VOLUME 11 ISSUE 25

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JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

VOLUME 11 - NO. 25

$1.00

CRIME CONCERN Website: www.suntci.com

Email: sun@suntci.com

Fax: (649) 941-3281

www.facebook.com/tcisun

SCOTIABANK SUPPORTS EDUCATION

by Hayden Boyce Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

A

turbulent and unusual spate of crime, including three recent shocking murders, several shootings and robberies combined with a growing list of puzzling unsolved murders, have raised serious concerns in government here and in London about the impact which crime is having on the Turks and Caicos Islands. In fact, the situation has now become so serious that His Excellency Governor Peter Beckingham said he has informed the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London about the worrying trend in this British Overseas Territory Premier Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing and Commissioner of Police James Smith have also expressed concern about the escalating crim. “I have informed the FCO of the recent incidents, and the Commissioner (of Police James Smith) and I will be attending meetings in London next month to discuss closer police and security co-operation between the Caribbean Overseas Territories,” the Governor said in a recent press release. Commenting on the recent fatalities and shootings in Turks and Caicos Islands, the Governor stated: “I deeply regret the tragic death of three residents in Providenciales and Grand Turk in the last four months, and would first like to offer my condolences to the families of those killed. I had the opportunity to speak briefly

Tel: (649) 339-5879

Sean Brathwaite(left), Managing Director for Scotiabank TCI, presents Mrs. Gloria Blake (centre), Principal for Shining Stars Preparatory School and Samantha Fearon-Hosey, also of Shining Stars, with trophies for their valedictorian and runner-up. The presentation took place at the financial institution’s Cherokee Road Branch on Wednesday, June 24, 2015. Ovancia Gardiner, who placed fifth in the Grade Six Achievement Test, is the valedictorian, while Mark Berthier is the runner-up. Scotiabank also used the event to present a graduation award to principal for the Maranatha High School, Reinford Trail. Keno Forbes, Scotiabank’s Assistant Manager for Business Support said that the financial institution supports a number of educational initiatives in recent time, including making monetary contribution to the GSAT Website enabling students to study for free, various schools throughout the islands, donate trophies to the Raymond Gardiner, TCIPS and the Clement Howell High Schools for this year’s graduation exercises. He said that the donations fall under the bank’s Bright Futures Programme. to the parents and relatives of Kevino Smith in Grand Turk recently. I understand their frustrations at the absence so far of any arrests in connection with Kevino’s death. I am grateful to the

Royal Cayman Police Force for offering so speedily support into the investigation of the particular circumstances of police involvement in the shooting of Jeff Walkin on 6 June.”

He added: “All murders are unnecessary, tragic for the families concerned, and disruptive to the societies where they take place. The recent murders in Turks and Caicos Islands are no exception.” The Governor said he met with the Commissioner of Police on Wednesday June 24th to discuss what extra measures, if necessary, he might consider for the police force. “I know that he (Smith) discussed with the Premier the importance of ensuring that the police are as well equipped as possible for their work, and receive the recognition they deserve. It might be necessary to consider in Cabinet some additional measures. Every

murder is one too many, and we can certainly not be complacent about security in our islands. But I hope that everyone, including our political leaders, will encourage our communities to react to these recent events in a calm and measured fashion, and not stir panic. We should bear in mind how very low the incidents of violence are compared to many of our neighbours, and give the police force – in whom, as I said at the Queen’s Birthday Parade last week, I have the greatest faith – our trust that they are doing everything in their power to keep our country a safe and secure place for residents and visitors alike.” Continued on page 2


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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

LOCAL NEWS

Continued from page 1

Governor, Premier and Commissioner concerned about crime

In a national address Governor. on Tuesday June 23rd, the “I have asked for Premier expressed “grave an updated briefing on the concerns for the violence matters of the deaths which among the youth of our occurred for the year and country, which as of recent I have also asked for an has resulted in the deaths of immediate update on those three male Turks and Caicos cold case files that have yet to Islands and the injuries of be solved. I have asked that many others”. the Commissioner implement He said: “While the Turks and an immediate strategy for the Caicos Islands still enjoy a crackdown and control on the relatively low crime rateand is number of guns that are on the still the best place in the world streets and that it specifically to be, the crimes among the focuses on the elimination young people are extremely of the point of importation disturbing, especially with for illegal guns and tighten indigenous Turks and Caicos up on the detection and Islanders only accounting for prosecution of persons found one-third of the population. with illegal weapons within We cannot allow the future their possession,” the Premier of these islands to run in the stated. gallows, as a government and “ I have also impressed a community we must do all on the Commissioner the within our powers now to halt urgent need to reignite the this trend of gang-associated neighborhood watch and violence and crimes, and community police programs save our young men and to and to establish a retired ensure that they have the police and community best opportunities to make leaders advisory group as positive contributions to the immediate measures that development of our country.” can assist with combating Premier Ewing said crime and thwarting criminal he expressed Government’s activities. My Government concerns to the Commissioner will continue to work closely of Police, as well as the with the police to provide

them with the resources and support they need to do their jobs effectively. In addition to these measures on which the Commissioner and I have agreed, my government in addition to advancing the development of technical vocational programs at the Community College, will be working closely with multinational community and religious leaders and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) like the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association (TCHTA), auto mechanic shops, the utility companies and others to seriously look at the apprenticeship programs for young people, starting from the third or fourth form, thereby instilling in them good work ethics and a sense of self-worth and self-pride.” The Premier said if Turks and Caicos Islands is earnestly going to stem the violent crime situation it must be a community effort. “I therefore would like to call on community leaders and persons of influence represented in the Turks and Caicos Islands to

join our fight and to initiate mentorship programs and other programs geared towards the development of young people. Each and every one of us has a role to play in preserving the lives and safety of our citizenry and especially our children. We must be responsible in reporting to the police, information that we observe and know that can be of assistance to investigations and bring offenders to justice. There are agencies that we can call on for help for our troubled youth and we need to utilize these avenues to ensure that our children get the help that they need. These incidents of violent crime are very serious and of grave concern and my Government will be working very closely with the Police and other law enforcement agencies like immigration and customs to see how best we can assist them in getting their jobs done,” he added. May God bless you and may He bless these Turks and Caicos Islands. Meantime, officers from the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force

(RT&CIPF) are continuing their investigations into the disappearance of Mr. Kevino Smith of Grand Turk. Police say they continue to await the results of the DNA. “DNA analysis can be a long and difficult task however, it is an essential part of our investigation,” said police spokesman Audley Astwood. “The forensic focus of the investigation has two main objectives. The first is to identify the remains and the second is to establish the cause and manner of death. While the police await those results, as we have reassured the Smith family, we also want to reassure the residents of Grand Turk and the wider Turks & Caicos Islands that our investigations are still continuing. As part of our investigations, we are still appealing to anyone who may have information pertaining to Mr. Kevino Smith’s disappearance. No matter how insignificant you may think your information is, please come forward and let us know.”


JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

LOCAL NEWS

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

LOCAL NEWS

JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

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JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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LOCAL NEWS

E. Jay Saunders launches global online magazine

Local entrepreneur E. Jay Saunders has launched a global online magazine called GEOCHIC Magazine. The first edition of the publication features Caribbean neighbours Cuba, towards which the United States has relaxed some of it’s restriction, paving the way for some level of travel and commerce. The magazine is billed as a medium which highlights fashion, lifestyle never seen in decades. Saunders has issued a news release on more information on the magazine. The following is the statement: GEOCHIC Magazine, the new fashion and lifestyle webzine that celebrates global style, beauty and culture, released today its latest edition, which features CUBA in a way the world hasn’t seen it in decades. With Cuba getting ready to have its

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DOMESTIC WORKER/

CAREGIVER Salary $5.50 per hour 6 days per week Contact 244-3572

breakout moment, GEOCHIC gives personal connection through the the world one of its first looks at eyes of travel writer Alyssa Ramos, Cuba’s vibrant culture, all captured using her grandmother’s journal as a and told by Cubans. Ralph Clermont, roadmap for discovering her family’s the Founder and Creative mind behind Cuban legacy. Her touching account GEOCHIC, who returned from Cuba so wonderfully captures the feelings with a bevy of amazing photos, stories, of millions of Cuban Americans who’ve and videos of fashion & culture, states been longing for such a moment. that “Like many people around the GEOCHIC editor Violet Kadzura says, world, Cuba is a place I’ve longed to “Alyssa’s Cuban odyssey is a powerful experience. I wanted to show the world story that represents the kinds of the passion, beauty and culture of the moments our magazine aims to capture Cuban people and we are using fashion and celebrate.” According to Group Publisher, as a showcase to do so.” For most, the opening up of E. Jay Saunders, “We couldn’t have Cuba is a matter of politics, diplomacy picked a better place, at a better time. and tourism but for many others it There are not many countries with represents something more personal Cuba’s authentic charm, and we at and emotional - a long awaited GEOCHIC are honored to be one of the homecoming and the end of a period of first to show that to the world.” Many in the Fashion World painful separation. GEOCHIC explored the are viewing the Cuban presentation in

GEOCHIC’s CUBAN EDITION! www. geochic.com

E. Jay Saunders

Turks and Caicos Islands Closes Conch Season The TCI Conch season will close from 15 July - 15 October 2015. During this period the export of conch meat will be strictly prohibited, although local consumption will be allowed. “This seasonal break help us to preserve this indigenous and iconic Mollusc in the TCI culture” said Henry Wilson, Acting Director, Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA)

Supermercado Dominicano Ltd. and E&R Supermarket Ltd., an affiliated group of whole sale and retail sales stores, invites applications from suitably qualified candidates for the following position and possess:

BUTCHER ➢Must have a minimum of 3 years’ experience in cutting, trimming, packaging and presentation of meats for retail sales. ➢Proven knowledge and familiarity with the various cuts of meats. ➢A Proven and unblemished track record of employment. ➢A Positive and disciplined attitude toward work in a customer service oriented business. ➢Excellent communication, inter-personal and customer service skills ➢Trustworthy and reliable disposition. ➢Must be a team player and able to work in concert with others. ➢Be well-spoken with English as primary language. ➢A clean criminal record The successful applicants must be willing and able to work flexible hours, including on weekends and public holidays, as necessary to meet the reasonable needs of the business. Suitable candidates that do not meet the above requirements may, at the sole discretion of the Company’s management team, be eligible for consideration in circumstances where they demonstrate a clear willingness to embrace the Company’s in-house training initiatives and established standard operating policies and procedures. Preference will be given to documented Turks and Caicos Islanders. Written applications only and accompanying CVs/Resumes must be addressed to the Resident Manager at the following address:

The Managing Director Supermercado Dominicano and E&R Supermarket Ltd. C/o EPIC Corporate & Consultancy Services Ltd. Cee’s Plaza, Suite No. 1 Church Folly, P.O Box 86 Grand Turk Turks & Caicos Islands Fax: 649-946-1571 Email: epic@epiccorporate.com

During this closure, only the following conch related exports are allowed: 1. Conch pearls; 2. Conch shells (size restriction of a minimum of 7 inches; export of 4 or more shells requires a CITES permit applied for through DEMA); and 3. Conch shell products. Hotels and Resorts are expected to make all efforts to educate and inform their guests of the particulars of

possession during the closed season. Please contact the Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs for clarifications pertaining to the above matter at Tel. 649-338-4170 or email environment@gov.tc The Turks & Caicos Islands National quota has been set at 800,000 (lbs) of landed meat since October 2012, 500,000 (lbs) allocated for exports and 300,000 (lbs) for local consumption.

OASIS DIVERS is seeking applications from suitably qualified candidates for the following positions. The successful applicants must:

CERTIFIED DIVERS / LIFEGUARDS

-Hold a valid diving certification of Open Water Diver or higher -Be at least 25 years old -Have a clean criminal record -Have a valid passport -Hold a valid certification in CPR and First Aid -Have at least 3 years’ experience in the tourism and hospitality industry. Other experience in the tourism industry would be an asset -Must be willing and able to work flexible hours, including on weekends and Public Holidays, as necessary to meet the challenging needs of the cruise ship schedule and/or reasonable needs of the business TOUR DISPATCHER -Have at least 5 years’ experience dispatching tours -Possess the ability to remain calm in a high stress environment -Be well spoken with English as primary language -Must be willing and able to work flexible hours, including on weekends and Public Holidays, as necessary to meet the challenging needs of the cruise ship schedule and/or reasonable needs of the business -Have a valid passport -Be at least 25 years old -Have a clean criminal record ELECTRICIAN -Have a proven and unblemished track record of employment -Have a valid passport -Have at least 5 years’ experience and appropriate training in the field -Positive and disciplined attitude toward work -Trustworthy and reliable disposition -Must be willing and able to work flexible hours, including on weekends and Public Holidays, as necessary to meet the challenging needs of the cruise ship schedule and/or reasonable needs of the business MAINTENANCE MAN -Have a proven and unblemished track record of employment -Have a valid passport -Have at least 5 years’ experience in repair and maintenance, including a wide range of skills from concrete to woodworking. -Positive and disciplined attitude toward work -Trustworthy and reliable disposition -Must be willing and able to work flexible hours, including on weekends and Public Holidays, as necessary to meet the challenging needs of the cruise ship schedule and/or reasonable needs of the business

Preference will be given to documented Turks and Caicos Islanders Written applications only and accompanying CVs/resumes must be addressed to the Manager at the following address: Cee’s Plaza, Suite No. 1 Church Folly PO Box 86 Grand Turk Turks & Caicos Islands Fax: 649-946-1128 Email: oasisdiv@tciway.tc

OASIS DIVING, LTD. c/o EPIC Corporate & Consultancy Services Ltd. Phone: 649-946-1128 Fax: 649-946-1128 Email: oasisdiv@tciway.tc


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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

LOCAL NEWS

Finance Minister rejects tax haven accusations

The Turks and Caicos Islands is compliant with the Global Forum’s standards on exchange of tax information said its Minister of Finance, Hon. Washington Misick. He was responding to a European Commission (EC) document that appeared to list 30 territories across the world that it considers tax havens. “The Turks and Caicos was commended by the Global Forum for the tremendous progress that we have made in improving international tax transparency,” said Misick. “The Global Forum considers the TCI as ‘cooperative’. “Indeed, following the UK’s G8 Presidency, we were early adopters of the automatic exchange of tax information, committing to share information with our partners by 2017. “I assure the international community that we remain committed to and actively involved in achieving these ideals.” Despite the EC’s claims, the Global Forum believes that countries identified are either fully or largely compliant, and have committed to Automatic Exchange of Information,

sometimes even as early adopters, such as the TCI. Misick also noted that the EC list appears to deal only with corporate tax and does not contain any lists from larger EU jurisdictions like Germany, France or the United Kingdom. The TCI will now work with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Global Forum and its sister Territories to express collective concern to the EC. The Turks and Caicos Islands is among 14 Caribbean countries which have been blacklisted by the powerful European Union (EU) as tax havens who help wealth companies to avoid paying taxes. The countries were put on the blacklist because several membercountries of the EU felt that Turks and Caicos Islands of those countries, and the other 16 on the blacklist, had been suggested by at least 10 EU member states as problematic because they were not doing enough to crack down on tax avoidance. Several countries have strongly criticised the EU for painting them in a negative light.

BUTTERFIELD GOLD GROUP OF COMPANIES POSITIONS AVAILABLE Two (2) Domestic Workers For general cleaning & other domestic duties Applicant must be of excellent character and work ethics. Be able to work independently Be willing to work flexible hours Wages: starting from $5.50 per hour

One (1) Cashier To operate a cash register to provide the customer with the most friendly service, accurate and efficient checkout service possible; and other duties as assigned, according to company policy. Wages: from $6.00 per hour One (1) IT Technician The successful applicant will be responsible for the deployment, configuration and maintenance of all the computer hardware and software utilized throughout the organization. Responsibilities: •Design, install, configure and administer domain controllers, file servers, mail servers workstations, network devices and web-page hosting/maintenance •Set up and administer security groups, user accounts, group policies and security restrictions; Maintain network connectivity, telephone equipment, and other network appliances. •Install and configure surveillance equipment and surveillance management software Maintain Point-Of-Sale (POS) operating on Microsoft SQL platform, and attached paraphernalia, including scales and hand held •Provide support, analyze data, run macros/scripts for P.O.S using SQL platform Requirements: •B.Sc., Computer Information Systems •Minimum of 3-4 years experience carrying out responsibilities listed •Experience with Active Directory and Microsoft Server 2003/2008, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft XP/Vista •A detailed understanding of TCP/IP is essential •Excellent written and oral communication skills; highly self-motivated, able to work without supervision with keen attention to detail •Proven analytical, troubleshooting and problem-solving skills Requirements for all Applicants: Hardworking team player with excellent people skills. Willingness to work, weekends and holidays as required. In addition to the performance of the essential functions employees may able required to perform supportive functions, with the percentage of time performing each function to be solely determined by the supervisor. Application forms available from Butterfield Gold Human Resource Department. Only applicants selected for interview will be notified. Submit applications to by July 8, 2014 to: Butterfield Gold Ltd., Human Resource Department Town Center Mall Providenciales Tel: 649-946-4211

Some critics say the Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, publication of the list risks being seen Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, as an attempt to distract from the EU’s Cayman Islands, Grenada, Montserrat, need to tackle its own issues with tax St Vincent and the Grenadines, St avoidance. Kitts and Nevis, Turks and Caicos, US Pierre Moscovici, the EU’s Virgin Islands. top tax official, urged the countries to quickly adopt “agreed international standards” to fight against tax evasion. The plan aims to make sure that multinationals pay taxes where they generate profits, that tax rules in one country do not penalize others, and that honest businesses don’t lose out to unscrupulous competitors. “Our citizens can no longer tolerate that certain companies, often the most prosperous, avoid fair tax contributions and that certain tax regimes encourage them on this path,” Moscovici said. The move is part of a wider crackdown that has followed the leak of documents alleging some multinationals have preferential tax deals with Luxembourg. The EU set up a committee in February to probe national tax rules in the wake of the scandal. The Caribbean tax havens listed are: Anguilla, Antigua and Minister of Finance, Hon. Washington Misick

ITERCARIBBEAN AIRWAYS REVENUE ACCOUNTANT Professional requirements. •Bachelor degree in Accounting, Finance or related field. •10+ years experience in Corporate Accounting, with minimum5 years as an Accounting Manager or Controller, with demonstrated increasing levels of responsibility skill. •Thorough understanding of general accounting process and principles along with strong analytical skills. •Knowledge of automated financial and accounting reporting systems, accounting procedures and computer programs, handling ADP system as a plus. •Proficient with MS Office, an expert with MS Excel. •Experience in Projections, Budget, Forecast, Long Term Projections

Personal requirements •Must be able to make decisions with minimum input, based on their experience and knowledge of the position. •Driven towards continuous personal and company improvement. •Successful Applicant will be responsible for developing and improving upon all general accounting procedures and processes on a project and company-wide basis. •Flexible work hours. •Bilingual (English/Spanish) .

