations that Merkel’s cellphone was monitored, which prompted the German chancellor to complain to Obama last week. German officials held talks on the spying issue Wednesday in Washington. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, meanwhile, is conceding that some of the NSA’s spying has reached too far and will be stopped. Kerry said Thursday in a video link to an open government conference in London that because of modern technology, some of the NSA activities have been happening on “automatic pilot” without the knowledge of Obama administration officials. Kerry said ongoing reviews of U.S. surveillance will ensure that technology is not being abused. “The president and I have learned of some things that have been happening in many ways on an automatic pilot, because the technology is there,” Kerry said. “In some cases, some of these actions have reached too far and we are going to try to make sure it doesn’t happen in the future,” he said. Earlier Friday, Germany’s interior minister said if Snowden were willing, he would try to arrange a meeting with German officials. “If the message is that Mr. Snowden wants to give us information, then we will be glad to ac-

cept that,” Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said, according to the Die Zeit newspaper. His spokesman confirmed the comments. Snowden was granted asylum in Russia in August after being stuck at a Moscow airport for more than a month following his arrival there from Hong Kong. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Snowden got asylum on condition that he wouldn’t harm U.S. interests. Snowden’s Russian lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, told the Interfax news agency that Snowden would not violate the conditions of his asylum if he talked to the Germans in the wiretapping case. But Stroebele said Snowden had “significant reservations” about that idea, fearing that speaking to foreign officials on Russian soil could cause him problems. Germany, along with many other nations, rejected an asylum request from Snowden earlier this year. In July, the Germans received a U.S. request for Snowden’s arrest should he be found in the country. German federal prosecutors are looking into whether there are grounds to investigate the allegations regarding Merkel’s cellphone. Germany’s parliament is expected to discuss the NSA’s alleged spying on Nov. 18. Stroebele was tightlipped about where he was taken to meet Snowden in Russia. He said he had “no contact with Russian authorities” other than a passport control officer and none with the German Embassy in Moscow.

Cuba to end dual currency system M

EXICO CITY — Cuba announced Tuesday that it would move toward ending a two-tier national currency system widely criticized for creating a privileged class with access to a special peso. The notice, published in Granma, the ofﬁcial Communist Party newspaper, was not unexpected: President Raul Castro had announced his support for such a plan in July. But the announcement Tuesday was short on details about how the country’s leadership plans to unify the regular peso, which is worth pennies on the U.S. dollar, and the

“convertible” peso, or CUC, which is pegged to the dollar. The dual-currency system began in 1994 as Cuba opened to tourism to raise money after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but it generated resentment because most Cubans were paid in the less valuable peso. The convertible peso is used by tourists and Cubans who deal with them via services such as hotels and taxis and at stores that do not accept the regular peso. “The problem is that most of the good things that Cubans want to have can’t be bought with the [regular] Cuban peso,” Jorge Duany, direc-

tor of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University, said in a phone interview Tuesday. “It’s very unpopular. Cubans everywhere on the island complain bitterly about the lack of access to certain stores that only sell items based on the convertible peso.” Philip Peters, president of the Cuba Research Center, noted on his blog that though the economic effect of the announcement was difﬁcult to determine, the country has “a lot to gain” by ending the dual system. “It creates two tiers of wage earners and distorts incentives in

the labor market,” Peters wrote. “In Cuban businesses, it creates an accounting ﬁction that favors imports [and] penalizes exports. And in general, it denies all actors in the economy the clear price signals that are necessary to make sound economic decisions.” “Fixing the currency,” he said, “is only one part of a puzzle that also includes wage and salary policy, price policies in the state retail sector, and a decision on whether or not to allow state enterprises to import and export without prior permission from the government.”

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New book says Obama team considered Hillary Clinton as replacement for Biden on 2012 ticket A

new book claims that President Barack Obama’s advisers explored the possibility of replacing Vice President Joe Biden with Hillary Clinton on the president’s re-election ticket. Excerpts from “Double Down,” by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, add to rumors going back to shortly after Democrats took an electoral beating in the 2010 midterm elections. Obama advisers, led by then-White House chief of staff William M. Daley, reportedly conducted “extensive focus groups” and polling well into 2011. However neither Biden nor Obama were actually part of these conversations, according to the book. For his part, Daley conﬁrms his role, but he says it was only “due diligence” and never advanced beyond standard research. “I was vocal about looking into a whole bunch of things, and this was one of them,” Daley told The New York Times. “You have to remember, at that point the president was in awful shape, so we were like, ‘Holy Christ, what do we do?” In an interview on “CBS This Morning,” Daley downplayed the idea. “Not for a moment was there a serious discussion” of dumping Biden for Clinton, but he did say it was “looked at.” “Anybody who would have brought this idea to the president in the Oval Ofﬁce, in my opinion, probably would have been thrown out immediately,” Daley added. Another reason the campaign probably backed off the idea: It didn’t seem like it’d be a game changer in the election.

Vice-president Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “When the research came back near the end of the year, it suggested that adding Clinton to the ticket wouldn’t materially improve Obama’s odds,” Halperin and Heilemann write in an advance copy of the book obtained by the Times. “Biden had dodged a bullet he never saw coming — and never would know anything about, if the Obamas could keep a secret.” Though uncommon, it’s not entirely unheard of for presidents to replace running mates in the second term. Thomas Jefferson was the first president to do so. Franklin Roosevelt changed vice presidents twice during his four terms in office. Richard Nixon also replaced Spiro Agnew as vice president because he resigned. In recent years, there has been rampant speculation about new running mates during campaigns. There was much talk in the 1992 campaign about George H.W. Bush replacing Dan Quayle. And George W. Bush reportedly briefly consid-

ered replacing Dick Cheney on the 2004 ticket. Still, the admission represents a powerful reversal of relations between Clinton and Obama, who were bitter rivals during the 2008 Democratic presidential primary. In fact, in another exclusive released on Thursday, Politico reporter Jonathan Allen revealed in his new book “HRC” that Obama asked Clinton to stay on as secretary of state beyond 2012 . However, Clinton rebuffed Obama’s request, saying it was time for her to take a break from public office. Of course, no matter how much the relationship between Obama and Hillary has warmed, his relationship with Bill Clinton has reportedly remained strained. In their book, Halperin and Heilemann report that Obama could “barely endure” spending time with the “often exhausting” ex-president, even as he realized that Clinton’s counsel was essential in Obama’s re-election effort. The book claims that Obama and Clinton were not even able to finish a round of golf together. Afterward, when a White House aide asked how the golf game went, “Obama grimaced and replied, ‘I like him … in doses,’” the book claims. Biden also reportedly got under team Obama’s skin from his efforts to boost his own expected 2016 presidential run and for his impromptu announcement in support of same-sex marriage. “We can’t have side deals,” Obama adviser David Plouffe reportedly told Biden after finding out the vice president was trying to establish future fundraising commitments from Obama campaign donors.

Teen pregnancy declining, but 7.3 million a year still give birth

he global incidence of girls under 18 giving birth has declined steadily for decades, but with 7.3 million children born to teenage mothers each year, the costs to their health and society remain staggering, according to a U.N. population study released Wednesday. In the State of World Population 2013, the world body observes that 95% of the teens giving birth each year live in the developing world, where access to birth control and protections against early marriage and sexual violence are weakest. Early pregnancy brings great

risk to the health and welfare of teenage girls, the report asserts. It also deprives a national economy of the beneﬁts of better educated young women who enter the workforce instead of staying home to rear children, the report said. In a large economy like China, for example, the estimated annual cost of adolescent pregnancy amounts to 1% of gross domestic product, or $124 billion, according to World Bank data, the report said. And in poorer, smaller states -- Uganda for example -- the cost of early pregnancy can be as much as 30% of GDP, the study said.

But the problems arising with teen pregnancy need to be addressed with a more holistic approach, rather than targeting girls’ behavior, said U.N. Population Fund executive director Babatunde Osotimehin. “Very young girls are especially vulnerable to exploitation, child marriage and sexual coercion and violence,” Osotimehin said, adding that “the tendency in many parts of the world is to blame the girl for becoming pregnant.” Teen births have declined worldwide by about 20% since 1970, according to an age-speciﬁc

BRITAIN APPROVES PRESS REGULATION CHARTER

ONDON — A plan to regulate the British press as a result of the country’s phone-hacking scandal was signed by Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday despite the objections of publishers who sought a court order to block such a measure. The royal charter approved by the queen and the nation’s major political parties calls for the creation of a watchdog group designed to curb the type of abuses revealed by the scandal. The practices include listening to the voicemails of crime victims, celebrities, royal family members and others, such as employees or relatives of people in the news. But members of the news media are not obligated to sign the charter and many remain staunchly opposed to any restrictions on freedom of the press. “It’s the end of 300 years of press freedom if you’ve got politicians deciding to judge how stiff

the standards of regulation are,” Roger Alton, editor of the Times of London told the BBC’s morning news program. “Imagine this: in America a sentence coming out in the papers saying, ‘Last night both houses of Congress agreed [to] a new system to regulate the press.’” Lawyers representing publishers said in court that British politicians did not give proper consideration to other proposals. Publishing groups failed Wednesday in a last-minute attempt to stop a panel of politicians, known as the Privy Council, from approving the creation of the regulatory body. A judge ruled against the press groups’ bid for an injunction, saying the council’s decision was in the public interest. Four major publishers groups form the Press Standards Board of Finance, which sought the injunction and announced it would appeal the

fertility chart accompanying the report. The report also referenced a study by UNICEF released in March that estimated the number of underage marriages at 39,000 a day. But citing the statistic that 70,000 teenage girls die in childbirth or from pregnancy complications each year, Osotimehin told reporters at a news conference in London that adolescent pregnancy remains a daunting problem. “Whether it’s going up or down is not the issue,” he said, calling the 7.3 million births to underage girls “huge.”

judge’s decision. PressBof, as it is known, plans to go ahead with its own charter of press regulations. The new government-sponsored charter is the culmination of two years of police investigation and public inquiry after the phone-hacking scandal broke in July 2011, revealing some journalists’ widespread use of illegal methods to obtain information. The public inquiry led by High Court Judge Brian Leveson was prompted by Prime Minister David Cameron after revelations that journalists from the News Corp.-owned tabloid News of the World hacked into the cellphone messages of teenager Milly Dowler, who was kidnapped and killed in 2002. Leveson’s resulting report called for a new independent press body that would be respectful of press freedom but ultimately bound by law. Supporters of the charter include Hacked Off, a lobbying group for victims of press intrusion. Recent polls also show strong support for greater control of the media.

