VOLUME 10 ISSUE 9 by The SUN Newspaper

MARCH 22ND - MARCH 29TH, 2014

Website: www.suntci.com

BY VIVIAN TYSON

VOLUME 10 - No. 9

$1.00

PAYROLL TAX ON ITS WAY

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he Progressive National Party (PNP) Government has finally admitted that it will be introducing a payroll tax. Premier Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing and Minister of Finance Hon. Washington Misick both confirmed that Government has been left with little or no choice but to the introduce the pay roll tax, in order to raise revenue. “All the evidence points to the fact that payroll tax is the best option when you look at the long term benefit and the value it accrue to the community,” the Premier said at a town hall meeting last Tuesday March 18, at the Gus Lightbourne Auditorium Like Premier Ewing, Misick believes that if payroll tax is operate the way government intends, the standard of living could be climb since some taxes would fall and charges, especially at the ports lowered. “The intention is to put pressure on import duty so that the food items that we bring in would be cheaper and the ultimate consumer would benefit. It is more difficult now because we have got the loan to pay, so once the loan goes away then there would be an even more rapid reduction taxation. “There will be some financial discomfort (now) – some of it psychological and some of it is real. And I believe that in the long term it is best thing that you can do; I believe that with my hearts of heart, and I will take responsibility, and come hell or high water, that’s my view,” the finance minister said. In the meantime, the finance minister said that choosing payroll tax over property as its broad-base revenue generator for the future, may work out the same as the National Insurance Board (NIB) scheme. “There are people in this country today who didn’t see the importance

SAILROCK VILLAS AT THE GREAT HOUSE BRINGS OUT THE CHAMPAGNE GLASSES: Colin Kihnke (left) and Theodore Weldon (right) – devel- held on Tuesday (March 19). The ﬁrst phase of 42-acre low opers of the Sailrock’s Villas at Great House in South Ca- density resort will comprise beach-front villas, ridge-top vilicos are joined by His Excellency Governor Peter Becking- las and the great house, saying that construction of the ﬁrst ham (second left) and Premier Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing, in phase is to complete by 2015. The units comprise fully fura celebratory touching of champagne glasses shortly after nished two, three and four-bedroom beach villas starting at turning the ground to symbolically signal the start of the $895,000, while ridge-top villas will start at $300,000. Sitresort’s construction project, which is to take a little under ed at elevations ranging from 30 to 50 feet above sea-level, two years to complete. The ground-breaking ceremony was all residences command spectacular ocean views. of NIB, and I may not be around but I believe that all of the opposition that we are facing tonight; in a number of years people are going to say it was a good decision. I believe in my heart of hearts that if this economy is going to survive, and we are to collect the kind of revenue that we need to withstand external shocks, then we need a broad-base tax,” he insisted.

The Dr. Rufus Ewing administration is looking to raise $10.5 million in the proposed payroll tax that it aims to introduce this ﬁnancial year along with a raft of other revenue-raising measures projected to rake in millions more. Misick said in addition to raise the $10.5 million from payroll tax, government is also looking to raise an additional $8.1 million from other taxes and fees during the year.

TCI lawyer Sheba Wilson arrested in US for heads Immigration Another FBO under construction money laundering Board PAGE 9 PAGE 6

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He said that the payroll tax would be collected at three percent and would be shared 50-50 between the employer and the employee. “If you make $2,000, at three percent, it is $60 in payroll tax split 50-50 between employer and employees, so you will pay $30,” he explained. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

PRC programme to be revamped PAGE 16

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LOCAL NEWS

PAYROLL TAX ON ITS WAY

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WORK PERMITS TO BE RECATEGORISED Minister Misick said that government is looking to re-categorize of work permits, from which it aims to raise $2.5 million. From the introduction of customs CIF charges, the administration wants to rake in $1.5 million. The administration also plans to extend tax collected in the tourism sector to tour operators and spas, which is projected to pull in $1.5 million. From the category extension business licenses, the administration aims to pocket $1.6 million. The minister said that government is will taking crafting legislation acquire cash from dormant accounts, which should raise $1 million. The minister pointed out however, that there will be a tax giveaway of about $4 million in duty reduction. He said the new revenue-raising measures are to bankroll its capital and recurrent budget for the next 12 months, which include the construction of schools, clinics and hospices, ﬁxing of roads and provide scholarships. “If we want to send our kids to school; if we want better healthcare; if we want to be able to ﬁx the roads and the clinics, then that is what it is going to take,” he said. The minister defended the tax measures, saying they are the right revenue-generator gauges for the Turks and Caicos Islands at this time. “Value Added Tax, I believe, was the wrong tax, and I still believe it is wrong because it is based on a process. If you go to a country where there is a forest, you cut down trees, sell it to the mill, the mill sells it to the furniture-maker, the furniture-maker sells it to the wholesaler, and the wholesaler sells it to retailer and the retailer sells it to the consumer. “If you go to the United States and buy a tin of sardines and come here and sell it, you do not add anything to the process; the sardine was caught in the States, packaged in the States and was shipped here. Value Added Tax is the wrong tax for Turks and Caicos, and I still maintain that it is wrong,” he said.

VAT HAS NOT DISAPPEARED He reminded the audience that while VAT is off table, it has not disappeared. And if a stable set of measures is not put in place, it could be reintroduced. “It has been repealed in the legislature but hasn’t been assented to, so that is the situation. That leads us to a broad-based tax with two options. An option

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means one or the other, so we put in there a payroll tax or an infrastructure maintenance levy. The infrastructural maintenance levy is suggested by the private sector. “The payroll tax is levied at a lower rate on employers and employees and also self employed persons. This tax here, if it were to come into force, will be levied on all private dwellings, businesses, business dwellings, and land at an equal rate. It is the government’s view that the payroll tax is a better tax. “The rate of GDP is affected by the payroll tax because the more you earn the more you pay based on the flat rate of course. Payroll tax is equitable and does not move; unless the rate increases. It remains flat and generates the same amount of money every time,” he said. He said that the payroll tax would not be hard to establish since government would use the National Insurance Board (NIB) and National Health Insurance Plan (NHIP) platforms to collect that tax. “It is immediate; the platform already exists for it. It exists in terms of NIB and NHIP platform at the moment, and the intention is actually establish an authority that would collect the taxes and distribute it the way that they should go,” he said. He added: “A broad-based tax is stable and has very good economic activity. It is fair; everyone pays something; those who have more pay more. It is equitable because it does not discriminate against any group. The plan is to make sure that it is fair, and where there it is important to lower taxes, it is lowers taxes, and that is at the port so that people can go in the store and buy a tin of corned beef or a tin of sardines or some toilet papers or some hand napkins cheaper than what they now buy it for; that is the idea to reduce the cost of living.” The finance minister revealed that the Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands are the only two British Overseas Territories that do not have income taxes, and that based on the pressure that Cayman is under, it is bound to move in that direction. “Most countries in the Caribbean and around the world have traditional taxes - corporate income tax; personal income tax, when there is no payroll tax; Value Added Ta; payroll tax when there is no personal income tax and property tax. Only the Turks and Caicos and Cayman do not have personal income tax or property tax. Anguilla, an Overseas Territory of the UK has it; Bermuda has it; BVI has it; and Montserrat has it. “The Bahamas is considering Value Added Tax.

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Turks and Caicos Sun Suite # 5, Airport Plaza Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands Tel: (649) 946-8542 Fax: (649) 941-3281 Email: sun@suntci.com Read us online at www.suntci.com Publisher & Editor-in-Chief: Hayden Boyce Senior Editor: Vivian Tyson Office Manager: Dominique Rigby Information Technology and Production Manager: Kelano Howell Design by Design2pro.com The Turks and Caicos SUN is a subsidiary of The SUN Media Group Ltd. We are committed to excellence in journalism, educating and informing our readers, serving and satisfying our advertisers and assisting in the overall development of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

But I can tell you, you can take it to the bank, they won’t introduce Value Added Tax. They may introduce payroll tax. In terms of the Cayman, they are under tremendous pressure with their budget. And with all the pressure for OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) as it relates to their ﬁnancial industry, they have a lot more to lose, and sooner than later, they would be introducing one of those taxes,” he said. The minister said that government plans to implement a one-stop shop revenue authority for NIB NHIP and potential payroll tax. He said that in due course government would provide a list of the basic supermarket and building commodities for which the lessening of port fees would bring reduction. He said that by 2016, the level of taxes should be reduced since government would not be under so much pressure to satisfy some of its current ﬁnancial obligations. “For 2016, and beyond, the level of taxes will be reduced due to the following factors: the projected economic growth, depreciation in the required budget surplus – what that means is that the surplus that is absolutely necessary to generate, it wouldn’t be necessary to get to that particular level because we would then get rid of SIPT and we will also get rid of the sinking fund; and we will reduce non-recurrent expenditures.

POPULATION GROWTH NEEDED FOR BUOYANT ECONOMY

inance Minister Hon. Washington Misick has said that one of the key ways the country’s economy could be shored up and be sustainable is if there is population growth, but warned that there could be problems if those absorbed into the country endeavor to isolate themselves from the rest of the population and form their own sub groups. The ﬁnance minister, who was invited by the Providenciales Chamber of Commerce at its monthly meeting at the Gustarvus Lightbourne Complex on Tuesday (March 18) to pitch his revenue-raising measures to a town hall-style crowd, said that there is a great need for the economy to generate better-paying jobs and to experience further growth. But in order for that to happen it is critical that there is population growth.

“Our population is predominantly labour. We need to generate new and better paying jobs so that they would have more to contribute to NIB and NHIP, and that requires growing the economy so that we have those better jobs, but also requires managing population growth because with 35,000 people we cannot grow this economy, we cannot grow the country, we cannot do well with 35,000 people,” he said. He said that if and when that programme come and stream and people that are assimilated into the population should not see themselves as Turks and Caicos Islanders belonging to another nation, but pure Turks and Caicos Islanders. “We have to have a programme which will eventually assimilate people into the economy, and those people, when they are assimilat-

ed, they must not be Haitian-Turks Islanders; they must not be Jamaican-Turks Islanders; they must not be Canadian-Turks Islanders; or Cuban-Turks Islanders, they must be Turks and Caicos Islanders,” the ﬁnance minister pointed out. He said that while the government has a duty to provide security for those who come here and make contribution, those expatriates must realize that creating sup societies and isolate themselves from the general population would not be in the best interest of advancing the society economically and socially. “If you come here and if you cast your lots with us, then we have a duty to make sure that your rights are protected and you have an opportunity to contribute and to grow the economy. But if you come here and you want to create a society

within a society, then we have a real problem,” Misick asserted. He urged the business community, which is made up of mostly expatriates, to not form cliques within themselves and shun everybody else, especially locals seeking jobs, but to allow the wealth to be shared, so that everyone beneﬁts. “And so it is very important that we start talking to each other and realize that we may have come here on different boats or planes, but we are here together, and the government is determined to do everything it can to have a good relationship with you, the business community, which is predominantly expatriates, and you have to make a more serious effort to bring the rest of the population along. And I mean that with every bit of respect,” Misick concluded.

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LOCAL NEWS

Canadian lawyer practising in TCI arrested for money laundering in the USA BY HAYDEN BOYCE PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Canadian lawyer who has been practising in the Turks and Caicos Islands is now in custody in the United States of America after he was arrested and charged for money laundering as part of a sting operation by Federal Agencies. Patrick Poulin, a partner in the law firm Bishops which is located in the Salt Mills Plaza, Grace Bay, was charged with money laundering along with two asset managers Eric St-Cyr and Joshua VanDyk, who are based in the Cayman Islands. The three men were arrested on March 12th following an undercover operation during which Mr. St-Cyr, managing director at Clover Asset Management, and Mr. VanDyk, wealth management adviser at the same firm, allegedly agreed to launder criminal proceeds, as well as other funds, for the purpose of tax evasion. Mr. VanDyk, an American citizen, has been released on bail after posting a $250,000 bond. Mr. St-Cyr and Mr. Poulin, both Canadian citizens, remain in custody. According to the indictment filed under seal with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia six days prior to the arrests, Mr. VanDyk and Mr. St-Cyr met with three undercover agents on March 7, 2013, in Miami. According to the document, which was obtained by The SUN, the three men “did knowingly combine, conspire, and agree with each other and with other persons known and unknown to the Grand Jury to launder monetary instruments in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956, to wit: with the intent to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control, of property believed to be the proceeds of specified unlawful activity, to knowingly conduct a financial transaction affecting interstate and foreign commerce involving property represented by a law enforcement officer, who is known to the Grand Jury, to be proceeds of specified unlawful activity, that is, bank fraud”. The document said “it was the object of the conspiracy for defendants to create layers of transactions in foreign commerce through which their U.S. clients could launder criminal proceeds and it was also the object of the conspiracy for defendants to use the layers of transactions in foreign commerce to falsely disclaim knowledge of the fact that their clients were U.S. citizens who were using their services to launder criminal proceeds. Outlining the manner and means used to accomplish the objectives of the conspiracy included, the court document stated that defendants VANDYK and ST-CYR would and did solicit U.S. citizens to use their services to hide assets from the U.S. government. VANDYK and ST-CYR would and did advise U.S. citizens to create offshore foundations with the assistance of defendant POULIN and others. POULIN would and did establish offshore foundations on behalf of U.S. citizens, and would and did serve as a nominal board member of such foundations in lieu of the U.S. citizens. U.S. citizens would and did cause moneys

Patrick Poulin of the law ﬁrm Bishops to be wired from the United States to fund the foundations. POULIN would and did transfer wire payments from offshore foundations to the Cayman Islands, whereupon defendants VANDYK and ST-CYR would and did cause such moneys to be invested outside of the United States. The Caymanian company did not disclose the investments, or any investment gains, on behalf of their U.S. citizen clients to the U.S. government. Company C also did not provide monthly statements or other investment statements to their clients. However, clients of the company were able to monitor their investments online through the use of anonymous, numeric passcodes. Then, uUpon request from U.S. citizen clients, defendants VANDYK and ST-CYR would and did cause the Company to liquidate investments and transfer moneys, through defendant POULIN, back to the United States.

STING OPERATION According to the court papers, on or about March 7, 2013, defendants VANDYK and ST-CYR met with three undercover agents in Miami, Florida. One of the agents had a pre-existing relationship with VANDYK in which he had assumed the identity of a wealthy U.S. citizen who was interested in offshore investing without reporting investment income to U.S. authorities. Another agent assumed the identity of a ﬁnancial planner who represented numerous U.S. citizens, including thet two other agents. The third agent assumed the identity of a U.S. citizen who was looking for ways to launder criminal proceeds and avoid taxes. During the meeting on or about March 7, 2013, defendants VANDYK and ST-CYR explained that Company does not take on U.S. clients directly, but that the company took on U.S. clients by having those clients create corporations, trusts, and foundations in foreign jurisdictions, by moving money through such entities and eventually into the Cayman Islands, and by using foreign attorneys as intermediaries for such transactions. VANDYK and ST-CYR also indicated that clients of the Company like the fact that nothing the Company does touches the United States. During the meeting on or about March 7, 2013, one of the undercover agents told defendants VANDYK and ST-CYR that another agent had defrauded a bank in the United States and was looking to move the proceeds of that fraud offshore. On or about July 16, 2013, defendant VANDYK met with the two agents in

San Francisco, California. During this meeting, the agent reiterated that he was looking to move the proceeds of his bank fraud scheme in his dealings with VANDYK and ST-CYR. VANDYK indicated that this was acceptable to the co-conspirators so long as the money was not linked to drugs or terrorism. VANDYK recommended that the two agents use POULIN as an intermediary in getting the other undercover agent’s money out of the United States. On or about September 11, 2013, two of the agents met defendant POULIN in Quebec, Canada. During this meeting, POULIN indicated that most of his.clients were U.S. and Canadian citizens. POULIN explained that he could set up an offshore foundation for one of the agent’s money, and that the two other agents would not be identiﬁed as members or advisors of the foundation. During the meeting on or about September 11, 2013, one agent explained to defendant POULIN that another agent had obtained approximately $2 million by defrauding a ﬁnancial institution in the United States. The agent indicated that the proceeds of the fraud were held in several limited liability corporations in the United States. The third agent indicated that he wished to move the money offshore so that it would not be linked to the bank fraud, and that he wanted to begin by moving $200,000 of the bank fraud proceeds to the Cayman Islands Company C through POULIN.

UNDERCOVER AGENTS MEET IN TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS On or about December 11, 2013, two of the undercover agents met with one of defendant POULIN’s law partners in the Turks and Caicos, with POULIN participating by teleconference. During this meeting, at the instruction of POULIN and his law partner, the two agents executed paperwork allowing POULIN to establish an offshore foundation called “Zero Exposure Inc.” On or about December 17, 2013, the agent caused $200,000, represented to be part of the proceeds ofUCA-3’s bank fraud, to be wired from a Bank of America, N.A. (“Bank of America”) account established in Arlington, Virginia, within the Eastern District of Virginia, account number ending in 6189, to an escrow account of defendant POULIN’s law ﬁrm in Turks and Caicos. On or about December 18, 2013, defendant POULIN conﬁrmed receipt of the

$200,000. On or about the same date, “Zero Exposure Inc.” foundation was established in Turks and Caicos. On or about December 18, 2013, defendant POULIN caused $200,000 to be wired from Turks and Caicos to the Cayman Islands. On or about December 31, 2013, defendants VANDYK and ST-CYR confirmed receipt of the $200,000 and began to invest and manage the money on behalf of the two agents. On or about January 12, 2014, defendant POULIN caused a package to be sent via international mail from Quebec, Canada, to an address in Arlington, Virginia, within the Eastern District of Virginia. The package contained a form that identified the undercover agent as a beneficial owner of”Zero Exposure Inc.,” and authorized transfer of the entirety of the $2 million that the third agent had represented to be the proceeds of his bank fraud scheme to Turks and Caicos and thereafter to an account with Company C in the Cayman Islands. The Court document also revealed that on or about January 16, 2014, two agents met defendants VANDYK and ST-CYR in the Cayman Islands. During this meeting, VANDYK and ST-CYR indicated that use of a foundation as intermediary was the preferable process for money laundering, while use of a trust intermediary was sufficient for tax evasion. VANDYK and ST-CYR also indicated that they would charge clients more to launder criminal proceeds than to assist in tax evasion. At the meeting on or about January 16, 2014, defendants VANDYK and ST-CYR agreed to return the $200,000 in bank fraud proceeds that was transferred through defendant POULIN to the Cayman Islands so that the two federal agents could see how the money would come back into the United States before engaging in further business with VANDYK, ST-CYR, and POULIN. On or about January 16, 2014, defendant ST-CYR, and the two agents called defendant POULIN, who agreed to serve as an intermediary in returning the $200,000 in bank fraud proceeds to the United States. On or about February 3, 2014, defendants VANDYK and ST-CYR caused the undercover agent’s investments to be liquidated and caused $197,115.68 to be wired from the Cayman Islands to Turks and Caicos. On or about February 14, 2014, defendant POULIN caused $197,115.68 to be wired from Turks and Caicos to a Branch Banking and Trust Company (“BB&T”) account for an entity based in Chesterfield, Virginia, within the Eastern District of Virginia, account number.

SHEBA WILSON APPOINTED CHAIRPERSON OF IMMIGRATION BOARD

s. Sheba Wilson has been appointed chairman of the Turks and Caicos Islands Immigration Board. Her appointment was approved by Cabinet on Wednesday March 19th for a period of one year commencing April 1st, 2014. The other Immigration Board appointments are: Devon Williams, Clayton E. Been, Jamal Missick and Justin Missick. The appointments are made in accordance with the

provisions of the Immigration Ordinance. Cabinet also approved the appointment of the following members to the Tourist Board for a period of one year commencing April 1st 201: Kingsley Been (Chair), Trevor Musgrove (Deputy Chair), Adrian Williams, Stacy Cox, Delthia Russell, Savitri Daniel, and Takara Bain. The appointments are made in accordance with the provisions of the Tourism Ordinance.

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LOCAL NEWS

Another new FBO in the Turks and Caicos Islands S

ignature Flight Support, a BBA Aviation company, announced today that it has signed an agreement with Blue Heron Aviation Ltd. (“Blue Heron”) of the Turks and Caicos Islands to license Blue Heron’s new Fixed Base Operation, which is under construction at Providenciales International Airport (MBPV). The new FBO will provide customers with a modern and contemporary style facility, consisting of a 6,800 square foot terminal, with lounges and office space, 11 acres of aircraft parking and hangar facility. The FBO will offer full ground handling, fueling and the full portfolio of Signature’s services including its loyalty program Signature TailWins®. The FBO will open in the fall of 2014 in time for the peak travel season. Maria Sastre, President and Chief Operating Officer for Signature Flight Support stated, “This new Signature Flight Support location in the Turks and Caicos is a continuation of our strategic expansion in the Caribbean. Signature Turks and Caicos is currently under construction designed to the highest standards of a world-class FBO. Our focus on delivering exceptional service and safety combined with the finest facilities makes the Signature value proposition a differentiator at Providenciales International Airport.” “The Turks and Caicos jet market has seen substantial growth over the past decade and we anticipate that this trend will continue. Our new FBO will offer outstanding quality of customer service and facilities which are essential to service this expanding market. The design of the FBO boasts modern technology and energy efficient features such as solar power. We are excited to be working with Signature Flight Support who will bring their expertise and knowledge of the global market, enabling us to deliver the service expected of a world-class FBO”, commented Michel Neutelings of Blue Heron. The Turks and Caicos Islands consist of 40 islands and cays located 550 miles southeast of Mi-

ami, Florida and just below the Bahamas chain. The destination is fast becoming one of the most sought after vacation destinations in the Caribbean due to its world class hotels, villas, restaurants and spas, award-winning beaches, crystal-clear waters and exceptional outdoor adventures. The world’s third largest barrier reef surrounds Turks and Caicos providing superior scuba diving, deep sea fishing and fly fishing. The islands boast 350 days of annual sunshine and a tropical marine climate. Blue Heron Aviation Ltd is a Turks and Caicos Company owned by investors and residents who have significant investments in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Signature Flight Support Corporation, a BBA Aviation plc company, is the world’s largest fixedbase operation (FBO) and distribution network for business aviation services. Signature services include fueling, hangar and office rentals, ground handling, maintenance and a wide range of crew and passenger amenities at strategic domestic and international locations. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, Signature currently operates at more than 100 locations in the United States, Europe, South America, Africa and Asia. BBA Aviation plc is a leading global aviation support and aftermarket services provider. BBA Aviation’s Flight Support businesses (Signature Flight Support and ASIG) provide specialist on-airport support services, including refuelling and ground handling, to the owners and operators of private, business, military and commercial aircraft. BBA Aviation’s Aftermarket Services businesses (Dallas Airmotive, Premier Turbines, H+S Aviation, International Turbine Service, W. H. Barrett Turbine Engine Company, International Governor Services and Ontic) are focused on the repair and overhaul of gas turbine engines and the service of aerospace components, sub-systems and systems. BBA Aviation group companies operate from more than 220 individual locations on five continents.

Grenada, West Indies

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

19-year-old Luvest Malcolm wanted by the police

he Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force has issued an all points bulletin for the capture of 19 year-old Luvest Malcom, who they believe can assist them in their investigation in relation to a number of aggravated burglaries across Providenciales in recent time. The police said Malcom, who of a Kew Town address in Providenciales, is wanted as a person of interest relating to the crimes. The police have described Malcolm as armed and extremely dangerous, and should approach with extreme caution.