Competitive Salary commensurate with work experience and qualifications.

Belongers need only apply. Interested person should apply to HR@intercaribbean.com via fax to HR Department 649-946-4040

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


JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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LOCAL NEWS

David Smith $21 million repayment case set for August 25

Chief Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale has set August 25, 2015 as the hearing date for the David Smith $20.9 million repayment, ordered by the court in 2012. The matter should have started in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, June 23, 2015, but the court was told that the defence team, led by Oliver Smith, was not ready, forcing an adjournment. The prosecution, led by Director of Public Prosecution John Masters, however, said that his team was already in a state of readiness, while empathizing with the defense. Smith was arrested in February 2009, after his officers from the Financial Crimes Unit invaded his office and seized a number of computers. He was later slapped with a plethora of financial crimes charges, including theft of $220 million. His wife, Tracy was also arrested, but Smith struck a deal with local prosecution to drop the charges against his spouse in exchange for

him pleading guilty. The prosecution complied, and he was then sentenced to six and a half years in jail. The court also ordered that he repaid $20.9 million that he was said to have taken from investors. Before that sentence was served, Smith waived his rights to an extradition hearing and flew to the United States where he was wanted on money laundering and wire fraud charges amounting to $220 million. After striking a deal with prosecutors, Smith pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in September 2011 to 23 counts of wire fraud and money laundering. A portion of US sentence was to run concurrently with the Turks and Caicos sentence, which meant that he would spend about 23 years in the US prison. He was also ordered to forfeit assets seized by federal authorities. The forfeited funds will be returned to victims of the scheme through a process called “Remission.”

Smith returned to the Turks and Caicos Islands to serve out the local prison term with the expectation that he would go back to the United States after it was completed. He was released in February 2015, and was due to return to the US, but his legal team objected to the move until it was sure that the U.S. prosecutor with whom Smith struck the pre-plea deal, for a lighter sentence, follow through with the sentencing judge on that agreement. The defense further argued that Smith had already served time in the Turks and Caicos on money laundering charge, therefore creating double jeopardy if he should return their to be sentenced on the same charge. The defense further argued that he could not be extradited on wire fraud charges since it is not an extraditable offense. However, the office of the Director of Public Prosecution objected to what they described as an about face by Smith, who they believe is stalling the

The Turks & Caicos Islands Red Cross would like to THANK the following Sponsors and individuals who made our Red Cross Month activities a success, either by purchasing a Ticket or making a Donation. Thank you goes out to Volunteers who sold tickets for the Annual ball.

Provo Golf Club Inter Caribbean Airways Caicos Express Spa Tropique KB Homes Do IT Best Center Silver Deep Anna Bourne Painting Scotia Bank TCI Ltd Little Havana Cigar Lounge The Retreat Spa Dive Provo 3 C’s Taxi Enid Capron Primary School Ianthe Pratt Primary School Mills Institute Ona Glinton Primary School Eliza Simons Primary School SUNTCI Newspaper Enews Beaches TCI Gansevoort Amanyara Grace Bay Club Baci’s William John Royal Jewels Wine Cellar TCI Red Cross Fundraising Committee TCI Red Cross Youth Club

Thank you for helping us to make a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable in the Turks and Caicos Islands! Office and Thrift Shop Hospital Road Grand Turk Turks and Caicos Islands Tel 1 649 946 2761 Email: tciredcross@tciway.tc

process. Last week, Chief Magistrate Clifton Warner recommended that Smith be extradited on money laundering only. But local prosecutors are claiming that Smith was yet to comply with the 2012 court order to the repay $20.9 million. The SUN was informed that if the funds are not paid, Smith could spend as much as eight more at Her Majesty’s Prison in Grand Turk before he could return to the United States. His defense team is applying to the Supreme Court to have the money owed reduced, but the prosecution is fighting such application. Prosecutors said that Smith, in 2005, set up a Jamaican firm known as Overseas Locket International Corp. (OLINT). He quickly expanded his scope of operations to the Turks and Caicos Islands, forming another firm known as OLINT TCI Corp. Ltd., which attracted many investors with promises of 10 percent monthly returns from forex trading.

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 Graphic designer Information Technology and Production Manager: Kelano Howell 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.

Congratulations to our Provo Primary Graduating Class of 2015

Our Year 6 class are a tremendously talented group. Over half of them have been at Provo Primary since Preschool. Their academic success this year includes: •Top 8 positions with a total of 10 of the 12 available places in the TCI Middle School Entrance Examinations; •6 of the top 10 positions in the BWI Collegiate Year 7 Entrance Examinations. Special congratulations go to: Will Parrish (1st position, TCI Middle School and 2nd Position, BWI Collegiate) Luisa Hegewald (joint 2nd position, TCI Middle School and 3rd Position, BWI Collegiate)

Well done everyone! We are very proud and we wish you all the very best in your future endeavours.


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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

LOCAL NEWS

Local population most at HIV/AIDS risk

From left – Donald Mettelus, Dr. David Bernardo, Sean Brathwaite, Aldora Robinson and Hezron Henry. The indigenous population is the one most at risk for contracting HIV, and yet the least interested to get tested, according to Aldora Robinson, National Coordinator for the HIV Prevention Unit. She said also that data has shown in recent time that young persons, especially teenagers are the ones most at risk of picking up the disease. Robinson made the declaration at a news conference at the Scotiabank Cherokee Road branch to launch this year’s Scotiabank Regional HIV Testing Day, scheduled for Friday, June 24. Scotiabanks across the region, on that day, hold the testing for customers and everybody else. Robinson, who made an impassioned plea for Belongers to get tested in order to know their status, said that locals are responsible for 50 percent of the 202 HIV/AIDS cases that the Ministry of Health has confirmed in the TCI. Of that number, 147 are from Providenciales, with the rest of the country accounting for the remainder.

She was speaking against the backdrop that after six years of staging the Scotiabank HIV Testing programme, only 500 people have turned up for testing. The number, according to Dr. David Bernardo, Physician at the Blue Hills Clinic, is responsible for about four percent of the TCI population. Hezron Henry, Programme Director for the HIV Prevention Unit, said that the Haitian and Spanish populations are the ones most likely to get tested for HIV/AIDS. “Person need to know their status, whether they are negative where they would enhance their behaviour by keeping their negative status, and those that are positive, would seek treatment early, as opposed to late, when they are already sick and diagnosed as AIDS,” she implored. she added: “Global Preventions Outcomes and Targets says that by 2020 we need to reduce the number of new infections to under 500,000 per year, and towards a reduction by 90 percent, to under 2000 new infections per year by 2030. “Here in the Turks and Caicos,

most persons are unaware of their status. An as national programme, the HIV Prevention Unit has some key targets, which are access to better basic services, HIV testing and condom use. If we ought to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030, as the Global Targets indicate, and also to reduce the number of new infections dramatically, then we need to do testing.” Against that background, Robinson is calling on all persons in the TCI to get tested or order to get the assurance what their status is, reminding persons that gone are the days when HIV/AIDS was a death sentence. She said however, that if one wait too late to be tested after contracting the disease, they could die as a result. “It is better, I must tell you, to know your status. Some persons would say that if they have HIV/they wouldn’t want to know. HIV is not a death sentence. It is classified now as a chronic illness, and as such, it is treatable, not curable, but treatable. And the targets that we have set regionally for 90 percent of persons tested, the only way we are going to

accomplish that is if you come out and test. If we are going to have those persons who are positive into care, you need to test, to know whether you are positive or not, so that you can seek treatment early. We have circumstances where persons come very late; and we know that there is stigma and discrimination still attach to HIV; but I must say that you need to think about yourself, your future. Those of you who have children, think about your children and their future,” she urged. Robinson added: “Do you really want to wait until you are diagnosed with AIDS, where you are laying in a hospital bed? The fact is, when you wait too late, the same thing that you are trying to protect (confidentiality), everybody knows. Because people are going to want to know ‘why is she in the hospital?’ ‘Why is he in the hospital?’ ‘What’s wrong with them?’ Because you are now sick and have AIDS. She said that early testing could also save the workforce from depleting. “We don’t want to lose a workforce to AIDS – not HIV – AIDS. We want you to come early so you can have a productive life, even still have your kids,” Robinson said. In the meantime, Henry said that the National HIV Prevention Programme has recorded an increase on an annual basis of persons coming forward to get tested. In the meantime, Managing Director for Scotiabank TCI, Sean Brathwaite, said that the financial institution has expended a great of cash over the past six years that it has been having the programme. He said that scotiabank’s satisfaction comes from know that it is playing its part in ridding the world of HIV/AIDS.

Bottled water recalled Niagara Bottling has issued a voluntary recall due to concerns that one of its spring sources was contaminated with E. coli. One of Niagara’s spring sources had a positive indication of E. coli. There have been no complaints or reports of injury or illness or any kind. However, due to the failure of the source to notify Niagara Bottling in a timely manner, the company has discontinued the use of this source. Out of caution and in the strict interest of public safety, Niagara Bottling, LLC is issuing a voluntary recall for all spring water products produced at both the Hamburg, PA and Allentown, PA facilities from the time frame of 3am (EDT)

June 10th to 8pm (EDT) June 18th, 2015. The products were sold under the following brand names: Acadia, Acme, Big Y, 7-11, Niagara, Nature’s Place, Superchill, Morning Fresh, Shaws, Western Beef Blue, Wegmans, Best Yet, Pricerite, Shoprite. To determine if your product is affected, please reference the following information on the code, which can be found on the bottle. The code will indicate the place, date and time that the product was produced. The only affected products have codes that begin with the letter F (for Hamburg) or A

(for Allentown). The first digit after the letter indicates the number of the production line. The next two numbers indicate the day, then the month in letters, the year, and then the time, based on a 24-hour clock. line 6, manufactured on June 10, 2015 at 8pm) Products made between June 10th at 3 am (EDT) and June 18th at 8 pm (EDT) should not be used. Kindly return any of the above mentioned items to the place of purchase or contact the Environmental Health Department via telephone number 338-2143/44 for information on proper disposal of same.


JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

LOCAL NEWS

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 9


Page 10

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

LOCAL NEWS

Convicted lawyer barred from practising in TCI By Vivian Tyson

Senior Sun Editor Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Margaret Ramsay-Hale has ordered that convicted fraudster attorney Patrick Poulin’s name be struck from the local roll of attorneys. The Chief Justice made the order on Monday, June 22, 2015, after the Turks and Caicos Bar Council made an application for Poulin to be struck of the roll. The Bar Council made the application after a United States court sentenced Poulin and investment advisor Eric St-Cyr to 14 months in prison and three years supervised release for their role to conspire to defraud the U.S. Government of millions of dollars. The Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said that the men lured U.S. citizens to launder monetary instruments though an offshore scheme based in the Cayman Islands. President of the Turks and Caicos Islands Bar Council, Bianca Harvey-Garland said that Poulin’s action left the body no choice but to distance itself from him and his actions, noting that his actions could have brought the council into unwarranted disrepute. “We didn’t have much of a choice given the circumstances and the fact that he did confess to money

laundering, and we felt the need to take the necessary steps, because we do have the responsibility to regulate the profession and ensure that the profession isn’t brought into disrepute. “So those were the things that we took into consideration when we made the decision to file the application. Obviously, money laundering is a serious matter,” she said. David Cadman of Griffiths and Partners represented the Bar Council. Poulin, however, was a no-show at the hearing. But Harvey said that he was served with the documents, making him fully aware of the Bar Council’s intention. Poulin St-Cyr and US citizen Joshua Vandyk all pleaded guilty to the charges. Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III imposed the sentences after considering the defendants’ substantial cooperation with ongoing government investigations. St-Cyr and Poulin, both Canadian citizens, along with Joshua Vandyk, a U.S. citizen, were indicted by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on March 6, 2014. They were arrested in Miami. St-Cyr, 50, pleaded guilty on June 27 and Poulin, 41, pleaded guilty on July 11. Vandyk, 34, pleaded guilty on June 12 and was sentenced on Sept. 5 to serve 30 months in prison. The plea agreements and

statements of facts noted that Poulin, Vandyk, St-Cyr conspired to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership and control of property believed to be the proceeds of bank fraud, specifically $2 million. Poulin, Vandyk and St-Cyr assisted undercover law enforcement agents posing as U.S. clients in laundering purported criminal proceeds through an offshore structure designed to conceal the true identity of the proceeds’ owners. Vandyk and St-Cyr invested the laundered funds on the clients’ behalf and represented that the funds would not be reported to the U.S. government. Court documents revealed that Vandyk and St-Cyr lived in the Cayman Islands and worked for an investment firm based there. StCyr was the founder and head of the investment firm, whose clientele included numerous U.S. citizens. Poulin worked and resided in Canada as well as Turks and Caicos. Poulin, Vandyk and StCyr solicited U.S. citizens to use their services to hide assets from the U.S. government, including the IRS. Vandyk and St-Cyr directed the undercover agents to create an offshore corporation with Poulin’s assistance and others, because they and the investment firm did not want to appear to deal with U.S. clients. The three used the offshore

entity to move money into the Cayman Islands and used Poulin as a nominee intermediary for the transactions. Court document shows that Poulin established an offshore corporation called Zero Exposure Inc. for the undercover agents and served as a nominal board member in lieu of the clients. Poulin transferred approximately $200,000 that the defendants believed to be the proceeds of bank fraud from the offshore corporation to the Cayman Islands, where Vandyk and St-Cyr invested those funds outside of the United States in the name of the offshore corporation.

Patrick Poulin

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The Messenger is responsible for providing service consistent with established and prescribed standards to ensure overall customer satisfaction and branch efficiency. •Ensure timely delivery and pick up of documents, packages, and other items between offices or departments within an establishment, traveling by foot or automobile; •Ensure timely delivery and acceptance of Bank clearings to and from clearing point or other financial institutions; •Unload and sort items collected along delivery routes •Record information, such as items received and delivered and recipients’ responses to messages. •Assist with other duties in support of branch administration which may include filing of vouchers and records, storing, labeling, maintaining of boxes containing bank records; •Perform general office work such as minor building maintenance; •Maintaining confidentiality of customer information; •Assisting with the identification and retrieval of entries pertaining to voucher searches and identification of obsolete records for destruction; •Being polite and courteous in all interactions with the public; •Driving and maintenance of Bank owned vehicle; •Lifting heavy items in the packaging and storage of supplies, stationery and bank records.

Functional Competency Required: •Minimum of secondary education •Valid Driver’s License •Candidate must be over 25 years old •Perform physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs including climbing, lifting, balancing and handling of various materials •Remain flexible and work additional hours when required

Please forward your application no later than July 2nd, 2015 to: Alexandria Missick - Manager, Human Resources Scotiabank (Turks and Caicos) Ltd. P.O. Box 15 Providenciales, TCI E-mail:alexandria.missick@scotiabank.com


JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 11

LOCAL NEWS

Why was Robert Martinez murdered?

Robert Martinez Family and friends painted him as quiet, nonoutgoing and respectful to all, which is why they are baffled as to the motives by undireables snuffing out the life of former Clement High School student and Blue Hills resident Robert Martinez. Martinez, 23, was shot late Sunday night (June 21, 2015) as he was hanging out with friends along Bible Street in his community. It was reported that at about minutes to midnight,

Martinez was standing on the roadside with some of buddies when a group of gun-toting hoodlums dressed in hoodies, approached them and opened fire. Martinez and the other men began running in different directions. However, he and another man were struck ny the gunmen’s bullet. The other man however, manage to elude the criminal gunmen but Martinez reportedly fell after being struck.

The men then reportedly went over him as he lay on the ground and pumped several more bullets into his body, leaving head and chest wounds. The injured man was rushed to the Chesire Hall Medical Centre where he later succumbed to his injuries while being treated. The other man was treated for a gunshot wound to the hand before he was released. The police, who at press time, were without a suspect in custody, said that they received information about the shooting minutes past 12 midnight. “At approximately 12:06AM (Sunday, 21 June 2015), officers attached to the Beat & Patrol Unit were called to Bible Street, after reports of multiple shots were heard being fired. Police arrived to find a man, aged 22, with serious injuries lying on the road,” the police report said. The Cheshire Medical Centre also released a statement concerning the shooting. “In response to media

East Bay Resort Water Sports Coordinator Assists in planning, promoting, implementing, supervising, and coordinating sports programs, special events. Promotes interest and participation in sports through public relations and informational programs. Assists in recruitment, selection, training and supervision of seasonal personnel. Plans work, schedules, and trains assigned staff. Responds to guest inquiries and requests for information .Assists in coordinating sports, day tours, and special activities actively researches new sports programs, orders supplies and maintains inventory. Works flexible hours, including weekends and holidays. Performs related duties as assigned. Knowledge of: Principles, procedures, and requirements used in developing and administering a water sports program adapted to the particular needs of the resort, including youth and cultural activities. Modern office procedures, methods, and computer equipment. Ability to: Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing. Establish and maintain cooperative relationships with the general public and those contacted in the course of work. Properly interpret and make decisions in accordance with laws, regulations, and policies. Work well independently. Work well in a fast-paced, often hectic environment, and meet established deadlines. Generate support and enthusiasm of leaders, participants, groups in recreation programs. Direct and implement recreation programs suited to the needs of the resort. Perform responsible and difficult work involving the use of independent judgment and personal initiative. Coordinate and compile information and statistics into complete, clear, and concise records and reports. Operate and use a computer and appropriate software programs for long periods of time. Provide support for senior Recreation staff. Lift 50 pounds. Work flexible hours and weekends. Experience and Education: Any combination of education and experience that is equivalent to graduation from high school. Work experience and/or college course work in recreation or related field preferred. Experience with PC based applications including Word, Excel, internet browsers and Photoshop desktop publishing program preferred.