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UK prosecutor says tabloid editor directed hacking L

ONDON — Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson sent an email telling a news editor to “do his phone” in relation to an alleged target of phone hacking, a British prosecutor said Friday. Prosecutor Andrew Edis told a jury that the instruction referred to Calum Best, son of late soccer star George Best, who was the subject of intense interest by the now-defunct Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid. Edis was continuing opening arguments in the case against former News of the World editors Coulson and Rebekah Brooks, and six others on hacking-related charges. All deny the allegations. But prosecutors say Coulson, Brooks and other senior staff must have known that illegal activity was taking place at the paper in the early- to mid-2000s. Brooks edited the News of the World from 2000 to 2003, then went on to edit its sister paper, The Sun, and later became the chief executive of Murdoch’s British newspaper division. Coulson edited the News of the World from 2003 to 2007 before becoming communications chief to Prime Minister David Cameron. Brooks and Coulson, both 45, and six others are on trial in the ﬁrst major criminal case spawned by the revelation in 2011 that employees of the News of the World eavesdropped on the voice mails of celebrities, politicians and even crime victims. The phone hacking scandal forced Murdoch to shut the 168-year-old News of the World, triggered several police inquiries and has created intense

pressure on Britain’s freewheeling tabloid press to mend its ways. The prosecutor focused Friday on the alleged role of former news editor Ian Edmondson, one of the accused. Edis said Edmondson was behind a bout of “frenetic” phone hacking activity starting in 2004 that saw private investigator Glenn Mulcaire instructed to access the voicemails of actors Jude Law and Sienna Miller, former Beatle Paul McCartney and his thenwife Heather Mills, British politician Mark Oaten and others. Friends, family and associates of celebrities were also targeted, Edis said, and sometimes even people caught up at random in the tabloid net. He said a hairdresser named Laura Rooney was hacked “because they thought she was related to Wayne Rooney,” the Manchester United soccer star. She wasn’t. Mulcaire was convicted in 2007 of hacking the phones of royal aides, and has pleaded guilty to

new hacking charges. Three former news editors at the tabloid also have pleaded guilty, but Edmondson denies phone hacking. “The prosecution says, frankly, that the evidence against Mr. Edmondson is absolutely overwhelming,” Edis said. Coulson and Brooks were both senior Murdoch aides, associates of Prime Minister David Cameron — and, the jury was told Thursday, lovers for at least six years until 2004. They are charged with conspiring to hack phones and to commit misconduct in a public office — paying officials for information. Edis alleged Friday that Coulson agreed with News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman to pay police officers for two private royal phone directories. Some of the numbers in the directories were then targeted for hacking in the hope of getting royal scoops, he said. Among the stories obtained by hacking was a claim that Prince Harry asked an aide to help him with an essay while he was a cadet at the prestigious Sandhurst military academy. Edis said emails show Goodman warning Coulson that “if they’re discovered selling stuff to us they end up on criminal charges, as could we.” Payments for the phone books were made to two false names, whose real identity has not been established. Edis said Coulson must have known about the illegal payments and the hacking. He was “a very hands-on editor” who was “interested in getting good, exclusive royal stories,” the prosecutor said.

Jordan turning away refugees from Syria, rights group says

EIRUT -- Jordan has denied entry to “hundreds, if not thousands,” of refugees fleeing the fighting in neighboring Syria, Amnesty International said Thursday. In a 40-page report, the rights group accused the Jordanian government of discriminating against certain categories of refugees, including stateless Palestinians and Iraqi nationals. Amnesty International also charges that Jordan has sometimes closed the border to refugees and that hundreds have been forced to return to Syria from Jordanian territory. “It is unacceptable that scores of people from Syria, including families with small children seeking refuge from the fighting, are be-

ing denied admission by neighboring countries,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s director for the Middle East and North Africa, who cited similar restrictions in other nations bordering Syria. The Jordanian border policies and ongoing fighting in frontier areas have left thousands displaced “indefinitely” along the border, Amnesty International said. Although the refugee influx has placed an “enormous strain” on Syria’s neighbors, Luther said, their presence “should not be used as an excuse for denying people entry or forcibly returning people to the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Syria.” In Amman, Jordan’s capital, of-

ﬁcials insisted that their nation’s open-door policy toward Syrian refugees had not changed. “Our policy remains the same: Refugees who reach our border are allowed in, and we will continue this policy in accordance with international law,” government spokesman Mohammad Momani said by telephone from Amman. “What can one say to this report when countries around the world continue to commend Jordan because of its policy?” Jordan, which shares a 200-mile border with Syria, is hosting more than half a million refugees, according to the United Nations. Activists near the unofﬁcial Tal Shehab crossing with Syria, about

55 miles north of Amman, reported Thursday that the border was open. “We just received word that they’re allowing Syrian refugees to come through,” said an activist in the town of Irbid, who declined to give his name for security reasons. Although the report focuses mainly on Jordan, Amnesty International says other neighboring nations also have restricted entries of refugees from Syria. The Syrian conﬂict, now in its third year, has left more than 100,000 people dead and displaced more than 4 million Syrians, according to the United Nations. In addition, 2 million war refugees have ﬂed Syria, mostly to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.

SYRIA MEETS DEADLINE TO DESTROY CHEMICAL PRODUCTION FACILITIES

yria has destroyed or rendered inoperable all of its declared chemical weapons production and mixing facilities, meeting a major deadline in an ambitious disarmament program, the international chemical weapons watchdog said Thursday. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which won the Nobel Peace prize this month, said its teams had inspected 21 out of 23 chemical weapons sites across the country. The remaining two were too dangerous to reach for inspection but the chem-

ical equipment had already been moved to other sites that experts had visited, it said. Syria “has completed the functional destruction of critical equipment for all of its declared chemical weapons production facilities and mixing/ﬁlling plants, rendering them inoperable,” it said, meeting a November 1 deadline for the work. The next target date is November 15, by when the OPCW and Syria must agree to a detailed plan of destruction, including how and where to destroy more than 1,000 metric tons of toxic agents and munitions.

Under a deal brokered by Russia and the United States, Damascus agreed to destroy all its chemical weapons after Washington threatened to use force in response to the killing of hundreds of people in a sarin attack on the outskirts of Damascus on August 21. It was the world’s deadliest chemical weapons incident since Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi forces used poison gas against the Kurdish town of Halabja 25 years ago. The United States and its allies blamed the forces of President Bashar al-Assad for the attack and

several earlier incidents. Assad has rejected the charge, blaming rebel brigades. “This was a major milestone in the effort to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons program,” Ralf Trapp, an independent chemical weapons disarmament specialist, said. “Most of the sites and facilities declared by Syria to the OPCW have been inspected, their inventories veriﬁed, equipment for chemical weapons production disabled and put beyond use, and some of the unﬁlled weapons have also been disabled.”

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Brazil’s Eike Batista: From billionaire to bankruptcy S

AO PAULO, Brazil — A little over a year ago, Brazilian playboy Eike Batista was reputed to be the seventh-richest man in the world and was in the habit of boasting loudly that he’d soon be No. 1. By this week, he had become one of the world’s biggest paupers. On Wednesday, his flagship oil company, OGX, filed for bankruptcy. A personal fortune once valued at $30 billion had collapsed into a personal debt estimated at more than $800 million. Some Brazilians, long since soured on his cocky persona, responded with glee on social networks to the news that Batista’s yacht, the Pink Fleet, would soon be sold for scrap. No one wanted, or could afford, the $19-million boat intact. Batista’s spectacular fall may say more about his personal failings, and what Alan Greenspan called the “irrational exuberance” of the market, than it does about Brazil. It turned out that his much-hyped empire was built on vastly overconfident assumptions — in particular, oil deposit estimates that bore no relationship to reality. “He ended up swallowed by his own myth,” columnist William Waack wrote for Brazil’s Globo media group. Still, as Brazil’s economy sinks back to reality after boom-time highs, his implosion has served as a warning to investors, and to Brazilians at large, that much of the fabulous wealth that was on the horizon so recently was based on little more than promises. Batista “is vain. And at a certain point his vanity prevailed over common sense,” said Adriano Pires, director of the Brazilian Infrastructure Center, an energy consulting firm in Rio de Janeiro. “The case of Batista is not just bad for him and the companies around him, it is very bad for all of Brazil, especially in a moment when we need international investors. He is blemishing Brazil’s credibility a little all around the world.”