Luvest Malcolm The police, who described Malcolm as of dark complexion, 6ft, slim build and brown eyes, said that anyone having information on his whereabouts should contact the police or dial 911. In recent time the police have reported a series of aggravated burglaries across Providenciales, a lot of which are committed against occupants of villas. The latest such crime was reported on Wednsday (March 19) in the Turtle Cove area of Providenciales, where two villas were broken into and occupants robbed.

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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Two more robberies at tourist villas A

rmed bandits continue to hurt the tourism industry by targeting tourists for their criminal acts. Police are investigating two aggravated robberies that took place on Wednesday March 19th. In the first robbery, a man and his family were held at gunpoint at a villa. According to a statement from Police press relations officer Audley Astwood, it was about 2:59 a.m. on Wednesday when a 41-year-old male was woken by a strange noise and got out of his bed and was immediately confronted by two masked male intruders brandishing firearms dressed in black. Astwood said one of the masked men struck the male on his head with a gun and demanded cash. Both suspects then fled the scene with one white Notebook computer, One white Iphone 4s and drove off in a silver Nissan Sunny Car which was rented by the 41 year old male. Police were called to the villa in Long Bay where they established a crime scene which was examined by forensic officers. A search of the area was also conducted, however, the two armed men were not located. The man received a wound to his head as a result of being struck with a firearm. He was taken to Cheshire Hall Medical Centre in a stable condition and later released. No one else was harmed during this incident. In the other incident, a man and woman were held at gunpoint at a villa about 4:36 a.m. Astwood said a 50 year old male awoke to discover that two masked males brandishing firearms had gained entry to the vil-

la that he was renting. One of the masked men stabbed the 50 year old male in his head with a screw driver and demanded cash. Astwood said the suspects took the victims ATM bank card and demanded the pin number, which was given. One of the suspects stayed with the victims and the other went to the ABM machine for cash but he was unsuccessful in obtaining cash and returned to the villa. Both suspects then fled the scene on foot with a Cannon 3i Rebel Camera, Apple Macbook Pro, Cannon 7000 camera, a 40 inch Sharp Television, a Rolex watch, a RBC bank card, a sum of cash in United States and Canadian currencies, a blue and white purse, one black bag, one small pocket Canon, two silver rings and a silver bracelet. Police were called to Coconut Road where they established a crime scene which was examined by forensic officers. A search of the area was also conducted, however, the two armed men were not located. The 50 year old male received a wound to his head as a result of being stabbed with a screw driver. He was taken to Cheshire Hall Medical Centre in a stable condition and later released. No one else was harmed during this incident. Detectives from the RTCIPF are conducting inquiries into the incident are appealing for the public’s help to identify the offenders involved. Astwood said the offenders in both incident have been described as being skinny in stature and about six feet tall and the other offender has been described as short with a stocky build and about five feet, ten inches tall.

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LOCAL NEWS Almost half of TCI businesses have no categories

ince 40 per cent of all businesses in the Turks and Caicos Islands are licensed under the miscellaneous category, the Dr. Rufus Ewing administration, through the Ministry of Finance, Trade and Investment will conduct a review of government’s Business Licensing Administration so that these unassigned businesses are categorized. As a result, the ministry has extended all current business licenses to June 30, 2014 to facilitate the change, a statement from that ministry has noted. The move is taking place under the Revenue Rationalisation Strategy. “As part of its Revenue Rationalisation Strategy, the Turks and Caicos Government is reviewing the Business Licensing Administration with a view to expanding the number of categories to ensure that businesses are registered in the appropriate categories and paying the fees applicable to the category in which they are operating. Currently almost 40 per cent of businesses are licensed under the miscellaneous category. “To facilitate the smooth transition, all licenses issued between April 1st, 2013 and March 31, 2014 will be given an extension of their validity until June 30, 2014. The revised Business License categories and fees, where applicable, would take effect on July 1, 2014 and annual-

ly thereafter on July1,” the statement said. Under the review, which the government said in the end should support small businesses; there could be a readjustment of fees, among other things. “As part of the process, revisions will be made to the fee structure and the reserve category, as well as the creation of a restricted category in keeping with Government Policy to empower TC Islanders and support small business start-up,” the government statement further noted. A notice of the new categories and fees will be published by May 1st, 2014 to give businesses ample time to inform themselves of the proposed changes. In the meantime, the government has warned that the applications for business licenses holders with outstanding payments will be refused. “License holders are also being reminded that business licenses will not be considered for renewal until all arrears associated with these licenses are cleared. Additionally, business owners should familiarise themselves with all the requirements of the Business Licencing Ordinance as well as that of other legislation such as Planning, Environmental Health and Immigration which could impact the granting of a Business Licence,” the statement said.

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LOCAL NEWS

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Property tax would not work for TCI – Government T

he introduction of property tax could be cumbersome for the Turks and Caicos Islands in a number of ways and that is why the Dr. Rufus Ewing Administration has decided not to go with it as their broad-base tax solution. Premier Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing and his ﬁnance minister Hon. Washington Misick, both said that property tax, also pitched as infrastructural development tax, could even result in legal issues for government. As they made presentations at the Providenciales Chamber of Commerce-convened town hall

meeting at the Gustarvus Lightbourne Complex on Tuesday (March 18), they said there are a number of things to take into consideration when talking about placing levy on proper tax. “One of them has to do with the difﬁculty to catalog all the property. And then one of the others is – and I understand that it happens in places like the BVI and the Bahamas –the levy would have to be relatively low and people would ignore it, and government would only have an opportunity to it (collect) when the property is sold,” Misick asserted. He noted that the agreement with investors to

bring their business to Turks and Caicos could also serve as a hindrance to tax properties. “There are other issues relating to the collection of the levy. The high-end property, because of the model that we have to use to get development going in this country, there are some legal issues as to whether government can actually charge tax. And if some of the people don’t pay, we may actually ﬁnd ourselves in a huge legal battle, and so all of these things are going to take on legal opinion and to work through, to see whether in the ﬁrst place we can do it,” he said.

Minutes from March 19th Cabinet meeting H

is Excellency the Governor, Peter Beckingham, chaired the meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday 19 March 2014 at the House of Assembly Building on Grand Turk. All Ministers were present. At this meeting Cabinet: • Advised H.E. the Governor that the Rehabilitation of Offenders Bill 2014 be introduced to the House of Assembly. The Bill provides for the rehabilitation of offenders who have not been reconvicted of any offence for a period of years; • Approved revised business license fees and categories which will come into effect on 1 April 2014; applicants will have until June 30, 2014 to pay the difference in rates between old and new fees; • Considered the Hotel and Restaurant (Taxation) Amendment Bill 2014 and agreed to delay changes to the imposition of the Hotel

and Restaurants Tax on restaurants and tourism related services provided by independent service providers until 1 July 2014; • Approved the appointment of the following members to the Immigration Board for a period of one year commencing 1 April 2014 as follows; Sheba Wilson (Chair), Clayton E Been, Jamal Missick, Justin Missick and Devon Williams. The appointments are made in accordance with the provisions of the Immigration Ordinance; • Approved the appointment of the following members to the Tourist Board for a period of one year commencing 1 April 2014 as follows: Kingsley Been (Chair), Trevor Musgrove (Deputy Chair), Adrian Williams, Stacy Cox, Delthia Russell, Savitri Daniel, and Takara Bain. The appointments are made in accordance with the provisions of the Tourism Ordinance;

• Approved the appointment of Ms Madeline Potter and the re-appointment of Mr Floyd Seymour to the National Insurance Board as per provisions in the National Insurance Ordinance for a period of three years; • Noted the recommendations of the Procurement Board on the award of the following contracts: Construction of Coastal Radar Sea Wall Providenciales; Purchase of Vehicle for Office of the Premier; Purchase of Furniture for Office of the Deputy Governor; Artificial Habitat for Caribbean Spiny Lobster; Purchase of Furniture for the office of the Premier; Tender for Primary Restoration M.Y. White Cloud Injury Site, Northwest Point National Park; Purchase of Vehicles for Vector Control. In addition Cabinet commissioned a report on procedures for the award of contracts to be conducted by the In-

ternal Auditor by the end of May; • Approved a delay in the implementation date for the move from Free On Board (FOB) to Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) customs duty until 1 July 2014, and the corresponding Legislative Amendments, which will come into force on the same date; • Approved, effective July 1 2014 reductions in the rate of customs duty on a range of essential commodities aligned to ongoing Consumer Price Index ‘Basket of Goods’ work; • Approved that TCIG enter into a long term lease agreement with Mr Franklyn Missick for a two storey building on Church Folly, Grand Turk to accommodate the Integrity Commission and with Mr Antonio Clark for a building on Waterloo Road, Grand Turk to accommodate the Audit Department and the Complaints Commissioner.

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

MARCH 22ND - MARCH 29TH, 2014

Page 11

LOCAL NEWS

Which former executive implicated Sandals in TCI corruption? (From the Jamaica Observer)

attempt by a fraud accused to link the ATL pension trial to an old investigation implicating Sandals hotel chain in the Turks and Caicos Islands, has raised speculation about the identity of the unnamed former Sandals executive ďŹ ngered by authorities. Patrick Lynch, the former chairman of the pension fund, brought up the old TCI case in a statement to the Financial Services Commission (FSC), after he was arrested and charged for fraud. Last week, defence attorneys at the trial suggested that the TCI corruption case was behind Lynchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current woes. But prosecutors in the trial rubbished the link between the local and TCI cases as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;red herringâ&#x20AC;? to divert attention away from the alleged forgery of four letters to deceive that consent was given for the distribution of $1.7 billion in pension fund surplus. Lynch, former chairman of the pension scheme and, according to the prosecution, the alleged mastermind behind the conspiracy; Jeffrey Pyne, former managing director of Gorstew, Gordon â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Butchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Stewartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s holding company and Catherine Barber, former general manager of the pension fund, are jointly charged with fraud over the distribution from which they beneďŹ ted. The three former executives have been before the St Andrew Resident Magistrateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Court in Half-Way-Tree for just over a year. After suffering a third consecutive major blow when the presiding magistrate, Lorna Shelly-Williams, threw out their latest submission in the case, the defence reached for the TCI incident.

But the reference to the TCI case appears to have backďŹ red by raising speculation about the identity of a former Sandals executive whose action implicated Sandals in the TCI, causing the company to pay US$12 million to settle the case. Prosecutors wondered aloud why mention was not made by defence lawyers Frank Phipps, QC, representing Lynch, and Deborah Martin, representing Barber, that the old case was settled with Sandals principals being exonerated, after the errant executive undertook an illegal transaction in the TCI several years ago. Pyne is represented by KD Knight, QC and John Junor. In the TCI case, Sandals was notiďŹ ed by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) of certain payments which had been made to former premier, Michael Misick. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We retained a leading international forensic ďŹ rm, along with our US attorneys, to investigate the matter and it was revealed that a senior ofďŹ cer of the company at the time had made these unauthorised payments. No other ofďŹ cer of the Group was implicated,â&#x20AC;? Sandals said in response to media queries. The DOJ undertook a thorough investigation and concluded that Sandalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; co-operation was â&#x20AC;&#x153;both unique and extraordinary and included the early and voluntary release of valuable evidenceâ&#x20AC;?. Based on the outcome of the probe, the DOJ declined to prosecute Sandals, the company conďŹ rmed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;However, we were advised by our attorneys that the actions of a senior ofďŹ cer bind the company, with the result that a settlement was made with the Special Investigations Prosecution Team (SIPT) in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

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Are you a people person? Join a WHDP ZKHUH SHRSOH FRPH Ă&#x20AC;UVW About Us â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A leading player in the retail insurance sector, the Colonial Group, with RYHU HPSOR\HHV DQG RIĂ&#x20AC;FHV LQ %HUPXGD 7KH %DKDPDV WKH %ULWLVK 9LUJLQ ,VODQGV WKH &D\PDQ ,VODQGV DQG 7KH 7XUNV &DLFRV RIIHUV D FRPSOHWH UDQJH RI SUHPLHU Ă&#x20AC;QDQFLDO DQG LQVXUDQFH VHUYLFHV WR RXU LQGLYLGXDO DQG FRUSRUDWH FOLHQWV :H NQRZ WKDW RXU SURGXFWV PDNH D UHDO GLIIHUHQFH WR RXU FOLHQWV DQG WKHLU IDPLOLHV The Role â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Reporting to the General Manager, you will be responsible for providing superior customer service to clients, whether in person or on the phone, ensuring clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s understanding and satisfaction of their Property and Casualty LQVXUDQFH EHQHĂ&#x20AC;WV <RX ZLOO DVVLVW FOLHQWV ZLWK PRWRU DQG SURSHUW\ LQVXUDQFH underwriting; including set up and renewal of personal insurance policies, accepting SUHPLXP SD\PHQWV XSGDWLQJ DQG FKDQJLQJ SROLF\ LQIRUPDWLRQ ,Q DGGLWLRQ \RX ZLOO EH UHVSRQVLEOH IRU DGPLQLVWUDWLYH DQG FOHULFDO GXWLHV WR VXSSRUW WKH HIĂ&#x20AC;FLHQW DQG HIIHFWLYH UXQQLQJ RI WKH RIĂ&#x20AC;FH ([FHOOHQW DQG LQQRYDWLYH FXVWRPHU VHUYLFH GHOLYHU\ LV important to us, critical to our strategic objective of business retention and growth DQG DSSOLHV WR DOO UROHV DFURVV WKH *URXS The Person Â˛ 7KH SUHIHUUHG FDQGLGDWH ZLOO KDYH D PLQLPXP RI \HDUV H[SHULHQFH in a customer-facing insurance operation, preferably in property and casualty LQVXUDQFH <RX ZLOO DOVR KDYH H[FHSWLRQDO FRPPXQLFDWLRQ DGPLQLVWUDWLYH DQG RUJDQL]DWLRQDO VNLOOV DV ZHOO DV EH SURĂ&#x20AC;FLHQW LQ WKH 0LFURVRIW 6XLWH RI SURGXFWV 7KH %HQHĂ&#x20AC;WV Â˛ 7KH VDODU\ UDQJH LV 86' 86' GHSHQGLQJ RQ H[SHULHQFH DQG TXDOLĂ&#x20AC;FDWLRQV :H DOVR RIIHU DQ DWWUDFWLYH EHQHĂ&#x20AC;WV SDFNDJH To Apply â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Please send your resume/cv to our Human Resources at hr_manager_ EP#FRORQLDO EP &ORVLQJ GDWH IRU DSSOLFDWLRQV LV 0DUFK

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Speculation had been rife at the time as to which former Sandals executive was guilty of the illegal TCI transaction and whether any of the three former executives in the pension fraud trial was that individual. Sandals was constrained not to call names by a privacy agreement as part of the settlement and the fact that the company â&#x20AC;&#x153;has instituted legal proceedings in The Bahamas to recover the unauthorised paymentsâ&#x20AC;?, thus rendering the matter sub judice. It was not clear why Lynch would have mentioned the matter to the FSC, since he was apparently not the former executive implicated, unless he knew the identity of the former executive and wanted to help his case. In the ATL pension case, Lynch is accused of masterminding the production of four letters, to show that consent was given for the distribution of funds, after Stewart questioned his decision. The letters were backdated, according to evidence at the trial, and signed by Pyne seven months after he had left the company. Barber took the letters to Stewart. An American forensic document analyst, Erich Speckin found in scientific tests that the letters were signed one on top of the other, causing impressions from the 1998 letter to be on the 2002 letter which should not yet have been in existence. All the letters were artificially aged, the expert testified. So far, the defence has rarely touched the four letters in their cross-examination, after 52 days of hearings covering a full year. The trial resumes on Monday, March 24 when dates will be set for the defence to make nocase submissions.

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LOCAL NEWS

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Ground breaks for Sailrock’s The Villas at Great House in South Caicos G

round had been broken for the construction of The Villas at Great House South Caicos, which is described as a component of the Sailrock Resort development. The ground-breaking exercise took place on Tuesday (March 18) and approximately 150 persons, including His Excellency Governor Peter Beckingham; Premier Hon. Rufus Ewing, Deputy Premier Hon. Akierra Missick; Leader of the Opposition Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson and Shadow Minister for Education Hon. Josephine Connolly were on hand to witness the event. The ﬁrst phase of this project will consist of Beach Front Villas, Ridgetop Villas and the Great House. Construction of the ﬁrst phase will be completed in 2015. Set on 42 acres, this low-density resort embraces the spirit of the true Caribbean experience – outdoor oriented, informal, tranquil and welcoming. Fully furnished two-, three- and four-bedroom Beach Villas are available starting at $895,000 and Ridgetop Villas are offered starting at $300,000. Sited at elevations ranging from 30 to 50 feet above sea-level, all residences command spectacular ocean views.

The Villas at Great House will serve as the focal point for Sailrock. Great House with its restaurant, bar, lounge, fresh market and stunning inﬁnity edge pool will offer all the desired modern amenities. The resort is the anchor for Sailrock, providing amenities and management to the whole of the Sailrock community. With clean Caribbean architecture and large shaded verandas, the emphasis is on casual comfort and laid back outdoor living. To maintain a carefully protected ecosystem, strict development guidelines for construction have been implemented to ensure that as much as possible of South Caicos’ natural assets are preserved for all to enjoy. Miles of nature trails will welcome nature lovers and hikers to the large areas of open space that will be forever preserved as wildlife habitat. Sailrock is being developed by Sailrock Development Limited, an afﬁliate of CMK BWI Limited. The principals of Sailrock are responsible for completed projects with values in excess of three billion dollars. In each of their projects, they never waver from their dedication to quality, value and intelligent design.

According to the developers construction of the first phase is to complete by 2015. One of the developers, Colin Kihnke, said that the hope to complete phase one in 18 months. He said that since the Great House is the name of the project, all the units are branded to it. He said also that so far all its workers are Turks and Caicos Islanders and the construction company that also working on the site is local. “We are starting construction now. We are literally on the excavated site now. We would anticipate that the first villas, which will be five ocean front villas, and two ridge-top villas and the great house and the component itself would be completed within 18 months. This is a low density, eco-friendly project, and we are impacting the native vegetations as little as possible,” Kihnke said. Grant Noble, another of the developers said that when the project starts in earnest, about 80 percent of employees has to be Belongers. He said the 20 percent work permit holders would be mainly be specialists. In the meantime, Premier Ewing has lauded Sailrock for its initiative in working with the community and pointed out that his

government is looking to forge an apprenticeship programme alliance with the resort so that it would be able to train young Turks and Caicos Islanders for the hospitality industry. “Sailrock is one of those developers who have been working with the community and they make a point of contacting local persons in putting them on the job. They now need to go on a programme of training, bringing persons on board even at the advance of the resort fully opening, trying to get the training and apprenticeship programme going. “We want to do a programme with them similar to what we do at Beaches in terms of certifying students that they offered to bring on. This would probably be done after the development of the villas is complete,” the Premier said. In the meantime, His Excellency Governor Beckingham said that he has no doubt that the project would be great for South Caicos, saying that it is situated in a wonderful location. The governor said also that he is convinced that the developers have South Caicos at heart and was not in the TCI to make some quick money and to get out.

$600 MILLION FOREIGN-DIRECT DEVELOPMENT INTEREST FOR TCI

he Turks and Caicos Islands is projected to see about $600 million worth of foreign direct development over the course of 2014 and 2015, Finance Minister Hon. Washington Misick told a Providenciales Chamber of Commerce-convened town hall-style meeting at the Gustarvus Lightbourne Complex, on Tuesday (March 18). The finance minister, who together with the government was invited to reveal its proposed revenue-raising mechanism for the upcoming fiscal year, said that the Turks and Caicos Islands remains extremely attractive to foreign investors, and if everything goes well, there should be a groundswell of new development in the country beginning later this year. “There is $600 million in foreign-direct projects that are to be started in 2014/2015, and they continue to come, and the government is trying to move as fast as possible to expedite that. We will be putting additional support in the Investment Unit and eventually upgrade it to an investment agency, and that agency would be responsible for promoting business for the entire Turks and Caicos, excluding the tourism, which continues to be supported by the Tourist Board. “The interest in the Turks and Caicos Islands is very high and it continues to grow. I had a meeting today (Tuesday, March 18) with a major investor, looking to do another investment in Provo. So I know that we can do this if we put our minds to it,” he said. He said the investment opportunities could open the door for a ballooning of local small business development, thereby reducing the cost of living and increase wealth among local Turks and Caicos Islanders. The added benefit for the Turks and Caicos Islands, the minis-

ter said is that government would begin to earn more to support its bills since the tax burden would be spread further, and lessen the lumber its taxpayers. “And so, there will be opportunities for careers in small businesses, this is going to happen because of that (foreign direct investments), rebalance the system to reduce the cost of living and spread the tax burden according to our ability to pay. He said that the current growth rate of the economy is 3.5 percent but government would be looking to increase it to 7.5 percent an average by 2016 and beyond, noting that his administration will be pushing improve the quality of life for citizens. “Now, the emphasis on our growth is going to be quality; to improve the quality of life and standard of living. If we focus on economic development it means that the little man has the opportunity to move to the middle class, the small business has the opportunity to grow into a big business,” he said. He added: “That policy is to facilitate economic development and protect the vulnerable. The plan is to target substantial cost-reduction by 2016 and thereafter, and I can tell you tonight that we are already making some strides.” Against that background, the ﬁnance minister implores the country to work with his administration as it endeavors to put the Turks and Caicos Islands back on the path to growth and development, by putting in revenue-raising measures. “TCIG is implementing an ambitious plan to increase and to support a recovery. We have to be real because it is going to impact the reality of what we decide today and will impact what happens tomorrow up to 2016 and beyond,” he said.

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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LOCAL NEWS

Police say members of the public know something about Robbie Been’s death BY VIVIAN TYSON

he Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force Detectives probing the shooting death of Providenciales businessman Robert ‘Robbie’ Been believe that members of the public may have some level of knowledge of the murder and are asking those persons to come forward so they would be able to solve the crime. Since Been’s murder on Tuesday, March 4 inside his Turquoise Plaza parking lot, the police have hinted that they are no closer to making an arrest despite interviewing a number of persons as part of their investigation. At a news conference hosted at the Police Headquarters on Providenciales on Friday, March 14, the police said while they have interviewed a number of persons as witnesses, they were yet to interview any as suspects, while declining to state whether or not they are closer to making an arrest. Detective Inspector Grantley Williams, told the media that the police are convinced that there are persons out there who may have inside information on the killing and, for some reason or another, are not coming forward and tell what they know. “We definitely believe that somebody might have seen something; somebody might have some information that we may be able to use to solve this crime. We have collected a number of witness statements, but have not been able to arrest anyone as yet,” he said. Williams assured that if someone out there that has information of the crime and does not feel confident enough to tell the police, they could contact Crimestoppers, any pastor or confidante to tell them of the information, and they in turn would turn over the information to the police.