Beginning salary commensurate with experience. Interested Applicants’ please email all applications to info@saunders.tc

He was said to have queries, I can confirm that during the early hours of been stabbed by unknown Sunday, June 21st, 2015, the assailants, and while dashing Turks and Caicos Islands from the property, ran into the Hospital received a 23-year- path of a passing vehicle. The old male patient following a Cheshire Hall Medical Centre confirmed the man’s injuries. shooting in Blue Hills. “Also, on Sunday “The patient was immediately treated by our June 2st 2015, the Turks medical team; however he and Caicos Islands Hospital succumbed to his injuries. received a 21 year-old male Another male patient, age patient following an incident 21 was transferred to the on the Leeward Highway, Cheshire Hall Medical Centre, Providenciales. The patient treated and later following the same shooting was overseas for incident in Blue Hills; that transferred patient was treated and further medical treatment,” the report said. discharged,” the report said. In the meantime, The public has reacted strongly against the police said that they are the Martinez’s killing, some searching for a duo of males, calling for death penalty who they believe may be able law to pass in the Turks and to advance their probe. “Police are in search of two Caicos Islands. Police are also males who they believe investigating a stabbing can assist them with their incident that has resulted investigations. Both males in one man having to be were last seen wearing short airlifted out of the country for pants and black hoodies,” the medical treatment. The SUN police said. death understands that the man Martinez’s was injured while at post brings to three the number of graduation party at Zanzi persons murdered since the Bar, Leeward Highway, on start of the year. Saturday, June 21, 2015.

Pursuant to issuance of Building Permit PR12180 _”Malcolm’s Beach Submerged Artificial Reef Breakwater (Using Reef Balls),”_ by the Department of Planning, deployment of 925 Reel Balls will begin offshore of Malcolm’s Beach within the next two weeks. The intended purpose of the proposed reef is to reduce wave energy in the nearshore environment fronting the area north of the Amanyara Resort known as Malcolm’s Beach, located in the Northwest Point Marine National Park. It will also create marine habitat and provide recreational benefits for the community. Shipping and deployment of the constructed reef units will be provided by Dock Direct, Ltd. and Reef Innovations, via tug and barge from South Dock, navigating the south and west side of Providenciales, to their final destination offshore of Malcolm’s public beach, for a four week period beginning on/around 1 July 2015. The reef footprint will be located within 350 feet of the shoreline, in -7ft average water depths (MSL), approximately 1,000ft long, and the crest submerged below the mean low water elevation (MLW). Following deployment, the reef will be marked with navigational markers and buoys. Access to and parking at Malcolm’s Beach will not be impacted before, during or after construction. AllWORKS will be located offshore, and the park access and beach will remain open to the public and the community. The permits, design plans and EIA are available for review at the Department of Planning, Emily House, Leeward Highway, for a fee of $25.00. Please direct any and all questions to the Department of Planning at 338-4335, theAPPLICANT - Caicos Resorts Villas, Ltd. at 941-7952, or the Applicant’s Agent - Marine & Coastal Consulting, Ltd. at 441-8921.


Page 12

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

LOCAL NEWS

New ambulances by July By Vivian Tyson

Senior Sun Editor The woeful shortage of ambulances in the Turks and Caicos Islands may ease at the dawn of the second half of this year, as Premier Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing has confirmed that five new medical emergency vehicles should arrive in the Turks and Caicos Islands in July. The Premier made the verification while addressing a news conference on the recent upsurge in crime, particularly the recent spate of killings on the islands on Providenciales. He did not elaborate as to how the ambulances would be distributed, but if the public is to go by a ministerial statement that he made in parliament late last year, some of the other islands, including South Caicos and North Caicos should get an ambulance each. Premier Ewing first made the announcement while delivering his ministerial address in the House of Assembly on Monday (November 17, 2014). The premier told the House that the ambulances would service the islands that are currently without, or have below par service. He said then that the procurement of the vehicles

was out to tender. “We currently have out for tender five ambulances that will be distributed throughout the islands,” he said. The premier also told the House of Assembly that his government has been making tremendous efforts to improve emergency medical service delivery on all of the islands by employing more emergency staff and implementing plans to train more Turks and Caicos Islanders. In recent years, the local ambulance service plunged into crisis, as time and time again there have been reports of some of the vehicles breaking down. The breakdown reached a head on Tuesday (November 25, 2014) when the solitary ambulance in working order capitulated, rendering the department non-responsive to medical emergencies. The subsequent news release issued by the Ministry of Health and Human Services, in part, acknowledged the problem and promised to take steps to rectify them. “Intermittent issues have been experienced with the ambulance fleet, however it is anticipated that new ambulances will be arriving sometime early in 2015.” The premier said at the time that while there have been

Premier Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing recognizable challenges in the healthcare sector, his government remains committed to addressing the situation in a timely fashion. “There have been many challenges in the delivery of health care in a resource-limited environment and a depressed economy where healthcare consumes a large percentage of the expenditure budget. Nevertheless, in the short time in office we have been able to

improve the delivery of Primary Care Services with the increase in Public Health Staffing and improvement in the delivery of drugs and medical supplies. “There is still much to be done and we are committed to continuing our work in improving the primary health care infrastructure and staffing throughout the islands,” he said.

Essential Functions (may include but not limited to the following): •Process correspondence and any other routine documents; using word processing software; check typed and other materials for accuracy and completeness, maintain he orts uthority and enter a variety of data in databases and spreadsheets; copy documents for urks and aicos slands internal and external distribution; send and receive faxes; route documents for signature. Is inviting suitable applications for the following positions: •Act as office receptionist and receive and screen visitors and telephone calls, providing information and handling issues that may require sensitivity and the use PORT FACILITY COMPLIANCE OFFICER of sound independent judgment; conduct research, respond to request for information Position Summary: and complaints from the public, refer the request or complaints to the appropriate Under the direct supervision of the Director of Ports, The main role is to ensure that the Ports staff for action and response; review, determine the priority and direct incoming mail. Authority receives payments for goods and services and properly records the transactions. •Make all appointments for the Director of Ports and schedule meetings on his behalf. The duties and responsibilities of this post require not only a knack for numbers, but also •Ensure the maintenance of a professional manual and electronic systems filing attention to detail and well-developed organizational skills system. •Submit budget recommendations for the general operations of the office and staff. Essential Functions (may include but not limited to the following): •Prepare technical worksheets, tables and computations; files documents; organize •Officer must be versed in the International Maritime Dangerous Goods code (IMDG), and archive files and library items; assist staff in locating files and records. for the necessary containment and transportation of any hazardous materials; •Coordinate, arrange and confirm meetings for department staff; arrange and setup •File and maintain records of pre-arrival notifications; meetings and refreshments; attend meetings on request; take notes and process •Receive and scrutinize all manifests; minutes when requested to do so. •Compare bills of lading against manifest; •Coordinate all travel and training requests; coordinates making travel and other •Maintain a statistical record of cargo landed; arrangements for board and staff members. •Prepare bill and invoices for services rendered; •Ensure all customers receive receipts for payment and copies filed away, handle •Collect on accounts by sending bill reminders and communicating with customer via petty cash, and prepare cash/cheques for deposit. phone, email or fax; •Attend to a variety of office administrative details; maintain inventory and order •Maintain copies of all bills on file; office supplies; obtain price quotes; create, track and follow up on purchase orders; •Perform book reconciliation with Customs; maintain office equipment by keeping maintenance contracts current; requesting •Contact shipping agents regarding bill payments and make follow-up until transaction repairs as needed. is complete; •Update the Authority’s website and other social media •Resolve all bill queries with importers; •Answer customers questions, and provide information on procedures or policies; KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS REQUIREMENTS: •Ensure prescribed measures are taken to secure the assets of the Authority when •Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills leaving work area and at the close of business; •Take responsibility and perform responsible and difficult secretarial work utilizing •Provide administrative support in order to ensure effective and efficient office independent judgment and initiative operations; •Must be tactful in dealing with people. Adhere to Hurricane Preparedness Plan. •Discretion, good judgment ability, adaptable, versatile individual •Plan, organize and schedule office priorities Requirements: •Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing. •Ideally have attended a UK approved PFSO training course; •Discreetly handle confidential matters •Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures; •Tactfully and courteously respond to requests and inquiries/complaints from shipping •Knowledge of computers and relevant software applications; agents, general public and staff. •Knowledge of financial software; •Must possess computer knowledge, data entry abilities and report formation skills. •Data entry skills; •Maintain confidential and sensitive information. •Knowledge of customer service principles and practices; •Good mathematical background; Requirements: •Good communication and interpersonal skills; •A minimum of five (5) years in administrative/secretarial roles, of which three (3) •Attention to detail and accuracy. years were spent working with senior management level to effectively respond to the challenges of the position. Qualifications and Experience: The minimum requirement is an Associate Degree or certification and three years’ work Qualifications and Experience: experience in a related field. The minimum requirement is an Associate Degree in Business, or a diploma as an executive secretary. AND Starting Salary for both Posts is $42,525p.a. PERSONAL ASSISTANT Job summary: Applications Should Be Submitted to: Under supervision of the Director Ports, perform a variety of highly responsible, confidential pstewart@ports.tc and complex secretarial and administrative support functions for the Director of Ports. Submissions to be no later than 3rd July 2015 Incumbent will act as a liaison between the Ports Authority and local government offices, Belongers Need Only Apply! shipping agents, the general public, attending meetings and preparing minutes and reports;.

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JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 13

LOCAL NEWS

Past, present, future Today, the prospect of psychological trauma and physical violence - even death in some cases are all too real for many of our youth, who seem to be given no real accessible alternatives, just a lot of words. Ever since I finished high school I have heard person after person, especially politicians, exclaim: “The youth is the future of our nation”; but in my opinion it has been the youth and other minority social groups who have gotten the worse of the last few years. The many resent incidents of violence proves one thing to me, the youth are not just our future but rather also are our present; and if we don’t create real long term solutions to their needs of today then they may become our problems of tomorrow. Many of our youth see no By Damian Wilson future in their own country, and feel that society is fixed so that only certain families can progress, and the rest of Growing up as a young man us are subjugated. in the late ‘90s, in the TCI, was a challenging but wonderful period in Are they right? Think about it. my life. My mother and step-father always tried their best to ensure that What our youth need are long we had whatever we needed. term planning and programmes that We never went hungry; we combat many of the problems they face. were always clothed; had warm beds to We must realize that we have change sleep in; and if we were poor, I never in order to help our youth. knew it because our home was always As a nation we must begin to rich with love. put our actions and our money where Like all young persons, it was our mouths are. Conflict resolution that period in life when I was uncertain training must become part of the of myself; uncertain of my friends; and national curriculum, beginning at the uncertain of what was ‘the right path’, primary school level. despite all that I was taught about If we want to build a nation we right and wrong. have to build communities, and to build Despite the numerous negative communities we must build people. We influences in my life, and there were must start rebuilding the family life many, I still chose what some may within the fabric of each community. say is ‘the right path’. Even after my Tourism IS NOT the only key! mother died, leaving my sisters and I Real access for all to opportunities in high school, I stayed the course. must become a policy and legislative At this point I must emphasize priority. that my mother and step-father didn’t The decisions we make today do alone. I had many relatives, family will determine the nation we become friends, and members of the community tomorrow. of Over Back that ensured my friends and I made the right choices as young *Damian Wilson was born in Grand people. Turk. He is a journalist, poet, and While young life is still social thinker. He has been in challenging, the youth of today broadcast media for nearly the last honestly have to face challenges that 10 years of his life and is married we never dreamed of. with two children.

“ON MY MIND”

TURKS AND CAICOS TOURIST BOARD

FINANCIAL CONTROLLER A rewarding career opportunity awaits you in the Country’s most important sector. Are you able to perform professional level accounting duties in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, legal and regulatory requirements? Are you highly efficient and able to prepare, analyze, verify, reconcile and maintain the organization’s financial transactions? The Tourist Board has an exciting opportunity for the ideal candidate. Reporting to the Director of Tourism, the successful candidate’s key result areas are: •Accounting •Fiscal Responsibility •Budgeting and Financial Reporting •Audit ESSENTIAL DUTIES Accounting •Manage accounts payables invoices and contractual agreements for all goods and services and ensure timely settlement of all scheduled payments. •Manage payments due to the TCI Board of Tourism (advertising, road shows, events). •Prepare monthly payroll, including payment of employee and employer NHIP and NIB contributions within the required time frame. •Ensure all advance accounts are acquitted on a monthly basis to accurately report the spending against budget for the Tourist Board. Fiscal Responsibility •Assist with the planning, development, organization and implementation of the TCI Board of Tourism’s fiscal function and performance. •Enhance/develop, implement and enforce policies and procedures of the TCI Board of Tourism by way of systems that will improve the overall operation and effectiveness of the organization. •Provide financial advice and knowledge to the Director as required and others within the TCI Board of Tourism’s financial discipline. •Provide strategic financial input and leadership on decision making issues affecting the TCI Board of Tourism. •Optimize the handling of bank and deposit relationships and initiate appropriate strategies to enhance cash position. •Protect the organizations assets by establishing, monitoring and enforcing internal controls. •Regularly handles confidential data and restricts communication of information only to authorized persons. Budgets and Financial Reporting •Preparation of the Tourist Board’s annual budget to accurately reflect the funding requirements of the Tourist Board. •Continually monitor spending against the budget and advise the Director of any anticipated overspends to ensure action can be taken. •Manage budgets and control expenses effectively to ensure spending is in line with budget and forecasts. •Provide timely and accurate analysis of budgets, financial reports and financial trends in order to assist the Director and the Board in performing their responsibilities. •Provide continual improvement of the budgeting process through education of persons functioning at the Executive level on financial issues impacting their budgets. •Provide status of financial condition of the TCI Board of Tourism by collecting, interpreting and reporting of key financial data. •Produce both internal and external financial reports to the TCI Board and TCI Government reporting within the legislative time frame. •Preparation of the annual financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for audit. Audit •Coordinates the information required by outside examiners and auditors as appropriate. •Promptly respond to audit queries. •Respond to and act on audit recommendations to ensure changes are implemented to mitigate the audit issues arising. Other •Comply with the policies, procedures and guidelines of the TCI Board of Tourism. •Perform other duties as directed by the Director of Tourism REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE •A Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or Business Management, with at least five (5) years working experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience. •Five (5) or more years experience managing an accounting function in a public or private sector environment, with prior audit and payroll management experience. •Proficiency in MS Office software with an emphasis on Word and Excel. •Possess intermediate knowledge of financial systems-Quickbooks. •Ability to read, analyze and interpret financial reports, legal documents and government regulations. •Ability to prepare reports, write business correspondence and effectively present information and respond to queries from Management, Board members and the general public. SALARY: Salary for this position is commensurate with qualifications and experience. For consideration please submit the following documents to Lfarrington@ turksandcaicostourism.com addressed to The Chairman, Turks and Caicos Tourist Board, Front Street, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands. •Cover Letter •Current Resume •Two (2) reference letters •Current Police Record •Resident Status Only persons shortlisted for an interview will be contacted in this regard. APPLICATION DEADLINE: July 3rd 2015


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Page 14 JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015


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PRICES GOOD Sat., JUNE 27th - Sun., JULY 5th, 2015

KERRYGOLD BUTTER

8 oz

for

$

2 10

2 10

$

32 pk/.5 ltr btls

Super chill Pure Life water

for

4 $5

CHICKEN OF THE SEA TUNA

5 oz can, In Water or Oil

5

$

64 oz btl

ESSENTIAL EVERYDAY Apple Juice

LOCAL NEWS

for

2 $4

48 oz btl

ESSENTIAL EVERYDAY Vegetable Oil

FABULOSO All Purpose Cleaner

56 oz btl

16 oz pkg

Mueller’s Ready Cut Macaroni

$

10

riceland rice

20 lb bag

bakery

9 DAYS OF SAVINGS!

Dairy/FROZEN FOOD

GROCERY

OPEN 7AM TO 10PM 7 DAYS A WEEK

JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

TURKS & CAICOS SUN Page 15


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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

LOCAL NEWS

Graceway Gourmet awarded by TripAdvisor

IGA’s Graceway Gourmet was recently awarded a certificate of excellence by TripAdvisor. The gourmet store which is located in Grace Bay, has been popular among visitors and locals alike. “We are all proud to say that Trip advisor named Turks and Caicos the best, rated number one beach in the world! Graceway is proud to add to that and advise that Graceway Gourmet has received the honor of being recognized as one of the very best in the business! This award comes from guest reviewing Gourmet through Trip advisor that have shopped the store,” said Ken Burns, IGA general manager. “Congratulations to Trevor Lewis and his staff for this award! Graceway is proud of their accomplishment earning it through great service and operation of their facility. Please join us in the celebration!” In a letter to IGA Gourmet, Marc Charron, President of TripAdvisor for Business, stated: “How do travellers find the best properties in the world? They look for the certificate of excellence - a prestigious award that can only be earned through consistently great reviews of your business published on the world’s largest travel site...We hope you’re proud to see Graceway Gourmet recognised by customers as one of the very best in the business.”