GREW UP WEALTHY Batista grew up the son of Brazil’s wealthy former minister of mines and energy. In a country famous for corruption and nepotism, it seemed a bit more than coincidental when the younger Batista literally struck gold in the mining industry in the 1980s, despite the assertion in his autobiography, characteristically titled “The X Factor: The Path of Brazil’s Greatest Entrepreneur,” that his fortune was the result of hard work and ingenuity. He acquired government licenses to exploit some of Brazil’s newly discovered offshore oil reserves, and created an interconnected set of energy, mining and logistics companies based around the wells. He cashed in big from international investors, selling stock at a moment when the world believed more than ever in a Brazilian boom and,

Eike Batista after the shock of the U.S.-based financial crisis, was looking for a new place to invest. It was a heady time for Batista and for Brazil. The economy was in rapid expansion, the government was extremely popular, and a rising middle class was euphoric with higher wages. Certifying the country’s ascendance, Brazil was awarded the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics. Amid assurances of big gains — each of his companies had the letter X in its title, signifying multiple returns — his personal fortune soared, even as the companies brought in little revenue. After he tapped equities markets for all they were worth, he turned to debt markets, borrowing even more to pump up his companies. “He built his empire based on what have now been proven to be very unrealistic expectations,” said Tony Volpon, a New York-based economist for international bank Nomura Securities. “He made the cardinal sin of using debt to finance what were very risky exploratory activities in oil, and no one does that.” “He didn’t understand that oil and gas projects are high-risk ventures,” said Pires, of the energy consulting firm. “In this business there is no certainty, just probability. He went around preaching and promising.” Batista branched out into luxury hotels, rock festivals, restaurants, soccer and ultimate fighting, all without much economic logic behind them, Pires added. Things began to fall apart last year in dramatic fashion. His bodybuilder son, Thor, struck and killed a cyclist while speeding in a million-dollar Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren that the Batistas had been in the habit of keeping on display in their living room. The public was shocked by Eike Batista’s response, as he took to Twitter to blame the

“carelessness” of the cyclist, an impoverished cargo worker who had to commute by bike on a dangerous highway. Soon after, it became clear that some OGX wells wouldn’t hit production targets, and the money began to fall away. Batista again took to Twitter, this time to attack those who didn’t believe in him. After deposits he valued at more than a trillion dollars turned out to be woefully small this year, his company lost more than 96% of its value and has been unable to pay back creditors. Brazil’s state-run banks, which had supported Batista’s companies, backed away. Though analysts put the lion’s share of the blame on Batista, he sold his projects to investors who were willing to believe him. Brazil seemed to be experiencing a once-in-a-generation moment when its deep social and infrastructure problems were forgotten. Stock investments were soaring across the board as the value of Brazil’s currency was pushed up to what economists warned were unsustainably high levels. After growing more than 7% in 2010, Brazil’s economy nearly ground to a halt in 2012. Then the social questions again came to the fore in what is one of the world’s most unequal countries. Though inequality dropped dramatically and most Brazilians are better off than ever — the economy is expected to rebound modestly this year, wages continue to rise, and unemployment is still low — the ruling Workers’ Party, during its decade in power, has not invested in much-needed transportation, healthcare or education to adequately satisfy the demands of a new and dynamic middle class.

POLICE CRACK DOWN After a police crackdown on a protest against a bus fare hike, protesters with wide public support filled the streets in June, demanding better public services, and demonstrators still take aim at symbols of capitalist excess. Among the targets of their rage have been the windows of Batista’s office building. Batista’s fall seems, at least to some, to be a reflection of Brazil’s torn social fabric. “I never liked Eike, since I don’t believe it’s possible to get so rich like that, especially in Brazil today, without infringing on the rights of the poorest,” said Erica Alves, a 26-year-old teacher from Rio de Janeiro who is active in left-wing organizations. “He became rich ‘winning’ rights from the government to exploit the country’s resources. I wasn’t surprised by his fall, because fast and easy wealth can’t be sustained.” In Brazil’s new, more austere and more politically conscious moment, Eike Batista has had little to say. His once-active Twitter account has been dormant for 126 days.

Russia’s Putin beats Obama for top spot in Forbes’ most powerful

ussian President Vladimir Putin is the most powerful person in the world, outﬂanking President Obama, whose authority was damaged by the recent government shutdown and budget crisis, Forbes magazine reported Wednesday in its annual rankings of global movers and shakers. The list of 72 power brokers -- one for every 100 million people on Earth -- included 17 heads of state and 27 industry leaders, the youngest in each category being North Korea’s 30-yearold leader Kim Jong Un and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, 29.

It was only the second time in Obama’s presidency that he failed to top the list, and Forbes’ rationale in awarding the No. 1 spot to Putin seemed more Obama’s failing than the Kremlin leader’s accomplishment. “Putin has solidiﬁed his control over Russia, while Obama’s lame duck period has seemingly set in earlier than usual for a two-term president,” the magazine said, pointing to the government shutdown this month as an example of Obama’s declining authority. Forbes also alluded to the Russian government’s success in averting

threatened U.S. airstrikes against Syria by proposing to secure Syrian President Bashar Assad’s chemical weapons stockpile to prevent their use in the vicious civil war wracking Syria, a close Moscow ally. “Anyone watching this year’s chess match over Syria and NSA leaks has a clear idea of the shifting individual power dynamics,” Forbes said. Putin angered the U.S. administration in granting asylum to former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden in August after the fugitive leaked highly classiﬁed

information about U.S. surveillance at home and abroad. The repercussions of Snowden’s disclosures continue to damage U.S. relations with its allies. Third on Forbes’ list of the most powerful is Chinese President Xi Jinping, who became leader of the nation’s Communist Party last year and president this year and is expected to preside over the world’s most populous country for a decade. China is expected to eclipse the United States as the world’s No. 1 economy during Xi’s tenure as Communist Party chief.

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Holiday season retail sales look bleak, Morgan Stanley predicts

ount on coal this Christmas. That’s what researchers at Morgan Stanley are saying in the first major forecast of a decidedly dour holiday season. Retailers hoping for a respite from a year of so-so shopping can instead expect the worst Thanksgiving-to-Christmas sales since 2008, the financial services firm said Thursday. Five years ago, the industry was free-falling into recession. This year, a new collection of worrisome economic conditions looms as stores gear up for a period that can sometimes account for 40% of annual revenue. Shopper confidence is low. The recent federal government stalemate and shutdown was a damper. The window for holiday shopping is six days shorter than it was last year. At the same time, consumer spending, which makes up more than two-thirds of economic activity, is actually getting a boost. Gasoline prices are lower, and net worth is rising because of higher real estate values and a stock market upswing, Morgan Stanley said in a report. But instead of shoveling extra money into gifts, many Americans are plowing it into big-ticket items such as cars, appliances and home im-

provement goods. The report anticipates that during the fourth quarter, retailers will see a scant 1.7% increase in sales at stores open at least a year. Such samestore sales are an important indicator because they eliminate the effect of opening and closing outlets during the previous 12 months. Strip out struggling J.C. Penney Co., which researchers predict will roll out deep discounts early in the season, and projected sales growth slips to 1.6%. That’s less than half of last year’s 3.5% expansion, according to Morgan Stanley. The dire outlook contrasts with much sunnier ﬁgures from retail trade groups. The International Council of Shopping Centers said Thursday that net operating income per square foot at malls hit a record high in the third quarter. The 7.4% increase from the same period in 2012 was the sixth straight gain. In early October, the National Retail Federation said it expected holiday sales to rise 3.9% to $602.1 billion. The forecast — described as “neither robust nor pessimistic” — shows improvement from last year’s 3.5% boost.

This week, the trade group said September retail sales increased a “healthy” 0.6% from August, with “broad sales gains” in most categories. The apparel sector was not among them. “While far from robust, consumers are shopping, but they are spending both discriminately and moderately,” NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said in a statement. But in the federal government’s assessment of September retail performance, sales slid 0.1% compared with August, to $425.9 billion. The gauge, which includes food service, gas stations and autos, was dragged down substantially by a plunge in car sales and by lukewarm back-to-school shopping. Analysts such as Lindsey M. Piegza of Sterne Agee attributed the decline to “tepid job creation and minimal income growth,” as well as “the ongoing shenanigans in Washington.” “Retailers are already initiating holiday discounts to lure in customers,” Piegza wrote in a report this week. “But many more see the declining trend in spending, and bracing for a weak holiday season, are lowering sales forecasts and reducing seasonal hiring.”