Detective Inspector Grantley Williams

Inspector Hilton Duncan

Williams told the media that while the police obtained surveillance camera footage from the scene with one gunman carrying out the slaying, the quality of the video is so poor that they are unable to identify the shooter and the others in the vehicle. “It (surveillance cameras) captured the actual incident, but you can’t distinguish the individuals, who would have done it. Obviously, we would have picked up the individuals who had done it; (if the surveillance cameras were visually sound) we would have gone to pick up those individuals already, but at the moment, we are unable to identify the individuals involved in the incident. There are two persons at least, there is a shooter and somebody who drives the van,” Williams said.

He said that the shooter used a handgun to carry out the killing. The police maintained that if robbery is on their list of motives, it would be at the bottom of the list, since Been was not robbed by his killers. In the meantime, Inspector attached to the CID, Hilton Duncan, said that when it comes to questioning, no one is off limits. “We have been doing the investigation, we have been questioning people, and we are going mainly according to the judge’s rules, which give us the permission to question anybody from whom we think useful information can be obtained. So that is where we are at the moment. We are basically questioning people to see what we can get to move forward. We are entitled to question anyone, even you, the journalists,” he explained.

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MARCH 22ND - MARCH 29TH, 2014

LOCAL NEWS

GOT U COVERED Seeks

Banned Carnival cruise passenger’s ship-jumping video earning him cash

BY VIVIAN TYSON

MARKETING COORDINATOR Must have at least 5 years experience in marketing business and coordinating events Must be hardworking and reliable Salary $15.00 per hour Interested person should contact

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

946-5133

:$17('

Learn & Lead Educational Center Is seeking

part-time teachers

DOMESTIC WORKER CAREGIVER Salary $5.00 per hour

Contact Delthia Russell 244-3572

with a strong background in working with Exceptional Learners, particularly those who require speech, language and behavioral interventions. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications. Please send resume to

yrobinson@learnandleadec.com

esmerized by of the beautiful by nature aqua disposition and crisp tropical climate of Grand Turk, a few minutes to dock appeared forever for a Carnival Cruise Line Passenger, who on February 27, hurled himself overboard from the deck to frolic in the country’s clear turquoise waters. Jason Clark, 23, a certified flight instructor at Bountiful Flight and Sales Associate at Adrenaline Moto in Salt Lake City, Utah, was of course penalized for his cardinal sin and was kicked from cruise and banned from future Carnival cruises. But the video camera Clark attached to himself recorded him gamboling in the water near the shoreline, meant that he had the time of his life here, even though he did not get to see other destinations. And apparently the flight instructor has no regrets as he announced on his Facebook page that his action was earning him added income, since media outlets that have been lining up to use his video, which has gone viral, are paying him for it. “This is hilarious! My video is already making me money,” he said. Despite being booted off the cruise and band from future ones, Clark said he had a whale of a time in TCI and is looking forward to coming back soon. “I love the people of Turks and Caicos! They are all great people, some of the nicest people there are. I will for sure to be back to the island as soon as possible,” he said. Some media houses who carried the story have described Clark – who also loves to ride mountain bikes and jumps from 50feet cliffs - as a daredevil for pulling off the stunt, while agreeing with Clark when he

Jason Clark said the water was too irresistible not to jump in. One online media outlet report is as follows: “On 27th February 2014, an American tourist daredevil “Jason Clark” jumped off a Carnival Cruise Ship from the deck while the ship was moving slowly past a beach on Grand Turk Island (Turks and Caicos Islands). He stated he couldn’t resist the beautiful waters.” There are mixed reactions to by fans on his Facebook page. Some have been giving him kudus, while others are advising him to be careful next time. Judeley Amy wrote: “Jason, I think the Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board should bring you back in the Island on free trip. Honestly, you deserve it.” Peter Quelch wrote: “Your actions has consequences dude. You could have seriously hurt yourself, or even worst got bitten by a shark. The ocean was only a few feet away. Be thankful that you didn’t get locked up. There are other ways to enjoy the beautiful waters here in the TCI, next time do it the right way, but don’t jump from your plane. Lol.” Pastor Oswald Skippings wrote: “The pristine turquoise waters of the Turks and Caicos are simply irresistible.”

Parent Workshop: Raising Resilient Kids O

n Wednesday 26th of March 2014, Learn and Lead Educational Center will continue its series in Parent Workshops with “Raising Resilient Kids”. This month’s workshop will focus on our primary age children and will highlight ways to develop resilience in them. As our children grow, mature and develop with the changing world around them, we as parents and teachers need to ensure they are well equipped with the personal skills they need to succeed. Too often, we take for granted the pressures and setbacks our children face, especially at school and falsely believe they are coping well.

M.V.A SEEKS

1 Mason Salary $7.00 per hour

6 days per week

Contact

242-3450

Raising Resilient Kids addresses learning to empathize with our children and their failures, and helping them to build perseverance as they learn from their mistakes. This workshop aims to provide parents with some of the support they need to help their children develop the conﬁdence and independence required to be the resilient kids of today. Join us for an evening of knowledge sharing and discussion as we explore ways to Raise Resilient Kids. For more information or to register visit us at www.learnandleadec.com or call 946– 8513. The workshop time is from 6:30pm-8pm.

ADVERTISE WITH THE TCI SUN CALL 9468542 FOR SPECIAL RATES

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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MARCH 22ND - MARCH 29TH, 2014

LOCAL NEWS

Beaches donates over $5,000 worth of passes to local teachers T

eachers across the Turks and Caicos Islands received over $5000.00 worth of Day and Evening passes courtesy of Beaches Resort and its philanthropic arm the Sandals Foundation for education week. The theme of education week - Promoting Education through Teacher’s Appreciation - celebrated our nation’s educators and Beaches wanted to show both public and private instructors just how important they are. Many of the teachers were delighted to be honored in such a lavish way and were overjoyed to receive the passes to visit the “Luxury Included” resort. Anthony Hislop, Vice Principal of Raymond Gardiner in North Caicos was particularly pleased seeing as some of the schools in the outer islands can occasionally be overlooked. “I am indeed very grateful! On behalf of Raymond Gardiner High School we would like to thank Beaches resort for the contribution they have made to this year’s Teachers appreciation,” he said, “Not just to North Caicos but the whole TCI the many education community as whole.” He continued “This type of encouragement will no doubt enhance the overall growth of education in this nation.” Not only did Beaches donate passes, they also honored teachers in a few amusing and memorable ways. To jumpstart the week, Beaches Turks and Caicos hosted a remarkable breakfast for the teachers of Enid Capron Primary School - one of their sponsored schools. The teachers dined on a dec-

ELANOR FINFIN KRZANOWSKI WITH ENID CAPRON PRIMARY SCHOOLTEACHER adent meal and were able to take time out of their busy schedules to relax and unwind. Amongst many other exciting activities that Beaches sponsored for Education week – there was also an extravagant three course meal served to teachers to end the weekly celebrations. Beaches catered to over one hundred teachers from Clement Howell High School and Enid Capron Primary School to dine from an amazing selection of food. All of the teachers were ushered into the Grand Ballroom, which was beautifully decorated with ﬂowers and balloons to set the theme for the cheerful teachers. Mrs. Rachel Taylor, principal of Enid Capron Primary School expressed her gratitude by saying- “Teacher’s appreciation is very important to the overall moral of any school, I am glad that our corporate sponsor Beaches Turk &

BCQS LIMITED Seeks A Chartered Surveyor The successful applicant must possess • Associate Membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors or equivalent. • BSc in Urban Estate Management of RICS-recognised qualification. • Five years post qualification work experience. • Computer literate with experience in Word, Excel, MS Project & Quickbooks.

Duties will include and candidates should have experience in: • Market appraisals and secured lending valuations. • Development feasibility studies. • Facilities and Asset portfolio Management. An annual salary of $42,000.00 plus performance related commission is offered for this position. The suitable candidate will be aged 33 - 45 years old and be able to work under his own initiative and be able to see through projects from concept to completion.

This position is available immediately and closing date for application is 4th April, 2014 Apply in writing to BCQS Limited, P. O. Box 158, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands or fax to 946-7184. Contact Simon Taylor on email: staylor@bcqs.com

es and spa passes as prizes to recognize our staff.” Beaches Turks and Caicos understand the importance of giving back to the community and know how important teachers are to society. “Teachers are the backbone of this country, they are responsible for shaping and molding the next generation of Turks & Caicos Islanders, it a hard job and you have true passion to make it work,” said Elanor Finﬁn Krzanowski, Public Relations Manager at the luxury resort. “I am glad that this year the Education Department have decided to celELANOR FINFIN KRZANOWSKI WITH TSIP ebrate Education Week in celebration PRINCIPAL WYANE JACKSON & TEACHER of Teacher’s appreciation, this gives the Caicos has taken time out of their busy corporate community an opportunischedule to celebrate Education week ty to partner with the schools and to with the Teachers of Enid Capron and bring much needed apperception to helping us show the appreciation that the faculty. This year was not only to our educators deserves. “ She went on recognize the hard working educators to say, “They have generously hosted a from our sponsored schools, but we Teacher’s Breakfast for us here at the wanted to extend the appreciation to school and also invited all of our teach- all Turks & Caicos teachers whether ers to a beautiful lunch at the resort. they teach at a private or public instituWe are very grateful for their continu- tion, we are very grateful that our Managing Director Donald Dagenais, generous support.” Mr. Gerald Persaud, principal of ously donated over 5K worth of Day/ Clement Howell High School who Evening passes for teachers to come an was also in attendance to the fabulous enjoy our Luxury included resort.” The pass allows the recipients to lunch date at Beaches was also delighted to have been honored in so many visit the resort in the day or night to different ways. “Beaches is our corpo- enjoy the luxurious amenities of four rate sponsor and has helped not only (4) separate villages; Caribbean, French, to recognize our teacher’s appreciation Italian and the newly opened Key West but help us celebrated in a wonderful Village. Teachers can enjoy dining at 19 way.” He said,” The resort hosted a lav- different restaurants, 14 bars, 10 pools ish lunch for all of the teachers and PTA and 9 waterslides and use all of faciliexecutives and also donated day pass- ties that the resort has to offer.

POSITIONS AVAILABLE Butterfield Gold

One (1) Labourer Physical, able-bodied individuals capable of lifting heavy loads Submit applications to by April 4, 2014 to:

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Wages: starting from

$6.00 per hour Tel:

649-946-4211

Page 16

MARCH 22ND - MARCH 29TH, 2014

LOCAL NEWS

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

PRC programme to be revamped encourage joint-venture small business enterprises BY VIVIAN TYSON

n one of its efforts to develop the small business sector, the Progressive National Party (PNP) Administration is revamping its Permanent Residency Certiﬁcate (PRC) programme to encourage partnership in the mushrooming small businesses across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Minister for Investment and Commerce Hon. Washington Misick made the announcement while addressing a town hall meeting at the Gustarvus Lightbourne Complex, downtown Providenciales, hosted by the Chamber of Commerce, which the Dr. Rufus Ewing government was invited to pitch its 2013/2014 economic plan. The ﬁnance minister said that since in most countries small businesses are the driver of the economy, it is critically important that such platform is developed in the Turks and Caicos Islands to foster growth. He believes that by broadening of the PRC programme, such goal can be achieved. “Small business is very critical. In most countries, small businesses make up about 50 percent or more of the total businesses in any country. And so, this is an area where we intend to focus on. We are looking at ways that we could develop that with some of our foreign-direct investment. “Right now we are revamping the PRC Programme. That programme in the past was based squarely on the ability to invest in property. We believe that it is extremely important that we broaden it to allow joint venture relationships between foreign-direct investments and with locals in order to develop the small business sector,” Misick emphasized. He said that revamping the PRC programme to foster developing of small businesses in the Turks and Caicos could be the panacea to satisfy-

Minister of Finance Washington Misick ing the job-seeking of the hundreds of youngsters leaving school each year.

He told the audience that government is also in the process of developing a vocational school and supporting programmes to satisfy those needs. “We have a lot of young people coming out of school, some of them coming out at the professional level. Some are attorneys, accountants, and mechanics and so on, so it is extremely important that we have a programme not only for people to get higher education, but for school-leavers to begin to work. “And so, we are in the process of developing a vocation school and programmes, and we are working with the private sector to ensure that there are mentoring and professional programmes to make sure that our young people have the first bite of any promotion and jobs that come as a result of strategy for growth and employment,” Misick pointed out. The finance minister said also that government would conduct a labour market survey so as to determine how many areas of profession the country needs in order to determine whether or not to look outside the borders of the country to satisfy those areas. “Government intends to conduct a labour market survey to determine how many plumbers we have, how many we need; how many electricians we have, how many we need; how many lawyers we have, many accountants, how many doctors and how many professions we need to establish without the shadow of doubt what the inventory of labour is in this country, so that we can structure an immigration policy that would not be arbitrary, it will be based on the facts. “The other measures will include the rate of economic growth by reduce the cost of getting into business by reducing the cost of imports and there are several others,” the finance minister said.

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LOCAL NEWS

BBC Two Takes Turks and Caicos to the Big Screen

he Turks and Caicos Islands hit the big screen globally, when BBC Two released their 90-minute drama “Turks and Caicos”, the sequel to 2011’s “Page Eight” and the second part of “The Worricker Trilogy” last night Thursday, March 20th at 9:00 PM. Written by playwright David Hare, the drama stars Bill Nighy as MI5 spy Johnny Worricker. The sequel finds Worricker out of a job, having walked away from the MI5. In search of a new life and a fresh start, he randomly opts for the obscure Turks and Caicos Islands in the British West Indies. Unfortunately for Worricker, once there, an encounter with a CIA agent forces him into the company of some dubious American businessmen who are visiting the islands for a high-level conference on the world financial crisis. As Worricker uncovers the extent of their nefarious schemes, he ends up having to fight for his own survival as he uncovers links to British Prime Minister Alec Beasley – the very man who led to his exile. Aside from the terrific plot courtesy of writer-director David Hare, “Turks and Caicos” features a phenomenal cast: Christopher Walken, Helena Bonham Carter, Winona Ryder and Ralph Fiennes all co-star alongside Nighy. “The Tourist Board is extremely excited that our destination received extensive promotion and publicity by being featured in BBC Two’s film,” said Director of Tourism, Mr. Ralph Higgs. “Even before its release, the film has been beneficial to the destination. The production of the film has been a revenue generator for the TCI economy, as several local persons were hired to facilitate the

filming or act as extras in the film, and BBC Two launched a massive campaign to promote the movie and therefore the destination.” Higgs added, “The Tourist Board will continue to work with local and international production companies to further promote our destination through film.” The 90-minute drama was filmed on Providenciales last year, 27th May – 18th June, by the production company Carnival Films, who are also responsible for Downton Abbey. Carib Media Solutions Ltd., a Turks and Caicos production services company, the local coordinators for the film, will host a premiere screening of the Worricker Trilogy: “Turks and Caicos” on May 2014. The details will follow in the next few weeks. According to Ms. Donna Davis and Mr. Brian Swann of Carib Media Solutions, “It was a pleasure working with Carnival Films and the Tourist Board to make this sequel the success it is expected to be. The Turks and Caicos Islands will garner global exposure for this film.” Persons interested in watching the movie can download the BBC iPlayer app on their iPad or Android tablet. It is free. Most BBC programs can be watched on BBC’s iPlayer for seven days. Programs normally appear on the iPlayer after they have been shown on television, i.e. the film “Turks and Caicos” became available on BBC’s iPlayer yesterday at 6:35PM Eastern Standard Time. The final installment of the trilogy, “Salting the Battlefield”, where Worricker is on the run in Europe, is expected to air next Thursday, March 27th at 9:00 PM according to reports.

LABOUR MARKET SURVEY TO BE ESTABLISHED BY VIVIAN TYSON

inance and Trade Minister Hon. Washington Misick said that government is planning to conduct a labour market survey to determine how many areas of profession the country needs in order to determine whether or not to look outside the borders to satisfy some of the openings in the local job market. The minister was speaking at a town hall-style meeting hosted on Tuesday (March 18) by the Providenciales Chamber of Commerce, at the Gustarvus Lightbourne Complex. The minister was also using the meeting to sell his proposed revenue-generating measures, which includes the introduction of a payroll tax. The ﬁnance minister pointed out that by conducting a labour market survey management, government would be able to implement a sound immigration policy, which would be able to do, among other things, limit the granting of permits for certain categories of professions, thereby creating more opportunities for Turks and Caicos Islanders. He said the survey, when completed, should be able to determine how many professions needs to be ﬁlled by work permit holders. “Government intends to conduct a labour market survey to determine how many plumbers we have, how many we need; how many electricians we have, how many we need; how many lawyers we have, many accountants, how many doctors, and how many professions we need to establish without the shadow of doubt what the inventory of labour is in this country, so that we can structure an immigration policy that would not be arbitrary,

but it will be based on the facts,” Misick asserted. He added: “The other measures will include the rate of economic growth by reducing the cost of getting into business, by reducing the cost of imports and there are several others. He said also that the policy, when developed, would also be able to create structure that would allow work permit holders to pay within the categories that they are working. He told the audience that there are a number of persons on work permits that are paying far below their category or work. “We have people in this country doing management jobs and paying labour’s permit. It is important that we restructure it so that people pay for the category for which they are working, and so we are looking at additional monies for these. We are looking at categorizing so that people are in the right category,” the ﬁnance minister said. In the meantime, Misick said that the current work permit response time is woefully inadequate, and government has realized this anomaly and will be taking steps to rectify it in this coming year. He cautioned however, that quicker response time does not necessarily mean the applicant would be granted work permit, but stressed that they would get a quicker response. “Government is doing everything it can to improve the business environment to one month. I want to make it clear; we are talking about the process. It does not mean you will get a work permit but you will get an answer in one month. It is very important for businesses to have certainty to know whether they would get a permit or not,” he said. From the re-categorization of work permits, government aims to raise $2.5 million.

Caicos Television Holding Ltd

Job Vacancy -Maintenance & Construction Supervisor Job Summary: Utilize Computer Aided Design software to design plant extension and system rebuilds/upgrade projects. Prepare cost estimates for minor and major plant extensions. Activate and troubleshoot nodes and Internet system problems. Splice and maintain the Fiber Optic system when necessary. Act as the company’s primary liaison with Residential, Commercial and Multi Dwelling Unit construction developers. Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Understand and follow all company safety standards and practices including but not limited to: vehicle safety, proper placement of traffic signs and cones. Understand and follow accident reporting procedures. Understand and follow applicable Electric Safety Code rules and regulations. • Have the ability to troubleshoot and maintain head-end equipment (fiber optic lasers, fiber optic splitters, modulators and RF combining network). • Supervise and train field technicians. • Have the ability to read and interpret, organize, update and maintain complete set(s) of system prints related to repairs to optimize system faults when necessary. • Utilize Signal Level Dsam-3600b and JDSU Dsam-6000 Cable meters w/VoIP/Web Browser and path track field view. • Must be willing and able to handle special projects. • Perform all job functions with the appropriate safety measures. • Must be capable of carrying heavy equipment and climbing 32ft ladders. • Must be able to work flexible hours, including weekends and holidays. • Have a valid driver’s license and the ability to operate large vehicles in a safe manner. • Liaise with Internet technicians to troubleshoot internet problems. • Inspect test and repair cable and fiber equipment at WIV’s various locations. • Verify that repairs are completed to the satisfaction of the customer and meet company standards. • Determine the serviceability of residences deemed not serviceable according to the company’s billing database. Communicate the status of serviceability to the Customer Service department. • Prepare costs estimates if construction is necessary to service a residence or commercial establishment and prepare bill of materials for supplies and materials required for construction related projects • Responsible for the coordination of design information exchange and timeliness of construction activities between WIV and Developers to ensure construction projects are designed and completed within associated time lines and established cost guidelines. • Communicate with and assist field technicians with revisions to strand and design maps of existing cable facilities.

Qualifications and requirements:

Education: BSc in Electronics or equivalent Experience: Five years related experience and /or training • Must have experience in general drafting and the ability to use tools, instruments, and materials normally used in such activities. • Must have extensive knowledge of equipment characteristics, capabilities and limitations. Must have the ability to make sketched diagrams accurately. Application procedure: -Resume with current contact information and a cover letter must be emailed to Lydia@WIV.tc

Application Deadline date: March 31, 2014

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

The Residences super luxury villas taking shape BY VIVIAN TYSON

he Residences Turks and Caicos by Grace Bay Resorts, being developed along the word-famous Grace Bay Beach in Providenciales is taking shape, and according to chief developer Mark Durliat, the three-home villa development should be completed by summer and ready to start accepting guests long before the winter rolls around. Last Monday (March 10) the developers staged a cocktail reception at the super luxury development site, where stakeholders and other interests in the project, including real estate agents were given tours and updates on the project. The developers also used the opportunity to announce that celebrity New York interior designer Thom Filicia has been chosen to create the development’s inside aesthetics. Filicia is most famous for his role as an interior design expert on the American television program Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. He is also a co-author of a book based on the show.

The Residence at an advance stage of development “Thom Filicia brings his sophisticated aesthetics to and celebrated style to this innovative resort community, poised to become the most coveted address in Providenciales. Filicia will be hand selecting a variety of interior ﬁnishes and will create exclusive furniture packages

for villa owners to incorporate into these private beachfront homes,” the developers said. The Residences, according to the Grace Bay Resorts, comprises three super luxury private villa residences, each located on a three quarter acre, 95-foot-wide private beachfront par-

cel. Each home, according to developers, offers over 6,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, four bedrooms, four and half bathrooms, expansive private deck, surrounding an inﬁnity pool and outdoor showers. Each of the oversized master bedrooms provides direct ocean front views. Master bathrooms boast oversized free standing tubs, glass showers and double vanities, with expansive living and ding areas offering 18-inch ceiling and solid wood kitchen with appliances from Sub-Zero and Wolf. The developers noted that T he Residences is a private gated community where each home beneﬁts from luxury resort management and rental services, including personal concierge, daily housekeeping, in villa chefs, landscaping, pool/beach services and exclusive signing privileges at the renowned Grace Bay Club food and beverage venue, spa and boutiques. Two of the homes have already been sold. The remaining development is priced at $4 million.

We need national Unity in the Turks and Caicos Islands BY PEDRO ARIZA

t has been placed on my heart to bring some things to the forefront of our collective minds. Most, if not all of us who grew up in our beloved country WILL remember the way we ALL discriminated against each other. If you were from south back Salina and someone was from West Road you found negative things to say about them and vice versa. This difference in how we perceive each other has always existed and was/is most obvious between the Islands. In Grand Turk, at least as far as I can remember, there was always this perception of the residents that they were better than our brothers and sisters from the other family islands. This ignorant ideal was cemented by some people that came to our shores and realized that we had not a clue as to what riches and blessings the master of the universe had left for us to look after and enjoy.