NOTICE Regulation 7 of the Physical Planning (Development Permission) Regulations, 1990 An application, PR12247, by AYMCS Ltd for REZONING THE OF 60905/105 FROM (TO1) TOURISM TO (C1) COMMERCIAL has been submitted to the Department of Planning for consideration of Outline Development Permission on 60905/105 LEEWARD GOING THROUGH. Anyone wishing to make representation(s) may do so in writing to the director of planning, south base, Grand Turk or through the department of planning, downtown, town center mall, Providenciales, within twenty eight (28) days of publication of this notice. DATED: JUNE 10th 2015

JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015


JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 17

LOCAL NEWS

Opposition accuses government of neglecting Grand Turk

Opposition Leader Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson Opposition Leader Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson is accusing the Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing government of neglecting Grand Turk especially as it relates to road condition. Armed with a placard in support of residents, who picketed in front the NJS Francis Building on Friday, June 19, 2015, Cartwright Robinson accused government of only paying what she described as lip service to the people of the country’s

capital. She said that the condition of roads could be describes as the most terrible in all of the island chain, and government is apparently doing nothing to address the problem, even in the face of the islands is flooded with cruise ship tourists. “Grand Turk is in one of the worst conditions ever. The roads are definitely the worst roads in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and this is the

island where the majority of tourists come to. And if this is what you want to show of the Turks and Caicos then something is wrong with the government,” she insisted. Cartwright Robinson said, too, that while a lot of work needs to be done on the islands, its people are without jobs. She said that in addition to the roads badly in need of repairs, schools on that island are in deplorable condition. “We are tired of the neglect of Grand Turk, the boat has been under waters there for about three years, the roads are neglected, and our people are having difficulty in accessing healthcare. They have no jobs and civil servants are suffering. We want to say to you, Grand Turk, we are standing with you, and we are saying with you, enough is enough,” she said. She added: “Imagine Lighthouse Road, there is a study being done to look at flooding on a road on a hill, and we are standing with you today to tell you this must stop. It is time to fix the roads, it is time to pay

attention to the schools, especially Eliza Simons. It is time to pay attention to the people who are crying for jobs. “Imagine today, the minister of Education said that they are not painting schools, which could be contracted by our people over the Summer. Imagine that, and I went to a primary school graduation this morning, and that school needs attention. It is time for this government – the PNP Government – to stop neglecting the people of Grand Turk.” The opposition leader is also not happy that the police presence is diminishing on the island, which she said is bad for tourism. “Imagine, the police force is almost disappearing on the island of Grand Turk, where we have millions of Tourists and residents continue to live here. It is time that the government stops paying lip service. We are standing with you, and we are saying enough is enough. Enough is enough,” she said.

Turks & Caicos Islands National Insurance Board

TENDER NOTICE

The National Insurance Board invites proposals from suitably qualified and experienced contractors for:

THE RENOVATION AND REFURBISHMENT OF THE ROOF AT HON. HILLY EWING BUILDING, PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS Tender Reference Number: TR_15/28 Bidders should be licensed contractors with a valid business license. Further information and documents are available on the NIB website www.tcinib.tc. Tenders must be addressed to: The Chairman of the Turks & Caicos National Insurance Board Tender Board at the Church Folly, Grand Turk. Tenders must be received at the Grand Turk or Providenciales offices on or before 12 noon Eastern Time on the 17th of July 2015. CONTACT INFORMATION Interested eligible bidders should contact the National Insurance Board for detailed specification for tendering at the following address: MISS RHESA CARTWRIGHT, DEPUTY DIRECTOR CORPORATE SERVICES NATIONAL INSURANCE BOARD HILLY A EWING BUILDING PROVIDENCIALES TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS Email: rhesacartwright@tcinib.tc Tel: (649) 941-5806/5906 Fax: (649) 941- 5854 Website: www.tcinib.tc


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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

LOCAL NEWS

Community Angel Foundation gets support from International School of TCI

Students of the International School of the Turks and Caicos Islands delivering a rendition The International School of the Turks and Caicos is the latest organization to throw its weight behind the Community Angel Foundation, a charity body designed to support higher education of Turks and Caicos Islanders. On Tuesday, the children of the Leeward school not only purchased dozens of t-shirts printed by the Community Angel Foundation for sale but also dazzled parents, teachers and guests with a couple of songs, “Carry Your Candle” and “Lean on Me”. Principal Katie Hinks, remarked that it is the school’s belief that every child has the right to a

proper education and is able to achieve it and reach their full potential. “Here in the Turks and Caicos Islands we are fortunate that this is a right for every child, where it is still isn’t in many countries. All children in the TCI can go to school now, also, onto our wonderful community college to further their education. “However, as a small nation, we do not have a university and young people have to travel overseas to pursue higher education. This can be, in many cases, prohibitively expensive. If we are to allow all our young people to fulfill their fullest potential, then some of them will need our support in many ways and that

STAFF VACANCY – DIRECTOR OF LEGAL SERVICES Applications are invited from interested and suitably qualified individuals for the position of Director of Legal Services, FortisTCI, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands. Description  Responsible for the effective and efficient management of the legal function, provision of legal advisory services, ensuring effective management of all legal and contractual risks and overseeing the work of outside counsel.  As a member of the Senior Management Team, to understand the corporate vision and successfully gain support for and implement that vision. Main Duties  Conduct legal research and provide sound legal advice to support the Company’s decisions and operations.  Provide legal protection and risk management advice to management with respect to corporate transactions, external information requests and contractual arrangements.  Liaise with relevant departments to ensure that where legal risks have been identified, appropriate courses of action are taken.  Oversees legal aspects of external information requests, ensuring that requests are answered fully and in a timely manner, while maintaining the confidentiality of sensitive information.  Oversees the work of the outside Counsel; Liaise with the Company’s outside counsel, on legal matters before the Courts and any other legal matter as directed by the CEO;  Prepare and update case files for submission to the Company’s outside counsel and the Courts.  Participates in the definition and development of corporate policies, procedures and programs and ensures that they are in compliance with all statutory or legal requirements.  Review all contracts or any other documentation where the Company has committed itself and assess legal implications that need to be brought to the executive management’s attention.  Formulate compliance checklists to be used for the purpose of ensuring that all required statutory and contractual requirements are adhered

includes, financially. Pastor Andrew Stone, President of the Community Angel Foundation, told The SUN that the children’s participating in fundraising event is a grand opportunity to allow the charity event to establish itself amongst parents, many of whom he believes can be valuable assets. “The school is an education institution so it makes sense that schools ought to be involved in this fund-raising activity. School is all about education, so they understand what we are trying to do without much explanation. Schools are good places to start,” he said. For his part, Dean Bryan,

Founder and Director for the Community Angel Foundation, was elated that the children were able to assist in supporting and promulgating the fledgling charitable body. “I am so excited to see the young kids being part of this foundation. We believe that we are bringing in a sense of caring among the youth, and spirituality also. They also, I think, got the understanding of how to support each other in a corporate way,” he said. Maxine Missick is the first recipient of the Community Angel Foundation’s charitable effort. She is now a science student at Keele University in the United Kingdom.

to and where appropriate, conduct training and disseminate appropriate legal requirements to staff.  Keeps abreast of legislative or regulatory requirements with potential impact to the organization and notify Management of the impact of these updates on the Company’s operations.  Serve as Company Secretary and coordinate Board of Directors’ matters, including Resolutions and Minutes.  Maintain a secure and readily accessible electronic and manual filing system to all Company Documents including Company Policies, Agreements, other Legal Documents and the Company Seal.  Any other duties that may be assigned by President and CEO from time to time. Academic/Technical/Management: Experience and Qualifications:  Bachelor’s Degree in Business Law.  Minimum of 10 years’ experience in management or legal field; and 5 years work experience in senior management field.  Experience working on matters of corporate governance and with a Board of Directors  Ability to identify, analyze and advise on legal issues; draft key legal documents, present clear recommendations and assure legal compliance.  Strong verbal and written communication skills and confidence to communicate effectively.  Proven legal counseling experience in business environment Abilities and Skills:  Ability to develop legal strategy and objectives  Well-versed in how business operate with financial acumen  High degree of professional ethics, integrity and confidentiality  Excellent judgement, analytical and time management skills  Ability to present comprehensible technical legal advice (both orally and in writing)  Excellent relationship management skills  Ability to anticipate legal issues or risks  Proven ability to delicately solve sensitive matters Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications Deadline for submission of applications (inclusive of a cover letter, resume and a FortisTCI application form) is Friday July 3rd 2015: Dr. Kellie-Ann Evans-Hall Manager, Human Resources FortisTCI Limited P. O. Box 132, Providenciales Email address: hrapplications@fortistci.com or khall@fortistci.com Fax: 649-946-4532


JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 19

LOCAL NEWS

Preventing child sexual abuse in Early Childhood Workshop

Dr. Lisa McClean-Trotman the Communication for Development Specialist at UNICEF office for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean The Education Board held a two day workshop on June 17th and 18th at the Occasions ballroom, in the Airport Hotel, for Early Childhood Practitioners and for persons who teach in the early childhood age range. The purpose of the workshop was to provide them with skills and strategies for teaching young children about child sexual abuse. The workshop was conducted by Dr. Lisa McCleanTrotman the Communication for Development Specialist at UNICEF office for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean; whose office covers twelve countries, which includes the Turks and Caicos Islands. Primarily because they recognized that last November when they held an analysis of child abuse in the Turks and Caicos Islands that

they focused a lot on primary and to some extent secondary schools, but they do not teach young kids and the early child hood age about child sexual abuse. The workshop was created to provide them with skills and techniques in terms of how to do it in a child friendly and a simple manner and also culturally relevant and an age appropriate. The facilitators where Lauren Skis who is based out of Florida. Lauren herself is a survivor of child sexual abuse, and a unique highlight about the workshop was that she was able to share her experiences as a person who had survived, and whom is know an advocate in terms of helping to prevent child sexual abuse amongst young children. The workshop was made possible by funding from UK aid on DFID, without them the workshop would not be possible and it is actually a joint collaboration between DFID, the UNICEF office for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean and the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is what the social development department falls under. Out of the workshop the participants came up with culturally relevant materials to the Turks and Caicos which they can use. There was group work and some persons wrote

songs. A group even developed a story book as well as jingles were created, so there were actually materials whichthey hope to produce in a form of a tool kit that can be used with the young children here in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Some of the Key concepts that they were taught over the two days were helping the children to develop their own personal safety rules, such as no peeking in the bathroom when someone is using it; boys and girls going separately; that your body parts belong to you, and a concept such as safe and unsafe touches. They learned about a trusty triangle which is

teaching the kids to have three or four persons who they know that they can go to and talk to anytime and one of them must be outside of the family circle, because sometimes if the perpetrator is within the family circle you need to have someone outside of the family circle making certain that the children have the 2 ‘Hs’ that they are heard and that they are helped. They learned about how to teach children about private parts without going into Sex Ed because some parents are hesitant when it comes to that topic. Another very important topic was teaching about listening to their guiding

voice which is what we called instincts to recognize that voice and to think about how it makes you feel and how a certain action should be reported to a trusted adult. There was also an overview on internet pornography factors and prevention. They looked on how to keep the children internet safe and how to address the issue. They informed that the best ways to do so are to assure that the device is being used when and adult is around. Permission must be given for said device to be used and a reason for using the device should be given.

Early childhood practitioners at the education board workshop for teaching young children about child sexual abuse.

Over $10,000 raised for TCI Hospitality Adventure Summer Programme The just concluded Taste of Tapas event hosted by TCI Hospitality Adventure and sponsored by TCHTA, is quickly becoming one of TCI’s top fundraising events, having raised over US$10,000 in support of the upcoming Hospitality Adventure Summer Programme. Funds raised from the event which has been endorsed by the Deputy Premier will see the organisers offering scholarships to students interested in the various Summer Camps. Camps being offered this year will once again include the popular Culinary Camp, Spa Camp, Junior Lit’l Chef Camp and Junior Mechanics Camp, all well received and attended in 2014. This year the Programme will also include a new Captain Water Experience Camp which will give participants ages 16-19 the opportunity to practise their nautical skills. Stacy Cox, one of the organisers noted, “Taste of Tapas could not be a success without the support, donations and resources extended by our members

Taste of Tapas organisers (l-r) - Wendy Hill, Ingo Reckhorn and Stacy Cox

namely Alexandra Resort, Fire and Ice Restaurant, Grace Bay Club, Kitchen 218, Parallel 23, Pavilion Restaurant and Seven Restaurant. We would like to thank our members and the general public who saw the importance of this event and not only attended but also participated in the silent and live auctions.” Cox added, “ Such an event ensures that the Summer Camps are funded and can therefore continue to operate at the high standard which they have been known for. Last year we heard stories of many students who wanted to participate in the Camps but were struggling financially to do so. This year the Committee decided to use the proceeds from the event to not only finance the running of the Camps but to provide scholarships to several students on a first come first served basis.” Students interested in this year’s Summer Camps which run from July 05 - 31 can contact Wendy Hill at 941-5787 or visit www. tcihospitalityadventure.com for registration details.

Exciting Summer Camps at the Edward Gartland Youth Centre!

The Edward Gartland Youth Centre will be hosting a fun and action packed summer! It’s Summer!!! And that can only mean one thing….Summer Camp time at the Edward Gartland Youth Centre! This time around we are offering even more camps, more activities with the same wholesome fun for young people. Once again we are partnering with a number of agencies to ensure that our young people get the best! Turks & Caicos National Trust, Turks & Caicos International Tennis Federation (TCITF), Nutrition in Demand, Turks & Caicos Friends of the Arts, Provo Amateur Basketball Association (PABA), and a number of independent companies have outreached to us to assist in providing a varied and exceptionally fun filled summer program! Summertime is all about fun in the sun, the

beach and spending time with friends. The Edward Gartland Youth Centre has encompassed all of these elements in a summer packed scheduled starting Monday, July 3rd 2015. July kicks off with a private Fencing Camp followed by the Turks & Caicos National Trust Leadership Camp, Volleyball Camp, Dance camp, Fitness & Nutrition camp, Boys Camp and Cooking Camp. In August we keep the fun going by offering our annual Acting Camp, Basketball Camp, Tennis and Art Camp, another Dance Camp, a brand new Multimedia Camp, Diamond League Girls Camp and a number of other fun activities in between. The Edward Gartland Youth Centre will be open throughout the summer from 10am-6pm Monday-Saturday with the camps catering to youths between the ages of 11-18.

So don’t miss out on all the fun to be had this summer at the Edward Gartland Youth Centre where your kid is sure to have a blast in a safe and fun environment surrounded by other kids looking for the same! Each camp has a small fee of $10.00 for members of the centre and $25.00 for non-members and run for a week. So stop by and register your kid today as spaces are limited and take advantage of this great opportunity. Spaces are on a first come first served basis so don’t waste anymore time and sign up today! The centre is located downtown between Shining Star School and the Community College. For more information please 331-9602 or alternatively email info@ecgyouthcentre.com or visit us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/ecgyouthcentre


Page 20

LOCAL NEWS

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

INVEST Turks and Caicos Job Title: Chief Executive Officer Reporting to: Board of Directors Location: Invest Turks and Caicos Offices - Providenciales

Job Summary: The Chief Executive Officer is the chief executive of Invest Turks and Caicos and is responsible for the success of the organization. Together with the Board, the incumbent is expected to lead the implementation of the TCI Government’s economic development vision, attract significant investments to the various inhabited islands and support sustainable development throughout the entire Turks and Caicos Islands. These investments will be expected to build a successful, sustainable economy and provide improved opportunities for employment and growth. As well, the Chief Executive Officer will be actively engaged through the Agency in supporting trade and small business development. The Board has delegated responsibility for day to day management operations to the Chief Executive Officer and s/he has the authority to carry out those responsibilities, in accordance with the direction and policies established by the Board. The incumbent will ensure that the organization has motivated staff who produce positive results using international best practices. The position involves overseeing a staff of up to twelve persons who are predominately highly trained investment professionals. The incumbent is expected to be a systems thinker who is customer focused and goal driven. The Chief Executive is expected to be a strong leader who can develop a cohesive team within the organization and across TCI to drive new investment to the country.

Key Objectives: 1. To manage the day to day operations of Invest TCI through planning, organizing, coordinating, directing and controlling the functions of the Agency. This includes implementing a rolling five year Strategic Plan, complete with annual marketing plans and budgets and monitor financial and operational performance and ensuring that the organization has a full complement of operating policies and procedures for internal operations and for dealing with prospective investors and daily operations. 2. To develop an outstanding lead generation and the market intelligence capacity and after care services to ensure that they meet international best practices. 3. To ensure the effective, efficient and economic use of human, financial and physical resources 4. To engage constructively with various government Ministries, other relevant organizations and various agencies and the private sector, both locally and internationally to support quality investment projects and to market the country. 5. To generate significant foreign direct investment to the country and to support and encourage domestic investors to participate in the economy. 6. To lead investment promotion and trade missions to various locations and conduct awareness marketing to raise the profile of TCI as an investment destination. 7. To develop and manage a program of legislation review and reform for various developmental programmes that encourage Inward Investment and seek opportunities for expansion and extension of Investment potential though various agreements. PERSONAL SPECIFICATIONS Education and qualifications: A master’s degree in finance, business, economics or related field, or its equivalent, from a recognized institution of higher learning.

Experience and Knowledge:

Ten or more years of senior management experience at a public or private enterprise/company/agency engaged in investment development and/or marketing. Clear evidence of leadership skills, successful lead generation results and marketing along with ability to mentor and grow staff.

Skills:

1. Strong track record of competency in current and previous employment. 2. A sound knowledge of investment, promotion, strategic planning, project management and execution, especially as related to projects in the TCI and Caribbean region. 3. Strong track record of staff management and successful program/project implementation. 4. Consistently displays integrity and model behavior 5. Develops people and builds teams. 6. Excellent Leadership Qualities 7. Strong Writing and presentational skills. 8. Excellent Communication and interpersonal skills- innovative, creative and forward thinking 9. Good computer skills. 10. Adept in use of MS Office XP or later, particularly Excel and Word, and ideally Access or similar database to basic level, internet and email.

Personal Qualities:

1. Open and engaging demeanor with enthusiasm to achieve further growth and progress. 2. Able to generate and share ideas. 3. Hands-on approach. 4. Willing to take personal responsibility 5. Able to win trust and personal credibility 6. Persistence and personal resilience. 7. Willingness to personally deliver quality to business clients. 8. Willingness to understand different cultures, lifestyles and associated points of view. 9. Willingness to understand the values associated with small communities.

Other Requirements:

1. Fluent English 2. Willingness and ability to travel by air, land and sea. 3. Qualified Belongers, either living in the TCI or abroad, are encouraged to apply. 4. Willingness to work outside normal office hours as needed from time to time

Salary and Allowances:

Salary is in the range of $120,000 to $150,000, including benefits and is negotiable based on qualifications and experience. Application Procedure Interested persons should submit a resume, along with their contact information, cover letter, two letters of reference (one preferably from a former employer), copies of educational certificates, a Police Certificate and a copy of the Passport photo page. Applications should be addressed to the Investment Promotion Expert, Turks and Caicos Islands by July 16th, 2015 and can be delivered in person to the Investment Unit, Down Town, Butterfield Square (next to Lapels) prior to the deadline date or emailed to investturksandcaicos@gmail.com. The subject line in the email should read “Chief Executive Officer”. Envelopes should have the subject Chief Executive Officer clearly marked on the front.