Russian PM wants cheaper credit to stimulate economy

ussia must boost the flow of credit to businesses to promote an investment-led recovery but will not throw fiscal caution to the wind to overcome the drag on the economy from weak exports, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said. In an interview with Reuters, the former president said he saw no contradiction between fiscal consolidation and economic development, and said the government would press on with privatization at the right price. The priority, he said, was boosting growth which he said was too low at an expected level of less than 2 percent this year after averaging around 7 percent for much of the decade before the global crisis of 200809. “What are we planning to do? A series of measures of course, but there is no magic formula to boost growth. In any case, if there is, we do not know what it is,” Medvedev said in an interview late on Thursday. “Our Chinese partners probably know it, but we don’t,” he added, reflecting on China’s stronger economic growth of the last several years. Medvedev, 48, said a vital first step to steer the $2 trillion economy away from recession was to ensure affordable credit flows into the economy. This position sits uneasily with that of new central bank chief Elvira

Nabiullina, who has said that cheaper credit might not help the economy and could be counter-productive. The central bank has held its main interest rate of 5.5 percent steady for more than a year despite pressure to reduce it but the costs of borrowing, even for large companies, is usually around 9 or 10 percent. Russia’s government has approved steps to make credit more accessible, easing regulations on securitization to make loans available to small business, and improving financing for the small business lending programs of state development bank VEB. “A series of decisions have been taken and I hope that in the near future they will be implemented to improve credit conditions for Russian business,” he said. “It is very important now that Russian companies, Russian business, receive normal credits at a normal rate - that is the first thing that must be done.” The central bank has started medium-term refinancing operations, loans to banks for up to a year at a narrow spread to the central bank rate. This is designed to make it easier for banks to lend money on to support investment projects at more affordable rates. Medvedev, whose four-year presidency until 2012 was squeezed be-

tween his ally Vladimir Putin’s second and third terms, underlined that broader reforms were also needed to reduce Russia’s heavy dependence on oil and gas exports. The premier, who often carries an iPad and is a lover of modern gadgets, said he wanted to encourage innovation in Russian industry two decades after the Soviet Union broke up. “This is a very ambitious task and at the same time a very difficult one,” he said after attending Moscow’s annual International Forum on Innovative Development, calling for more investment in innovative projects. This applied to large and small companies alike in Russia, a country of more than 140 million dominated by vast state enterprises, particularly those developing natural resources. Other problems dragging down Russia’s economy, the world’s eighth largest, include a poor investment climate caused by issues such as a weak rule of law, corruption, capital flight and concerns in some Western countries about what they see as attempts by Putin to stifle the opposition. Investors are also worried by a lack of credibility on inflation - forecast by the government to be 6 percent this year - which means cheaper credit alone may not be sufficient to get the economy moving.

OIL EXTENDS DROP TOWARD $96 A BARREL

ONDON — The price of oil continued to fall on Friday as concerns over high supplies offset a report showing China’s power-hungry manufacturing sector is strengthening. Benchmark U.S. crude for December delivery was down 14 cents at $96.24 a barrel by late morning in Europe in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 39 cents on Thursday, leaving it down 5.8 percent for the month of October. Ample supplies of crude have weighed on the price in recent weeks. The Energy Department said Wednesday that U.S. supplies increased 4.1 million barrels last week. Over ﬁve weeks, supplies have risen by more than 25 million barrels. But a suggestion of stronger demand came Friday from two reports on Chinese manufacturing that showed an uptick in activity. That suggests China’s economic recovery could continue to strengthen after growth rebounded to 7.8 percent in the third quarter from a two-decade low in the previous quarter. Brent crude, a benchmark for international crude also used by U.S. reﬁneries, fell 26 cents to $108.58 a barrel on the ICE exchange in London. In other energy futures trading on Nymex: — Wholesale gasoline rose 1.8 cents to $2.585 a gallon. — Heating oil shed 0.5 cents to $2.949 a gallon. — Natural gas dropped 1.9 cents to $3.562 per 1,000 cubic feet.

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Facebook gets rid of privacy option and makes all users searchable A

ny change to Facebook, whether it’s a tweak in its site design or an overhaul of its privacy settings, generates a groan or two. In another effort to improve its users’ experience on the social network, Facebook is getting rid of an old and sometimes glitch-prone privacy option that will now render every Facebook user searchable to any other user. The old privacy setting -- called “Who can look up your Timeline by name?” -- gave users the option to not appear in Facebook search results. If Mark Zuckerberg himself wanted to keep all Facebook users from looking up his Timeline and activity via the Facebook search bar, he could toggle the setting so that only friends, or friends of friends, could do so. However, according to Facebook’s Chief Privacy Ofﬁcer Michael Richter, that led to some problems with the search function itself. “People told us that they found it confusing when they tried looking for someone who they knew

personally and couldn’t ﬁnd them in search results,” he said in a statement. Facebook is phasing out this privacy option and will make all users accessible via the search bar The search bar wasn’t the only way for people to be found on Facebook. “It didn’t prevent people from navigating to your Timeline by clicking your name in a story in News Feed,” said Richter. He noted that users could also be found through Graph Search, which lets Facebook users put in more general search terms such as “people who live in Seattle” and returns a list of people who ﬁt the description. Bradley Shear, a lawyer who specializes in Internet privacy and social media, said it’s a bad move on Facebook’s part. “Facebook has over a billion users,” he told ABC News. “Even though only a small number of users used this privacy option, that can still mean millions of users.” Facebook did not specify what percentage of users opted to use this privacy option, but con-

firmed with ABC News that it was a small percentage, within the single digits. “The best way to control what people can find about you on Facebook is to choose who can see the individual things you share,” said Richter. To enforce this point, Facebook will notify users making a public post on their timeline that people they don’t know may be able to see their activity. In addition, Facebook said that users can still block specific people from seeing their own Timeline. While it may be more convenient for some users trying to connect with one another, Shear said that in the long run it could hurt them. “That notification and this privacy change is going to make people think twice about the content they post online,” he said. “Facebook’s business strategy depends on people sharing more info, and so they’re looking at things from a short-term perspective and not over the long term.”

Apple tablet share hit low point ahead of iPad refresh N ew York (United States) - Apple’s share of the tablet market fell to its lowest point on record in the third quarter, ahead of the launch of its new iPads, a survey showed Thursday. Research ﬁrm IDC’s survey said Apple’s market share slid to 29.6 percent, its lowest share since it fueled the tablet craze with its ﬁrst iPads. Worldwide tablet shipments grew 36.7 percent from a year ago to 47.6 million units in the third quarter. That was seven percent higher than the second quarter, lower than IDC’s forecasts. Apple sold 14.1 million in the

quarter, little changed from a year ago, in part due to its decision to move its product launch to the fourth quarter. But IDC said the new iPad Air shipping November 1 and refreshed iPad mini should help the California group regain momentum. “Apple is taking steps to appeal to multiple segments,” said IDC’s Jitesh Ubrani. “While some undoubtedly hoped for more aggressive pricing from Apple, the current prices clearly reﬂect Apple’s ongoing strategy to maintain its premium status. It’s worth noting that Apple wasn’t the only one to increase the price of its

ockstar, the consortium that bought the Nortel patents for $4.5 billion, sued Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, HTC Corp, Huawei and four other companies for patent infringement in U.S. District Court in Texas. Rockstar is jointly owned by Apple, Microsoft, Blackberry, Ericsson and Sony. Google is accused of infringing seven patents. The patents cover technology that helps match Internet search terms with relevant advertising, the lawsuit said, which is the core of Google’s search business. A Google spokesman declined to comment. Representatives for Samsung, Huawei, HTC and Rockstar could not immediately be reached. Samsung, Huawei and HTC all manufacture phones that operate on Google’s Android operating system, which competes ﬁercely with Apple and Microsoft mobile products. In 2011 Google placed an initial $900 million bid for Nortel’s patents. Google increased its bid several times, ultimately offering as much as $4.4 billion. After losing out to Rockstar on the Nortel patents, Google went on to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, a deal driven partly by Motorola’s library of patents. “Despite losing in its attempt to acquire the patents-insuit at auction, Google has infringed and continues to infringe,” the lawsuit said. Rockstar is seeking increased damages against Google, as it claims Google’s patent infringement is willful, according to the complaint.

lesser-known, so-called white box vendors that typically sell Android devices at low prices. “White box tablet shipments continue to constitute a fairly large percentage of the Android devices shipped into the market,” said IDC’s Tom Mainelli. “However, many use cheap parts and non Google-approved versions of Android that can result in an unsatisfactory customer experience, limited usage, and very little engagement with the ecosystem. Android’s growth in tablets has been stunning to watch, but shipments alone won’t guarantee long-term success.”