There has been much talk about the expanding of our TCI-Islander status group to other long term and by birth persons with other nationalities. As an open-arms man of the master of the universe and and lover of ALL he has created, I don’t see a problem with this move. What I do see a problem with is ourselves. How as indigenous TCI-Islanders can we accept others when we can’t even accept ourselves? How many conversations you have played a major part in that you said “these people” while referring to one or yours? Are we that ignorant that we cannot see that we are our biggest problem in our own country? Wake up, wake up, wake up!!!! No, let me repeat; No politician, pastor, spouse, friend or anyone can ﬁx who you are right now; only you with the help of God. There are leaders past and present that have used the “us or them” mentality for political gain, but without genuine love and respect for all. Such

deception will not work. The fundamental rule of the universe is simple, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself”. It does not say you should judge them and then decide if you will love them or not. Let us realise that we must be open and honest with each other and stop this ignorant stance of division along political and geographical lines. To all our leaders, STOP! I am speaking to everyone who has done it and gained personally from such selfishness, ego and greed. Our country and its people are relatively insignificant in the view of the world, but we are destined for greatness, hence the reason we have collectively give the under-lord soooooo much authority over us. Satan( or whomever you call him) has been busy in our little gems for far too long because so many of us are in deep sleep and lost in denial and selﬁshness. Wake up! Lastly, let me share this. We are the Turks & Caicos Islands, NOT Turks or Caicos. And, let’s begin to act and

think like that and watch the universe do the rest. Those of you who have sought to secretly promote division, note that your deeds are seeds of which we are seeing the harvest today. God has spoken quietly to us all. You still have free will so you can continue to ignore or otherwise. I have chosen a long time ago to listen and obey. I love you all. And those that know me know that I mean that. Even those that meant wrong for me. I am not god and it is He whom you have to answer to. Our lives are a test. When you realise that you will begin to see things, people and the entire world differently. Lastly. Don’t ever let anyone fool you into believing that ANYONE has more power than the master of the universe. To believe otherwise will only give the liar the authority over you. BE GUIDED. — feeling excited.

Almost half of TCI businesses have no categories S

ince 40 per cent of all businesses in the Turks and Caicos Islands are licenced under the miscellaneous category, the Dr. Rufus Ewing administration, through the Ministry of Finance, Trade and Investment will conduct a review of government’s Business Licensing Administration so that these unassigned businesses are categorized. As a result, the ministry has extended all current business licenses to June 30, 2014 to facilitate the change, a statement from that ministry has noted. The move is taking place under the Revenue Rationalisation Strategy. “As part of its Revenue Rationalisation Strategy, the Turks and Caicos Government is reviewing the Business Licensing Administration with a view to expanding the number of categories to ensure that businesses are registered in the appropriate categories and paying the fees applicable to the category in which

they are operating. Currently almost 40 per cent of businesses are licenced under the miscellaneous category. “To facilitate the smooth transition, all licenses issued between April 1st, 2013 and March 31, 2014 will be given an extension of their validity until June 30, 2014. The revised Business License categories and fees, where applicable, would take effect on July 1, 2014 and annually thereafter on July1,” the statement said. Under the review, which the government said in the end should support small businesses; there could be a readjustment of fees, among other things. “As part of the process, revisions will be made to the fee structure and the reserve category, as well as the creation of a restricted category in keeping with Government Policy to empower TC Islanders and support small business start-up,” the government statement fur-

ther noted. A notice of the new categories and fees will be published by May 1st, 2014 to give businesses ample time to inform themselves of the proposed changes. In the meantime, the government has warned that the applications for business licenses holders with outstanding payments will be refused. “License holders are also being reminded that business licenses will not be considered for renewal until all arrears associated with these licenses are cleared. Additionally, business owners should familiarise themselves with all the requirements of the Business Licencing Ordinance as well as that of other legislation such as Planning, Environmental Health and Immigration which could impact the granting of a Business Licence,” the statement said.

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NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE BOARD VACANCY FOR THE POSITION OF MEDICAL BILLING & CODING SPECIALIST- PROVIDENCIALES To perform highly technical and specialized coding functions for the Claims Department, Health Insurance Board. The employee reviews, analyzes, and codes diagnostic and procedural information that determines payments. The primary function of this position is to perform ICD-9-CM, CPT and HCPCS coding for payments for medical services. The coding function is a primary source for data and information used in health care, and promotes provider/patient continuity, accurate database information. The coding function also ensures compliance with established universal coding guidelines. A CPC is specifically qualified to do this thereby ensuring the institution has accurate information in a format that can be used for monitoring and planning.

Duties and Responsibilities: • To assign and sequences ICD-9-CM/CPT/HCPCS codes to diagnoses and procedures for documented information. Assures the final diagnoses and operative procedures as stated by the physician are valid and complete. Abstracts all necessary information from health records to identify secondary complications and co-morbid conditions. • Abstracts all necessary information and assigns codes (ICD-9, CPT & HCPCS), which most accurately describe each documented diagnosis, surgical procedure and special therapy or procedure according to established guidelines. • To determines the final diagnoses and procedures stated by the physician or other health care providers are valid and complete. • To performs a comprehensive review for the record to assure the presence of all component parts such as: patient and record identification, signatures and dates where required and other necessary data in the presence of all reports which appear to be indicated by the nature of the treatment rendered. • To evaluates the record for documentation consistency and adequacy. CPC ensures that the final diagnosis accurately reflects the care and treatment rendered. Reviews the records for compliance with established TPAs when submitted. • Establishes and maintains a log for claims process, by assigning batch numbers. • Performs all duties according to established claim procedures and company policy. • Performs other duties assigned by the operations/claims manger. • To assign and sequences ICD-9-CM/CPT/HCPCS codes to diagnoses and procedures for documented information. Assures the final diagnoses and operative procedures as stated by the physician are valid and complete. Abstracts all necessary information from health records to identify secondary complications and co-morbid conditions. • Abstracts all necessary information and assigns codes (ICD-9, CPT & HCPCS), which most accurately describe each documented diagnosis, surgical procedure and special therapy or procedure according to established guidelines. • To determines the final diagnoses and procedures stated by the physician or other health care providers are valid and complete. • To performs a comprehensive review for the record to assure the presence of all component parts such as: patient and record identification, signatures and dates where required and other necessary data in the presence of all reports which appear to be indicated by the nature of the treatment rendered. • To evaluates the record for documentation consistency and adequacy. CPC ensures that the final diagnosis accurately reflects the care and treatment rendered. Reviews the records for compliance with established TPAs when submitted. • Establishes and maintains a log for claims process, by assigning batch numbers. • Performs all duties according to established claim procedures and company policy. • Performs other duties assigned by the operations/claims manger or authorized person to assign such duties.

Person speciﬁcation • Preferred candidate should completion tertiary level education, and must have no less than two years of coding experience using ICD-9-CM or equivalency. CCS, ChhCS-P or CPC certification is required. CPC is expected to enroll in continuing education courses to maintain certification. • Advance knowledge of medical terminology, abbreviations, techniques and surgical procedures; anatomy and physiology; major disease processes; pharmacology; and the metric system to identify specific clinical findings, to support existing diagnoses, or substantiate listing additional diagnoses in the medical record. • Advance knowledge of medical codes involving selections of most accurate and description code using the ICD-9-CM, Volumes 1- 3, CPT, HCPCS, and IHS coding conventions. • Skill in correlating generalized observations/symptoms (vital signs, lab results, medications, etc.) to a stated diagnosis to assign the correct ICD-9-CM code. • Advance knowledge of medical codes involving selection of most accurate and descriptive code using the CPT codes for billing. • Must have good math skills and effective communication skills. • Very detail oriented with the ability to multi-task • Show initiative • Time management skills • Must be able to follow instructions and work independently.

Salary Salary for this position is $30,000.00 per annum. Deadline for Submission is April 11, 2014. All Applications should be addressed to:

Human Resource Oﬃcer National Health Insurance Board Salt Mills Plaza Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands British West Indies Email: recruitment@tcinhip.tc

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Abundant Life Ministries International Honours teachers O

n Sunday, March 9, the Abundant Life Ministries International Church, located along the Leeward Highway in Providenciales, recognized public school principals on Providenciales and also teachers that are members of the church, in

a show of appreciation for their dedication to education in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Pastor of the church, Bishop Coleta Alexander Williams III, presented the educators with plaques and a gift back during the ceremony. Except for Neek-

imo King, Principal of the Ianthe Pratt Primary School in the Bight, all the teachers were present to accept their gift. Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gift was later presented to her at the school. The following are photo highlights from the event.

Rachel HandďŹ eld, Principal for the Oseta Jolly Primary School accepts a plaque from Pastor for the Abundant Life Ministries International Church, Bishop Coleta Alexander Williams III

Yolita Jones, teacher at Wesley Methodist High School and member of the Abundant Life Ministries International praise team, accepts her award from church pastor, Bishop Coleta Alexander Williams III

Rachel Taylor, Principal for the Enid Capron Primary School, accepts a plaque from Pastor for the Abundant Life Ministries International, Bishop Coleta Alexander Williams III

Martha Forbes, teacher at the Clement Howell accepts her plaque from Bishop Coleta Alexander Williams, Pastor of Abundant Life Ministries International

Former Minister of Education and Member of the Abundant Life Ministries International, Lillian Boyce, introduces the honourees

Shawyna Yaw, teacher at Provo Christian School and member of the Abundant Life Ministries International is presented with a plaque by Bishop Coleta Alexander Williams III

Karlene Cox, teacher at the Ianthe Pratt Primary School and member of the Abundant Life Ministries International Church, accepts award from Bishop Coleta Alexander Williams III, Pastor of the church

Malva Eversley, teacher at Richmond Hill Preparatory and member of the Abundant Life Ministries International, accepts a plaque from Bishop Colet Alexander Williams III, Pastor for Abundant Life Ministries International

Neekimo King (left), Principal for the Ianthe Pratt Primary School, is being presented with a plaque and a gift bag by Karlene Cox, a teacher at the school and member of the Abundant Life Ministries International Church. The gift is courtesy of recognition of teachers by the church on Sunday, March 9.

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Pharrell Williams

“HAPPY” [Verse 1:] It might seem crazy what I’m about to say Sunshine she’s here, you can take a break I’m a hot air balloon that could go to space With the air, like I don’t care baby by the way [Hook:] Because I’m happy Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof Because I’m happy Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth Because I’m happy Clap along if you know what happiness is to you Because I’m happy Clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do [Verse 2:] Here come bad news talking this and that, yeah, Well, give me all you got, and don’t hold back, yeah, Well, I should probably warn you I’ll be just ﬁne, yeah, No offense to you, don’t waste your time Here’s why

[Bridge:] (happy) Bring me down Can’t nothing bring me down My level’s too high Bring me down Can’t nothing bring me down I said (let me tell you now) Bring me down Can’t nothing bring me down My level’s too high Bring me down Can’t nothing bring me down I said [Hook 2x] Hey, come on (happy) Bring me down… can’t nothing… Bring me down… my level’s too high… Bring me down… can’t nothing… Bring me down, I said (let me tell you now)

[Hook] [Hook 2x] Hey, come on Come on

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FUN&GAMES

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News

CARIBBEAN

Craig Flowers gives The Bahamas Government Webshop advice

ML Group of Companies CEO Craig Flowers, with other “casino operators”, are in consultation with the government to craft regulations to govern the webshop industry, lawyer Alfred Sears said. According to the Nassau Tribune, Mr Sears also confirmed that Mr Flowers has filed an appeal to overturn his 2011 conviction for breaches to the Lotteries and Gaming Act. A date had not yet been set for a hearing, according to Mr Sears, who told the Bermuda Sun that he expected the matter to be heard within the next two to three months. In an interview with The Tribune, Mr Sears said he could not confirm when the application had been filed. In 2011, Magistrate Derence Rolle-Davis convicted Mr Flowers of permitting his premises to be used for a lottery; and promoting, organising and conducting a lottery. Mr Flowers was given the option of paying a total of $10,000 in fines or spending two years in prison. Magistrate Rolle-Davis also ordered the confiscation of $834,629.32 that police seized during a 2009 raid of an FML web shop, as the proceeds of illegal gambling.

Craig Flowers also has business interests in the Turks and Caicos Islands, including TCI Lotto Kingsley Munroe, the web shop’s general manager, was convicted of being found on the premises of a lottery, permitting a premises to be used for a lottery and promoting a lottery. Mr Munroe was ﬁned $5,000 on each count, and faced two years in prison if the ﬁnes were not paid. Mr Smith made the disclosure that Mr Flowers was in consultation with the government over regulating web shops during an interview with the Bermuda Sun yesterday. According to the Bermuda Sun, Mr Flowers established a joint-venture company with Bermuda Opposition Leader Mark Bean last year.

The Bermuda Registrar of Companies conﬁrmed that the application was ﬁled to incorporate local company Wellington (Bermuda) Ltd with limited liability. The company is listed to have 5,000 shares, with Mr Bean holding 3,000 shares, and Mr Flowers 2,000. Cabinet ministers discussed Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe’s proposal to legalise web shop gaming earlier this week. Prime Minister Perry Christie told The Tribune at that time that Mr Wilchcombe’s proposal did not include any consideration to remove discrimination from the Gaming Bill to allow Bahamians to gamble in casinos. However, he hinted, “everything is up for consideration”. After more than a year of speculation following the “No Vote” in the 2013 Gaming Referendum, the government turnaround on the issue has been heavily criticized by the religious community and the Opposition. In wrapping up his mid-year budget contribution, Mr Wilchcombe said while he respects the church’s position and the results of the referendum, there comes a time when the government must make “the tough decisions and govern”.

Mr Christie has since stated his support for the regularisation of webshops, saying he had to go against his word in view of the ﬁscal situation, and risks associated with the current underground economy. According to the Bermuda Sun, the Bermuda Government has also come under heavy criticism for its decision not to proceed with its Gaming Referendum Act, and instead bring gaming to parliament in the form of legislation. In December, Bermuda Premier Craig Cannonier acknowledged that the move broke his party’s campaign pledge. However, he underscored the critical need to stimulate job growth. Presently, casino gaming is illegal in Bermuda, but allowed on cruise ships in port. Mr Bean’s wife, attorney Simone Smith-Bean told the Bermuda Sun that “the company was incorporated for Mr. Flowers to expand his international ventures to Bermuda if he chose to”. Mrs Smith-Bean said the venture was not a move to bring Mr Flowers’ web shops to Bermuda, adding that Mr. Flowers had no role in the management or ﬁnancing of Mr. Bean’s betting shop, Paradise Games.

Grenada seeking to develop medical tourism sector S

T. GEORGE’S, Grenada – The Grenada government says it is collaborating with the St George’s University here an and other foreign investors to build a substance abuse rehabilitation centre that will become the ﬂagship for the island’s medical tourism. Among the major investors backing the initiative is the New York-based Ambassador at Large for Grenada Rabbi Michael Melnik, who has been described as a longstanding friend of Grenada. A government statement said on Monday he was part of a high level delegation of international investors who met with Prime Minister Dr Keith

Mitchell to discuss the project which will be a public-private sector partnership. The statement from the Ofﬁce of the Prime Minister said that Dr Mitchell noted the importance such facilities will have on the lives of many Grenadian citizens abroad who will like to return in their twilight years but who do not yet have the conﬁdence in the local healthcare system to do so. “Other clientele will include other international citizens who will like to take advantage of the safety and comfort of our shores while recovering from various ailments. A comprehensive health services

facility can go a long way in propelling the economy as well,” the statement said. Chancellor of St. George’s University Dr. Charles Modica said that the establishment of a medical tourism facility would further solidify the joint partnership between the University and the Grenada government, as well as provide a rich legacy of working to ensure that healthcare is comprehensive, affordable and improved for all. The statement said that a team, which includes Foreign Affairs and International Business Minister, Nickolas Steele, will continue to work out the details for the center.

PAHO CONCERNED ABOUT RISING KIDNEY DISEASE IN SENIORS WITH DIABETES AND HYPERTENSION IN THE CARIBBEAN

ASHINGTON – The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) has expressed deep concern about the rise in kidney disease among seniors with diabetes and hypertension in the Caribbean. Noting that diabetes and high blood pressure, together with aging, are “the main risk factors for developing chronic kidney disease (CKD), which affects an estimated one in 10 adults globally,” the Washington-based health care organization on Wednesday called on Caribbean healthcare providers to test highrisk patients for signs of kidney disease. PAHO said this should be particularly done for those with diabetes and

hypertension. It also called on individuals to maintain healthy lifestyles. Chronic kidney disease and aging is the theme of this year’s World Kidney Day, celebrated on Thursday and promoted by the International Society of Nephrology and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations. PAHO said CKD is the progressive loss of kidney function over months or years. In its early stages, the disease produces no symptoms and is treatable. But, in more advanced stages, it said patients can require dialysis and even kidney transplants. In the last half-century, PAHO said life expectancy in Latin America and

the Caribbean has increased more than 20 years. “People are living longer, including those with one or more chronic diseases and risk factors,” said Enrique Vega, PAHO regional advisor on aging and health. “This allows the effects on organs such as the kidney to accumulate in older people,” he added. “So we need to pay more attention to the problem.” In Latin America and the Caribbean, one in three older adults suffers from one of the six most common age-related chronic diseases: hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, arthropathy (joint disease), or chronic lung disease.

To detect CKD, experts recommend blood and urine tests, and blood pressure checks, especially in high-risk groups, including people with diabetes or hypertension; those over 65; people who have suffered a heart attack; those with relatives who have had kidney disease; smokers; and sedentary people. “Simple, low-cost treatments are available that can slow the progress of kidney disease and reduce the risks of heart attack and stroke, while improving quality of life,” PAHO said. PAHO said it is working with its member-countries in the region to reduce premature deaths from these diseases by 25 percent by 2025.

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Slavery reparations: Caribbean nations agree 10-point plan C

aribbean nations seeking reparations for the slavery era have agreed a 10-point list of demands to put to European governments, their London lawyers said Tuesday. Caribbean Community (CARICOM) heads of government, meeting in Saint Vincent on Monday and Tuesday, approved the plan seeking a full formal apology, a repatriation programme and debt cancellation. The 15-country organisation is targeting Britain, France and The Netherlands in particular. “Reparations for the slave era is an issue that has resonated increasingly in recent years,” said Barbadian academic Hilary Beckles, chairman of the CARICOM reparations commission. “Reparations for slavery, and the century of racial apartheid that replaced it into the 1950s, resonate as a popular right today in Caribbean communities because of the persistent harm and suffering linked to the crimes against humanity under colonialism.” The commission asserts that victims of crimes against humanity and their descendants have a le-

gal right to reparatory justice and that those who have been enriched by the proceeds of the slave trade have a case to answer. Besides a “sincere formal apology”, the right of repatriation for descendants of “stolen people” and debt cancellation to clean up the “colonial mess”, CARICOM is seeking a development programme for their member states’ indigenous communities and the funding of cultural institutions such as slavery museums. It also wants European countries to take responsibility for the high incidence of hypertension and type two diabetes in the Caribbean and to participate in eradicating illiteracy. The ﬁnal demands are “psychological rehabilitation” and a technology transfer on the premise that the Caribbean was “denied participation in Europe’s industrialisation”. Martyn Day, from London law ﬁrm Leigh Day, said: “This is a very comprehensive and fair set of demands on the governments whose countries grew rich at the expense of those regions

whose human wealth was stolen from them.” He said CARICOM had called for an international meeting. “A conference in London between representatives of CARICOM and the slave nations, to include the governments of Holland, the UK, France as well as potentially other nations who proﬁted from the slave trade, will enable our clients to quickly gauge whether or not their concerns are being taken seriously,” he said. Day told AFP that formal letters would be sent to European countries in April. His law ﬁrm last year secured compensation from Britain for more than 5,200 elderly Kenyans who were tortured and abused during the 1950s Mau Mau uprising against colonial rule. The 15 CARICOM members are Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Caricom Establishes A Regional Commission On Marijuana Use

eads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have mandated that a Regional Commission be set up to address issues identiﬁed in relation to marijuana use. This announcement was made by Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government, Dr. the Hon Ralph Gonsalves during a press conference that concluded the 25th Intersessional Meeting Tuesday in St Vincent and the Grenadines last Tuesday. “In relation to this issue we have obviously taken more than baby steps. We want the issue to be addressed in a serious, mature manner” Dr. Gonsalves said. Dr. Gonsalves disclosed that the Heads of Government engaged in intense discussions on the issue. The debate, he said, covered its medical use and the decriminalising of small quantities for recreational use. He explained that the economic beneﬁts

that might be derived from marijuana cultivation were also explored. The Community Chairman expressed that there were also concerns raised during deliberations about the repercussions that would come from legalizing or even decriminalizing marijuana. Particular apprehensions were raised regarding potential public and mental health aspects of its use. Heads of Government also recognised the need for careful in-depth research of the various implications of the measures contemplated during the deliberations. The mandated commission is expected to address the issues identiﬁed along with any others deemed relevant in providing clear guidance for the tough decisions that will need to be made in relation to this matter. The Commission is expected to report to the Regular Meeting of the Conference in July 2014. Jamaica will this year join a virtu-

al tidal wave of countries across the globe in decriminalizing ganja, the forerunner to the establishment of a medicinal marijuana industry estimated to be worth billions of dollars. The undertaking was given to the Cannabis Commercial and Medicinal Research Task force by Leader of Government Business in the House of Representatives Phillip Paulwell, according to one of the main task force leaders, Delano Seiveright. Seiveright said that Paulwell, who is also the minister of science, technology, energy and mining, told members of the task force at a meeting that “ganja will be decriminalized in Jamaica this year and emphasized that Jamaica cannot be allowed to be left behind on the issue.” “He also reiterated the multiple economic, social and cultural beneﬁts that Jamaica stands to gain if the laws are adjusted sooner, rather than later,” Seiveright said.

He said ofﬁcials at the meeting, held at the PCJ Auditorium in Kingston, had agreed to the formal launch of the Future Ganja Growers Association to spearhead the establishment of a local ganja industry, which advocates believe will pump billions of dollars into the Jamaican economy. If Paulwell’s promise becomes reality — a strong possibility because of bipartisan support in the Parliament — Jamaica could be the ﬁrst English-speaking Caribbean country to decriminalize ganja and usher in a new era, allowing Jamaicans to grow marijuana for medicinal purposes under State regulation. Legalization or decriminalization of the weed has been sweeping the globe, led by the United States where Colorado, followed by Washington state, has demonstrated the earning power of marijuana. America’s tax take has already been put at an estimated US$100 million a year.

ST LUCIA MINISTER AGAINST DECRIMINALISATION OF MARIJUANA

ASTRIES, St. Lucia – National Security Minister Phillip La Corbiniere has hinted that the St. Lucia government would not support plans to decriminalise marijuana for medicinal and religious activities. Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders at their just concluded inter-sessional summit in St. Vincent and the Grenadines discuss the issue of decriminalising of small quantities of the drug as well as exploring the economic beneﬁts that might be derived from marijuana cultivation. According to the communiqué issued following the talks, the regional leaders agreed to the “establishment of a Regional Commission to address the issues identiﬁed and any others deemed relevant in order to provide clear guidance with regard to decisions to be taken”. The Commission is expected to submit a report to the regional leaders at their annual summit in Antigua in July.

But La Corbiniere, speaking on television here, said he remains unconvinced about decriminalizing marijuana, telling viewers if he had a deciding vote, it would be an emphatic no. “Maybe part of that relates to the fact that I grew up on the outskirts of the city where I was able to witness ﬁrst hand the development of the drug problem. “The problem actually started with marijuana, let us not forget that, it was the drug of choice on the streets for many years, and probably some 10 years after we saw the emergence of cocaine coming into the country,” he added. La Corbiniere said that he had seen youngsters with whom he went to school move from marijuana to hard drugs, and watched generations of families destroyed. He said St. Lucia also had a problem with the use of alcohol resulting in tremendous social and economic cost.