We thank all applicants for their interest. However, only persons selected for an interview will be contacted.


JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

LOCAL NEWS

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 21


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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

LOCAL NEWS

Beaches Honors Employees at Annual Prestige Award!

It was all glitz, glam, and celebration last week as Beaches Resorts Villages and Spa honoured top performing employees in 27 categories at the 2013/2014 Prestige Awards. Celebrated under the theme Best of TCI, the annual award recognizes and rewards individuals whose performance has consistently made a positive impact on the quality of services offered at the resort. The annual ceremony has earned a top reputation for excellence for those who have worked diligently and have a proven record of professionalism and appreciation for Beaches and Sandals Resorts International. The ultimate winners were Kids Camp’s, Maxine Salmon, who took the top title of Team Member of the Year, with Andrea Clark-Greene from the Kitchen Department as her runner up. Supervisor of the year went to the Watersports Department’s Leonard “Johnny” Suckrajh while Restaurant Manager, Mercedes Lagradante was awarded Manager of the year. Beaches Resort also acknowledged the Most Nominated Team Member which was awarded to Karen Harris of Housekeeping and the Smile & Courtesy Award went to Duwyane Hamilton also of Food & Beverage. Most improved Team Member was captured by Front Office Agent Claudine Boyce, while the GM’s Awards went to IT Manager Jerrel Lowe and Executive Secretary Sandra Lightbourn. The coveted prize of Financial Comptroller Award went to Mary Ella Martin and revenue earner’s which recognizes the top revenue generating department went to Resort Shop attendant Meloney McLish. Ultimate winners Maxine Salmon lead outstanding record for the year beating out over 19 hundred employees for the top prestige titles. “I am Team Member of the Year!” exclaimed, Maxine Salmon while expressing her excitement to be chosen as 2014/2015 Team Member of the year, “It’s an amazing feeling, words cannot express my excitement, I am very grateful to be chosen as Team Member of the Year, my job is to go the extra mile for our guests and winning this award is evidence of my continuous hard work and my contribution and commitment in delivering exceptional customer service to my team members and our valued guest,” She concluded, “Big thanks to management and staff recognizing my commitment and dedication and presenting me with this wonderful award.”

Managing Director, Don Dagenais also commented on the success of the 2014 Prestige awards, he said, “Our resorts continue to win the industry’s most prestigious awards year after year and it is because of the hospitality, spirit and commitment to excellence of the top performing individuals who go above and beyond the call of duty to make a difference in this resort,” and concluded, “We take every opportunity possible to pay tribute to these outstanding individuals, I applaud and congratulate all the 2014 prestige winners.” Other awards for the evening included, ‘Department of the Year’ which went to Human Resource Department, ‘HM’s Heart of the House Awards for 2014 won by Ryan Campbell of Housekeeping, The Sandals Foundation Community Spirit of the Year Award won by Watersports Administrator Elizabeth Cox, Top Trained Team Member of the Year went to Rolando Laird, Dining Room. Other winner winners included Berta Simmons who won the Unsung Hero award and Maintenance Department who captured the grand prize of Shining Star Departmental Award. In addition to engraved trophies and certificates, winners were also presented with fantastic prizes which included all-expense paid vacations, laptop computers, home theatre systems, plasma televisions, camcorders, cameras and lavish cash prizes. Team member of the year will also go on to represent Beaches Turks & Caicos at the third Annual Sandals Ultimate Team Member Award in Jamaica this summer.

Winning Team 1.Team Member of the Year—Maxine Salmon, Kids Camp 2.Runner-Up Team Member of the Year—Andrea Clarke-Greene, Kitchen 3.Supervisor of the Year—Leonard “Johnny” Suckrajh, Watersports 4.Manager of the Year—Mercedes Lagradante, Food & Beverage 5.Department of the Year—Human Resources 6.Most Improved Team Member of the Year— Claudine Boyce, Front Office 7.Rookie of the Year—Shanrica Williams, Weddings 8.Hotel Manager’s Heart of the House Award— Ryan Campbell, Housekeeping 9.Financial Controller’s Award—Mary Ella

Executive Team. HM Jamie McAnally, MD Don Dagenais & General Manager Lucky Kahlon

Department of the Year- Human Resources

MD with Manager of the Year Mercedes L.

Martin, Accounts 10.Revenue Earner’s Award—Meloney McLish, Resort Shop 11.Most Guest Nominated Team Member of the Year—Karen Harris, Housekeeping 12.Smile & Courtesy Award of the Year—Duwayne Hamilton, F&B 13.Sandals EarthGuard Team Member of the Year—Yvonne Pottinger, Kids Camp 14.Sandals Foundation Community Spirit Award— Elizabeth Cox, Watersports 15.Hotel Manager’s Heart of the House Award— Ryan Campbell, Housekeeping 16.General Manager’s Award of the Year—Jerrel Lowe, IT 17.Top Trained Department—Food & Beverage 18.Top Trained Team Member—Rolando Laird, Dining Room 19.Hotel Manager’s Heart of the House Honoree— Elriano Macrio, Grounds 20.General Manager’s Honoree Award of the Year—Sandra Lightbourne, Admin 21.WOW Award—Michalia Clare, Public Relations 22.Special Service Award—Ben Williams, Admin 23.Best Teamplayer—Marva Williams, Concierge 24.Unsung Hero —Berta Simmons, Kitchen 25.Managing Director’s Award of the Year—Uton Graham, Bar 26.Managing Director’s Honoree Award of the Year—Tyra Edwards, Off Property 27.Shining Star Award —Maintenance Also see listed caption for images below.

1.Executive Team. HM Jamie McAnally, MD Don Dagenais & General Manager Lucky Kahlon in TCI national Costumes Celebrating the Best of TCI 2. Team Member of the year- Maxine Salmon 3. MD with Manager of the Year Mercedes L. 4. Department of the Year- Human Resources 5. Junkanoo- Celebrates Best of TCI Theme 6. Team Member of the Year Maxine Salmon & Runner Up Team Member Andrea Clark-Greene 7. GM with Superisor of the Year Leonard Suckrajh 8. Rookie of the Year- Shanrica Williams

Team Member of the Year Maxine Salmon & Runner Up Team Member Andrea Clark-Greene

8. Rookie of the Year- Shanrica Williams


JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 23

LOCAL NEWS

Island Fish Fry awarded TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence

The Turks and Caicos Tourist Board announced that the Island Fish Fry, the destination’s most popular cultural experience, has received the TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence award. The TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence recognises restaurants, attractions and accommodations that continually earn great reviews for delivering a superior customer experience thus making the ‘perfect trip’ possible. Visitors have consistently rated the Island Fish Fry as excellent on TripAdvisor, citing the exceptional service, great local atmosphere and fantastic gastronomic offerings as just some of the highlights. To qualify for the TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence award, a business or attraction must maintain an overall TripAdvisor rating of at least four out of five, have a minimum number of reviews and must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months. “We are delighted that the Island Fish Fry have been awarded a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence. The award speaks not only to the exceptional atmosphere patrons have come to expect from the

weekly Thursday night event, but also reinforces the quality of our cultural product and the significant role that the Island Fish Fry plays in the broader tourism economy in the Turks and Caicos,” said Ralph L. Higgs, Director of Tourism for Turks and Caicos. Higgs continued, “We are honored to be acknowledged by our visitors who took the time to complete a review on TripAdvisor; this is surely a sign of confidence. We are as committed as ever to continually produce the best possible local experience for our visitors, as well as our residents.” Turks and Caicos Minister of Tourism, Honourable The aroma of fresh, seasoned, fish frying permeates the air at the Island Fish Fry. Porsha Stubbs-Smith also touted the tremendous popularity of the Island Fish Fry and stated that she believes the Grand Turk Fish Fry, which the Tourist Board recently launched, will soon be recognized in the same fashion. TripAdvisor is a travel website company that provides people with a platform to rate and review destinations they have visited. TripAdvisor has 340 million unique monthly visitors and reviews of more than 4.9 million attractions and Local restaurants come from all corners of Providenciales to serve up some of the best food at the Island Fish Fry. restaurants.

The Island Fish Fry has enticed locals and visitors alike to experience an evening at the beachside park in a fun, family style setting.

Visual treats abound with vats of boiling lobster and conch salad masters plying their craft.

Grilled lobster, when in season, is always a ‘hit’ at the Island Fish Fry.

A junkanoo rush by “We Funk” brings the crowd to their feet with many in the audience joining in to dance to the symphonic booming of the drum and scraping of the grater.


For

$

For

2 13

$

6 $1

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LOCAL NEWS

Bishop Franklyn Williams is ALMI National Father of the Year Fathers’ Day is traditionally a low key event especially as it relates to commerce, unlike Mothers’ Day, which is all the buzz leading up to that May date. Unlike Fathers’ Day, on Mothers’ Day merchants offer all kinds of deals on products as they lure shoppers to patronize their products. And while Sun-

day, June 21, 2015 – Fathers Day – was another low key occasion, Abundant Life Ministries International, located along Leeward Highway in Providenciales, ensured that the fathers in the church are recognized for their contribution to their families and the wider community, showering them with awards and gifts. Abun-

dant Life also used this Fathers’ Day to initiate a Father of the Year award, and the first recipient was Bishop Franklyn Williams of the Church of God of Prophesy. He was presented with, among other things, a plaque, crown, package of gift. The following are photo highlights of the Event.


JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

LOCAL NEWS

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LOCAL NEWS

Nutrition in Demand’s 2nd annual Dance with Cinderella

Nutrition in Demand’s 2nd annual Dance with Cinderella was held June 13th and from all accounts, it was a huge success! Fathers and daughters were welcomed into the brightly colored fuchsia and orange, Cinderella themed decorated room and given a welcome beverage of choice but not before having a keepsake photo taken. There were lots of laughs as fathers and daughters participated in various games, such as Musical Chairs and various

dance contests. The event is the brainchild of Mrs. Tamika Handfield, Registered Dietitian with Nutrition in Demand and a fundraiser for the organization. Nutrition in Demand is a nonprofit aimed at raising awareness to health and healthy eating. There were little girls, older girls and girls who came with their fathers while their daughters came with their husbands. Organizer of the event, Mrs. Handfield said, “It was

such a special evening because it showed that no matter the age, everyone wants to know they are daddy’s little girl.” Mrs. Handfield added, “This event was designed to celebrate the awesome fathers we have and to give fathers and daughters quality time together.” There were well over 70 guests at the semi-formal affair. They were serenaded by the soothing sounds of the father and son duo, Brentford and Brenten Handfield as they dine

on a scrumptious fare catered by Mr. Grouper. Nutrition in Demand would like to express heartfelt thanks to all of the companies that sponsored the event (The Wine Cellar, Coca Cola, Goldsmith’s, Jai’s, Other People’s Affairs and Cheryl Tull, Island Guide, Sunny Foods, Graceway IGA, Jammin’ Gelato, Turkberry, ACCU Diagnostics and Unicorn Bookstore) as well as all of the volunteers who gave of their time. They made the event a huge success!


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LOCAL NEWS

Governor Peter Beckingham visits East Caicos

On Thursday, 4th June, His Excellency the Governor, Peter Beckingham, and his wife Jill embarked upon an expedition to explore the Caribbean’s largest uninhabited island, East Caicos. The Governor and his wife, accompanied by Mark Parrish of Big Blue Unlimited and local ecologist Kathleen Wood, set out from Walkin Marina on the TCI Ferry to North Caicos just as the sun was coming up. “It has always been my intention to visit all the major islands of the Turks and Caicos during my tenure here,” the Governor explained. “East Caicos was the final standout on my list, so I am pleased to be able to finally see it.” Upon arriving at Sandy Point, the team drove to Middle Caicos where they fuelled up with a generous helping of Daniel Forbes’ famous conch and grits at Daniel’s Café. The Governor and Mrs Beckingham were delighted with Daniel’s cooking and further impressed by the flavour and ingenuity of the locally grown grits. “It’s wonderful to know that people are still growing food in the traditional way here,” Mrs Beckingham noted. The day was mercifully cool and overcast, and calm seas facilitated what is usually treacherous access to the East Caicos. Under the expert seamanship of local Captain, Dolphus Arthur, an uneventful 50-minute boat ride along the north shore of Middle Caicos delivered the team to the northwestern coastline of the island near Jacksonville. The eastern coastline of East Caicos is largely fringed by dwarf mangrove estuaries that are important nursery areas for queen conch, green turtle and other fisheries species. In order to access this part of the island, one must get wet and sometimes a bit muddy, but the Governor and his

wife took this minor obstacle in their stride. Once dry land was reached, wet clothes and shoes were exchanged for dry clothing, suitable for a rugged expedition, and the explorations began. East Caicos has an eclectic and extensive history of habitation and use by humans. More than onethousand years ago, Lucayan people emigrated here and established temporary fishing villages and permanent settlements. In the Colonial era, entrepreneurs speculated in sisal (a textile from an agave plant) and guano (bat dung used as fertilizer until the advent of modern chemical substitutes). The archaeological remnants of this history are hidden in caves and scattered across the wild landscape. One of the most striking manmade features on East Caicos is a disused railway line that runs inland from the east coast. Hearty donkeys once pulled carts filled with bat guano from caves deep within the rugged landscape to the coast, where it was shipped out for use abroad as fertilizer. The ancestors of those donkeys can still be found, and the railway line offers relatively easy access through what would otherwise be impenetrable bush. The Governor and expedition team used the railway line to explore adjacent natural features. Prolonged dry weather was both a benefit and a detriment, as it afforded mosquitofree conditions but also meant that the native vegetation was dormant and leafless for the most part. Nevertheless, the incomparable ecological assets of the island soon became apparent. Endemic species, or those that are found only in the Turks and Caicos Islands, were noted throughout the excursion. The ubiquitous curly-tail

lizard (Leiocephalus psammodromus) is a true TCI native and is found on all of the Turks and Caicos Islands, with many islands having their own unique sub-species. The Lucayan prickly pear (Opuntia lucayana), broom bush (Evolvulus bahamense) and an endemic sub-species of the thick-billed vireo (Vireo crassirostris) were also observed. A small pond adjacent to the railway line contained pupfish (Cyprinodontidae) and shrimp (Barbouria spp.), which are potential new species discoveries for TCI. The highlight of the hike was a visit to the sprawling network of East Caicos’ underground caves, where the island’s living history is writ large. Broken bits of machinery and fragments of wood scattered on the cave floor are all that remains of the defunct guano industry. Lucayan petroglyphs, the only known examples in the region, give a small glimpse into the culture and habits of TCI’s indigenous people. While the island’s bygone human history lays suspended in time, another living history continues. The caves are now the realm of leaf-nose bats (Macrotus waterhousii) and buffy flower bats (Erophylla sezekorni), which were flying freely about the caves, much to the discomfort of the human interlopers. A dietary smorgasbord of rat skeletons scattered throughout the cave gave evidence of a barn owl in residence. The day’s hike was followed by a picnic of sandwiches, fruit and homemade brownies, provided by the expert kitchens at Big Blue Unlimited, on a stretch of deserted beach. “We are so lucky to have this incredible unspoiled area in the Turks and Caicos Islands,” Mrs Beckingham noted. “No other place in the Caribbean has such a natural treasure. In an increasingly

developed world, this is a priceless gift.” As the day concluded, Captain Dolphus Arthur treated the group to a boat ride along the 10-mile stretch of East Caicos’ north coast, where pink-sand beaches rival Grace Bay in beauty. After a quick cooling swim, the team was back aboard for the return trip back to Middle Caicos, where as a last adventure, the Governor and Mrs Beckingham explored the newly opened Caicos Pine Recovery Project trail, a project dedicated to saving the National Tree from local extinction. After an activity-filled day, the team returned back to Providenciales on the last ferry. “East Caicos must be TCI’s most valuable environmental asset. In fact, it is probably the most important ecological landscape in the Caribbean. TCI has been given a great responsibility in ensuring that the island’s integrity is sustained for future generations to both enjoy and derive economic benefits from,” the Governor concluded. He also added that he is looking forward to another East Caicos adventure sometime soon. The Governor’s trip to East Caicos was generously sponsored by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) as part of an on-going study being conducted by local ecologist Kathleen Wood in association with the Harvard University Extension School. The study is using East Caicos as a case study to test a model for rapid assessment and mapping of ecosystem services. If successful, the model can be applied to any area and will be particularly useful to small-island developing states, such as the Turks and Caicos Islands, for informing sustainable development decisions.