FANNIE MAE SUES BANKS FOR $800 MILLION OVER LIBOR CLAIMS

GOOGLE, SAMSUNG, HUAWEI SUED OVER NORTEL PATENTS

small-sized tablet during this product cycle: Both Google and Amazon increased the price of their newest seven-inch tablets.” Samsung held the number-two spot with shipments of about 9.7 million units, IDC said, for a market share of 20.4 percent. Taiwan’s Asus, which makes the Nexus 7 for Google, grabbed 7.4 percent of the market with 3.5 million units, and China’s Lenovo was fourth with a 4.8 percent share and 2.3 million units. Over one-third of the market was held by other vendors including Amazon, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and Dell, along with

annie Mae sued nine banks, alleging that their manipulation of the benchmark London interbank offered rate, which four of them have admitted, cost the mortgage-financing company about $800 million. The U.S. government-owned firm alleged that the banks, including Bank of America Corp., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup Inc., acted to suppress the rate though quotes they submitted to the British Bankers Association, according to the complaint filed yesterday in Manhattan federal court. Global authorities have been investigating claims that more than a dozen banks altered submissions used to set benchmarks such as Libor to profit from bets on interest-rate derivatives or to make the lenders’ finances appear healthier. The alleged suppression of the rate caused Washington-based Fannie Mae to lose as much as $332 million on interest-rate swaps with Barclays Plc, UBS AG, Royal Bank of Scotland Plc, Deutsche Bank AG, Credit Suisse Group AG, Bank of America, Citigroup and JPMorgan, according to the complaint. “Defendants initially took these and other overt acts described above to further the corrupt agreement between them and to carry out a common plan to execute a fraud on Fannie Mae and to benefit defendants,” the company claimed. The lawsuit includes claims of breach of contract and breach of implied duty of good faith and fair dealing against all of defendants except Rabobank International NA. All nine were sued

for common law fraud as well as aiding and abetting. Fannie Mae seeks damages including consequential damages, punitive damages, prejudgment interest and attorneys’ fees. In March, mortgage financier Freddie Mac, also owned by the U.S., sued more than a dozen banks over similar allegations. Manipulation of interest rates by some of the world’s biggest banks has spawned probes by half a dozen agencies on three continents in what has become the industry’s largest and longest-running scandal. More than $300 trillion of loans, mortgages, financial products and contracts are linked to Libor. Libor is calculated by a poll carried out daily by Thomson Reuters Corp. on behalf of the British Bankers’ Association, an industry lobby group that asks firms to estimate how much it would cost to borrow from each other for different periods and in different currencies. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could have lost a combined $3 billion because of Libor manipulation, the auditor of the Federal Housing Finance Agency said in an internal memo last year urging the regulator to investigate further. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae use Libor to determine interest payments on their investments in floating-rate financial instruments such as bonds and swaps. The two companies, which package mortgages into securities on which they guarantee payments of principal and interest, have been under U.S. conservatorship since 2008.

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t 1IPUPHSBQIFS Requirements include but are not limited to: - 2 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience in field - Ability to sell and make quotas 5IF SBUF GPS UIF QPTJUJPO MJTUFE BCPWF JT UP BO IPVS

Administration Department requires: t "TTJTUBOU %JSFDUPS PG 0QFSBUJPOT Requirements include but are not limited to: - Experience managing an operations portfolio for a property over 400 rooms - Experience in the following areas F & B and Rooms Division 5IF SBUF GPS UIF QPTJUJPO MJTUFE BCPWF JT OFHPUJBCMF

The Sales Department requires: t 4PPO $PNF #BDL -JBJTPO "HFOU Requirements include but are not limited to: - Knowledge of rooms and categories - Ability to up sell - Ability to meet sales target - Manage the loyalty portfolio 5IF IPVSMZ SBUF GPS UIF QPTJUJPO MJTUFE BCPWF SBOHFT GSPN UP QFS IS

Engineering Department requires: t &MFDUSJDJBO t 3FGSJHFSBUJPO 5FDIOJDJBOT Requirements include but are not limited to: - Knowledgeable of in related fields both in theory and practical 5IF SBUF GPS UIF QPTJUJPOT MJTUFE BCPWF JT UP BO IPVS t -BCPVS 3FRVJSFNFOUT JODMVEF CVU BSF OPU MJNJUFE UP - Physically Fit - Ability to carry out labour intensive task 5IF SBUF GPS UIF QPTJUJPOT MJTUFE BCPWF JT UP BO IPVS t %JTQBUDIFS Requirements include but are not limited to: - Knowledgeable of inventory and stock - Experience in scheduling and assigning work orders 5IF SBUF GPS UIF QPTJUJPO MJTUFE BCPWF JT UP BO IPVS

Dining Room Department requires: Laundry Department requires: t 4IJGU -FBEFS Requirements include but are not limited to: - Previous supervisory experience in commercial Laundry - Physically fit )PVSMZ SBUF GPS UIF BCPWF NFOUJPOFE QPTJUJPO SBOHF GSPN UP

Housekeeping Department requires: t 3PPN "UUFOEBOUT %PNFTUJD 8PSLFS t )PVTFNFO t 1VCMJD "SFB "UUFOEBOUT $MFBOFS Requirements include but are not limited to: - One yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience in a hotel environment an asset. - Physically fit 5IF SBUF GPS UIF QPTJUJPOT MJTUFE BCPWF JT UP BO IPVS

Stewarding Department Requires: t 4UFXBSE Requirements include but are not limited to: - Physically Fit - Ability to carry out labour intensive cleaning task 5IF SBUF GPS UIF QPTJUJPO MJTUFE BCPWF JT UP BO IPVS

Food and Beverage Department requires: t )PTUFTT t 4FSWFS Requirements include but are not limited to: - One yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience in a restaurant with seating for over 100 persons an asset. - No allergies to any foods - Physically fit t #BS 1PSUFS t #BSUFOEFS Requirements include but are not limited to: - Excellent customer service skills - Knowledge of wines mixing alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages 5IF SBUF GPS UIF QPTJUJPOT MJTUFE BCPWF JT UP BO IPVS

t %JSFDUPS PG 'PPE BOE #FWFSBHF t 'PPE BOE #FWFSBHF .BOBHFS Requirements include but are not limited to: - 10 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience in F/B Management, - Knowledge of restaurant, bar/lounge, banquets, room service and kitchen operational experience. - Knowledge of OSHA standards. 5IF TBMBSZ GPS UIF QPTJUJPOT MJTUFE BCPWF JT OFHPUJBCMF

Human Resources Department Requires: t "TTJTUBOU 5SBJOJOH .BOBHFS Requirements include but are not limited to: - A first Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management or Training and Development or any other related discipline - Minimum two yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; work experience in a leadership position - Experience in Adult learning theories and instructional methodologies 5IF TBMBSZ GPS UIF QPTJUJPO MJTUFE BCPWF SBOHFT GSPN UP

Rooms Division Department Requires: t 3FDFQUJPOJTU 'SPOU 0ĂłDF "HFOU t $PODJFSHF "HFOU t "JSQPSU 3FQSFTFOUBUJWF Requirements include but are not limited to: - Background in customer service - Ability to go above and beyond for guest

- Ability to sing and dance 5IF SBUF GPS UIF QPTJUJPOT MJTUFE BCPWF JT UP BO IPVS

Grounds Departments requires: t 4VQFSWJTPS - Experience managing a grounds team t *SSJHBUJPO 5FDIOJDJBO - Knowledge of water/ Irrigation systems - Ability to trouble shoot Irrigation Line problems t (SPVOETNBO MBEZ Requirements include but are not limited to: - Physically fit - Ability to carry out labour intensive task 5IF SBUF GPS UIF QPTJUJPOT MJTUFE BCPWF JT UP BO IPVS

The Watersports Department requires: t #PBU $BQUBJO Requirements include but are not limited to: - Boat License - Experience with a crew over 7persons t 4DVCB %JWF *OTUSVDUPS Requirements include but are not limited to: - Physically Fit - Certified in first aid - PADI Certified t #FBDI BOE 1PPM "UUFOEBOUT Requirements include but are not limited to: - Keep the pool /beach area tidy and clean - First Aid qualification an asset "MM QFSTPOT JO UIF 8BUFSTQPSUT %FQBSUNFOU NVTU IBWF UIF BCJMJUZ UP TXJN BOE QBTT B TXJN FOEVSBODF UFTU )PVSMZ SBUF GPS UIF BCPWF NFOUJPOFE QPTJUJPOT SBOHF GSPN UP

Spa Department Requires: t 4QB "UUFOEBOU t $PTNFUPMPHJTU t 4QB 5IFSBQJTU t )BJS #SBJEFS The ideal candidate must satisfy the following criteria: - Certification in one or more of the following areas: Massage, Esthetics, Body treatments, Hair services, Tattoos and Nail services. Remuneration: Bi-weekly base pay plus commission

The Gift Shop Department requires: t IPQ "UUFOEBOU Requirements include but are not limited to: - Two years sales experience a must

t #FMMNBO t .JOJCBS 4UPDLFS "UUFOEBOU Requirements include but are not limited to: - Physically Fit - Outgoing and friendly attitude 5IF SBUF GPS UIF QPTJUJPOT MJTUFE BCPWF JT UP BO IPVS

Entertainment Department requires: t 'VO QBMT 1MBZFST %BODFST $MPXOT Requirements include but are not limited to: - An outgoing personality required

Applications giving full details of qualifications and experience should be sent to: mmvaughn@grp.sandals.com or Fax to: 941-4870 Attn: M McClean-Vaughn The Human Resources Department Beaches Turks and Caicos P.O. Box 186 Lower Bight Road

and

The Labour Commissioner Labour Department Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands

and should reach not later than November 9th 2013. Otherwise, please call anytime for an appointment