“The question facing us now is whether St. Lucia wants to impose a marijuana problem on that. So I would like to bring to any discussion both here and at the CARICOM level, to what good use can marijuana be put, is there any impelling scientific factor that factor that gives rise to the use of the drug? I would like to see a lot more discussed on that issue. “But a fact greater than that, suggests that any ofﬁcial sanction given to the use of the drug will negatively impact these societies and our way of life for many years to come,” he said. La Corbiniere said that despite the fact that CARICOM had created a regional commission to further advance the debate, there was still no guarantee that the region would adopt the report. “…within CARICOM, countries are independent and would bring an independent view in seeking to arrive at some consensus,” he said

LIME DENIES ALLEGATIONS BY DIGICEL IN DOMINICA

OSEAU, Dominica – The British telecommunications company, LIME, has denied allegations by its main rival in the Caribbean, Digicel, that it is unfairly charging customers for calls to certain numbers on the network. The Irish-based telecommunications company has called on the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) to investigation the allegations. In a statement, Digicel said in November last year, it had detected unusual calling patterns to

LIME numbers across 12 of network’s Caribbean markets and launched an investigation which discovered that consumers may be improperly charged for calls to certain LIME numbers. “Despite persistent efforts to work with LIME to rectify the situation and multiple assurances from LIME that the situation has been corrected, Digicel continues to ﬁnd intermittent examples of the issue continuing in various LIME markets in the Caribbean. But LIME chief executive ofﬁcer, Martin Roos in

a statement said “there is absolutely no substance to Digicel’s claims about overcharging, and we will be communicating this to the regulators”. Roos said the situation had been resolved in January this year. This is simply mischief-making by Digicel, which will potentially mislead both their customers and ours, and take attention away from the fact that LIME have better value propositions in the market. LIME stands for transparency and respect in our pricing,” he added.

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

150 Pilots:We’re Not Coming Back To Bahamas A

leading private aviation guide yesterday said he was contacted by 150 pilots in two hours to advise him they were no longer flying to the Bahamas after reading his latest blog on this nation’s new and increased Customs and Immigration fees. Jim Parker, president of Caribbean Flying Adventures.com, a top pilot’s guide for planes flying in the region, told Tribune Business that Bahamian government officials appeared “completely clueless” about the damage the fees were inflicting on the Bahamian tourism product and economy. Arguing that they were “running it into the ground” and “pricing the Bahamas out of the market”, Mr Parker warned that Cuba was likely to snatch at least 50 per cent of this nation’s tourism market when it eventually opened up. According to the Nassau Tribune, he added that it was impossible for 90 per cent of private pilots to depart the Bahamas before 9am, and thereby avoid an extra $100 departure fee to Customs/Immigration, because persons wanted to either “get ahead of the weather” or arrive back in the US during daylight hours. In his latest blog, published earlier this month, Mr Parker wrote that the “new bottom line for flying to the Bahamas” was a $250 fee increase for a four-seater aircraft with pilot and three passengers. This, he added, broke down into $50 to land; $100 in departure taxes; and $100 in overtime fees “if you arrive or depart before 9am or after 5pm”. Mr Parker added: “What are they thinking? The number of private

aircraft arrivals has been declining steadily over the past five years. Yet another fee of $100 will surely contribute to a further decline in private aircraft arrivals and the loss of millions more in tourism revenue. “The Government has completely ignored the blowback from private pilots over the recent $50 arrival fee for private aircraft, the increase in the departure taxes from $15 to $20 to $25m and the increase in aviation gas taxes and the increase in hotel taxes. They did fold under pressure from the commercial airlines, who threatened to curtail service. Guess we private pilots don’t matter.” Mr Parker then called on fellow pilots to let the Ministry of Tourism know “you will probably stop flying to the Bahamas, and fly instead to the Florida Keys or the Dominican Republic or Belize or Puerto Rico where the fees are nil or less than $50”. Describing the situation as “quite remarkable”, Mr Parker said of the response to his Internet posting: “In a period of two hours of sending that message, I heard from about 150 pilots saying they were not coming back to the Bahamas; that they were not going there any more.” Pointing out that private aviation arrivals to the Bahamas had been “steadily declining” for the past five years following the recession, Mr Parker said that in some ways the 2013-2014 Budget tax increases were “just the tip of the iceberg”. When added to the increased hotel and aviation taxes, plus Value-Added Tax (VAT) on the horizon, he warned that the Bahamas was “killing the goose that laid the golden egg”.

“I just don’t get it,” Mr Parker told Tribune Business. “They’re pricing themselves out of the market, and I don’t understand it........ “It’s a shame they’re losing business hand over fist. If Cuba opens up, that’s 50 per cent of the Bahamas’ tourism market gone. There’s no value for dollar in the prices being charged. It’s a shame those people are running it into the ground. “If you want to be a career destination, you have to keep working the market. They’re ruining tourism right now, and when Cuba opens up that’s going to blow the whole market. It’s just irresponsible.” Mr Parker, who has organised 30 ‘fly in’ expeditions to the Bahamas in the past 10 years, said the Immigration Department appeared “completely clueless” over the new/ increased fees and the impact they were having on private aviation. “They had no idea what a small plane is,” he added. “I told them five times I was not a commercial airliner, as they refused to acknowledge that. I was just stunned that they were so clueless.” Mr Parker is challenging the interpretation of the Immigration (Attendance and Other Fees) Regulations 2013, arguing that they stipulated the $50 fee per officer, per hour, only applied to a location “outside a place of normal attendance”. He said that Immigration was instead applying this “across the board”. Tribune Business has also seen evidence that fixed-base operations (FBOs) are being asked to act as vassal tax collectors for the Government, collecting and passing on what is due to it.

A November 13, 2013, letter from Dr William Pratt, acting director of immigration, to Anthony Hinsey, Odyssey Aviation’s PR manager, said: “Be advised that all Immigration attendance fee bills will be submitted to your office at the end of each work day, effective immediately. “These charges will apply to all commercial, private and medical international inbound flights as prescribed in the Immigration (Attendance and Other Fees) Regulations 2013.” Mr Parker, though, suggested in his blog that some Bahamian airports were gaining a competitive advantage by not charging the new fees, while others were levying them. And while fuel rebates were being offered to private pilots, Mr Parker said they were meaningless because they were being cancelled out by increased hotel taxes. Estimating that each private plane spent $5,000 per week in the Bahamas, he added that taking the “peak” 40,000 arrivals figure from five years ago translated into a potential $200 annual million economic impact that was being jeopardised. Despite the “outrage” the private aviation market has voiced over the new and increased fees since last summer, Mr Parker said no response had been received from the Ministry of Tourism - as far as he was aware - until a March 7, 2014, reply to two other aviators. Carol Beckles-Wilson, of the Ministry’s visitor relations department, had written: “Thank you for your interest in the islands of the Bahamas. Your concern is very important to us, therefore I will follow to the relevant person/persons.”

World Bank approves funds to help fight crime in Jamaica W ASHINGTON – The World Bank says more than 80,000 Jamaican citizens will beneﬁt from improved services, basic infrastructure and targeted crime and violence interventions in 18 vulnerable inner-city communities as a result of a US$42 million project for integrated community development. The Washington-based ﬁnancial institution said the new project is a continuation of the partnership between the Jamaica government and the World Bank on upgrading some of the country’s most vulnerable and volatile communities. It said the project builds on the success of the “Inner City Basic Services for the Poor Project” to address accelerating urban decay and declining citizen security.

“The project aims to foster a more inclusive society in Jamaica by improving the quality of life of marginalized city dwellers,” said Sophie Sirtaine, World Bank country director for the Caribbean. “It also aims to prevent crime and violence by engaging youth in public safety initiatives and providing them with job skills training,” she added. As a result of the funding, Sirtaine said more than 50,000 people will beneﬁt from improved solid waste management services, street lighting, paved roads and drainage. She said residents in the 18 communities would “feel safer” and that 1200 families will have their piped water connection repaired and 4,500 residents receiving educational and skills training. “As we strive to advance the targets of the Vi-

sion 2030, where access to reliable services and adequate infrastructure is the norm, enhancing community safety and security is a priority,” saidScarlette Gillings, managing director of the Jamaica Social Investment Fund. “And these communities are places of choice to live, work, raise families and do business,” she added. In the Kingston Metropolitan Area, the World Bank said poverty has doubled in two years from seven per cent in 2008 to more than 14 per cent in 2010. It also said youth unemployment is on the rise, with more than 50 per cent of young people unemployed, adding that homicides and other violent crimes rates are among “the highest in the Latin America and Caribbean region”.

CARICOM EXPRESSES SUPPORT FOR BRITAIN’S AIRLINE PASSENGER TAX REFORM

EORGETOWN, Guyana – The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General Irwin La Rocque said he was pleased that the British government had decided to reform the Air Passenger Duty (APD) from next year. British Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne delivering his 2014 national budget to legislators, said that from April of 2015, the APD will be simplified into a two band system: Band A for short haul flights of less than 2000 miles from London and Band B for all long haul flights more than 2000 miles from London. Under the new proposal, the new Band B will be charged at the planned rate in 2015-16 of £71 (One British Pound = US$1.66 cents) for

reduced rate passengers and £142 for standard rate passengers. La Rocque said that the tax had in the past negatively affected the region’s tourism sector and the realignment to a simpler and fairer two-band system is in keeping with the proposals advanced by the Community. “The Community had from the outset expressed its concern that the manner in which the APD was applied, discriminated against Caribbean destinations given that it was calculated according to the distance between London and the destination country’s capital city. “For example, the APD tax on a ticket to Hawaii was less that the APD tax on a ticket to the Caribbean,” La Rocque said, adding that-

CARICOM through high level political and diplomatic representatives, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), the diaspora, as well as affected airlines and friends of the Caribbean lobbied strongly and ultimately successfully for a fair application of this tax. La Rocque said he was also praising the British government and “all who lobbied for the amendment of the discriminatory tax. “Our Community and its supporters have been steadfast in their efforts to have this tax applied more fairly and these efforts have not been in vain,” La Rocque said, adding that the action taken by London “was a tangible demonstration of the value of dialogue in addressing issues of concern”.

Earlier, the Barbados-based CTO said it was “delighted” with the announcement. “This is a complete victory for the Caribbean, which, led by the CTO, has been lobbying against the unfair system which charged a higher rate of APD on ﬂights to Barbados than Hawaii and placed the United States at a competitive advantage,” said CTO Chairman, Beverly Nicholson-Doty. “We are delighted that the Chancellor has ﬁnally accepted the Caribbean’s proposal made in November 2010 to return to the simpler and fairer two band system” she said, thanking various stakeholders including the regional governments and diplomats based in London and Europe.

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News W

RLD

Australia says suspected plane debris may have sunk

he international team hunting Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in the remote southern Indian Ocean failed to turn up anything on Friday, and Australia’s deputy prime minister said the suspected debris may have sunk. Aircraft and ships have also renewed a search in the Andaman Sea between India and Thailand, going over areas that have already been exhaustively swept to find some clue to unlock one of the biggest mysteries in modern aviation. The Boeing 777 went missing almost two weeks ago off the Malaysian coast with 239 people aboard. There has been no confirmed sign of wreckage but two objects seen floating deep south in the Indian Ocean were considered a credible lead and set off a huge hunt on Thursday. Australian authorities said the first aircraft to sweep treacherous seas on Friday about 2,500 km (1,500 miles) southwest of Perth was on its way back to base without spotting the objects picked out by satellite images five days ago. “Something that was floating on the sea that long ago may no longer be floating,” Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss told reporters in Perth. “It may have slipped to the bottom.” But the search was continuing and Australian, New Zealand and U.S. aircraft would be joined by Chinese and Japanese planes over the weekend. “It’s about the most inaccessible spot that you can imagine on the face of the Earth, but if there is anything down there, we will find it,” Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott told reporters in Papua New Guinea, where he is on a visit. “Now it could just be a container that’s fallen off a ship. We just don’t know, but we owe it to the families and the friends and the loved ones to do everything we can to try to resolve what is as yet an extraordinary riddle.” India said it was sending two aircraft, a Poseidon P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft and a C-130 Hercules transporter, to join the hunt in the southern Indian Ocean. It is also sending another P-8I

and four warships to search in the Andaman Sea, where the plane was last seen on military radar on March 8. In New Delhi, ofﬁcials said the search in areas around the Andaman island chain was not at the request of Malaysian authorities coordinating the global search for the airliner. “All the navies of the world have SAR regions,” said Capt. D.K. Sharma, an Indian navy spokesman, referring to search and rescue regions. “So we’re doing it at our own behest.” Investigators suspect Flight MH370, which took off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing shortly after midnight on March 8, was deliberately diverted thousands of miles from its scheduled path. They say they are focusing on hijacking or sabotage but have not ruled out technical problems. The search for the plane also continues in other regions, including a wide arc sweeping northward from Laos to Kazakhstan. In the Indian Ocean, three Australian and two Japanese P-3 Orions joined a high-tech U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon and a civilian Bombardier Global Express jet to search the 23,000 square km (8,900 sq mile) zone, Australian and Malaysian authorities said. A Norwegian merchant ship, the Hoegh St. Petersburg, was diverted to the area on Thursday and another vessel would arrive later on Friday. An Australian navy ship was expected to arrive in the search area on Saturday and Britain’s HMS Echo, a multi-purpose ocean survey vessel, was also heading to the region, Malaysia said. China’s icebreaker for Antarctic research, Xuelong, or Snow Dragon, will set off from Perth to search the area, Chinese state news agency Xinhua cited maritime authorities as saying. Up to ﬁve more Chinese ships, with three ship-borne helicopters, were steaming towards the search zone from across the Indian Ocean. Australian authorities said they had not asked for the ships to search the area. About two-thirds of the missing plane’s passengers were Chinese nationals.

South African leader under corruption probe

outh Africa’s ruling ANC sought to minimise the damage caused by a damning ombudsman’s report which showed that some of the $23 million state-funded upgrades on President Jacob Zuma’s private home were unlawful. The African National Congress, whose popularity is flagging ahead of upcoming polls, said the officials implicated should be called to account and misspent money repaid, but tried to divert attention from its tainted leader. “All public office bearers, officials and private sector companies involved in any maladministration must be brought to book, and all funds that were acquired inappropriately must be recovered,” said ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe. “When we say all, we mean all,” Mantashe told a news conference in Johannesburg, when asked if this included Zuma. But he slammed calls for the president’s impeachment as a “premeditated position that has nothing to do with

South African President Jacob Zuma the report”. The country’s laws are vague about the consequences of the head of state breaking the ethics code, but the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, said it would start impeachment proceedings. “If we go out of the report and follow our emotional feelings and passions we are going to falter,” Mantashe cautioned. Public Protector Thuli Madonsela on Wednes-

day ordered Zuma to repay a “reasonable percentage” for the costs of non-security upgrade on his rural homestead in Nkandla, in the eastern province KwaZulu-Natal. The upgrades included a swimming pool, private clinic, visitors centre and a helipad. The report was the first official confirmation of the extent of maladministration after a ministerial probe last year cleared Zuma of wrongdoing in the revamp. It found that the president violated the executive ethics code by failing to protect state resources. The party criticised the timing of the report’s release ahead of general elections on May 7, though Madonsela blamed government requests for extensions to respond to the report for the delay. Zuma remains the party’s presidential candidate for the upcoming polls, where it is expected to win with a reduced majority. Senior ANC leaders will inspect the homestead next week.

Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said that searchers were facing a “long haul” but were conscious that the clock was ticking. The plane’s “black box” voice and data recorder only transmits an electronic signal for about 30 days before its battery dies, after which it will be far more difficult to locate. It took investigators two years to find the black box from a Air France jetliner that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on a stormy night in June 2009. “If we do not find it within the 30 days, it brings in other issues of how to locate it - as the French airline had to take two years. That comes into a different realm of search and rescue,” Hishammuddin said.

STUDYING SATELLITES There have been many false leads and no conﬁrmed wreckage found from Flight MH370 since it vanished off Malaysia’s east coast less than an hour after taking off. There has also been criticism of the search operation and investigation, as more than two dozen countries scramble to overcome logistical and diplomatic hurdles. Investigators piecing together patchy data from military radar and satellites believe that, minutes after its identifying transponder was switched off as it crossed the Gulf of Thailand, the plane turned sharply west, re-crossing the Malay Peninsula and following an established route towards India. What happened next is unclear, but faint electronic “pings” picked up by one commercial satellite suggest the aircraft ﬂew on for at least six hours. A source with direct knowledge of the situation said that information gleaned from the pings had been passed to investigators within a few days, but it took Malaysia more than a week to narrow the search area to two large arcs - one reaching south to near where the potential debris was spotted, and a second crossing to the north into China and central Asia.

SCIENTISTS SAY DESTRUCTIVE SOLAR BLASTS NARROWLY MISSED EARTH IN 2012

ierce solar blasts that could have badly damaged electrical grids and disabled satellites in space narrowly missed Earth in 2012, U.S. researchers said. The bursts would have wreaked havoc on the Earth’s magnetic ﬁeld, matching the severity of the 1859 Carrington event, the largest solar magnetic storm ever reported on the planet. That blast knocked out the telegraph system across the United States, according to University of California, Berkeley research physicist Janet Luhmann. “Had it hit Earth, it probably would have been like the big one in 1859, but the effect today, with our modern technologies, would have been tremendous,” Luhmann said in a statement. A 2013 study estimated that a solar storm like the Carrington Event could take a $2.6 trillion bite out of the current global economy. Massive bursts of solar wind and magnetic ﬁelds, shot into space on July 23, 2012, would have been aimed directly at Earth if they had happened nine days earlier, Luhmann said. The bursts from the sun, called coronal mass ejections, carried southward magnetic

fields and would have clashed with Earth’s northward field, causing a shift in electrical currents that could have caused electrical transformers to burst into flames, Luhmann said. The fields also would have interfered with global positioning system satellites. The event, detected by NASA’s STEREO A spacecraft, is the focus of a paper that was released in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday by Luhmann, China’s State Key Laboratory of Space Weather professor Ying Liu and their colleagues. Although coronal mass ejections can happen several times a day during the sun’s most active 11-year cycle, the blasts are usually small or weak compared to the 2012 and 1859 events, she said. Luhmann said that by studying images captured by the sun-observing spacecraft, scientists can better understand coronal mass ejections and predict solar magnetic storms in the future. “We have the opportunity to really look closely at one of these events in all of its glory and look at why in this instance was so extreme,” Luhmann said.

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Obama hits closest Putin allies with sanctions over Crimea U

.S. President Barack Obama raised the stakes in an East-West confrontation over Crimea on Thursday by targeting some of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest long-time political and business allies with personal sanctions. The extension of visa bans and asset freezes into Putin’s inner circle came as Moscow rushed to consolidate the annexation of the Black Sea peninsula, seized from Ukraine last month, and to boost its military presence in the region. Russian troops took over three Ukrainian warships in Crimea on Thursday, using stun grenades in one incident, a Ukrainian spokesman said. Kiev also said it had begun withdrawing its border guards, surrounded and outnumbered by Russian forces, from Crimea to the mainland. The 20 names added to the U.S. blacklist included Kremlin banker Yuri Kovalchuk and his Bank Rossiya, major oil and commodities trader Gennady Timchenko and the brothers Arkady and Boris Rotenberg, linked to big contracts on gas pipelines and at the Sochi Olympics, as well as Putin’s chief of staff and his deputy, the head of military intelligence and a railways chief. Most grew rich after being associated with Putin since the former KGB officer began his ascent to power in the mayor’s office of St Petersburg in the 1990s. In a statement explaining the sanctions, the U.S. Treasury said: “Gennady Timchenko is one of the founders of Gunvor, one of the world’s largest independent commodity trading companies involved in the oil and energy markets. “Timchenko’s activities in the energy sector have been directly linked to Putin. Putin has investments in Gunvor and may have access to Gunvor funds.” Putin has denied any link with Gunvor in the past. The Swiss-based oil trading firm said in a statement that Putin had no ownership of Gunvor and “any understanding otherwise is fundamentally misinformed and outrageous”.

Armed men, believed to be a Russian servicemen, walk as they change shifts near a military base in Perevalnoye, near the Crimean city of Simferopol, March 20, 2014. Moscow reacted by announcing its own sanctions against senior U.S. politicians in retaliation against visa bans and asset freezes imposed by Washington on its citizens, with the foreign ministry saying U.S. action would “hit the United States like a boomerang”. European Union leaders were meeting in Brussels to step up their own measures against Russia. Ofﬁcials said that while the EU would add a dozen names to its sanctions list and cancel a planned EU-Russia summit in Sochi, it would not go as far as Washington in hitting Putin’s money men. “We will be a step behind the Americans,” a senior European diplomat said. BRING MONEY HOME Russian forces took control of Crimea in late February after Moscow-backed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich was toppled by protests sparked by his decision to spurn a trade deal with the EU and seek closer ties with Moscow. The seizure has been mostly bloodless. People in Crimea voted overwhelmingly to join Russia in a referendum last Sunday which Kiev and the West have refused to recognize.

Only one member of Russia’s State Duma lower house of parliament voted against ratifying the annexation treaty on Thursday. The Federation Council upper house will complete the ratification process on Friday. With Washington trying to tighten the screws on Moscow, Putin told Russian company bosses to bring their assets home to help the nation survive the sanctions and an economic downturn. In a potentially ominous move, Obama said he had signed a new executive order that clears the way for U.S. sanctions against broad sections of the Russian economy, should Putin’s military make moves beyond Crimea and into southern and eastern Ukraine which also have large Russian-speaking populations. “We’re imposing sanctions on more senior officials of the Russian government,” he said. “In addition, we are today sanctioning a number of other individuals with substantial resources and influence who provide material support to the Russian leadership, as well as a bank that provides material support to these individuals.” Washington announced a first round of sanctions against 11 Russians and Ukrainians it said were involved with the Crimean annexation on Monday. A U.S. official said the sanctions mean Bank Rossiya - which has $10 billion in assets - would be “frozen out of the dollar”. Those on the Russian list included former U.S. presidential candidate Senator John McCain, Senate majority leader Harry Reid and House of Representatives speaker John Boehner. Like their Russian counterparts, the U.S. lawmakers laughed off the sanctions or treated them as badge of honor. McCain laced his response with sarcasm. “I guess this means my spring break in Siberia is off, my Gazprom stock is lost, and my secret bank account in Moscow is frozen,” he said in a statement. “Nonetheless, I will never cease my efforts on behalf of the freedom, independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea.”