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LOCAL NEWS INTERCARIBBEAN AIRWAYS: TWO LABOURERS Should be able to work shifts, physically capable to do hard manual labour and lift heavy equipment. Salary commensurate with experience. Belongers need only apply. Interested person should apply to HR@ intercaribbean.com via fax to HR Department 649-946-4040 No phone calls please. Qualified candidates will be contacted for interview

ALBERT HIGGS

BUTTERFIELD GOLD GROUP OF COMPANIES POSITIONS AVAILABLE Butterfield Gold One (1) Labourer Applicant must be physical, able-bodied individuals capable of lifting heavy loads and assist with any mason work. Wages: starting from $6.00 per hour One (1) Domestic worker Cleaning the town centre mall and offices Wages: starting from $5.50 per hour

4 Labourers 4 Domestic Workers 2 Sales Persons 5 – 6 days per week Salary $6.50 per hour Email aldenxsc@gmail.com

Application forms available from Butterfield Gold Human Resource Department. Only applicants selected for interview will be notified. Submit applications to by July 1, 2015 to: Butterfield Gold Ltd., Human Resource Department Town Center Mall Providenciales Tel: 649-946-4211 The Turks & Caicos Islands Football Association is seeking to place an employment ad in the TCI Sun news paper for a Groundsman/ Maintenance WorkerPOSITION . I would be most grateful for your assistance. Below, you will find details for APPLICATION in this regard. I look forward to your response. Job Description Responsible to the Executive Committee of the TCIFA and on a day-today basis, to the General Secretary and Technical Director of TCIFA, EMPLOYEE will be engaged primarily in the following duties: 1. Maintaining the field, changing facilities, and TCIFA land at the National Academy, Providenciales. 2.WeeklyTASKS will include cutting of the grass, marking of the pitch, weeding of the pitch and surrounding areas, irrigation, and maintaining tractor and irrigation systems. 3.On game days, responsibilities include turning flood lights on and off and opening and closing changing rooms. 4.Other responsibilities to be carried out as set out in a Maintenance Schedule and other duties at the request of the General Secretary and Technical Director. WORKING Hours RegualrWORKING hours will be 9:00am to 5:00pm, Monday to Friday, and 8:00am to 12:00pm and 4:00pm to 8:00pm on Saturdays with 1 hour lunch break daily. EMPLOYEE will be expected toWORK outside normal hours ofBUSINESS as necessary to fulfil his/her duties. Contact TCIFA General Secretary Phone: (649) 941-5532 Email: cewingtcifa@gmail.com

LOUISE GIBBS SEEKS

1 Labourer 6 days per week Salary $6.50 per hour Contact 243-7785

1 DOMESTIC WORKER Salary $6.25 per week Contact 242-1011

BEAUTY ELEGANT BRAIDING SALON

Cairsea Services Limited Require one (1) Laborer

Salary $150 per week 6 days per week Contact Hans Eyma at 241-2078

SEEKS 1 Hairstylist Salary $6.25 per hour Contact 346-0402

SHANETA'S KITCHEN

LABOURER The West Bay Club is looking for a Labourer Contact: 946 8550

in Middle Caicos, is looking to hire a Waitress to work 5 days per week at $6.25 per hr. Please contact (649) 241- 2855 for further details

Salary: $6.25 per hour Must be reliable, hardworking & honest Hours: 8-5 and some weekends & holidays Apply in person

SHIANN GARDINER

is looking to hire a Domestic Worker to work 5 days per week at $6.25 per hr. Please contact (649) 232-3264 for further details


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NOVEMBER 16TH - NOVEMBER 24TH, 2012 FUN & & GAMES GAMES FUN LOCAL NEWS CARIBBEAN NEWS

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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FUN & GAMES LOCAL NEWS


CARIBBEAN WORLD

JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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LOCAL NEWSNEWS CARIBBEAN

NEWS NEWS

Guyana says ExxonMobil will continue operations in Guyana’s exclusive economic zone

GEORGETOWN, Guyana – The Guyana government says it has given the US-based oil company, Exxon Mobil an assurance that it has nothing to fear in terms of its current operations in the country’s waters as it continues exploration in Guyana’s exclusive economic zone. President David Granger said that he met with officials from the exploration company and assured them that ExxonMobil has nothing to fear in terms of the present operations in Guyana’s waters.

In the interim, Granger said the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping has been notified, and he is confident that the CARICOM Secretary General Irwin LaRocque has provided the information to the regional leaders. But President Granger said that he would formally brief CARICOM leaders at their summit in Barbados early next month. Granger, who will be leading a delegation to the July 2-4 summit, said he has already informed the Organization of America States (OAS) and the Union

of South American Nations said the decree has served to (UNASUR) of Venezuela’s widen even further the gap claim. between the neighbouring Guyana says the South American countries. purported decision by Venezuelan The President Nicolas Maduro annexation of the waters to issue a decree on May 26, off Essequibo now takes in that includes all the Atlantic the oil-rich Stabroek Block, waters off the Essequibo where American oil giant Coast now means that Exxon Mobil in May found a Georgetown must hasten its “significant” reserve of high quality crude oil, he said. quest for a final solution. ExxonMobil said the “Venezuela has by its recent decree virtually discovery was made in one given notice that it intends of the two wells it dug, in to continue increasing the the Liza-1 drill site, which pressure on Guyana and to realised more than 295 feet weaken its resistance to its of high-quality oil-bearing illegal claim,” said Foreign sandstone. said Minister Carl Greenidge, who Greenidge

New York Mayor criticizes Dominican Republic deportation of Haitians

Speaking at the Malcom X and Betty Shabazz Memorial and Education Center in Manhattan on Sunday, June 21, 2015, Mayor Bill de Blasio discusses the humanitarian situation concerning Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian decent in the Dominican Republic. Mayor Bill de Blasio led Officials said as of Friday elected officials and activists about 290,000 had undergone the from New York City’s Dominican process, but only about 10,000 and Haitian communities Sunday had the proper paperwork. The United Nations in calling for the Dominican Republic to halt its plans to deport High Commission for Refugees noncitizens, saying residents of has expressed concern about the Haitian descent would be “torn “stateless population” of 200,000 from everything they know.” who are citizens of neither the The Dominican Dominican Republic nor Haiti. government is “defying our Human-rights workers common sense of humanity,” de said tens of thousands of people Blasio said at a news conference face deportation. Celso Perez, of in Washington Heights, which Human Rights Watch, said at the has a large Dominican population. event that expulsions are being “It’s clearly an illegal act, it is an “conducted mainly on the basis immoral act, it is a racist act.” of appearance” and people with The Caribbean nation darker skin who “quote-unquote has pledged to expel noncitizens look Haitian” are being targeted. -- an edict that affects those from New York City has neighboring Haiti or those of 400,000 Dominican-born Haitian descent -- if they did not residents and 100,000 born meet a deadline last Wednesday in Haiti, so the conflict hits home, de Blasio said. City to apply for legal residency.

Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, who is of Dominican descent, and Councilman Mathieu Eugene, who is of Haitian descent, were among dozens of supporters at the news conference. Outside the event, a handful of demonstrators, some carrying Dominican flags, defended the government’s actions. The United States and European nations also deport people, and the conflict on the island of Hispaniola -- shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti -- is a matter of immigration and not racism, said Elisa Viloria, of the Dominican Advocacy Coalition. Genesis Aquino, of Ahora/Now and the Coalition of Dominicans Against Racism, said the Dominican government had made the legalization process arduous for Haitians and has harassed those with darker skin whom they perceive to be Haitian. De Blasio at the news conference said that for many facing expulsion, the “Dominican Republic is the place they’ve known as home . . . in many cases, for several generations.” He demanded that the government additionally “stop the cultivation of fear” among noncitizens. The mayor made his remarks at the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center in Washington Heights. The center, he said, stands for the fight for justice

the decree purportedly mandates and authorises the Venezuelan Navy to secure the area and bars anyone from exploiting it without its permission. Caracas has called on Guyana for talks on the issue. But Granger has described Venezuela’s claim as a “legal absurdity,” saying that it is the worst intrusion on Guyana’s sovereignty. “It is an affront to the nation and it collides with internal maritime law; it is completely in breach of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.” .

CARICOM calls on Dominican Republic to halt deportation policy The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping has called on the Dominican Republic to halt its policy of deporting people of Haitian descent and “avoid creating a humanitarian crisis in our region”. The Dominican Republic gave a deadline of 17 June 2015 for people of Haitian descent to apply for legal residency. Hundreds of people, mostly lowwage workers from neighbouring Haiti, waited in line for hours to submit residency applications under a registration initiative that began last June. The Dominican Republic has said migrants who can prove they entered the country before October 2011 can qualify for legal residency. Otherwise they could face deportation. But in a statement, the 15-member grouping said that it is reiterating the human rights of those people who had been made stateless by a ruling of the Dominican Constitutional Court of 2013, which had been made retroactive to 1929, revoking their nationality. “The very real possibility that they could be expelled to Haiti, a country of which they are not citizens and with which many have neither family nor language links, was an additional cause for concern.” CARICOM said that it had initiated discussions on the issue during the recent European Union-CARIFORUM High-Level Meeting in Brussels earlier this month. It said CARIFORUM consisting of CARICOM and the Dominican Republic met with officials from EU and that the “meeting was informed of the plight of the Dominicans of Haitian descent rendered stateless, both those who were documented and those who were not. “As highlighted in the Joint Communique of the High-Level Meeting, there was commitment to adhere to a number of principles including “protection of the status of citizenship and the presumption that persons shall not be rendered stateless. “In this regard, it was agreed that “proposals to set up appropriate benchmarks and monitoring mechanisms, to be presented by CARIFORUM, will be considered”. Efforts to this end are currently underway.” CARICOM said that it was calling on the Dominican Republic authorities to adhere to the principles and confirm the citizenship status of Dominicans of Haitian descent. “The Community also calls on the Dominican Republic not to engage in the expulsion of Dominicans of Haitian descent and avoid creating a humanitarian crisis in our region,” the statement added.


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CARIBBEAN LOCAL NEWSNEWS

Cuba’s popularity concerns Caribbean tourism officials In this May 13, 2015, file photo, tourists ride a classic American convertible in Havana, Cuba. Caribbean tourism officials are pushing for a partnership with the U.S. government because of concerns that warming relations between the U.S. and Cuba will result in a significant loss of visitors to the rest of the region. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Caribbean tourism officials are pushing for a partnership with the U.S. government because of concerns that warming relations between the U.S. and Cuba will result in a significant loss of visitors to the rest of the region. Cuba has seen such a surge in visitors that the fragile budgets of many tourism-dependent islands will be hit hard if they don’t take action, Frank Comito, CEO of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association, said Wednesday. “If we continue to operate business as usual, and we all draw from the same pie and Cuba is in the

equation... there will be serious economic and employment consequences,” he said in a phone interview. The association seeks to create a Caribbean Basin Tourism Initiative to help boost investment and travel across the region with help from the U.S. The plan would be modeled on the Caribbean Basin Initiative, a U.S.led program in the 1980s that sought to boost trade in the Caribbean and Central America. Comito also said the region should work together to boost overall investment and travel to the Caribbean. “It’s a little idealistic, but I

Caribbean faces widespread drought SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The worst drought in five years is creeping across the Caribbean, prompting officials around the region to brace for a bone dry summer. From Puerto Rico to Cuba to the eastern Caribbean island of St. Lucia, crops are withering, reservoirs are drying up and cattle are dying while forecasters worry that the situation could only grow worse in the coming months. Thanks to El Nino, a warming of the tropical Pacific that affects global weather, forecasters expect the hurricane season that began in June to be quieter than normal, with a shorter period of rains. That means less water to help refill Puerto Rico’s thirsty Carraizo and La Plata reservoirs as well as the La Plata river in the central island community of Naranjito. A tropical disturbance that hit the U.S. territory on Monday did not fill up those reservoirs as officials had anticipated. Puerto Rico is among the Caribbean islands worst hit by the water shortage, with more than 1.5 million people affected by the drought so far, according to the U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center. Tens of thousands of people receive water only every third day under strict rationing recently imposed by the island government. Puerto Rico last week also activated National Guard troops to help distribute water and approved a resolution to impose fines on people and businesses for improper water use. The Caribbean’s last severe drought was in 2010. The current one could grow worse if the hurricane season ending in November produces scant rainfall and the region enters the dry season with parched reservoirs, said Cedric Van Meerbeeck, a climatologist with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology. “We might have serious water shortages ... for irrigation of crops, firefighting, domestic consumption or consumption by the hotel sector,” he said. The Caribbean isn’t the only

area in the Western Hemisphere dealing with extreme water shortages. Brazil has been struggling with its own severe drought that has drained reservoirs serving the metropolis of Sao Paulo. In the Caribbean, the farm sector has lost more than $1 million in crops as well as tens of thousands of dollars in livestock, said Norman Gibson, scientific officer at the Trinidad-based Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute. On St. Lucia, which has been especially hard hit, farmers say crops including coconuts, cashews and oranges are withering. “The outlook is very, very bad,” said Anthony Herman, who oversees a local farm cooperative. “The trees are dying, the plants are dying ... It’s stripping the very life of rivers.” Officials in Cuba say 75 percent of the island is enduring a drought that has killed cattle and destroyed thousands of hectares (acres) of crops including plantains, citrus, rice and beans. Recent heavy rains in some areas have alleviated the problem some, but all 200 government-run reservoirs are far below capacity. In the nearby Dominican Republic, water shortages have been reported in hundreds of communities, said Martin Melendez, a civil engineer and hydrology expert who has worked as a government consultant. “We were 30 days away from the entire water system collapsing,” he said. The tourism sector has also been affected. Most large hotels in Puerto Rico have big water tanks and some recycle wastewater to irrigate green areas, but many have curtailed water use, said Frank Comito, CEO of the Florida-based Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association. Other hotels have cut back on sprinkler time by up to 50 percent, said Carlos Martinez of Puerto Rico’s Association of Hotels. “Everybody here is worried,” he said. “They are selling water tanks like hot cakes ... and begging God for rain.”

think you need an element of that in this,” he said. “A stronger Caribbean benefits everyone, including Cuba.” The association proposes the plan in a report that warns of Cuba’s impact on the Caribbean and that was sent to the U.S. International Trade Commission. The report calls the opening of travel to Cuba for U.S. visitors “the biggest and most disruptive pebble to be dropped into the Caribbean pool in fifty years.” From January to early May, Cuba saw a 36 percent increase in U.S. visitors from the same period in 2014. It also had a 14 percent jump in other international arrivals, and Caribbean tourism officials say they expect those numbers to keep rising. “Those countries whose focus has been on the United States as their primary source market and who have not felt any competition from Cuba ... will be surprised at how sophisticated

and effective the Cuban marketing machine has become,” the report says. The association said the islands where the tourism business could be most affected are those closest to Cuba — Jamaica, Cayman Islands and the Bahamas. It is unclear whether tourism officials on those islands support the association’s plan or whether they have taken steps to help attract more visitors. Tourism officials in Jamaica and the Bahamas did not return messages for comment. Cayman Islands Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell issued a statement saying that opening Cuba to visitors has increased people’s awareness of the Caribbean. “However, it is important to note that there are only limited and very specific categories of American visitors allowed to travel to Cuba, a barrier which the Cayman Islands does not have in place,” he said.

Jailed Venezuelan opposition leader ends hunger strike

In this Feb. 18, 2014 file photo, opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, dressed in white and holding up a flower stem, is taken into custody by Bolivarian National Guards, in Caracas, Venezuela. CARACAS, Venezuela — Jailed Venezuelan politician Leopoldo Lopez has ended a 30-day hunger strike after authorities set a date for legislative elections, a key demand of opponents of President Nicolas Maduro’s socialist administration. “We’re ending the strike, but our struggle continues,” Lopez wrote in a letter written from jail and read Tuesday by his wife, Lilian Tintori, to journalists in Caracas. Lopez stopped eating in May, demanding that the government free opponents jailed during last year’s anti-government demonstrations and set a date for the elections that the opposition is heavily favored to win. The protest quickly reinvigorated Venezuela’s sometimes out-of-touch opposition, drawing the support of dozens of students who began fasting in solidarity with Lopez, who is on trial for inciting violence during last year’s protests. The National Electoral Council on Monday said the congressional elections will be held Dec. 6, ending months of speculation by opponents and international observers that the vote would be canceled. The South American country’s laws mandate that the balloting for National Assembly seats be held this year, but elections officials had delayed setting a date.

The Obama administration, which has been quietly engaging the Maduro administration in high-level talks, welcomed the decision to set an election date. “This is a positive step for the Venezuelan people and their democratic institutions,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday in Washington. The ruling socialist party currently holds a majority in the legislature, but polls indicate that if the election were held today, the opposition coalition would win in a landslide. The 29-party coalition is benefiting from widespread discontent with Maduro, driven by mounting shortages, rampant crime and inflation estimated to be in the triple digits. Opposition parties have not captured a legislative majority since the late Hugo Chavez, who was Maduro’s predecessor and mentor, won the presidency more than 16 years ago. They have lost every recent national election, and currently hold about a third of the seats in the legislature. Lopez, who considers himself and the other dozens jailed in last year’s unrest to be political prisoners, expressed optimism that the vote would channel Venezuelans’ frustration with the ruling party.


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Baptist Health International Opens New Office in Santo Domingo Baptist Health International (BHI) today announced the opening of a new office in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The Dominican medical community and the public at large will benefit from the new facility which will be equipped with the latest in videoconferencing technology and telemedicine capabilities. The new office, part of a project more than three years in the making, will provide a higher level of continuous support to the local medical community through nursing education, consulting to help hospitals achieve prestigious Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation and increased access for students to medical leaders renowned in their fields, among other services. The new office will serve as Baptist Health International’s consulting headquarters and can be used for teleconferencing, videoconferencing and virtual grand rounds which will benefit physicians in the country. Among the advantages that the new Baptist Health International office in Santo Domingo will provide are facilitating communication and cooperation between physicians in the Dominican Republic and Baptist Health in the U.S., allowing them to consult on clinical cases without the need to travel. This reinforces Baptist Health’s commitment to cultivating relationships with physicians, medical associations and international hospitals. The office was designed to be used as a workplace for Baptist Health’s international team, which collaborates on various projects currently being developed in the country, besides serving as a hub to expand the organization’s presence in the region and facilitate relationships with the private and public sectors. “We are delighted to extend our services to our Caribbean neighbors,” said Dr. Mario A. Mendez, Corporate Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Baptist Health International. “At Baptist Health International we are committed to providing our unique services across the region and look forward to having a permanent presence in the Dominican Republic, which will allow us to further collaborate with international physicians and patients.” The new center, located in Novo-Centro Plaza, opened on June 23, 2015 with a press conference led by Dr. Mario A. Mendez. Baptist Children’s Hospital is part of Baptist Health South Florida. Baptist Health is the largest healthcare organization in the region, with seven hospitals (Baptist Hospital, Baptist Children’s Hospital, Doctors Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Mariners Hospital, South Miami Hospital and West Kendall Baptist Hospital) and more than 50 outpatient and urgent care facilities spanning three counties. The not-for-profit, faith-based Baptist Health has more than 15,000 employees and 2,200 affiliated physicians, and also includes Baptist Health Medical Group, Baptist Outpatient Services and internationally renowned centers of excellence. Baptist Health Foundation, the organization’s fundraising arm, supports services at all hospitals and facilities. Baptist Health is listed by Fortune magazine as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America (#23 in the nation) and has remained on the list for 15 years. It was also recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the fifth year in a row by the Ethisphere Institute. Baptist Health International, based in Miami, is one of the largest international hospital programs in the United States. Thousands of people travel each year from all over the world to receive care by our respected physicians. Baptist Health International is dedicated to providing comprehensive, high quality services to physicians and their patients worldwide, including hospital admissions, outpatient medical exams medical consultations, and counseling services.