Page 42

BUSINESS AND T ECHNOLOGY

NOVEMBER 2ND - NOVEMBER 9TH, 2013

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Boeing 747 may be flying into the sunset W

hen Boeing Co. launched the 747 more than 40 years ago, nearly every aspect of the plane was novel. The jumbo jet was almost three times larger than the largest aircraft flying at the time. It required four massive jet engines for power. It was so wide that a veteran Los Angeles Times aviation writer described the cabin as a “luxurious auditorium some genie had wafted aloft.” In the years that followed, the plane has transformed travel in a way that few have. But now it appears that time has caught up with the renowned jet as many airlines switch to smaller, more fuel-efficient aircraft. Airlines are opting for Boeing’s newer jumbo jets such as the 777 and its latest 787 Dreamliner, as well as rival Airbus’ forthcoming A350 XWB. Those aircraft have just two engines, instead of the 747’s four. That means less fuel use, less maintenance and more flexibility in the types of routes they can fly. With demand shrinking, Boeing quietly announced this month that it was once again slowing the 747 production rate, from 21 airplanes a year to just 18. In its heyday, Boeing was producing 60 jumbo jets a year, many of its components coming from Southern California suppliers. “The 747 is a dead man walking at this point,” said Scott Hamilton, an aviation industry consultant and managing director of Leeham Co. in Issaquah, Wash. “It had its day and ushered in the era of the jumbo jet, but now that day is done.” Still, Boeing is standing by the legendary jetliner and remains optimistic about the next-generation 747-8, a modernized, stretched version of the 747. The fate of the massive Hawthorne factory where hundreds of workers make the panels for the center fuselage hinges on Boeing’s outlook. “While the market has softened in recent years for large aircraft, both passenger and freighter versions, Boeing remains committed to the 747-8,” Boeing spokeswoman Carrie Ann Berry said. “We believe the 747-8 is a very competitive airplane with a significant market niche.” With Korean Air’s order of five 747-8 Intercontinental jetliners last week, Boeing expects that the market will return in 2014. It forecasts global demand for 760 large airplanes such as its 777 and the 747 over the next 20 years. Those are lofty projections, considering that

A Royal Dutch KLM Boeing 747 flies over tourists on Maho Beach, Saint Martin Boeing has had 1,525 orders for the 747 in the last half century. What’s more, the 747 is Boeing’s priciest plane, costing $357 million at list price. The largest 777 costs about $320 million. The 777 has two fewer engines, which cuts maintenance and fuel costs, and can be used on long-haul or shorter flights. Because of its twinaisle configuration, the aircraft still offers passengers a feeling of spaciousness. It also has less seating capacity, which makes financial sense to airlines worried about empty seats on certain routes. “If I were a CEO of an airline, there are several other options I’d go for other than a 747,” said Vaughn Cordle, an analyst at the investment research firm Ionosphere Capital. “The 747 simply isn’t as valuable to airlines as it once was.” When the first 747 rolled off the assembly line in 1968, it was the kind of plane that seemed to fit the “Mad Men” era, with martini-swigging travelers lingering around a bar that some planes had on the upper deck. First-class passengers made their way up a spiral staircase to get to the “flying penthouse.” A 747 could carry more than twice as many passengers as existing commercial planes, and amenities such as multiple movie screens and snack bars seemed to make flying more enjoyable. But its beginnings weren’t so rosy. When the program was undertaken, Boeing didn’t have the financial strength or the manufacturing capability to produce the plane. The company went deep into debt and had to strike deals with suppliers to

make the parts on their own dime. It didn’t get any easier as the program went forward. The airplane was overweight and the new engines had overheating problems. But the problems were solved and the jumbo jet, with its signature hump, became one of the most recognizable planes in the world. It wasn’t until 2008, when rival Airbus introduced the double-decked A380 “super jumbo” jet, that the 747 was dethroned as the world’s largest passenger jet. Aviation history books say the 747 made its first commercial flight Jan. 21, 1970, but the Pan Am flight actually took off from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport bound for London’s Heathrow Airport at 1:52 a.m. Jan. 22 because of a 61/2 -hour delay. Four decades later, the 747 is still a common sight at Los Angeles International Airport, where nearly 200 of the planes carry thousands of passengers to far-flung destinations in Asia and Europe each week. Air Force One, a modified 747, continues to be a symbol of U.S. might. NASA used a 747 to transport space shuttles back to Florida whenever they landed at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert. Boeing has more than 500 suppliers in the U.S. supporting the 747 program. More than 200 are in California alone. One of the largest is Triumph Aerostructures, which assembles the 747’s center fuselage panels in Hawthorne. The site has produced the fuselage panels for every 747 that has taken to the skies since the aircraft program began in 1966. The company ships fuselage panels and sends them along in three custom, oversized railroad cars to Boeing’s assembly plant in Everett, Wash. No matter what the future brings for the 747, the plane will always be an icon, said Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst with consulting firm Hudson Crossing. It will just go the way of other transformative aircraft such as the 707 and DC-8 whose time has passed. “There’s less and less demand to support the 747 these days,” Harteveldt said. “We may see it fly into the sunset, at least as a passenger jet, within the next few years.”

Branson recalls tears, $1 billion check in Virgin Records sale

irgin Group founder Richard Branson recalled that selling his Virgin Records music label more than two decades ago was “like selling your children” even though he pocketed a billion dollars in the deal. Branson, 63, founded Virgin Records in 1972 with three other people, growing the label from a small successful record shop into a powerhouse of the music industry, helping usher in the progressive rock movement of the 1970s and new wave in the 1980s. The company was purchased by Thorn EMI for $1 billion in 1992, in part to fund Branson’s Virgin airlines. “Of course, it was very hard - it’s like selling your children,” Branson told Reuters on Wednesday in London at a 40th anniversary of the sale of Virgin Records. “I mean, you build something from scratch, we had just signed Janet Jackson, we had just signed the Rolling Stones when we sold

Sir Richard Branson it, and I remember running down Ladbroke Grove, tears streaming down my face with the check for a billion dollars,” he said. Virgin Records is currently owned by Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group. The long-haired maverick entrepreneur has become one of the world’s most recognizable businessmen, and is also known for his other ventures in deep-sea submarines, an effort to circumvent the globe in a hot air balloon, and suborbital space travel with Virgin Galactic.

“We wouldn’t be building spaceships today if it hadn’t been for that (sale) so it was the right decision,” Branson said. ‘SEX PISTOLS PUT VIRGIN ON MAP’ The 40th anniversary of Virgin Records is being marked at an exhibition in London’s Victoria House, which features photography, clothes, album covers and memorabilia from the label’s most inﬂuential acts. Branson gave the interview in a room mocked up to look like the Notting Hill branch of Virgin Records in the late 1970s. While Virgin Records laid its roots in Britain’s burgeoning rock scene, it widened its portfolio to represent a variety of artists spanning musical genres, such as R&B star Mariah Carey, pop band Spice Girls and French electro-dance duo Daft Punk. Branson, who thinks of himself as a “hippie at heart,” credited can-

tankerous British punk band the Sex Pistols with helping Virgin Records gain its footing in the industry and take on other music labels delving into the Brit punk genre. “I think the Sex Pistols put Virgin on the map,” he said. “They only made one album ... but it ﬁrmly established Virgin as a brand, a slightly risqué brand, but as a brand.” The risqué image of Virgin Records helped draw in some of music’s biggest acts, such as Janet Jackson and the Stones, Branson said. “A lot of big established bands signed with us, I think because I am reasonably good at marketing and getting out there, making noise about things, making noise about our bands and putting them on the map,” Branson said. “I think most of the bands that signed with Virgin were pretty happy and we managed to turn them into major stars.”

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NOVEMBER 2ND - NOVEMBER 9TH, 2013

Sports

CARIBBEAN

Jamaica vows to make drug testing world class

amaica’s sports minister Natalie Neita-Headley has vowed to improve the country’s drug testing after a visit from the World Anti-Doping Agency. The visit follows allegations Jamaica’s drug testing regime was inadequate. Asafa Powell, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Sherone Simpson all recently tested positive for banned substances. Neita-Headley said the Jamaican Anti-Doping Commission’s (Jadco) two-day meeting with Wada had been “constructive” and “fruitful”. Jadco was criticised by its former executive director Renee Anne Shirley, who had claimed testing in the run-up to the London Olympics was virtually non-existent. Wada’s audit is not expected to be made public until after their confer-

ence in Johannesburg, which runs from 12-15 November. Neita-Headley added: “I am pleased to confirm that the three-member Wada team visited Jamaica and engaged in constructive meetings with Jadco over the past two days. “They had very fruitful discussions with our team and have committed to working in closer partnership with Jadco to make it not only world class but also best in class. “There is no doubt that we have done some things well but, like with all other growing organisations, Jadco is only five years young and there are areas that we are seeking to improve.” The agency is increasing staff numbers, with nine new posts likely to be filled within two months in

addition to the newly appointed executive director Carey Brown. The credibility of Jamaica’s anti-doping work has been called into question by ex-Jadco senior official Renee Anne Shirley. But athletics’ world governing body the IAAF subsequently said that the 19 Jamaican athletes in their registered pool of competitors were, on average, the most tested for any country in the lead up to the London Games. Wada’s officials will examine Jadco’s drug testing programme, staffing, governance and education programme, as well as current cases of adverse analytical findings against some of the country’s athletes. Wada was invited to conduct an audit of the anti-doping programme by the Jamaican government, but Jadco initially said they could not

accommodate the visit until 2014, leading ofﬁcials from the world governing body to express their anger at the delay. Former world 100m record holder Powell, twice 200m Olympic champion Campbell-Brown and London Games 4x100m relay silver medallist Simpson all failed drug tests and were left out of Jamaica’s athletics team for the World Championships in August. Campbell-Brown has since been censured for a positive test for the banned diuretic hydrochlorothiazide, which is on Wada’s banned list as a masking agent, but escaped a ban. In a separate issue Wada claimed it is “very frustrated” with Kenyan authorities over their lack of progress in a doping investigation promised over a year ago.