Turkey PM vows to wipe out Twitter T

urkey’s combative prime minister warned on Thursday that he would eradicate Twitter in the wake of damaging allegations of corruption in his inner circle that have spread across social networks in recent weeks. “We will wipe out Twitter. I don’t care what the international community says,” premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at an election rally in the western province of Bursa. “They will see the Turkish republic’s strength,” he added. The Internet Publishers Association, a body representing online and media companies, said the move was an attempt to “destroy freedom of expression”. “The prime minister having the power to shut down Twitter will be

the conﬁrmation of dictatorship,” it said in a statement published by local media on Thursday. Turkey, which has more than 10 million Twitter users, has seen access to thousands of sites blocked in recent years. YouTube was banned for two years up to 2010 because of material deemed insulting to the country’s revered founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Erdogan, Turkey’s all-powerful leader since 2003, has been under mounting pressure since audio recordings spread across social media that appeared to put him at the heart of a major corruption investigation. Recordings include an apparent discussion between Erdogan and his

son about hiding money, as well as others in which he appears to be interfering in business deals, court cases and media coverage. Some of the most damaging information has come from a Twitter account under the name Haramzadeler (“Sons of Thieves”), which appears to have access to a huge trove of secret documents and police wiretaps linked to the investigation. Erdogan has dismissed most of the recordings as “vile” fakes concocted by his rivals, and threatened to ban YouTube and Facebook after crucial local elections on March 30. “This has nothing to do with freedoms. Freedom does not mean the right to intrude on someone’s privacy, or to pass the state’s secrets to the

MALAYSIA SAYS SOMEONE ONBOARD DIVERTED MISSING PLANE

alaysia’s leader Saturday said communications aboard a missing jet were switched off and its course deliberately changed by someone on board before the aircraft disappeared a week ago, but stopped short of saying it had been hijacked. Final satellite communication with the Boeing 777 ﬂying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing came more than six-and-a-half hours after it vanished from civilian radar at 1:30am on March 8, Prime Minister Najib Razak told a nationally televised press conference. The movement of the plane in the interim period, during which it changed direction and passed back over the Malaysian peninsula towards the Indian Ocean, was “consistent with deliberate action by someone on the plane,” Najib said. “Despite media reports that the plane was hijacked, I wish to be

very clear: we are still investigating all possibilities as to what caused MH370 to deviate from its original ﬂight path,” he added. Najib said his announcement was based on new information from satellite contact with the plane and military radar data. The combined data suggested “with a high degree of certainty” that the plane’s two automated communications systems — Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) and its transponder — were “switched off” one after the other before it reached the point over the South China Sea where it dropped out of civilian radar contact. It then turned back and ﬂew in a westerly direction back over peninsular Malaysia before turning northwest.

international arena,” Erdogan said on Thursday. Erdogan’s government has been rocked by a vast corruption probe launched in December which saw dozens of people rounded up, including close business and political allies of the prime minister. The Turkish strongman has accused associates of a former staunch ally — US-exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen — of being behind the graft probe that claimed the scalps of four ministers. Gulen has denied any involvement. Turkey recently tightened government control of the Internet and the judiciary, generating criticism from rights groups.

The last confirmed communication between the plane and satellite was at 8:11 am, Najib said, adding that investigators were calculating how far the aircraft may have flown afterwards. So far, experts had located the last point of communication as being inside one of two large geographical corridors: a northern corridor stretching from the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to northern Thailand, and a southern corridor stretching from Indonesia to the southern Indian ocean. “This new satellite information has a significant impact on the nature and scope of the search operation,” the prime minister said. “We are ending our operations in the South China Sea and reassessing the redeployment of our assets. We are working with the relevant countries to request all information relevant to the search, including radar data,” he added.

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WORLD NEWS Ahead of referendum, UK’s Labour promises Scots greater powers

ritain’s opposition Labour Party will give the Scottish parliament greater tax powers if Scots vote against independence from the United Kingdom, its leader Ed Miliband will say on Friday. Polls show Scots are likely to vote “no” to independence in a referendum in six months’ time, but the main parties in the Westminster parliament are trying to court undecided voters with promises of more devolution. “A Labour government for the UK and a Scottish Labour government will be two governments working together on common challenges - not wrestling against each other,” Miliband will tell

a Scottish Labour Party conference on Friday, according to extracts of the speech supplied in advance. Plans to extend devolution would include greater ﬂexibility on setting income tax as well as giving the Scottish parliament more control over social security budgets, he will say. Last week Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron also pledged to keep policymaking powers ﬂowing north from London towards Scotland, saying that voting against independence did not mean choosing to keep the status quo. A February survey by social research institute ScotCen found more Scots would prefer the Scot-

tish parliament to be given greater powers to control their tax and spending than the riskier option of independence. Scotland, which has had a devolved parliament since 1999, has lawmaking powers in areas such as education, housing and the environment. Under the current power-sharing arrangement, the British government sets policy on major areas like defense, beneﬁts and energy. Around 40 percent of Scots plan to vote for independence in this year’s referendum, according to a poll on Thursday which showed a threepoint rise in support for an end to the country’s 307-year-old-union with England.

100 million women in the world challenged by illiteracy, says UNESCO T

he United Nations Educational, Scientiﬁc and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, is showing serious concern that an estimated 100 million girls and young women in low and middle income countries cannot even read a single sentence. Nigeria, as well as most African countries, falls into this group with a reported poverty rate that gets the majority of its estimated 170 million citizens living below $1 per day. The international organisation said the report, developed by an independent team, but published by UNESCO, reveals serious gender imbalance in global education and that if nothing urgent is done by the affected countries, it could also prevent half of the 31 million girls, currently out of school, from ever enrolling. Part of the main ﬁndings of the Gender Summary, which analysed data from the latest edition of UNESCO Education for All Global Monitor-

ing Report, shows that despite some progress in 2011, only 60 percent of countries in the world had achieved parity in primary education and only 38 percent of countries had achieved parity in secondary education. Among low income countries, just 20 percent have achieved gender parity at the primary level, 10 percent at the lower secondary level and eight percent at the upper secondary level, according to the report released to draw attention to women’s rights as the world celebrates World Women’s Day. Of all affected countries, the report said girls living in the Arab states are at a greater disadvantage with a 60 percent share of females in the out-ofschool population compared with 57 percent in South and West Asia and 54 percent in sub-Saharan Africa. An analysis of the report clearly points out a projection that only 70 percent of countries would have achieved parity in primary education

by 2015, and 56 percent would have achieved parity in lower secondary education. “Unless improvements are made, the poorest girls will achieve universal primary completion sixty years later than the richest boys. The new summary reiterates the need for progress in education to be more evenly spread between girls and boys if global education goals are to be achieved,” the report stresses. In her verdict, Irina Bokova, Director General, UNESCO, declared: “it is simply intolerable that girls are being left behind. For poor girls, education is one of the most powerful routes to a better future, helping them escape from a vicious cycle of poverty. “Governments must ensure that there is equal access to education to address this shocking imbalance.” Already, the Education For All Global Monitoring Report 2013/2014 has noted that due to low quality education over the years, 175 mil-

LONG-TERM JOBLESS FACE A DARK FUTURE

he millions of Americans suffering through long stretches of unemployment could be left behind as the economy strengthens, a study by an inﬂuential former White House economist found. Alan Krueger, a respected labor market economist who led President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, said those unemployed long term tended to put less effort into their job hunts than others and were often viewed by employers as undesirable. The sobering analysis published on Thursday by the Brookings Institution, a think tank in Washington, projected that people out of work for more than six months will increasingly give up their job search in the coming years.

Their plight could be one of the deepest scars left by the 2007-09 U.S. recession. While the unemployment rate has fallen quickly over the past year, most of the workers getting jobs have experienced only brief stretches of unemployment. It has yet to be seen whether the longterm unemployed will eventually get jobs as the economy strengthens or drop out of the labor force altogether. Krueger’s analysis suggests America is headed towards the latter of those two paths. “A concerted effort will be needed to raise the employment prospects of the long-term unemployed, especially as they are likely to withdraw from the job market at an increasing rate,” Krueger wrote in the paper, which was coauthored by his Prince-

lion young people in low and middle income countries, 61 percent of whom are girls, are unable to read a single sentence. In South and West Asia, two out of three young people who cannot read are young women. Emphasising the importance of investing in girls’ and women’s education, the report maintains that if all women had a primary and secondary education, child marriages and child mortality could fall by 49 percent and 64 percent respectively. “With just primary education for all women, maternal deaths could be reduced by two-thirds. Educating women can help protect them from falling into poverty as well by helping them find work and reducing the gender wage gap,” the report explains while Pauline Rose of the EFA Global Monitoring Report urged governments to consider providing safe housing or financial benefits to encourage more female teachers

ton University colleagues Judd Cramer and David Cho. In February, there were 3.8 million people without jobs who had been actively looking for work for at least 27 weeks, nearly three times more than on the eve of the recession. Krueger and his coauthors found the longterm unemployed were especially prone to dropping out of the workforce. While that pattern is suppressed in the aftermath of recession, the researchers concluded it would reassert itself in coming years. It also appears unlikely a strengthening economy will beneﬁt the long-term unemployed much. The researchers found that even in states with low jobless rates such as North Dakota, where the economy is booming thanks to surging oil output, the longterm unemployed don’t seem to be doing any better.

ARMY GENERAL SPARED JAIL AS TRIAL ENDS WITH ‘SLAP ON THE WRIST’

U.S. Army general who admitted to an adulterous sexual affair and other improper relationships with junior female ofﬁcers was spared jail and dismissal from the service on Thursday, a sentence critics decried as a failure of military justice. The case that derailed the 27year Army career of Brigadier General Jeffrey Sinclair ended with a reprimand and $20,000 in forfeited pay as punishment after a plea deal in the rare court-martial of a top ofﬁcer absolved him of sexual assault charges. The one-star general’s defense team said they were grateful for

the sentence ordered by the trial judge, Colonel James Pohl. They argued Sinclair was unfairly portrayed by the Army as a sex offender when he was guilty of far lesser wrongdoing. “The system has worked,” a relieved Sinclair said after court in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. “All I want to do now is hug my kids and be with my wife.” Advocates of military justice reform said the case proved the armed forces still tolerates sexual misconduct in its ranks despite political pressure from Congress and the president to curb it. They said the lenient sentence for Sin-

clair would have a chilling effect on other victims of abuse. “He made out like a bandit,” said Eugene Fidell, a professor of military justice at Yale Law School. “This is a bafﬂing denouement to a disturbing case.” The sentencing coincided with another high-proﬁle military trial involving charges of sexual assault. A judge found a Naval Academy football player not guilty on Thursday of raping a female midshipman at an alcohol-fueled off-campus party in April 2012. Sinclair, 51, a married father of two boys, was a rising star

in the Army with ﬁve combat tours under his belt before criminal charges two years ago saw the former deputy commander of the 82nd Airborne Division stripped of his duties in southern Afghanistan. A female captain 17 years his junior said she and the general had a three-year illicit affair, during which she alleged he had sex with her in a parking lot in Germany and on a hotel balcony in Arizona, threatened to kill her if she exposed the relationship, and forced her to perform oral sex when she tried to break it off.

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WORLD NEWS

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Britain invaded all but 22 countries in the world, new research says E

very schoolboy used to know that at the height of the empire, almost a quarter of the atlas was coloured pink, showing the extent of British rule. But that oft recited fact dramatically understates the remarkable global reach achieved by this country. A new study has found that at various times the British have invaded almost 90 per cent of the countries around the globe. The analysis of the histories of the almost 200 countries in the world found only 22 which have never experienced an invasion by the British. Among this select group of nations are far-off destinations such as Guatemala, Tajikistan and the Marshall Islands, as well some slightly closer to home, such as Luxembourg. he analysis is contained in a new book, All the Countries We’ve Ever Invaded: And the Few We Never Got Round To. Stuart Laycock, the author, has worked his way around the globe, through each country alphabetically, researching its history to establish whether, at any point, they have experienced an incursion by Britain. Only a comparatively small proportion of the total in Mr Laycock’s list of invaded states actually formed an ofﬁcial part of the empire. The remainder have been included because the British were found to have achieved some sort of military presence in the territory – however transitory – either through force, the threat of force, negotiation or payment. Incursions by British pirates, privateers or armed explorers have also been included, provided they were operating with the approval of their government. So, many countries which once formed part of the Spanish empire and seem to have little historical connection with the UK, such as Costa Rica, Ecuador and El Salvador, make the list because of the repeated raids they suffered from state-sanctioned British sailors. Among some of the perhaps surprising entries on the list are:

* Cuba, where in 1741, a force under Admiral Edward Vernon stormed ashore at Guantánamo Bay. He renamed it Cumberland Bay, before being forced to withdraw in the face of hostile locals and an outbreak of disease among his men. Twenty one years later, Havana and a large part of the island fell to the British after a bloody siege, only to be handed back to the Spanish in 1763, along with another unlikely British possession, the Philippines, in exchange for Florida and Minorca. *Iceland, invaded in 1940 by the British after the neutral nation refused to enter the war on the Allies side. The invasion force, of 745 marines, met with strong protest from the Iceland government, but no resistance. * Vietnam, which has experienced repeated incursions by the British since the seventeenth century. The most recent – from 1945 to 1946 – saw the British fight a campaign for control of the country against communists, in a war that has been overshadowed by later conflicts involving first the French and then Americans. It is thought to be the first time such a list has been compiled. Mr Laycock, who has previously published books on Roman history, began the unusual quest after being asked by his 11-year-old son, Frederick, how many countries the British had invaded. After almost two years of research he said he was shocked by the answer. “I was absolutely staggered when I reached the total. I like to think I have a relatively good general knowledge. But there are places where it hadn’t occurred to me that these things had ever happened. It shocked me. “Other countries could write similar books – but they would be much shorter. I don’t think anyone could match this, although the Americans had a later start and have been working hard on it in the twentieth century.” The only other nation which has achieved anything approaching the British total, Mr Laycock said, is France – which also holds the unfortunate record for having endured the most British inva-

sions. “I realise people may argue with some of my reasons, but it is intended to prompt debate,” he added. He believes the actual ﬁgure may well be higher and is inviting the public to get in touch to provide evidence of other invasions. In the case of Mongolia, for instance – one of the 22 nations “not invaded”, according to the book – he believes it possible that there could have been a British invasion, but could ﬁnd no direct proof. The country was caught up in the turmoil following the Russian Revolution, in which the British and other powers intervened. Mr Laycock found evidence of a British military mission in Russia approximately 50 miles from the Mongolian border, but could not establish whether it got any closer. The research lists countries based on their current national boundaries and names. Many of the invasions took place when these did not apply. The research covered the 192 other UN member states as well as the Vatican City and Kosovo, which are not member states, but are recognised by the UK government as independent states. The earliest invasion launched from these islands was an incursion into Gaul – now France – at the end of the second century. Clodius Albinus led an army, thought to include many Britons, across the Channel in an attempt to seize the imperial throne. The force was defeated in 197 at Lyon. Mr Laycock added: “One one level, for the British, it is quite amazing and quite humbling, that this is all part of our history, but clearly there are parts of our history that we are less proud of. The book is not intended as any kind of moral judgment on our history or our empire. It is meant as a light-hearted bit of fun.” The countries never invaded by the British: Andorra, Belarus, Bolivia, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Guatemala, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Mali, Marshall Islands, Monaco, Mongolia, Paraguay, Sao Tome and Principe, Sweden, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan,Vatican City

Couple to hang for starving maid to death A

Malaysian couple have been sentenced to hang for murdering their Indonesian maid by starving her to death, according to reports Friday that said she weighed just 26 kilos (57 pounds) when she died. In the latest case of abuse against the legion of Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia, the High Court ruled on Thursday that 26-year-old Isti Komariyah died of deliberate starvation in June 2011. Judge Noor Azian Shaari said Fong Kong Meng, 58 and his wife Teoh Ching Yen, 56, consistently withheld food from the young woman during

the three years she worked for them. “She was 26 and weighed barely 26kg when she was taken to the University Malaya Medical Centre with bruises and scratch marks on her back, arms and forehead,” The Star newspaper reported. Isti was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. She had weighed 46 kilos (101 pounds) when she ﬁrst started working for the couple. The court and the couple’s lawyer could not be immediately reached for comment. Malaysia relies on an estimated two million Indonesians who toil in

plantation, construction, factory and domestic work — both legally and illegally. Allegations of abuse against foreign labourers have included overwork, beatings, sexual abuse and torture. A Cambodian maid was starved to death in 2012 by her employers, earning them 24 years in jail. Cambodia had stopped sending maids a year earlier over other abuses. But poor Indonesian women have continued to arrive. Malaysia has taken some steps towards improving the welfare of domestic workers, including requir-

ing at least one day off per week and nearly doubling minimum monthly salaries to 700 ringgit ($210). But activists say it is difﬁcult to enforce these requirements. The Indonesian embassy estimates 400,000 women work in Malaysia as maids — about half illegally. Indonesian workers account for roughly half of all foreign labourers. The two Muslim neighbours’ closer scrutiny of the issue has slowed processing of legal domestic workers, causing a shortage that has fuelled the efforts of trafﬁckers bringing in illegals, activists say.

LIFE SENTENCE SOUGHT FOR MONTANA BRIDE WHO PUSHED HUSBAND OFF CLIFF

.S. prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for a Montana bride who killed her new husband by pushing him off a cliff at Glacier National Park during an argument and after expressing misgivings about their marriage. The bride, 22-year-old Jordan Graham, struck a deal with prosecutors in December and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the high-proﬁle July 7 death of her husband of eight days, Cody Johnson. She is due to be sentenced next week. The agreement with prosecutors, which came just as closing arguments in her federal murder trial were set to begin, involved the dropping of a ﬁrst-degree murder count that could have carried a mandatory life sentence. Prosecutors said that Graham deliberately shoved Johnson, 25, off a rock ledge during a marital dispute while

hiking a steep trail at Glacier and then lied to investigators and tried to cover up the crime. After striking the plea deal, Graham admitted her guilt to U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy, who presided over her trial in Missoula, Montana. She told the judge that her husband had grabbed her hand during the argument and that she “just pushed his hand off and just pushed away.” While a second-degree murder conviction may be punishable by life in prison, it can also result in a lesser sentence of about 20 years behind bars, with possible adjustments for accepting responsibility and other factors. Federal prosecutors said in a sentencing recommendation ﬁled on Tuesday that a prison term of 24 to 30 years for the second-degree murder count would be insufﬁcient for Graham,

Jordan Graham approaches the entrance to U.S. District court in Missoula, Montana whom they described as “extremely dangerous, predatory and an unrepentant murderer.” They argued that the seriousness of Graham’s crime, her lack of remorse and the chance she might commit another violent crime warranted a life

sentence or no less than 50 years in jail. “The defendant, despite offering no remorse, has left a mother childless, upended a community and shown no respect for the law during this entire process,” wrote Michael Cotter, U.S. Attorney for Montana. Michael Donahoe, Graham’s federal defender, is seeking a 10-year sentence. He said the former nanny had no criminal record before the “tragic event,” was unlikely to commit another crime and regretted she had not come forward sooner with the truth. “She is worthy of punishment and the shame that will no doubt accompany her for the remainder of her life,” Donahoe wrote in legal ﬁlings. “Defendant has conﬁded to the undersigned that a day does not go by that she doesn’t think of her husband and what might have been.”

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usiness B AND

TJudgeOapproves Toyota $1.2 billion ECHN

LOGY

settlement over concealing defects

U.S. judge signed off on Toyota Motor Corp’s $1.2 billion settlement of criminal charges that it concealed safety problems in its vehicles, an accord that could serve as a model for a similar probe into General Motors Co U.S. District Judge William Pauley approved the Japanese automaker’s deferred prosecution agreement at a Thursday hearing in Manhattan. His approval came one day after the U.S. Department of Justice said it resolved its investigation into problems that caused Toyota vehicles to accelerate suddenly. Pauley said the case presented a “reprehensible picture of corporate misconduct,” and expressed hope that the government would ultimately hold the responsible decisionmakers at Toyota accountable. “This unfortunately is a case that demonstrates that corporate fraud can kill,” he said. Pauley ruled shortly after Christopher Reynolds, Toyota’s North American legal chief, entered a

“not guilty” plea on behalf of the automaker to one count of wire fraud. The $1.2 billion settlement is the largest such penalty ever levied by the United States on an auto company. It resolves issues that have dogged Toyota since at least 2007 and have been linked to at least ﬁve deaths. Toyota still faces hundreds of private lawsuits. The settlement marked a huge victory for safety advocates who fought for years for criminal prosecution of automakers over safety violations. Toyota agreed to a so-called statement of facts, in which it admitted to having misled U.S. consumers and a federal regulator about two problems that caused cars to accelerate even if drivers tried to slow them down. No guilty plea was required, and the government agreed not to prosecute Toyota for wire fraud for three years. The charge will be dismissed in 2017 if Toyota follows the terms of the accord, which include allowing an independent

monitor to review its safety practices. A spokeswoman for Toyota declined to comment, as did a spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in Manhattan. U.S. authorities are investigating GM over its handling of an ignition switch defect linked to 12 deaths, and which resulted in a recall last month of more than 1.6 million vehicles, mostly in the United States. Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters on Wednesday that he hoped the Toyota deal would “serve as a model for how to approach future cases involving similarly situated companies.” The Toyota investigation ﬂowed out of publicity starting in 2009 over unintended acceleration linked to at least ﬁve deaths, and which prompted hundreds of lawsuits. Last year, a federal judge approved a settlement valued at $1.6 billion to resolve claims by Toyota owners that the value of their cars dropped because of the negative publicity.

Darden sticks to Red Lobster spin-off plan D

arden Restaurants Inc (DRI.N), battling activist investors over the future of its struggling Red Lobster business, reiterated plans to divest the seafood chain and reported third-quarter results in line with analysts’ lowered expectations. Darden, which also owns the Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse chains, had on March 3 warned that severe winter weather hurt sales and proﬁt in the quarter. The company has been under pressure from Starboard Value LP and Barington Capital Group LP to improve business at Red Lobster and Olive Garden, both of which on Friday reported a fall in same-restaurant sales for the third straight quarter. Darden plans to spin off or sell the 705-restaurant Red Lobster chain, but Barington wants Olive Garden and Red Lobster in one company and the higher-growth chains, including LongHorn Steakhouse, as a second company.

Passersby walk in front of the Times Square Red Lobster restaurant in New York Starboard, which owns about 5.5 percent of the largest U.S. full-service restaurant operator, says the plan to spin off Red Lobster should

be delayed and put to a shareholder vote. Barington, which said it owns about 2 percent of Darden, has asked

BLACKBERRY SUFFERS BLOW AS WHITE HOUSE TESTS SAMSUNG, LG PHONES

he White House is testing smartphones from Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics Inc. for internal use, a person familiar with the matter said, threatening one of the last and most high-profile strongholds of BlackBerry Ltd. The devices are being tested by the White House’s internal technology team and the White House Communications Agency, a military unit in charge of President Barack Obama’s communications, the person said. The tests are in the early stages, the person said, and any implementation of Samsung or LG phones is still “months away.” There was no indication that Mr. Obama is switching from his modified BlackBerry. “We can confirm that the White House Communications Agency, consistent with the rest of the Department of Defense, is piloting and using a variety of mobile devices,” a Defense Department spokesman said. He declined to comment on the devices in the pilot test or in use at the White House. A Samsung spokesman declined to comment on

whether its phones were being tested at the White House. “We have seen strong interest from the government sector and are working closely with various agencies to deploy pilot programs,” he said. An LG spokesman said the company wasn’t aware of such testing. “For more than a decade, BlackBerry has been securing the U.S. government’s mobile communications and only BlackBerry is designed to meet the high-security needs of U.S. and allied government agencies,” a BlackBerry spokeswoman said. Mr. Obama has said he uses an Apple Inc iPad for reading. Apple’s iPhone isn’t part of the testing program, the person familiar with the matter said. Apple for the past few years has been chipping away at BlackBerry’s once-dominant position in the government sector, however, and Samsung has invested heavily to win more government customers. BlackBerry’s proprietary network is widely considered the most secure among smartphone makers. But

the Orlando-based company to create a publicly-traded real estate investment trust (REIT) to unlock the value of its property holdings. Same-restaurant sales fell 8.8 percent at Red Lobster and 5.4 percent at Olive Garden in the third quarter. They rose 0.3 percent at LongHorn Steakhouse. Total sales fell 1 percent to $2.23 billion in the quarter ended February 23. Darden’s net income fell to $109.7 million, or 82 cents per share, from $134.4 million, or $1.02 per share, a year earlier. Analysts on average had expected the company to earn 82 cents per share, on sales of $2.25 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. The company also maintained its forecast for a 15-20 percent fall in fullyear proﬁt. Darden’s shares closed at $49.30 on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday.

phones running on Google inc.’s Android operating system have worked to bolster their security, largely by working with third-party software companies. BlackBerry’s loss of government users comes as the Waterloo, Ontario, company has suffered losses among consumers more broadly. BlackBerry once had roughly half of the North American smartphone market, but now makes up just 0.6% of that market, according to IDC. To counter such challenges, BlackBerry over the last several months has undergone a broad executive overhaul and cost-cutting program. The company’s new chief executive, John Chen, has said that winning back government customers is a top priority. BlackBerry is opening a “security innovation center” in the Washington, D.C., area later this year as part of that effort. Mr. Chen has met with ofﬁcials from the White House to discuss “some of the stuff they like and some of the stuff they would like us to work on,” he said in an interview this month with Bloomberg Television.