Wilchcombe says no challenge if Christie stays as leader The Bahamas Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe said he would not compete with Prime Minister Perry Christie if the 71-year-old offers to lead the PLP at the party’s October convention. If Mr Christie steps down as leader at that time, his party is disciplined enough to avoid the kind of drama that could divert attention from its governing agenda during the remainder of its term, Mr Wilchcombe said. “I would not contest the leadership from (Mr Christie),” he said. “I’m very supportive of Mr Christie and his outstanding service to our country. He has served with honour. I believe The Bahamas Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe nothing will cause me to not wish to stop anyone from Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller to relinquish my loyalty to his pursuing their dreams.” support him in his leadership bid leadership. I will not undermine As for the impact a if he were to run in October. him. Those of us who have an leadership battle could have on Mr Miller recently told interest in leadership should, in the perception of unity among The Nassau Guardian that he fact, spend more time preparing senior party members, Mr sees Deputy Prime Minister so if he announces his departure Wilchcombe said: “The PLP is a Philip “Brave” Davis as the we’ll be in a position to lead with structured organisation. The PLP party’s future leader, not the distinction like he has.” has order. We know when to close West End and Bimini MP. The prime minister has ranks. We know when to take “Leslie is my good buddy,” not discussed his plans for the matters in-house and at the end Mr Wilchcombe said in response future with PLP members, Mr of the day you have to appreciate yesterday. “Many will have to Wilchcombe said, adding that this what the party says.” choose who they want to choose. is in the best interest of the party. Mr Wilchcombe said he One day I hope to convince my “He hasn’t told us what doesn’t “have the slightest idea good buddy and show him that his plans are,” the West End and how many people may seek the I have the pedigree and then Bimini MP said. “And he has party’s leadership.” maybe he will support me.” to be careful. He doesn’t want He added that his fellow On Sunday, Mr to leave the party and create governing party members are a Wilchcombe announced his chaos and anarchy. Of course the “tight group” that “jokes all the aspirations to lead the PLP, saying way things like this have been time” about the leadership issue. if he had the chance to become handled has always been with “We have fun about prime minister he would take it. dignity and honour; that’s the it,” he said. “We’re a body. Mr Davis also said yesterday that way the PLP has done it. Pindling Notwithstanding that we have he would like to lead the PLP, if a was challenged. Christie was strong views and some wish to be vacancy becomes available. challenged. I’m from the school leader, we’re united.” In January, Mr Christie that believes you must better Mr Wilchcombe said an said it would take a compelling your skills and skill sets so that ideal leader must have the trust reason for him to lead the PLP you could be in a position to ask of the Bahamian people and a into the next general election. for (Mr Christie’s) support at the commitment to service. During a televised end of the day. But, of course, he “You have to have interview with State of Affairs on can’t devalue his position. a history of service and a ZNS, Mr Christie said he told his “He has to time his commitment to doing service with family that 2012 would be his last future directly so he doesn’t find love,” he said. campaign, but added that there himself as a lame duck prime Mr Wilchcombe also said are some supporters who do not minister. But I know that he does he hopes to convince his “buddy,” want him to step down as leader.

Former Cayman Islands Premier sues former Governor

Former Cayman Islands Mr. McLaughlin of conspiring to Governor Duncan Taylor is “topple a democratically elected accused in court documents government” during 2011-2012. filed Friday of “conceiving” what Mr. McLaughlin’s lawsuit Opposition Leader McKeeva stated Mr. Bush intended to infer Bush alleges was a long-running that the premier and others and wide-ranging conspiracy to had “conspired together wrongly” remove Mr. Bush from public and “by abuse of executive office. power … institute and maintain Cayman Islands Premier the prosecution of [Mr. Bush]” Alden McLaughlin is accused against any evidence that existed in the documents filed with the “for their own personal political Grand Court of assisting former ends.” Governor Taylor by not contesting The response to Mr. the formation of a “minority McLaughlin’s initial writ of government” following Mr. Bush’s summons denied that any such removal as premier in December specific accusation of unlawfully 2012. instituting or maintaining a According to the Cayman prosecution against Mr. Bush Compass, the statements made had been made against Mr. in the court records are part of McLaughlin. Rather, the response a legal response made by Mr. to the lawsuit states that the Bush’s attorneys to a defamation various alleged conspirators all lawsuit Mr. McLaughlin filed played different roles in attempts against the West Bay MLA in May. to remove the former United Mr. McLaughlin’s lawsuit was Democratic Party government. filed after Mr. Bush presented “[Mr. McLaughlin] a private members’ motion in had correspondence in his the Legislative Assembly that possession which showed that accused a number of individuals, [Mr. McLaughlin] was indeed including the former governor, party to discussions about, and the local police commissioner and had agreed to, an undemocratic

plan to ensure that [Mr. Bush] was permanently removed from office,” the lawsuit response states.

McKeeva Bush


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NEWS

Death toll from heat wave in Pakistani hits 1,000 KARACHI, Pakistan — The has a capacity of 200, has been overrun death toll reached 1,000 on Thursday since the heat wave began late last in the southern Pakistani port city of week, and the charity group said it Karachi as residents grappled with was now looking into expanding the a devastating heat wave that has site. crippled life and overwhelmed the Mr. Kazmi said that quick health care system. burials had become unavoidable given Searing temperatures, which the extreme heat and the condition of have been as high as 113 degrees, fell the bodies. “It has become necessary for below 100 on Thursday, but a sense of us to start burying the bodies because panic and crisis persisted in the city, of the bad state we are receiving them the country’s financial and commercial in,” he said. capital as well as the capital of Sindh The foundation has buried at Province. least 350 people since the heat wave There has been a sharp started. While many of the bodies had increase in the sale of air-conditioners been unclaimed, he said, workers were and room coolers, local traders said. taking photographs before the burials Morgues have run short of space, in the event that relatives came and hospitals are filled to capacity as forward. patients scramble to get treatment for Mr. Kazmi said the Edhi dehydration and heatstroke. Foundation was putting plans in place The heat wave has sent over to expand the morgue’s capacity to 300. 14,000 people into government and “This situation doesn’t arise often,” he private hospitals across Karachi, said, “but it’s become necessary now with more than 8,000 visiting Jinnah for us to improve.” Postgraduate Medical Center, the Most of the dead, many of largest such site here. them drug addicts and the homeless, Anwar Kazmi, a spokesman have come from the poor areas of the for the Edhi Foundation, which runs city. a private ambulance service and the The provincial government city’s main morgue, said the group has responded to the crisis by urging had buried 40 unidentified bodies on the residents to save electricity, Thursday and would bury another 40 emphasizing the early closings of later in the day. The morgue, which schools and institutes, shopping malls

Cooling off in a puddle in Karachi, Pakistan, on Thursday, as the death toll from a heat wave reached 1,000 and marriage halls. The country has For sellers of home appliances, faced a chronic power shortage for there has been a run on products for years, with daytime outages lasting for cooling and controlling humidity. Sales several hours. in Karachi are up by about 25 percent, The power outages have not and prices have climbed. affected everyone equally. Lower- “We did not see such sale of income areas are facing prolonged, air-conditioners, room coolers and unannounced power outages and fans in the past,” said Rizwan Irfan, a periods of extremely low voltage, while leader of Karachi’s electronic traders’ the situation is relatively better in association. “The stocks of these more affluent areas. appliances are running out.” The heat wave has also taken a Angered by the continuing toll on the city’s pet population. “We are power cuts, residents in several parts seeing one to two animals every day on of the city have organized protests and average with some sort of heatstroke blocked traffic. Even lawmakers from signs,” said Dr. Isma Gheewala, a the province’s governing party staged popular veterinarian in the upscale a protest outside the Sindh Assembly’s Defence neighborhood, who described building on Wednesday. animals arriving in a semiconscious Dawn, the country’s leading state with a temperatures of 106 to English-language daily, however, 107. published an editorial on Thursday “We have heard of many criticizing the provincial government’s animals who just collapsed and expired effort to blame the power supply for due to heatstroke, particularly birds,” the high number of deaths, calling that Dr. Gheewala said. absurd.

Prison guard admits helping escaped inmates Supreme Court upholds A prison guard charged in connection with the escape of two Northern New York inmates delivered frozen meat to the men with hacksaw blades and other tools hidden inside, and also provided them with a screwdriver and pliers, prosecutors say. Gene Palmer, 57, a corrections officer at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y., was released Thursday on $25,000 bail after being charged with promoting prison contraband, tampering with physical evidence and official A New York State Police officer escorts suspended Clinton Correctional Facility guard Gene Palmer, left, from Plattsburgh Town Court in Plattsburgh, N.Y misconduct. Court documents released a local cabin last weekend. every cabin or outbuilding in the by prosecutors also claim that Guess said the men may be so-called North Country “has one after inmates Richard Matt and armed with guns and ammunition or more shotguns or weapons.” David Sweat fled the prison June stolen from unoccupied hunting “They put an inordinate 6, Palmer burned and buried cabins in the rugged Adirondack amount of weapons and paintings that had been given to Mountains. ammunition and other tools in him by the duo. “We have, since Day 1, operated these shared seasonal hunting Lawyer Andrew Brockway under the belief that these men camps and cabins,” he said. Few, said Palmer didn’t know the tools are armed,” he said Wednesday. however, keep an inventory of were in the meat and had no idea “They are extremely dangerous; what’s stockpiled. the men were planning an escape. they are cunning. Why wouldn’t The anticipation that Brockway said Palmer will plead they try to arm themselves came with Saturday’s find was not guilty to the charges. immediately upon escape?” growing distant as the week More than 1,000 police He would not confirm dragged on without capture or a officers have descended on a whether Matt and Sweat had a sighting. 75-square-mile area near the shotgun reportedly missing from “They could easily prison after New York State Police a hunting camp on Black Cat move 10 miles per day on trails Maj. Charles Guess cited with Mountain, where clothing and if unimpeded,” Guess said. He “virtually 100% assurance” that possibly DNA evidence indicated said police have received more that Sweat, 35, and Matt, who the killers had been Saturday. than 2,200 leads “and we have turned 49 Thursday, had been in Guess noted that nearly investigated each one.”

key Obamacare insurance subsidies

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the nationwide availability of tax subsidies that are crucial to the implementation of President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law, handing a major victory to the president. The court ruled on a 6-3 vote that the 2010 Affordable Care Act, widely known as Obamacare, did not restrict the subsidies to states that establish their own online healthcare exchanges. It marked the second time in three years that the high court ruled against a major challenge to the law brought by conservatives seeking to gut it. Chief Justice John Roberts was joined by fellow conservative Justice Anthony Kennedy and the court’s liberal members in the majority. “Congress passed the Affordable Care Act to improve health insurance markets, not to destroy them,” Roberts wrote, adding that nationwide availability of the credits is required to “avoid the type of calamitous result that Congress plainly meant to avoid.” Shares of hospital operators, health services providers and insurers rallied broadly following the court’s decision to uphold the subsidies. Top gainers included hospital companies Tenet Healthcare Corp., up 8.8 percent, and Community Health Systems Inc., up 8.5 percent. The decision means the subsidies will remain not just in the 13 states that have set up their own exchanges and the three states that have state-federal hybrid exchanges, but also in the 34 states that use the exchange run by the federal government.


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President Obama to Heckler: ‘Listen, You’re in My House’

During an LGBT Pride Month event inside his home, President Barack Obama called out a heckler on Wednesday night. “Listen, you’re in my house,” Obama told the individual, who yelled about deportations. “You’re not going to get a good response from me by interrupting me like this.” “Shame on you. You shouldn’t be doing this,” the president continued, as other audience members began to cheer his name. “Can we escort this person out? You can either stay and be quiet, or we’ll have to take you out.” Obama said, as a general rule, he is “just fine” with a few hecklers, but not when the event is taking place inside his own home. He said he

U.S. President Barack Obama greets attendees at a reception to observe LGBT Pride Month in the East Room at the White House on June 24. expects guests, who are “eating the identified the heckler as Jennicet hors d’oeuvres and drinking the booze,” Gutiérrezas, a transgender woman to be respectful. White House guests who is an undocumented immigrant typically are invited and pre-screened. from Mexico, according to a press release. Later, an immigration group

Solar plane ready to go

Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg, the pilot of a solar-powered plane Solar Impulse 2 speaks to journalists in Tokyo, Thursday, June 18, 2015. Borschberg says his aircraft is now ready to fly but must wait out unfavorable weather, perhaps for up to two months. TOKYO — The pilot of a solar-powered plane that made an unplanned stop in Japan says his aircraft is now ready to fly but must wait out unfavorable weather, perhaps for up to two months.

Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg said Thursday that it could take weeks for a weather front stretching from Alaska to Taiwan to clear enough for him to leave Nagoya in central Japan.

“Obviously, the goal is not to take risks but to get there safely,” Borschberg told reporters in Tokyo. “The front, physically, it’s like a wall. It’s too cloudy. It’s too rainy. It’s too bumpy,” he said. “What we need is to find a weak spot in this ‘wall’ so we can fly over.” Borschberg diverted to Nagoya due to weather worries while traveling from Nanjing in China to Hawaii, at 8,175 kilometers (5,079 miles) the longest leg of the round-the-world journey which began in Abu Dhabi. He said his plane, which was slightly damaged by a cover tousled by the wind while on the ground in Nagoya, is fully repaired and ready to go. The flight to Hawaii will take five or six days.

Gutiérrezas allegedly interrupted by saying: “President Obama, release all LGBTQ immigrants from detention and stop all deportations.” She said she couldn’t celebrate at the event because many transgender individuals are being exposed to abuse in detention centers. LGBT Pride Month is an annual event in June that honors the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, the birthplace of the gay rights movement in the United States. In June 1969, patrons of the pub fought back against a police raid targeting the gay bar. At the time, it was illegal to serve alcohol to gay people. Just this week, The Stonewall Inn was declared an historic landmark.

The airplane carries no fuel, so project engineers use simulations to decide if it is safe to fly. Borschberg and the project’s leader, Bertrand Piccard, are taking turns flying the plane solo. Since the plane is meant to travel during the summer, there is a limit to how long they can wait to make the flight this year. “I hope we will find a time in the next two weeks,” Borschberg said. “What makes this flight very difficult is that we are at the very limit of what the weather forecasting can do today and we don’t want to take too much of a risk.” The plane, called the Solar Impulse 2, is powered by more than 17,000 solar cells on its wings that recharge its batteries, enabling it to fly. The goal of the project

is less about solar-powered air travel — which would not be commercially practical given weather and weight constraints of the Solar Impulse, but about spreading a message about clean technologies. The Solar Impulse’s extra-wide wings, brightly lit as it flew into Nagoya, caused some Japanese to call authorities to report a UFO, or unidentified flying object. “The technologies that we use to illuminate the airplane that makes everyone think it’s a UFO ... can be used anywhere on the ground,” Borschberg said. “What we try to say with this project is if we would use these technologies in homes, cars, appliances, we could drastically reduce energy consumption on the ground.”

French taxi drivers smash cars in strike against Uber French taxi drivers smashed up livery cars, set tires ablaze and blocked traffic across the country on Thursday in a nationwide strike aimed at Uber after weeks of rising, sometimes violent tensions over the U.S. ride-hailing company. Travelers going to and from the airport walked alongside highways with their bags or got caught in ambushes, like singer Courtney Love, who was rescued by two men on a motorcycle. “they’ve ambushed our car and are holding our driver hostage,” Love tweeted. “They’re beating the cars with metal bats. this is France?? I’m safer in Baghdad.” Taxi drivers are angry, saying Uber’s lowest cost service is taking their livelihood away. Despite repeated rulings against the low-cost UberPop service, its drivers continue to ply French roads and the American ride-hailing company is actively recruiting drivers and passengers alike. Uber claims to have a total of

400,000 customers a month in France. Riot police chased strikers from Paris’ ring road, where protesters torched tires in the middle of the roadway and swarmed onto exit ramps at rush hour. Love, Kurt Cobain’s widow, sent a litany of tweets on Thursday afternoon, including one to Kanye West suggesting she would have been better off staying at the airport with him. West later appeared at the Louis Vuitton menswear show, cool and calm. She wrote: “paid some guys on motorcycles to sneak us out, got chased by a mob of taxi drivers who threw rocks, passed two police and they did nothing.” She later posted a selfie wearing a motorcycle helmet with her two smiling rescuers. France’s top security official said he had ordered an immediate ban on unlicensed services like UberPop in the Paris region but called for an end to violence against the service’s drivers. “We are calling for

French taxi drivers, who are on strike, demonstrating at Porte Maillot to block the traffic on the Paris ring road during a national protest against the car-hailing service Uber calm. We are in a state of law,” Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said. “A state of law is not a state of violence.” Uber’s more expensive livery service is still legal but a source of intense frustration for French taxi drivers, who pay tens of thousands of euros (dollars) for the equivalent of medallions and who face customer complaints that they are being resistant to changes such as credit cards and geolocation.

Taxi drivers complain that livery services like Uber unfairly undercut them and in recent weeks nearly 100 Uber drivers have been attacked, sometimes while carrying customers. One irritated taxi passenger was left with a broken face and black eye after he praised Uber. “There are people who are willing to do anything to stop any competition,” said Thomas Meister, a spokesman for Uber. “We are only the

symptom of a badly organized market.” The French government, meanwhile, said nearly 500 legal cases have been filed across the country involving complaints about UberPop, the lowest cost service. Several drivers have had their cars impounded. The officials reiterated concerns about safety of passengers, insisting they are not protected in case of an accident by an UberPop driver. Strikers darted by the dozens onto Paris’ ring road near a main entrance to the city to create traffic chaos, then dashed away as riot police tried to catch them. The Liberation newspaper said taxi drivers attacked a photographer. At the airports, police were checking entering cars in hopes of avoiding more violence. Images from around the city captured a sense of the taxis’ rage, with an Uberstyle livery car overturned, others with tires slashed and windshields covered with a web of cracks.