FIFA head heaps praises on CONCACAF boss G

EORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands -- FIFA boss Sepp Blatter has praised CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb for taking bold steps to reform the confederation, and says the body is now poised to become a potent force in world football. Speaking the Cayman Islands at the recent inaugural CONCACAF Sports Summit, Blatter said Webb had played a pivotal role in reshaping a confederation in need of fresh leadership. “I have to congratulate this President and CONCACAF, and the national associations of CONCACAF for what they have done in 2012 because they have changed the leadership and it was time to change the leadership,” Blatter told journalists. “Where I can congratulate you … is with the

Integrity Committee you have put together and this Integrity Committee Report on transparency which has been shown to the whole world. This is a wonderful achievement. It is open-minded and represents total transparency.” Webb was last year elected unopposed to the powerful position of CONCACAF president, in the wake of the cash-for-votes scandal which rocked the Caribbean in 2011. The controversy led to the resignation of long-serving CONCACAF president and powerful FIFA vice-president, Trinidadian Jack Warner and left a vacuum in the leadership of the confederation. Since Webb’s election to the top post, he has instituted several measures to deal with corruption and to ensure transparency, in an attempt to

No favours for Tendulkar, says Richardson

OLKATA, India — Manager of the West Indies Cricket team, Richie Richardson, says the retiring Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar will have to earn every single run when he plays his last two Tests against the Caribbean side next month. The visitors, who arrived on the sub-continent on Monday, will engage India in two Tests in Kolkata and Mumbai from November 6-18. The ﬁnal Test is expected to be Tendulkar’s 200th and ﬁnal, which should make him the only cricketer ever to reach that landmark. “We want to make it clear that we have come here with a mission to win the series,” Richardson said. “We will try our best to stop him from scoring runs. We will not let him an inch. He has to earn every run.” During West Indies’ last tour to India in 2011, Tendulkar was the centre of attention as he neared his 100th international century.

However, during the Mumbai Test, he came within six runs of the landmark before being dismissed by Ravi Rampaul in a series the West Indies lost 2-0. “Winning a series in the sub-continent is a big challenge for every team,” said Richardson who played against Tendulkar before his retirement from international cricket in 1996. “It’s a big opportunity for the youngsters.” Richardson has also disclosed that they have planned a tribute for Tendulkar but has declined to reveal details. “We all have thought about giving a fitting tribute to Tendulkar after his last Test at Wankhede,” he added. “We don’t want to reveal our plans. It will be a big surprise for him.” West Indies will play their first tour match, a three-day fixture against Uttar Pradesh at the Jadavpur University Complex in Kolkata in today.

rebuild the confederation’s image. While pleased with the initiatives, Blatter urged Webb to consolidate CONCACAF’s presence in world football. “But this is not enough. Now you have taken over the helm and you are at the top of CONCACAF, it is now up to you to make sure that CONCACAF is a very important partner in the context of the vote,” said Blatter, who has led FIFA since 1998. “We have 209 associations and you have 41 so it is a power, it is also a political power – a sports political power.” Webb is also a FIFA vice-present and executive committee member, and chairs the organisation’s recently established Anti-Racism Task Force.

FORMULA-1 DRIVERS INVITE USAIN BOLT TO FINLAND FOR DRIVING LESSONS

INGSTON, Jamaica -- After Usain Bolt expressed an interest in brushing up on his behind-the-wheels skills in an interview at the Moscow World Athletics Championships, Finnish Formula-1 drivers Valtteri Bottas and Heikki Kovalainen teamed up with AKK Motorsport, the Finnish Olympic Committee and Yle Sports to send a video invitation to the world sprint champion to do just that. In the two-minute-16-second video, Yle reports that the team has invited the sprint legend to join track tests in challenging winter conditions in Finnish Lapland next January. “If you want to learn how to handle a car I think Finland is the perfect place, especially during winter when it’s slippery. We Finns know how to drive,” said Williams driver Bottas. “Of course Bolt could be easy to teach in the sense that he has good reﬂexes and explosive power. He can probably take very fast corrective actions at the wheel,” added Heikki Kovalainen, who drives for the Caterham team. Bolt is unstoppable and presently unbeatable on the running track but has had a few motor vehicle crashes in the past.

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NOVEMBER 2ND - NOVEMBER 9TH, 2013

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Sports W

RLD

Red Sox win World Series with Game 6 victory over Cardinals

he old ballpark was packed for a celebration nearly a century in the making. Players danced around the infield with their families. Fans remained in the stands, savoring a long-awaited moment generations of New Englanders had never been able to witness. Turmoil to triumph. Worst to first. A clincher at Fenway Park. David Ortiz and the Boston Red Sox, baseball’s bearded wonders, capped their remarkable turnaround by beating the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 in Game 6 on Wednesday night to win their third World Series championship in 10 seasons. “What a decade to be a Red Sox fan,” marvels CBSSports.com Senior Baseball Columnist Scott Miller. Even the big digs of last summer’s 93-loss train wreck melted away in one perfect offseason for general manager Ben Cherington. Five of the seven free agents he signed last winter were in Wednesday’s lineup.” When it was over, Ortiz took a microphone on the field and addressed the city, just as he did a week after the Boston Marathon bombings last April. “This is for you, Boston. You guys deserve it,” the Series MVP said. “We’ve been through a lot this year and this is for all of you and all those families who struggled.” And the Red Sox didn’t even have to fly the trophy home. For the first time since Babe Ruth’s team did it back in 1918, Boston won the title at Fenway. The 101-year-old stadium, oldest in the majors, was jammed with 38,447 singing, shouting fans anticipating a party that had been building for more than nine decades. “Maybe they won’t have to go another 95 years,” said John Farrell, a champion in his first season as Boston’s manager. In 1918, writes Miller, “World War I was wrapping up and - true story - in the decisive Game 6, they dispatched the score via carrier pigeons to the boys at Fort Devens, a major United States Army base at that time and some 50 miles from Boston (as the pigeon flies) near the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border.

Red Sox celebration “ ‘Every inning,’ said Dick Bresciani, the former Red Sox public relations director who now is vice-president of archives and history. ‘It might have even been every half-inning. From the old press box to Fort Devens.”’ Shane Victorino, symbolic of these resilient Sox, returned from a stiff back and got Boston rolling with a three-run double off the Green Monster against rookie sensation Michael Wacha. Pumped with emotion, Victorino pounded his chest with both fists three times. John Lackey became the first pitcher to start and win a Series clincher for two different teams, allowing one run over 6 2-3 innings 11 years after his Game 7 victory as an Angels rookie in 2002. With fans roaring on every pitch and cameras flashing, Koji Uehara struck out Matt Carpenter for the final out. The Japanese pitcher jumped into the arms of catcher David Ross while Red Sox players rushed from the dugout and bullpen as the Boston theme “Dirty Water” played on the public-address system. There wasn’t the “Cowboy Up!” comeback charm of “The Idiots” from 2004, who swept St. Louis to end an 86-year title drought. There wasn’t that cool efficiency of the 2007 team that swept Colorado. This time, they were Boston Strong, playing for a city shaken by tragedy. “We’ve dealt with a lot,” Dustin Pedroia said. “But our team came together.” After a late-season collapse in 2011, the embarrassing revelations of a fried chicken-and-beer club-

house culture that contributed to the ouster of manager Terry Francona, and the daily tumult of Bobby Valentine’s one-year flop, these Red Sox grew on fans. Just like the long whiskers on the players’ faces, starting with Gomes’ scruffy spring training beard. The win capped an emotional season for the Red Sox, one heavy with the memory of the events that unfolded on Patriots Day, when three people were killed and more than 260 wounded in bombing attacks at the Boston Marathon. The Red Sox wore “Boston Strong” logos on their left sleeves, erected a large emblem on the Green Monster and moved the logo into the center-field grass as a constant reminder. “There’s I think a civil responsibility that we have wearing this uniform, particularly here in Boston,” Farrell said. “And it became a connection initially, the way our guys reached out to individuals or to hospital visits. And it continued to build throughout the course of the season. I think our fans, they got to a point where they appreciated the way we played the game, how they cared for one another. And in return, they gave these guys an incredible amount of energy to thrive on in this ballpark.” Boston was a 30-1 underdog to win the World Series last winter but joined the 1991 Minnesota Twins as the only teams to win titles one season after finishing in last place. Now, the Red Sox will raise another championship flag before their home opener next season on April 4 against Milwaukee. Boston hit just .211, the lowest average for a Series champion in 39 years and 13 points lower than the Cardinals. But after falling behind 2-1 in the Series on the first-game ending obstruction call in postseason history, the Red Sox tied it the following night on the first-game ending pickoff in postseason play. That sparked the Red Sox to three straight wins and another title. “When we started rolling,” Ortiz said, “nobody ever stopped the train.” As for next year, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the early leaders among Las Vegas odds makers to win the Series, at 5-1. The Cards are fourth at 10-1 and Red Sox fifth, at 12-1, notes CBSSports.com.