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MARCH 22ND - MARCH 29TH, 2014

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

UK economic recovery not yet sustainable B

ritain’s economic recovery is being driven by an unsustainable pick up in consumer borrowing which could be derailed by higher interest rates, according to the head of retailer Next, a prominent supporter of the prime minister’s Conservative Party. Simon Wolfson made his comments as Next Britain’s second-biggest clothing retailer, reported a 12 percent rise in annual profit to 695.2 million pounds ($1.2 billion), driven by booming sales at its online business - a figure likely to top that of rival Marks & Spencer for the first time. Data and surveys have shown an improving outlook for UK consumer spending, which generates about two

thirds of gross domestic product. But some retailers remain wary. “Whilst the economy is getting better, we need to recognize that last year’s growth was driven very much by credit and that that can’t go on forever,” Wolfson told Reuters on Thursday. “Until we see signiﬁcant increase in the supply side of the economy proﬁtable investment and improved productivity - we cannot bank on a return to sustained growth,” he said. Wolfson, who sits in Britain’s upper house of Parliament, said he was encouraged by recent data showing little or no decline in real earnings. But he was concerned by the prospect of an interest rate rise later this year

dampening the consumer economy as well as house price inﬂation getting out of control. “My big concern is, particularly in the south east (of England) where people have borrowed a lot of money on their homes, is that people have got used to very low interest rates and any rise in interest rates will come as something of a shock,” he said, adding: “Asset bubbles are never productive.” Espirito Santo Investment Bank analyst Tony Shiret reckons Next, which also sells homewares, is the UK clothing retailer most exposed to customers with mortgages. “This is clearly a risk that should be discounted in some way. Yet we get no

sense that this is on the investment watch-list for this company,” he said. On Wednesday, UK ﬁnance minister George Osborne delivered his annual budget, courting voters ahead of a national election in 2015 with promises of help for savers, tax breaks for manufacturers and lower beer and bingo levies. Shares in Next, which have risen 61 percent over the last year, were up 2 percent to 6,705.25 pence at 1045 GMT, valuing the company at about 10.4 billion pounds. The ﬁrm trades from over 500 stores in Britain and Ireland and almost 200 stores in more than 30 countries overseas, as well as via the Directory internet and catalogue business.

Panama economic growth slows to 8.4 percent in 2013 P

anama’s economy slowed in 2013 after two straight years of double-digit growth, but remained one of Latin America’s fastest expanding economies thanks to heavy government infrastructure spending, official data showed on Thursday. Panama’s economic activity rose 8.4 percent last year compared to a downwardly revised 10.2 percent in 2012, the government statistics agency said, figures in line with what the finance ministry had projected for the year. The easing in growth comes as investments in large-scale infrastructure projects, including the $5.25 billion expansion of the Panama Canal, draw to a close. The Central American country escaped the worst of the global recession, expanding at an average rate of 8 percent over the past six years and notching double-digit growth in 2011 and 2012. Much of Panama’s growth is credited to the public infrastructure spending, including the construction of the trademark canal’s third lane and Central America’s first metro. President Ricardo Martinelli, whose term ends in May, has also poured money into new roads and hospitals and cleaning of Panama Bay, boosting the

Idle cranes are seen at the construction site of the Panama Canal Expansion project on the outskirts of Colon City February 20, 2014. construction industry’s growth by 30 percent in 2013. The spending has created a budget deﬁcit of 2.7 percent of GDP, Finance Minister Frank De Lima said, which some analysts ﬁnd worrying given the strong growth the country has had. Growth has also been lifted by construction and development of a $6.2 billion copper mine on Panama’s Atlantic coast, which helped expand the mining industry by nearly a third last year. The mine is expected to become one of the

STARBUCKS TO ADD ALCOHOL ON EVENINGS AT HUNDREDS OF STORES

tarbucks will expand its evening alcohol and light bites menu, which includes bacon-wrapped dates and Malbec wine, to thousands of stores, Chief Operating Ofﬁcer Troy Alstead said in a phone interview. The rollout, which can help boost sales, will take several years, he said. “We’ve tested it long enough in enough markets -- this is a program that works,” he said. “As we bring the evening program to stores, there’s a meaningful increase in sales during that time of the day.” Starbucks has been focused on selling more non-coffee items, such as alcohol, juice, Teavana tea and food, to stoke U.S. growth. The company, which announced a long-term plan to almost double its market value to $100 billion yesterday, also is expanding and improving its rewards program and mobile applications. Earlier this month, Starbucks said it would soon test a way for customers to order items ahead of time with their smartphones. The shares fell 0.4 percent to $75.60 at 7:41 a.m. in New York. The Seattle-based company closed yesterday with a market capitalization of about $57.4 billion. The company ﬁrst sold alcohol in October 2010 at a Seattle store. In January 2012, Starbucks said it was expanding the test to

as many as 25 locations in Chicago, Atlanta and Southern California. In Chicago, the after-4 p.m. menu includes fare such as truffle macaroni and cheese, chicken skewers, Chardonnay and chocolate fondue. URBAN AREAS The evening food and drinks, which are in about 40 stores now, won’t work in all Starbucks cafes, Alstead said. He said they’ve seen success in some urban areas, near other restaurants and theaters, where people are out at night. Last month, Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz handed over the company’s day-to-day operations to Alstead, so Schultz could focus more on digital, mobile, loyalty and electronic- commerce initiatives. The company said yesterday in a statement that its mobile-payment application has been gaining traction. Mobile payment now accounts for 14 percent of in-store transactions in the U.S., up from a 10 percent rate disclosed in July. Starbucks also said it will open at least 20 additional Teavana stores in the current fiscal year. “Mobile is very important,” Peter Saleh, a New York-based analyst at Telsey Advisory Group, said in a phone interview. “The companies that are taking share are the companies that have some mobile, digital platform --

Papa John’s, Domino’s, Starbucks, Dunkin’.” LOYALTY PROGRAM Starbucks’s loyalty program entices diners by offering free beverages, food and reﬁlls in return for points they’ve accumulated from purchases. Customers can pay with mobile phones or Starbucks cards that are linked to their account. As part of its effort to sell more tea, the company will begin offering Oprah Winfrey-branded chai tea on April 29 at stores in the U.S. and Canada, Schultz said at the company’s annual meeting yesterday. Winfrey, the television personality and entrepreneur, tasted different tea varieties and helped Starbucks create the blend, which includes black and rooibos teas. “This felt like something that I really loved, that I really cared about,” Winfrey told Schultz at the meeting. Starbucks will donate money from the tea’s sales to charities that support youth education. Starbucks bought Teavana Holdings Inc. last year in a transaction valued at about $626 million. It has since been expanding the brand and plans to open tea bars in Chicago and Los Angeles this ﬁscal year. Starbucks has more than 20,100 locations worldwide, including about 11,500 in the U.S.

world’s biggest open-pit copper developments and Panama’s biggest source of exports, and its first shipments are due in 2016, according to Minera Panama, a subsidiary of Canada’s First Quantum Minerals Ltd. Still, Panama’s overall growth was cooled by the worldwide economic slowdown, which dulled trade through the canal and ports. A delay in the waterway’s expansion, which is now projected to finish by December 2015, also persuaded some shippers such as Danish oil and shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk to use alternative routes from Asia like the Suez Canal, which fits bigger ships carrying more goods cheaply. Panama’s $33.6 billion economy has also been affected by a dispute with two of its biggest trading partners, Colombia and Venezuela, which disrupted Panama’s Colon Free Trade Zone, the world’s largest duty-free area after Hong Kong. Venezuelan traders owe the free trade zone about $1.2 billion because of difficulties exchanging the Venezuelan bolivar for dollars. Meanwhile, Colombia has imposed additional surcharges on importing items such as clothes and shoes. Panama’s Finance Ministry has switched to using 2007 base rates instead of 1996, modifying economic back data.

TIME WARNER CABLE CEO TO GET $80M IN GOLDEN PARACHUTE

ime Warner Cable (TWC) Chief Executive Rob Marcus stands to make about $80 million if Comcast’s deal to buy Time Warner Cable closes, according to a regulatory ﬁling on Thursday. Marcus will receive about $20 million in cash, a $2.5 million bonus if certain targets are hit and $56.5 million in equity. Comcast Corp has agreed to buy the No. 2 cable provider in the United States for $45 billion. While striking for a CEO who has been in the top job for barely three months, his “golden parachute” is nothing new in the rough and tumble of big corporations, where well timed deals or even ﬁrings often bring big payouts for the executives involved. H.J. Heinz CEO William Johnson, for example, was set to reap about $56 million in last March after the ketchup maker’s acquisition by Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital. In another instance, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop received an 18.8 million euro ($25.5 million) termination payment after he negotiat-

ed the sale of its handset business to Microsoft Corp. Their defenders point to such packages as needed to provide ﬁnancial security to executives so they would be open to a deal without being worried about being out of a job. Also as part of the Comcast deal, Time Warner CFO Arthur Minson will get a severance package of about $27 million. Marcus took over the chief executive position of Time Warner Cable on January 1 from longtime head Glenn Britt, who retired at the end of last year as an intense jockeying to buy the company started to play out. Britt does not receive a golden parachute in the deal. Charter Communications, a smaller cable rival backed by John Malone, launched an aggressive bid to buy the company for about $37 billion before Comcast swooped in with a sweeter deal. Reuters previously reported in November Marcus’ payout package that has since changed based on the value of Time Warner Cable shares.

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BUSINESS AND T ECHNOLOGY

Missing plane passengers families could collect millions W

ill families of the victims of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 get their day in court? After two emotional weeks of searching, the prospect looms that the Boeing 777 carrying their loved ones won’t soon turn up -- or may never be found. Not knowing what happened to the 239 people aboard Flight 370 complicates the claims process and presents “some significant hurdles,” said Dan Rose, a partner at the firm Kreindler & Kreindler who has represented passenger claims. But it in no way absolves the airline’s financial responsibilities to the passengers’ families. “From a legal point of view, it’s not an unprecedented situation,” he said. Under an international treaty known as the Montreal Convention, the airline must pay relatives of each deceased passenger an initial sum of around $150,000 to $175,000. Relatives of victims can also sue for further damages -- unless the airline can prove that it took all neces-

sary measures to prevent a crash or any other incident that prevented passengers from arriving safely. “It’s going to be extremely difficult for Malaysia Airlines to plead absence of negligence” when the plane is missing, said Brian Havel, a law professor and director of the International Aviation Law Institute at DePaul University. “The negligence may have even begun in the process of accepting stolen passports.” Liability could also stretch beyond the airline to the plane’s manufacturer, Boeing, if a mechanical flaw is ruled the cause. But that would be a difficult case to prove if the plane is not recovered. Monica Kelly, an attorney at Ribbeck Law Chartered who plans to file suit against Malaysia Airlines and Boeing, believes that based on her experience, families could receive between $400,000 and $3 million in damages. However, it could take two years before they see the money, she said. And a lot depends on where the

lawsuits are ﬁled. Plaintiffs tend to be awarded much larger sums in U.S. courts than in other countries, said Mike Danko, an aviation lawyer with Danko Meredith who estimates some awards could be as large as $6 million to $8 million. Uncertainty about the passengers’ fate could slow the legal process. But if months go by with no sign of the passengers, most countries will allow judges to rule that a passenger is presumed dead, allowing claims to move forward, including life insurance and other other end-of-life matters. Any lawsuits will likely unfold in several countries since people of 14 different nationalities were on board the ﬂight. U.S. attorneys are already on the ground in Beijing, where many of the families are awaiting news of their loved ones in a hotel. But most claims will likely be settled out of court, Havel said. Many of Malaysia Airlines’ expenses will be covered by the maze of insurance policies that cover a plane

and its passengers. Coverage averages between $2 billion and $2.5 billion per aircraft, including about $10 million per passenger, Havel said. The first claims for the missing airliner itself have already been paid. Insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty said Wednesday it and other firms “have made initial payments” of an unspecified amount on so-called hull and liability policies that are part of “our contractual obligations where an aircraft is reported as missing.” An eventual payout from the airline, however, won’t answer the many questions or assuage the grief. Families of the passengers gathered in Kuala Lumpur and Beijing -- the flight’s departure and intended arrival cities -- upset that, in their view, authorities were withholding information. “They just kept brushing us off, saying keep waiting and waiting for information,” said one woman as family members protested at a Kuala Lumpur hotel. “I don’t know when we are going to wait ‘til. It’s already 12 days.”

IRS warns of biggest tax scam ever A

s if taxpayers don’t have enough to worry about. Thousands of Americans have been conned out of more than $1 million by crooks posing as IRS agents demanding tax payments, according to the U.S. Treasury. “This is the largest scam of its kind that we have ever seen,” said J. Russell George, the Treasury inspector general for tax administration, who says the agency has received more than 20,000 complaints about the fraud. The sophisticated phone scam has hit victims in every state, tax ofﬁcials say. Callers claiming to be from the IRS tell intended victims they owe taxes and must pay using a prepaid debit card or wire transfer. The scammers threaten those who refuse

to pay with arrest, deportation or loss of a business or driver’s license. To lend the scam credibility, the crooks often know the last four digits of the taxpayer’s Social Security number, and the calls are made with spoofed caller identiﬁcation software that makes it appear the call is originating from the IRS. In many cases, taxpayers will get follow-up calls that appear to be from their state motor vehicle agency (if a driver’s license was threatened) or the police. The scammers also send follow-up emails that mimic the IRS insignia and even appear to be signed by real IRS ofﬁcials. “The increasing number of people receiving these unsolicited calls from individuals who fraud-

ulently claim to represent the IRS is alarming,” George said. “Particularly during the tax ﬁling season, we want to make sure that innocent taxpayers are alert to this scam so they are not harmed by these criminals. Do not become a victim.” In reality, if you owe taxes, the IRS will contact you by U.S. mail -- not email. The agency never asks for payment via debit card or wire transfer. It never asks you to provide a credit card number over the phone. And it never requests personal or ﬁnancial information by e-mail, text or social media. “If someone unexpectedly calls claiming to be from the IRS and uses threatening language if you don’t pay immediately, that is a sign that it is not the IRS calling,” George said.

THE BOOM IN SMUGGLING TO AVOID CIGARETTE TAXES

ore than half of the cigarettes sold in New York State are smuggled in from other places to avoid the Empire State’s taxes on smokes, which have soared nearly 200 percent since 2006, according to a report issued by the conservative Tax Foundation. New York is the highest net importer of smuggled cigarettes -- illegal smokes account for 56.9 percent of the state’s total market. New York’s cigarettes tax is $4.35 per pack, the country’s highest. The situation there isn’t unique. The Tax Foundation also cites a study that found that 58.7 percent of discarded cigarettes found in ﬁve Northeastern cities lacked proper tax stamps. Taxes on cigarettes, which are designed to discourage smoking, vary widely. States such as Missouri, North Carolina and Virginia have levies of

less than a $1 per pack. These wide differences make smuggling “both a national problem and a lucrative criminal enterprise,” according to the Tax Foundation. Antismoking activists have long argued that fewer people will buy cigarettes if they’re expensive. Chicago recently raised its cigarette taxes for that reason. Combined with state and local levies, the total is now $7.17 a pack. The smuggling problem “is a lot smaller than the study lets on,” said Thomas Carr, director of national policy at the American Lung Association, noting that the Tax Foundation’s data come from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, which has received funding from the tobacco industry. “Tobacco companies are generally against higher tobacco taxes.” In neighboring New Jersey, convenience store owners are ﬁghting

efforts by the state legislature to impose new taxes on e-cigarettes that would nearly double their cost. E-cigarettes fans tout them as a healthier alternative to conventional smokes. Activists such as the American Lung Association, however, argue that no evidence backs up that claim and others, such as e-cigarettes help people stop smoking regular cigarettes. Nonetheless, electronic smokes are surging in popularity, and experts note that should disparities in e-cigarette taxes develop among the states, they could also become attractive to smugglers. “I would imagine it would be easier to smuggle electronic cigarettes because they are smaller,” says Tax Foundation economist Scott Drenkard. “If you have any kind of differential, you are going to see arbitrage.” Beyond interstate trade, cigarette

MICROSOFT ADMITS READING HOTMAIL INBOX OF BLOGGER

icrosoft is caught up in a privacy storm after it admitted it read the Hotmail inbox of a blogger while pursuing a software leak investigation. On Thursday, the ﬁrm acknowledged it read the anonymous blogger’s emails in order to identify an employee it suspected of leaking information. Microsoft owns Hotmail, a free email service now called Outlook.com. John Frank, deputy general counsel for Microsoft, said it took “extraordinary actions in this case”. While the search was technically legal, he added Microsoft would consult outside counsel in the future. Microsoft’s actions came to light this week as part

of a legal case by US prosecutors against an ex-Microsoft employee, Alex Kibalko, who was a Russian native based in the company’s Lebanon office. In 2012, Microsoft had been alerted to the fact that the blogger, whose identity was kept anonymous in the court papers, had been given some stolen lines of code from the not-yet-released Windows 8 operating system. The blogger then posted screenshots of the unreleased Windows operating system to his blog. To figure out the source of the leak, Microsoft began an investigation and, as part of that search, looked into the blogger’s accounts to find out the name of the employee.

smuggling is a global problem. Last year, law enforcement ofﬁcials seized $4.5 million worth of counterfeit Chinese cigarettes in Brooklyn, N.Y. Media reports indicate illicit cigarette production has soared in China in recent years. Ukraine is another source of ill-gotten smokes. According to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the European country, currently involved in a dispute over Crimea with Russia, boasts the world’s cheapest cigarettes at $1.05 per pack. Cars and trucks ﬁlled with Ukrainian-made Marlboros and Viceroys get waved through border checkpoints by customs guards who seem more than eager to accommodate, for a price,” the consortium says. “Loads also move by bus and train, bound for other European countries where high taxes make packs cost as much as $5 (Germany) or $10 (United Kingdom).”

The search was legal because it fell within Microsoft’s terms of service which state that the company can access information in accounts that are stored on its “Communication Services”, which includes email, chat areas, forums, and other communication facilities. The terms of service add: “Microsoft reserves the right to review materials posted to the Communication Services and to remove any materials in its sole discretion.” Nonetheless, revelations of the search have led to renewed focus on the privacy violations of technology firms. It has also left Microsoft in a difficult position, as the firm has often criticised rival Google for its automatic scanning of users’ emails in order to serve them with advertising.

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

QUEENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BATON HEADING TO TCI TURKS AND CAICOS By Vivian Tyson

he Queen's Baton relay, which is the symbol of the Summer Commonwealth Games to take place in Glasgow, Scotland, is currently in Caribbean as it tours 70 nations and territories of the Commonwealth. Hundreds of villages, towns and cities have been named on the Queen's Baton Relay route before arriving in Scotland. The relay was launched by the Queen and Sir Chris Hoy at Buckingham Palace in October. It's been travelling the world since, and is due in Scotland in mid-June. On 18 March it will be in the Scottish Borders. The baton will arrive in the Turks and Caicos on April 15, where it is expected to tour the country. It would then leave for the Bahamas on the April 18 and then to Belize on April 21, then Bermuda on April 25, where it will end its Caribbean journey and head to Canada on April 27. Before arriving in the Turks and Caicos Islands the Baton will tour a number other Caribbean Commonwealth Countries such as Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands and Agnguilla. Leaving Canada by the end of April, the Baton will then head to European destinations such as Cyprus, Malta and Gibraltar. It will arrive in Scotland after spending a month travelling around the other nations and territories of the British Isles

Rita Gardiner, Head of the Turks and Caicos Islands Commonwealth Games Association and Patrick Noonan, Technical Programmes Director in the Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2IÂżFH WDON WR FKLOGUHQ DW WKH (OL]D 6LPRQV 3ULPDU\ 6FKRRO LQ *UDQG 7XUN

- Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, Wales and England. While in the Turks and Caicos Islands, some school children got the opportunity to see the Baton DQG OHDUQ RI LWV VLJQLÂżFDQFH The Queen's Baton Relay, similar to the Olympic Torch Relay, is a relay around the world held prior to the beginning of the Commonwealth Games. The Baton carries a message from the Head of the

SNAP CENTRE BENEFITS FROM TURKS AND CAICOS TRIATHLON

Kevin Bethel, one of the organizers of the Turks and Caicos Triathlon presents Paulette Simmons, Principal for the Marion Williams Special Needs Association of Providenciales (SNAP) Centre with a cheque from funds raised from the event recent. Sharing in the moment are students at the institution and one of the special needs teachers (right).

The Marion Williams Special Needs Association of Providenciales (SNAP) Centre located in Kew Town is the recipient of funds raised from the Turks and Caicos Triathlon held recently in Providenciales. The $500, which came mainly through entry fees, was presented to Principal for the Centre Paulette Simmons on Wednesday (March 19) by Kevin Bethel, one of the organizers of the event. Bethel told The SUN that the Turks and Caicos Triathlon ZDV VWDJHG WR EHQHÂżW DQ DEVROXWHO\ GHVHUYLQJ

charity, and while there many in the Turks and Caicos Islands, they believe that the SNAP Centre ÂżWWHG WKH ELOO Bethel stated that another triathlon is scheduled for later this year and he is hoping that there would be more participants so that more entry fees could be collected, which would mean increase donation to the centre. Simmons, who accepted the gift on behalf of the special needs school, was grateful for the gesture, telling The SUN that the institution is in need of all kinds of learning and other materials, and the donation would go towards addressing some of those shortfalls. She said that while government has been doing what it can to address some of the needs of the institution, it is always a welcome feeling when the private sector and charitable organizers chip in to assist the institution. Williams said that over the past few years since the organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s establishment, it has received assistance from the private sector from time to time. She said that Scotiabank is one of their key VXSSRUWHUV 7KH ÂżQDQFLDO LQVWLWXWLRQ KDV GRQH among other things, constructed a playing area for the children on the compound. She noted that any assistance from the public would be greatly appreciated

Commonwealth, currently Queen Elizabeth II. The Relay traditionally begins at Buckingham Palace in London as a part of the city's Commonwealth Day festivities. 7KH 4XHHQ HQWUXVWV WKH EDWRQ WR WKH ÂżUVW UHOD\ runner. At the Opening Ceremony of the Games, WKH ÂżQDO UHOD\ UXQQHU KDQGV WKH EDWRQ EDFN WR WKH Queen or her representative, who reads the message DORXG WR RIÂżFLDOO\ RSHQ WKH *DPHV

ST. MONICAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S, BETHANY WIN IN SOFTBALL COMPETITION St. Monicaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Anglican Church and Bethany Baptist Church were winners in the Church Softball competition played at the National Stadium on Thursday March 20. In the curtain-raiser which was played in at 6:30p.m., St. Monicaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blew away Jericho Baptist 13 to 4. Top hitters in that game were Marcus with a homerun and two runs and Damion with three runs. In the second game, Bethany Baptist defeated Prophecy Church 12 to 9. The top hitter in that game was Ryan with two runs.