Oneida Nation meets with NFL to protest Redskins name

ne of the next times owners from the 32 NFL teams will all be in one place is Super Bowl XLVIII in February. Ofﬁcials from the Oneida Indian Nation have asked to join the big party at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, so they can address the NFL’s kingpins about the R-word. For now, they’ll have to be happy to have met with three vice presidents from the league ofﬁce. Representatives of the Oneida Nation met Wednesday in New York with executives from the National Football League -- but not NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell or Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder. Ray Halbritter, a representative for the Oneida, said

he gave NFL vice presidents Adolpho Birch, Paul Hicks and Jeff Pash a letter and a study on the effects of the Redskins name. “We were somewhat disappointed to say it mildly that they continued to defend the use of the slur,” he said. “It really does require us to redouble our efforts in dealing with this issue.” Read: Redskins - Racist or a sporting right? A statement from the NFL said the meeting was part of an “ongoing dialogue.” “We listened and respectfully discussed the views of Mr. Halbritter, Oneida Nation Wolf Clan Representative Keller George and their colleagues, as well as the sharply differing views of

many other Native Americans and fans in general,” the NFL said, according to the statement. Halbritter said the letter asks for another meeting at the Super Bowl so he and the clinical psychologist who put together the study can address every NFL owner on the harm the Redskins name can cause. “The use of the R-word is not just a victimless crime. It has very real and damaging effects on Native American youth,” he said. Snyder has said the Redskins name will not change. “After 81 years, the team name ‘Redskins’ continues to hold the memories and meaning of where we came from, who we are, and who we want to

be in the years to come,” he wrote in a letter on the team’s website. The nickname is a “badge of honor,” he wrote. Besides the request for a Super Bowl meeting, Halbritter said the letter also asks Goodell to add an NFL rule that prohibits league franchises from naming teams with dictionary-deﬁned racial slurs. The Oneida also want Goodell to sanction Snyder, if he doesn’t change the name. And they also invited Snyder and Goodell to come to Oneida land in central New York, the two-page letter says. The Washington Post reported that Snyder met with Goodell on Tuesday and the Washington owner reiterated he was keeping the Redskins name.

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NOVEMBER 2ND - NOVEMBER 9TH, 2013

WORLD SPORTS

Allen Iverson officially retires P

HILADELPHIA -- Saying he’s lost his desire to play, Allen Iverson formally announced his retirement from basketball Wednesday. Iverson last played in the NBA in the 2009-10 season, when he played three games with the Memphis Grizzlies and 25 with the Philadelphia 76ers -- he spent the first 10 years of his 14-year career with the Sixers -- before leaving both teams. He last played professionally in Turkey during the 2010-11 season but left halfway through the first season of a two-year contract. Iverson was offered a contract to play in the NBA Development League with the Texas Legends last year but ultimately declined it. “I gave everything I had to basketball,” Iverson said at the Wells Fargo Center. “The passion is still there but the desire to play is not. It was a great ride.” Hall of Famer Julius Erving and John Thompson, Iverson’s college coach at Georgetown, attended the news conference along with his mother, Ann, and three of his five children. 76ers owner Josh Harris spoke at the ceremony but Iverson was not formally recognized by the team. That is expected to happen later this season and include a retirement of his No. 3 jersey. He played parts of 12 seasons in Philadelphia after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1996 draft. Iverson said he’ll be a Sixer “until the day I die.” Iverson, 38, declined to directly

address a number of issues that have been raised in the years since he last played in the NBA. There have been media reports describing his problems with alcohol and gambling as well as ﬁnancial issues despite earning more than $200 million in salary and endorsements. Iverson and wife Tawanna divorced earlier this year. “It does bother me, I have a heart just like everybody else,” Iverson said of the recent stories. “People have encouraged me to [publically] address those issues. But if I know and my family knows and people that are close to me know, why do I have to explain myself? It’s hard having rhino skin sometimes. ... A negative story about Allen Iverson is going to sell regardless. Nobody wants to talk about what I do for [charities]. That’s how this world is.” Several times Iverson said he had no regrets about anything in his playing career. It was a decorated career that included 11 All-Star Games, four scoring titles and the 2001 Most Valuable Player Award. He was one of the biggest draws in the NBA during that time and his popularity with young kids led Reebok to sign him to a lifetime contract. His career also included moments where he quarreled with coaches and management and had off-court issues with the law. One of his most memorable moments was a rant during the 2002 playoffs about his habits in practice. Iverson said Wednesday he didn’t

Allen Iverson regret that, either. “It wasn’t just about that I didn’t like practice or care about practice or anything like that,” Iverson said. “If I could go back and do it all over again, I would never have done the interview. As far as how I expressed practice, practice, practice over and over again, I wouldn’t take that back. That sound bite -- because it’s great for the media and great for the fans, they love it -- but they had no idea my best friend just got killed. They had no idea that press conference wasn’t about practice, it was about me not being traded from Philadelphia. That’s what I thought I was at that podium to talk about.” Earlier this week, LeBron James said Iverson was the best “pound-

for-pound” player in league history because of his abilities and toughness despite being 6-foot and just 160 pounds. As he reflected on his career, Iverson said influencing players like James and the league’s culture is one of his legacies. “I took an ass kicking for me being me in my career,” Iverson said. “For me looking the way I look and me dressing the way I dress. It was just being me. Now, look around, now all of the guys in the NBA have tattoos. You used to think the suspect was the guy with the cornrows. Now you see the police officers with the cornrows. I took a beating for those type of things and I’m proud to say I changed a lot with this culture and this game.” Iverson said he’s not sure what his future holds. He is working on a documentary about his life and has been doing speaking engagements, recently speaking to players at SMU, where former 76ers coach Larry Brown now works. Although he delayed his retirement announcement to exhaust all his professional basketball opportunities and believes he could still be effective in the NBA today, he said he arrived at the decision on his own terms. “I promise you it is a happy day for me,” he said. “I thought this day would be a tough day but it’s a happy day.”

Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius to face 2 gun charges at murder trial

outh African Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius will face two additional gun-related charges when he goes on trial for murder next year, a spokesman for South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority said. The charges will be heard alongside the murder charge when Pistorius’ trial begins in March, Nathi Mncube told CNN. READ: ‘Blade runner’ hires American forensic experts for murder defense Pistorius, nicknamed the “Blade Runner” for the special prostheses he uses for sprinting, has admitted to shooting dead his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in his high-end home on Valentine’s Day. But he has said it was an accident. The gun-related charges are not new but have been moved from the

Oscar Pistorius South Gauteng jurisdiction where they were ﬁled to the jurisdiction where the murder trial is being held, North Gauteng.

SERENA WILLIAMS FINISHES 2013 IN STYLE

n exhausted but elated Serena Williams was left celebrating her 11th title of the season to round off 2013 by claiming the WTA Championships in Istanbul Sunday. The World No.1 dug deep from a set down and three all in the second against China’s Li Na to reel off nine straight games to clinch the prestigious title, 2-6 6-3 6-0. “I can’t believe I won. I was so tired. Honestly, did I really win? Because she played so well,” Williams said in her

post match interview. “I’m just overjoyed, to be honest,” Williams added. “It’s really awesome. It’s such a special moment. To finish the year No.1 in the world and win this title after 40 years of the WTA, it means even more.” Williams had to grind out a three set semifinal win over Jelena Jankovic Saturday and fell a set down to her fourth seeded Chinese opponent in the final as the tiredness set in. Read: Can Serena become the great-

Pistorius is accused of two separate instances of ﬁring a gun in a public space. The National Prosecuting Authority decided to transfer them so that “all charges against Pistorius can be heard at the same place at the same time in front of the same judge,” Mncube said. The state has indicted the track star on a premeditated murder charge and, if convicted, he faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Legal analysts in South Africa say they think the prosecution will seek to characterize Pistorius as a trigger-happy, irresponsible gun owner. However, this apparent strategy could backﬁre if the gun-related charges made it seem less likely that Pistorius shot Steenkamp deliberately, said Kelly Phelps, a CNN legal analyst and lecturer in the law faculty of the

University of Cape Town. The alleged gun-related offenses, which will be prosecuted under South Africa’s Firearms Control Act, date back to before the death of Steenkamp, but were not previously acted on. The fact the National Prosecuting Authority is pursuing the charges now adds weight to the idea that prosecutors are seeking to create a negative “character picture” of Pistorius, Phelps said. Pistorius, a double amputee, denies the murder charge and has said he mistook his girlfriend for a home invader when he ﬁred shots from a pistol through a bathroom door that the 29-year-old was behind. A spokeswoman for Pistorius said this month that he’s hired an American forensic team to give expert testimony to cast doubt on evidence against him.

est of alltime? Williams pulled 3-0 ahead in the second set, only for Li to win three straight games to level. A lesser player might have crumbled, but the 17-time grand slam champion took her game to another level and ﬁnished it off with her 30th winner of the match. Victory took her prize money for the season to a record $12,385, 572 and at 32 years and one month she is the oldest winner at the end of season championship.

It was her 78th WTA career title and she shows no sign of letting up in her pursuit of records with the first grand slam of the 2014 season in Australia next January firmly in her sights Li has also finished the season strongly, the first Chinese player to make the WTA Championships final. She is set to move to her hightest ranking of World No.3 in the new list and showed enough in the opening set and a half to give her hope of further grand slam success to add to her 2011 French Open triumph.

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