Before the start of the game a minuteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s silence was held in observance of the death of businessman Robert â&#x20AC;&#x153;Robbieâ&#x20AC;? Been, who was shot and killed at his business place on March 4. Been was the coach of the ST. Monicaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team. The competition continues on Monday, March 24, with two games. In the curtainraiser scheduled for 6:30p.m., Methodist will go up against Paradise Baptist, and in the feature encounter Abundant Life with do battle with Harvest Bible Church.

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Sports

CARIBBEAN

The consistently inconsistent world champions BY TONY COZIER

nevitably, the shorter the game, the more frenzied the tempo, the more exciting the action, the more unpredictable the outcome. In less than a decade, such elements have transformed T20 into the most popular of cricket’s three formats. It has spawned world championships every two years since the first in 2007 and lucrative domestic tournaments just about everywhere. It has proved ideal for the West Indies of the 21st century, for there is no more erratic, thrilling or exasperating side. Over the coming fortnight, in the fifth tournament, in Bangladesh, they defend the world title they won in Sri Lanka just over a year and a half ago. In their finishing build-up, they clinched a brief series against England in Barbados that ended on Thursday, winning the first two matches before falling just five runs short in the last after tinkering with the XI. At No. 6 in the ICC rankings to England’s No. 8, the result was not surprising; nor are Caribbean conditions at Kensington Oval likely to resemble those at the Shere Bangla Stadium in Mirpur, where they are based for the Super 10 matches against India, Australia, Pakistan and opponents from the qualifying round. Yet both captain Darren Sammy and coach Ottis Gibson spoke afterwards of the significance of the England series. For Sammy, the team was carrying “good momentum” to Bangladesh after a “complete team effort” against England. Gibson was even more upbeat than his captain. “We know it’s going to be a tough job to retain the trophy but the team is in a good place at the moment,” he said as he headed off for Dhaka with his charges 24 hours after the final England match. “We know what it takes to win the tournament. We just need to look after the basics of the game that must be applied but we’re more than capable of retaining it.” It would have been misplaced con-

fidence a month earlier after a humbling six-wicket loss to Ireland at Kingston’s Sabina Park was their fifth in successive T20Is. Even if Sammy, Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels were all missing from the two in New Zealand in January through injury, the sequence was worrying. The concern has eased. Twelve of the victorious squad of the class of 2012 return as does Gibson, who is adamant that such experience is crucial. As county cricket once did for several top Test players, the IPL and other such domestic tournaments have enabled the latest generation to hone skills necessary for the artificiality of such an abbreviated format. Gayle, the left-handed strongman, is widely recognised as the game’s most intimidating hitter. Sunil Narine, the finger-flicking spinner of confusing variations, is ranked the No. 1 T20 bowler by the ICC; his 3.4-0-9-3 spell was a decisive factor victory in the final in 2012, backing up Marlon Samuels’ remarkable 78 from 56 balls, with six disappearing sixes. Gayle has overcome the hamstring and back problems that kept him inactive for three months after pulling out of the Indian tour in late November. Samuels is fit again after wrist surgery, Sammy’s hamstring strain has recovered. Now 34, Gayle has been constant throughout the previous World Twenty20s since belting 117 off 57 balls, with ten sixes, against South Africa in the match that launched the whole thing in Johannesburg in 2007. He is nearing the end of his career but he remains key at the top of the order. It is such striking power, not Gayle’s alone, that makes West Indies so potentially dangerous. Even without the formidable Kieron Pollard, an irreplaceable absentee whose knee problems persist, six-hitting is an overall speciality. Gayle, Samuels, Sammy, Dwayne Bravo and Dwayne Smith have hoisted 161 in 187 innings between them. Sammy identified the game plan as maximising the Powerplay (the first six overs) and finishing strong. Pretty

Tony Cozier obvious but not easily accomplished. In the series against England, they plundered 58 and 56 from the first six. In the first match, Samuels and Andre Russell took 55 from the last five. In the second, Sammy, as clean a hitter as anyone, slammed 30 off nine balls to secure the win. When Gayle rested for the last match, West Indies were 28 for 3 in the fifth over and 67 for 5 after the 11th; Lendl Simmons, in-form wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin and Sammy took 93 off the last nine to carry the result down to the last ball. While the total can’t be reliant on Gayle alone, Narine also needs support with the ball. As Bangladesh is the location for the World Twenty20, the surprise is that he and the deceptive leggie Samuel Badree, a new-ball specialist and a crucial cog in the 2012 success, are the only specialist spinners. Samuels counts as a third while trundling his offbreaks. The selectors have opted instead for two left-arm Jamaicans of contrasting methods. Sheldon Cottrell, is a barrel-chested one-time soldier who deals in speed; Krishmar Santokie is a round-arm medium-pacer whose direct, full-length control and change of pace have pigeon-holed him as a T20 bowler (he was in the West Indies Under-15 team in England in 2000, is now 29 but has never had a first-class match). Three quarters of Santokie’s 89 wickets in T20 matches (a mere five internationals) are either bowled or lbw and his economy rate is under six an over. He has been signed up by the

Bolt is suffering because of Jamaica’s poor doping record, says US anti-doping chief

sain Bolt is being failed by Jamaican athletics chiefs, according to US Anti-doping Association boss Travis Tygart. Jamaican athletics has recently come under global pressure to revamp its under-ﬁre drugs testing regime following a number of high-proﬁle cases. And USADA chief executive Tygart believes the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association’s lack of action only serves to condemn stars like Bolt to doubts and scrutiny of his stunning sprint record. Tygart has long since been lobbying the JAAA for change and warned Bolt will continue to suffer unfounded rumours and accusations until a robust testing policy is in place. ‘Absolutely it lets him down,’ said Tygart of Jamaica’s lacklustre anti-doping policy. ‘It’s really unfair to question athletes’ performances just because of an inspiration story or whatever it may be, there’s a legal process for that. ‘That said, it happens unfortunately, and I think

Being failed: Usain Bolt’s achievements are being scrutinised because of Jamaica’s poor anti-doping record it’s really unfair to those athletes that it does happen.’ Sprint supremo Bolt’s 9.58seconds world-record

Mumbai Indians for the 2014 IPL and could well be the surprise packet of the tournament. With the Bangladesh tournament in mind, it is instructive to follow their path to their eventual triumph in 2012. It was typically bumpy. On the way, they fell in the first round to Australia by 17 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method, were overwhelmed by Sri Lanka by nine wickets at the Super Eight stage, and would have been eliminated two days later had substitute Dwayne Smith’s radar been an inch off target with his throw from the deep that ran out Doug Bracewell with scores tied. It threw them the lifeline of the eliminator over; they seized it gratefully. They suddenly became unstoppable. In the semi-final, they crushed their previous conquerors, Australia, by 74 runs; two days later Chris Gayle was leading them in celebration of their first global championship since the 2004 Champions Trophy with the elaborate “Gangnam Style” dance, incongruously introducing a Korean pop hit into cricket folklore. Samuels’ brilliance hauled them out of the hole of 32 for 2 after ten overs. Their intensity in the field and Narine’s magic made a barely serviceable total of 137 for 6 appear monstrous as a dumbstruck crowd of 30,000 at Colombo’s Premadasa Stadium watched their team go under by 36 runs. In the interim, the West Indies have contested 13 T20s; their inconsistency has remained consistent. They won four in succession after Colombo, then lost five straight leading into the series against England. It explains why the reigning champions can either go out in the first round in Bangladesh or brush aside everyone in their way to retaining the trophy. Any other way, they just wouldn’t be the West Indies the cricket world has come to know and love. z Tony Cozier has written about and commentated on cricket in the Caribbean for 50 years

time over 100 metres and his 19.19s 200m landmark set him apart for intense scrutiny around the world. Tygart said athletes should not have to spend their entire careers batting away unsubstantiated accusations simply because of supreme performance. And that is where he has called for ﬁrst-class anti-doping regulations to end such arguments once and for all. Tygart criticised Jamaican athletics bosses for failing to give Bolt and his team-mates the means with which to dispel question marks over outstanding performances. ‘Those athletes ought to be able to stand up, and in addition to being able to say they are clean, also have people believe that. ‘Furthermore they ought to be able to say “I am held to the highest standard, so there’s some credibility and cooperation behind my statement that I am clean”. ‘And that’s where athletes are being let down by the Jamaican authorities. ‘They deserve to have the right to be able to do that. ‘Every athlete and all of us who love sport ought to be pushing for change.’

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Sports W

RLD

Phil Jackson officially introduced as the new president of the New York Knicks

he New York Knicks officially introduced Phil Jackson as their new team president on Tuesday at a press conference that featured celebratory links to the franchise’s past, honest assessment of the team’s present and cautious optimism about the future of an organization that has spent much of the past 13 years paying penthouse prices to occupy the NBA’s basement. “As we go forward, we have a great chance and a great opportunity,” Jackson said during the unveiling at Madison Square Garden. “This is the best place to play basketball.” That hasn’t been the case for quite a long time. No Knicks team has won an NBA title in 41 years, and New York finished nine straight seasons with losing records between 2001 and 2010. After breaking through last season with a 54-28 campaign, an Atlantic Division title and a playoff series victory for the first time in 13 years, the Knicks have once again cratered this year to a 27-40 mark that leaves them four games out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the dreadful Eastern Conference with 15 games remaining in the regular season, despite sporting the league’s second-highest payroll. This is the mess that Jackson, a legendary coach who won an all-time-high 11 championship rings during a career on the bench with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, has been imported to clean up. Both he and owner James Dolan seem to acknowledge that it could take a while. Jackson said Tuesday he has signed a five-year contract, which will reportedly pay him at least $12 million per year, to take the reins of the organization where he won two NBA championships as a player in 1970 and 1973. He will “be in charge of all basketball decisions,” with executive Steve Mils — whom Dolan tapped to replace fired general manager Glen Grunwald in September — retained as the team’s general manager, and with Dolan “willingly and gratefully” ceding authority over basketball operations to the incoming “Zen Master.” Jackson termed the introductory press conference — which was attended by former teammates Walt “Clyde” Frazier and Dick Barnett, featured vid-

Phil Jackson signed a ﬁve-year contract which will reportedly pay him at least $12 million per year eo screens broadcasting highlight-reel clips of Jackson’s time in a Knicks uniform, and included laudatory statements offered by former Knicks captain Willis Reed and the daughter of Knicks coach and Jackson mentor Red Holzman — “an auspicious beginning, to say the least.” After an introduction from Dolan, Jackson spoke “from the cuff” about the approach he plans to take to overhauling the Knicks organization, which he said will emphasize the brand of “team basketball” that the carried the Knicks teams on which he played to the ﬁrst, and only, championships in franchise history. “The idea of developing a ‘culture’ is an overwrought word in the NBA right now, but that’s the cachet, I think, that brought me here,” he said. Jackson emphasized ensuring that Knicks players feel secure in the knowledge “that they’re going to be supported by the organization and the coaching staff,” as well as the importance of “developing a health record in which injuries are limited [and] developing a mindset in which focus is a capability.” And then, of course, there’s the matter of determining a style of play on the court: “developing the system so that balls are moved, and passes are made, and people make cuts to create open opportunities for teammates.”

“I know you all know about the vaunted Triangle offense, and it’s been maligned in the past few years, but I believe in system basketball,” Jackson said. “Steve Mills came out of Princeton. I came out of a system that we ran here in New York in which team ball was an important aspect of playing, and we believe that’s what we want to get accomplished as we go forward from here.” Deﬁning and developing that culture will take time. As for the here and now, Jackson said he plans to visit with the Knicks before they take on the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday at the Garden, where the team will look to win its seventh straight game. “I’ve had a conversation with [Knicks head coach] Mike Woodson, supporting him and going forward to try to make the playoffs this year,” Jackson said. “The team has had a little run, and we’re anticipating that it’s going to be a good one, and that they’ll get into the playoffs.” After this season ends, though, the onus will be on Jackson to begin laying the groundwork for the franchise reboot. Dolan said Tuesday he will stay out of Jackson’s and Mills’ way as they go about their business. (And if that’s not good enough news, Knicks fans, Dolan also said the team won’t raise ticket prices next year: “Instead, we’ll have a great year next year at the same price, and hopefully, everybody will ﬁnd that that product is more valuable. And, probably after that, we’ll raise ticket prices.”) Dolan said he “found myself in a position where I needed to be more a part of the decision-making for a while,” presumably referring to the period after personnel boss Donnie Walsh left the franchise in the summer of 2011. “It wasn’t necessarily something that I wanted to do, but as the chairman of the company, I felt obligated to do,” he said. (There are those who would call this revisionist history.) “I am happy now that we have a team of Phil and Steve to do that, and my whole job now is about supporting them in winning a championship,” Dolan said. “That’s a lot easier than what I’ve had to do in the past.”

TIGER WOODS HAS BULGING DISK IN BACK

iger Woods has been diagnosed with a bulging back dis\1k and won’t need surgery, someone with knowledge of his condition said. It could have been much worse, the person said, because Woods doesn’t have the kind of herniated disk that likely would require an operation. Woods’ last two Sunday rounds on the PGA Tour -- at the Honda Classic and WGC Cadillac Championship -- have been sabotaged by what Woods described as back spasms. He withdrew after 13 holes of his fourth round at Honda and closed with a no-birdie 78 after contending at the Cadillac. Then he withdrew Tuesday from the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which he has won eight times. In a statement on his website Tuesday, the 38-yearold Woods said his “back spasms and the pain haven’t subsided.”€ Routinely private about injuries, Woods himself hasn’t identiﬁed the diagnosis publicly other than citing spasms. He said his goal is to contin-

Tiger Woods ue treatment with hopes of playing the April 10-13 Masters, where he has won four of his 14 major championships. “It’s too early to know about the Masters, and I will continue to be

evaluated and work closely with my doctors,” Woods said on his website. Palmer, the tournament host, said he appreciated Woods calling him and “trying like hell to come here.” Palmer said Woods needs to take

time off to get ready for the Masters, adding, “If I were in that position, I’d be doing much the same.”€ Woods’ game wasn’t consistently sharp before his back problems recurred at the Honda. His last victory was Aug. 4, at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. In his eight Tour starts since, he has only one top-10 ﬁnish, a second at The Barclays, where he also experienced back pain. Woods has completed only 10 full rounds on Tour this year. At the Cadillac, he said his back started to spasm on the sixth hole Sunday. He said the more he bent over, the worst it felt. That day he hit only seven greens in regulation, half as many as he did when shooting 66 the day before, and slipped from fourth to a tie for 25th. Woods has said the back problems are far different from the issues he has had with his left knee, surgically repaired four times. He says he has felt back pain when swinging and addressing the ball, whereas pain came after swings when his knee hurt.

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Murray and Lendl end coaching relationship L

ONDON — Following a fruitful two-year relationship, Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has parted ways with coach Ivan Lendl — the man who turned him from a four-time Grand Slam runner-up into a two-time major champion. Murray and Lendl announced their decision on the British player’s blog on Wednesday, a few days after Murray lost in the fourth round at Indian Wells. “I’m eternally grateful to Ivan for all his hard work over the past two years, the most successful of my career so far,” said Murray, who returned from back surgery this season. “As a team, we’ve learned a lot and it will definitely be of benefit in the future. I’ll take some time with the team to consider the next steps and how we progress from here.” With Lendl, Murray won Olympic gold in London in 2012 and the U.S. Open title later the same year. In 2013, he became the first British man to triumph at Wimbledon in 77 years. Before winning the U.S. Open, Murray was 0-4 in Grand Slam finals. Only one other man in the Open era, which began in 1968, lost his first four major ti-

Ivan Lendl helped to significantly improve Andy Murray’s game tles matches: Lendl. The Czech-born baseline player then went on to win eight Grand Slam singles titles during a 17-year career, spending 270 weeks at No. 1 in the world rankings. Lendl first got involved with Murray in December 2011. Despite a lack of coaching experience, Lendl immediately struck a chord with his protege as Murray made it to the Wimbledon final, where he lost to Roger Federer in four sets.

Murray’s breakthrough came a month later when he beat Federer in the Olympic final at the All England Club. He then defeated defending champion Novak Djokovic in the final at Flushing Meadows to win his first Grand Slam singles title. “Working with Andy over the last two years has been a fantastic experience for me,” Lendl said. “He is a first class guy. Having helped him achieve his goal of winning major titles, I feel like it is time for me to concentrate on some of my own projects moving forward including playing more events around the world which I am really enjoying. “I will always be in Andy’s corner and wish him nothing but great success as he too goes into a new phase of his career.” Lendl has recently played exhibitions in Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Nashville, Charlotte and London. He has also been giving clinics in the Canary Islands as well as opening new courts in Bluffton, South Carolina, at the Ivan Lendl Junior Tennis Academy. Murray will be defending his Miami title next week before leading Britain in the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup next month against Italy.

Court hears how Pistorius shot girlfriend O

scar Pistorius shot his girlfriend ﬁrst in the hip before hitting her fatally in the head through a locked toilet door, a police ballistics expert testiﬁed at the Paralympian’s murder trial in South Africa. The ballistics report appears to support earlier testimony that Reeva Steenkamp had time to cry for help before she died and contradicts the defence team’s version that she could not have screamed. The South African Paralympian sprinter says Steenkamp’s death was a terrible accident, and that he shot her through the locked door after he mistook her for an intruder when she went to the toilet. The ballistics report will be key in the South African state’s case of premeditated murder against Pistorius. “The best probable explanation is the deceased was initially upright behind the closed door, she sustained a penetrating wound in the right side of the hip,” the ballistics expert, Captain Chris Mangena, told the court. The 29-year-old model and law graduate then fell onto a magazine rack where bullets hit her elbow,

Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp in happier times hand and head in uncertain order. A bullet clipped her raised left hand before entering her brain, Mangena said. “The deceased was seated in a defensive position,” he said. “The arm was lifted up, and was in front of her chest.” “You’ve both hands forward, with the left and right hand crossing the head?” asked prosecutor Gerrie Nel, mimicking the position with his own arms. “That is correct,” his witness answered. Pistorius, 27, sat with his head in his hands, while Steenkamp’s mother and relatives in the public gallery low-

ered their heads when graphic images of the blood-splattered bathroom were shown. The sequence of shots speaks to whether Steenkamp could have shouted during the shooting. Witnesses have testified to a woman’s terrified shrieks, but the defence say she was hit first in the head and therefore could not have made a sound. Earlier, Mangena said the Paralympic gold medallist could have been as close as 60 centimetres (24 inches) to the toilet door, or as far away as 3 metres, when he fired, though he said 220 centimetres was the most likely position. The distance from the door could shed light on whether Pistorius fired on the cubicle in a panic or approached it in a calculated plan to hit his target. The ballistics report also confirmed a pause between the shot in the hip and the next three shots that Pistorius fired that night, confirming earlier witness testimony on what they heard. “I cannot determine how long is the break, but there is definitely a

break, between the first shot and the second shot,” he said. “How do I determine the break is by looking at the wounds sustained by the deceased.” State witness Michelle Burger testified she had heard a break between the first and second shots as well. Police blood spatter expert Ian van der Nest said broken hair, bone fragments and blood fragments confirmed Steenkamp was shot close to the toilet seat and that her arm was raised when the headshot was fired. The court also saw Pistorius visited pornography sites the evening before he shot Steenkamp. Prosecutor Nel explained how the browsing history worked using as example a search for luxury car Morgan Aeromax. The list clearly showed visits to pornography sites, though the prosecution discreetly avoided reading this out in court. Set down for three weeks, the trial will already run over schedule by Monday. It will run for two more weeks, possibly longer if needed.

Prosecutor begins FIFA vote probe G

ENEVA -- Sepp Blatter and other FIFA officials involved in choosing Russia and Qatar as future World Cup hosts are being interviewed this week by ethics prosecutor Michael Garcia. Garcia “is currently in Zurich and is also interviewing some of the FIFA executive members as part of his ongoing work,” FIFA said in a statement Thursday. Blatter and 12 colleagues, including UEFA president Michel Platini and Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko, remain on FIFA’s board from the December 2010 vote that handed the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar. The bidding process was tarnished even before the vote by widespread allegations of rule-breaking by bidders and favour-seeking by the FIFA ruling committee. Two voters were suspended by FIFA following a cash-for-votes sting by British newspaper The Sunday Times. Among nine voters who have since left FIFA, Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar was banned for life by the governing body in 2012 for financial wrongdoing when leading the Asian Football Confederation. Garcia’s investigating team is focusing on FIFA board members after seeking interviews since last October with officials from the nine

World Cup bid committees. His work resumed this week as further suspicion was cast on bin Hammam’s role in the Qatari victory. The Daily Telegraph in London reported it had evidence of a $2 million money trail from a construction company in Doha controlled by bin Hammam to disgraced former FIFA vice president Jack Warner of Trinidad and Tobago. One note was dated Dec. 15, 2010. The newspaper reported that the FBI is investigating links between Warner and bin Hammam, who were FIFA board colleagues for 15 years. The Qatari World Cup organising committee has denied persistent allegations of wrongdoing connected to its bid, and distanced itself from bin Hammam, describing him as a “private individual.” Garcia’s law ﬁrm in New York, Kirkland and Ellis LLP, has said his investigation should extend “at least several months into 2014.” The former U.S. Attorney has had access for more than a year to a whistleblower hotline opened for potential FIFA evidence. He promised anonymity to those providing information. “As with any investigation, the ethics commit-

tee does not comment on ongoing proceedings,’’ Kirkland and Ellis said in a statement Thursday on behalf of the investigations panel. Garcia will submit a report to the judging chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee, led by Joachim Eckert of Germany, which will decide possible sanctions. Blatter has insisted Russia and Qatar will host the World Cup regardless of the investigation’s conclusions. Garcia’s ﬁrm, said last October that it is not for the Ethics Committee “to determine the venue or timing of the World Cup.” FIFA is expected to decide early next year whether to switch the 2022 World Cup to November and December from its traditional June-July slot to avoid the searing desert heat in Qatar. Russia defeated bids from England, Spain-Portugal and Belgium-Netherlands. Qatar beat the United States, Australia, Japan and South Korea. Garcia is barred by the Russian government from entering the country for his previous work prosecuting an arms dealer who is jailed in the U.S. He has delegated interviews of Russia’s bid team -- and of American ofﬁcials -- to a Swiss lawyer who is his deputy chairman of FIFA investigations.

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