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Anger as US newly accused Tainted liquor kills 84 in India of spying in France PARIS — Embarrassed The White House said by leaked conversations of three Obama also pledged to continue successive French presidents close cooperation with France and angered by new evidence on matters of intelligence and of uninhibited American spying, security. France demanded answers If not a surprise, the latest Wednesday and called for an revelations put both countries in intelligence “code of conduct” something of a quandary. between allies. France’s counter France’s foreign minister espionage capabilities were summoned the U.S. ambassador called into question at the to respond to the WikiLeaks highest level. The United States, revelations, while President meanwhile, was shown not only Barack Obama spoke by phone to be eavesdropping on private with his French counterpart. And conversations of its closest allies all eyes were fixed on the top floor but also to be unable to keep its of the U.S. Embassy after reports own secrets. that a nest of NSA surveillance “The rule in espionage equipment was concealed there, — even between allies — is that just down the block from the everything is allowed, as long presidential Elysee Palace. as it’s not discovered,” Arnaud “Commitments were Danjean, a former analyst for made by our American allies. France’s spy agency and currently They must be firmly recalled a lawmaker in the European and strictly respected,” Prime Parliament, told France-Info Minister Manuel Valls said. radio. “Being loyal doesn’t mean falling “The Americans have into line.” been caught with their hand in Obama told Hollande the jam jar a little too often, and in the phone conversation this discredits them.” Wednesday that the U.S. wasn’t Still, the French weren’t targeting his communications, denying the need for good the White House said. Obama intelligence — they have long said the U.S. was abiding by a relied on U.S. intel cooperation to commitment that he made in 2013 fight terrorism and are trying to not to spy on the French leader beef up their own capabilities. after Edward Snowden disclosed The release of the the extent of NSA surveillance spying revelations appeared powers. timed to coincide with a final That pledge came a year vote Wednesday in the French after the last of the revelations in Parliament on a controversial bill the new Wikileaks trove, which allowing broad new surveillance date from 2006 to 2012 and powers, in particular to counter appear to capture top French threats of French extremists officials talking candidly about linked to foreign jihad. relations with Germany, Greece’s The law, which would give economy and American spying on intelligence services authority to allies. monitor Internet use and phone

calls in France, passed in a showof-hands vote, despite a last round of criticism from privacy advocates concerned about massive U.S.-style data sweeps. It won’t take effect, however, until a high court rules on whether it is constitutional. Hours before the vote, the Socialist-led government again denied accusations that it wants massive NSA-style powers. “I will not let it be said that this law could call into question our liberties and that our practices will be those that we condemn today,” Valls said. Hollande, calling the U.S. spying an “unacceptable” security breach, convened two emergency meetings as a result of the spying disclosures. The top floor of the U.S. Embassy, visible from France’s Elysee Palace, reportedly was filled with spying equipment hidden behind elaborately painted tromp l’oeil windows, according to the Liberation newspaper, which partnered with WikiLeaks and the website Mediapart on the documents. U.S. Ambassador Jane Hartley was summoned to the Foreign Ministry, where she promised to provide quick responses to French concerns, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said. He said he understood the need for eavesdropping for counterterrorist reasons, “but this has nothing to do with that.” Hollande was sending his top intelligence coordinator to the U.S. to ensure that promises made after earlier NSA spying revelations in 2013 and 2014 have been kept.

An Indian woman cries over the death of her family member who died after drinking tainted liquor at his funeral in Mumbai, India, Saturday, June 20, 2015. NEW DELHI — The death toll from drinking tainted liquor in a Mumbai slum climbed to 84 in the worst incident of its kind in more than a decade, police said Saturday. Another 31 people, 13 of them in serious condition, were being treated in hospitals after drinking the cheap liquor Wednesday night in Malad, said Deputy Commissioner Dhananjay Kulkarni. They fell sick immediately. Malad is a northern part of India’s financial capital. Kulkarni said the police have arrested five people who transported and sold the tainted liquor to poor workers. The Press Trust of India news agency said eight police personnel have been suspended for negligence of duty. In 2004, 104 people had died after drinking spurious liquor in Mumbai’s Vikhroli area. Deaths from illegally brewed alcohol are common in India because the poor cannot afford licensed liquor. Illicit liquor is often spiked with chemicals such as pesticides to increase its potency.

Body found in suitcase in Tokyo Station locker

Ton of ivory crushed in Times Square to highlight poaching NEW YORK — Over a ton of confiscated ivory tumbled off a conveyor belt into a rock crusher in Times Square on Friday in a symbolic display highlighting an illegal trade that activists say threatens the survival of African elephants. The Wildlife Conservation Society says the global ivory trade is responsible for the slaughter of as many as 35,000 elephants a year in Africa. “Crushing ivory in Times Square — literally at the crossroads of the world — says in the clearest of terms that the U.S. is serious about closing its illegal ivory markets and stopping the demand,” said John Calvelli, the society’s executive vice president for public affairs. U.S. and state government officials, conservationists, animalwelfare advocates and tourists gathered to watch as hundreds of ivory trinkets were turned into a powder that fed into a trough, waiting to be trucked away. The event was organized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New York state agencies and the Wildlife Conservation Society, which runs New York City’s zoos.

Members of the Metropolitan Police Department stand guard near a baggage locker where a suitcase containing the body of an elderly woman was found at Tokyo Station in Tokyo. US government display confiscated illegal ivory before crushing more than a ton in an effort to halt elephant poaching and ivory trafficking, Friday, June 19, 2015, at Times Square in New York. Animal advocates say the trade in ivory threatens to wipe out African elephants. Actress Kristen Davis, a memorial to elephants. longtime advocate for elephants Officials said they are known for her role in the HBO committed to fighting the ivory show “Sex and the City,” said at trade not just to protect elephants the event no one should ever buy but to combat terrorists who profit ivory even if a dealer says it’s an from elephant poaching. antique. “Animal trafficking, “We are going to lose we now know, is funding those elephants in 10 years if we don’t dangerous groups out there,” said do something, which means that U.S. Rep. Steve Israel, a Long our children will never know that Island Democrat. “It is a source elephants roamed the planet in of revenue for terrorist groups the wild as they should,” Davis around the world.” said. Much of the ivory The crush was one of destroyed Friday was confiscated several ivory destruction events from Philadelphia antiques dealer that have been held around the Victor Gordon, officials said. world to stigmatize the ivory trade. Gordon was sentenced in The Times Square ivory federal court in June 2014 to 2 1/2 will be combined with the 6 tons years in prison and ordered to pay that was crushed in Denver in $157,500 in fines and forfeitures 2013 and used to create a for smuggling ivory into the U.S.

TOKYO — A worker at Japan’s Tokyo Station got an unpleasant shock after opening an abandoned suitcase that no one had claimed for a month — the decomposing body of an elderly woman inside. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police said the corpse was found Sunday in a suitcase in a temporary storage area at Tokyo’s main train station. Japanese media reports said the body was of an elderly woman, 140 centimeters tall (4feet, 7-inches) tall. Police are trying to establish her identity. The bright yellow suitcase was left in an unlocked coin locker on April 26, according to the media reports. It measured 70 by 50 by 25 centimeters (28 by 20 by 10 inches). Nothing unusual was observed about the suitcase, no odor or anything, said Junichi Omoto, a spokesman for regional train company JR East. “We were surprised and horrified,” he said. It’s normal practice to hold abandoned luggage for a month to see if anyone claims it. Major Japanese train stations have banks of lockers for travelers to store items temporarily.


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Black Churches Targeted Because of Importance to Community

The black church has long by white police. been the cornerstone and sanctuary That advocacy, said Rev. for African-American life. It’s also long Anthony Evans of the National Black been a target for racists and white Church Initiative, could be what drew supremacists trying to strike blows Roof to Emanuel. against the African-American psyche. The shooter “wanted to strike The latest attack came a blow at the black community and Wednesday in Charleston, South what better way to do it than gunning Carolina, when 21-year-old Dylann down a man of God who also is a public Storm Roof joined a prayer meeting official and also a pastor of a church,” inside historic Emanuel African Evans said. Methodist Episcopal Church and, During the post-Civil War according to authorities, shot nine era, attacks on black churches were people dead, including the pastor, the Black church common in the South as the Ku Klux Rev. Clementa Pinckney, and other remember the Charleston victims. resistance. So under very oppressive Klan rose in power. The attacks ministers. Metropolitan’s pastor, the Rev. William conditions, under slavery and then accelerated in the 1960s, when black Why Roof targeted that H. Lamar IV, led the public vigil at the legal segregation ... the AME church churches were bombed and targeted particular church is not yet known. A church, which was founded in 1838 permitted a space for African- in shooting sprees because they were friend of the suspect said Roof told him and is the oldest continuously held Americans to practice their faith on organizing hubs for the civil rights that he felt black people were “taking black-owned institution in the District their own terms.” movement. over the world” and that something of Columbia. Emanuel church was That culminated in the needed to be done for the white race. Large photos of each victim founded after Morris Brown, a free, bombing of the 16th Street Baptist What is clear is that in the were raised during the service. Those black shoemaker and a Methodist, Church in Birmingham, Alabama, days since the carnage inside one of the in attendance, some wiping away walked out of a predominantly white killing four girls: Addie Mae Collins, nation’s oldest black churches, other tears, listened intently as the Rev. Methodist church in Charleston in Carole Robertson, Denise McNair and black churches have begun gathering Tony Lee, a pastor at Community of 1816, an AME church website states. Cynthia Wesley. The bombing became their faithful to process the tragedy, Hope AME Church in the Maryland Another Emanuel founder, Denmark a powerful symbol of the depth of racial fortify themselves for the journey suburbs, encouraged his audience not Vesey, led a failed 1822 slave rebellion hatred in the South and helped build toward forgiveness and renew their to feel defeated by what happened in that drove the church underground. momentum for later laws, including commitments to the social activism Charleston. After Vesey’s plot was reported, the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the that has made them targets for hate “Sometimes, it takes great Vesey was hanged and the church Voting Rights Act of 1965. through the ages. pain to bring great healing,” Lee said. was burned. The church was rebuilt, Three Ku Klux Klansmen “Notions of freedom, notions of A handful of people rose in jubilation. but in 1834 all black churches were were convicted in the bombing; one hope, notions of leadership, notions of The African-American church banned and members worshipped remains in prison. education, notions of how one creates has been around since at least the late “underground” until 1865, when A wave of black church a strategy to counter a strategy of 1700s, providing a place where weary Emanuel AME Church was formally burnings took place across the South oppression came out of the black slaves could go for comfort, and fiery reorganized. in the 1990s. Three white men burned church,” said Rex Ellis, associate abolitionists and civil rights activists Pinckney, a state senator in Springhill Freewill Baptist Church director for curatorial affairs at the could call for change. Emanuel was addition to Emanuel’s pastor, had been and Rocky Point Missionary Baptist Smithsonian National Museum of one of those churches. outspoken recently over the shooting of Church in Mississippi on April 4, African American History and Culture. Jon Hale, an assistant Walter Scott, the unarmed black man 1993, the 25th anniversary of the At historic Metropolitan AME Church professor at the College of Charleston, who was shot and killed by a white 1968 assassination of the Rev. Martin in the nation’s capital, a multiracial, said the AME church through history police officer in North Charleston, and Luther King Jr. interfaith crowd gathered Friday to “symbolizes faith, freedom but also the killings of African-American men

Battle over Confederate flag unfurls in South Carolina and beyond An initiative to murder for the shooting at remove the Confederate flag the church last Wednesday, from the South Carolina had posed with a Confederate State House grounds picked flag in photos posted online up steam on Tuesday, a week with a racist manifesto. after the massacre of nine black church members, and ‘TO FOSTER RACIAL criticism over the emblem UNITY’ long associated with slavery spread to other U.S. southern Just hours after states. politicians in several southern U.S. retailers joined states began calling for the lawmakers in distancing removal of the Confederate themselves from the banner, flag on Monday, some of the with industry leaders Amazon. nation’s largest retailers com Inc and Wal-Mart Stores announced they were halting Inc pulling the images of the sales of related merchandise. rebel flag from their stores Prominent U.S. flag makers and websites, joining Google said on Tuesday they would Inc Sears Holdings Corp and stop manufacturing and eBay Inc. selling Confederate flags The Civil War-era flag of the South’s proRELATED COVERAGE slavery Confederacy has become a lightning rod for •›China’s Alibaba outrage over the shootings in to remove listings with Charleston, South Carolina, Confederate flag imagery which authorities say was “We hope that this decision motivated by racial hatred. will show our support for In Columbia, the those affected by the recent capital of South Carolina, events in Charleston and, hundreds of people chanted in some small way, help “Take it down,” while state to foster racial unity and lawmakers voted on Tuesday tolerance in our country,” the to open debate on removing Pennsylvania-based Valley the Confederate flag from the Forge Flag company said in a State House grounds. statement. Dylann Roof, a The debate over the rebel 21-year-old white man flag spread to other southern charged with nine counts of states on Tuesday.

In Mississippi, the state which still most prominently incorporates the “Stars and Bars” in its flag, Speaker of the House Philip Gunn became the first Republican in state history to publicly support a flag change when he called the Confederate emblem “a point of offense that needs to be removed.” Virginia, which was also part of the Confederacy, will no longer allow special vehicle license plates for the Sons of Confederate Veterans group that feature the flag, Governor Terry McAuliffe said on Tuesday. Georgia’s governor said he would seek to redesign a similar license plate in his state. Opponents of the flag consider it an emblem of slavery, racism and U.S. xenophobia. Supporters say it represents the South’s heritage and culture, as well as a memorial to Confederate casualties during the 1861-65 Civil War. MORE COMPLEX ISSUE, CRITICS SAY Critics said the Confederate flag, while powerful in its symbolism, was perhaps a far simpler

matter to address than the one of the shooting victims. far more complex U.S. issues President Barack Obama will of racism, discrimination attend his funeral on Friday. against African Americans The Confederate and inequality. flag controversy is the As the Confederate latest flashpoint in a year of flag fluttered only yards away intense debate over U.S. race on the grounds of the South relations, sparked by the Carolina State House, a killings of unarmed black men crowd of about 1,000 listened by police officers in Ferguson, to politicians and civil rights Missouri; New York City; and leaders voice their support Baltimore. The outcry has for taking down the battle spawned a reinvigorated civil flag. rights movement under the “Anyone who gets “Black Lives Matter” banner. in front of this train is going Governor Haley to get run over,” said Leon threw her support behind Howard, a state legislator, removing the flag on Monday. referring to the political She called on lawmakers, momentum gathering behind whose legislative year wraps the initiative. up this week, to address the Until recently issue over the summer and Republican Governor Nikki said she would order a special Haley of South Carolina had session if they did not. been unwilling to discuss the It would take a twoflag. thirds majority vote by both “The change in chambers of the legislature opinion in the last day or two to undo the state law that is like nothing I have ever requires the flag to fly at seen. It’s been a tidal wave,” a memorial to Confederate said College of Charleston soldiers on the State House political science professor grounds. Gibbs Knotts. That law was the The crowd heard result of a 2000 compromise prayers offered in the that removed it from atop the memory of State Senator State House, where it was Clementa Pinckney, a first put up a half century longtime advocate of the flag’s ago at the peak of resistance removal. Pinckney, pastor of to federal efforts to end the Charleston church, was segregation in the South.


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BUSINESS &NEWS TECHNOLOGY LOCAL NEWS CARIBBEAN

TECHNOLOGY

Google launches free streaming service ahead of Apple Music debut

A logo is pictured at Google’s European Engineering Center in Zurich Google Inc launched per month family plan, with a free version of its music a free three-month trial. streaming service on Tuesday, As with other as it sought to upstage the streaming services, such debut of Apple Inc’s rival as Spotify and Rhapsody, Google Play Music curates service next week. Google Play Music playlists. Users can tailor has offered a $9.99 per month playlists based on genre, subscription service for two artist or even activity, such years but Tuesday’s launch as hosting a pool party or is the first free version of “having fun at work.” “We believe this is a the streaming service. It is available online and will be play that will expose a lot of available on Android and people to the service,” Roman iOS by the end of the week, said in an interview. Google’s Elias Roman, Google product Unlike subscription music service, manager, said. Apple said earlier the free service will carry this month it would launch a ads, be unavailable offline music streaming service and exclude certain songs. Roman said millions on June 30 for $9.99 per month along with a $14.99 of people look at Google

Play Music each month but are not ready to pay for a subscription. By offering a free version of the service, he said, the search engine hopes more people will be compelled to pay for an upgraded version. Ted Cohen, managing partner of TAG Strategic, a digital entertainment consultancy, said the timing of Google’s launch was strategic. “It’s a smart time to do it with all the attention around Apple,” Cohen said. “If they did it absent the Apple service, it wouldn’t be the same story.” Google declined to say how many subscribers it has but said they more than doubled in 2014 from the previous year. But rivals Pandora, Spotify and Beats Music had far more mobile downloads than Google Play Music in 2014, according to data from analytics firm App Annie.

US households trash $640 in food a year

American households throw away about $640 each worth of food every year, and consumers don’t really care about the environmental impact of trashed leftovers piling up in landfills, according to a survey out Wednesday from the American Chemistry Council. At a time when Americans may be more attuned than ever to the chemical makeup of food, buying organic and sourcing locally, they’re still struggling to avoid throwing a lot of food away, data show. While many Americans live on leftovers — more than half use them to make new meals and nearly two-thirds repurpose leftovers for other meals, like lunch — 76% also say they throw away leftovers at least monthly, according to ACC’s survey of 1,000 adults. The wasted money bugs 79%, and 45% are bothered because other people don’t have enough to eat, but just 15% say they’re bothered by the impact on the environment. “For years we’ve been told to finish your plate, there

are hungry people,” says Steve Russell, vice president of plastics at ACC, a trade organization for chemical companies that also advocates for the use and recycling of plastics, such as food storage containers and packaging. “I just don’t think we’ve done a good enough job yet talking about the environmental impacts of food waste.” Food waste makes up more than 20% of what’s in landfills and is a significant source of methane gas as it rots, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to Earth’s warming. Plus there’s the environmental impact created by growing and shipping food across the country. Wasted food accounts for about 2% of greenhouse gas emissions, 35% of freshwater consumption, 31% of cropland and 30% of fertilizer usage, according to data cited in an article on food waste from Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future – part of the university’s public health school – published in the journal PLOS earlier this month.

Airlines struggle to seat families together; here’s what you can do to avoid the fees NEW YORK, N.Y. - On top these seats aside leaves fewer places of the bag fees and other charges, for other passengers to sit without families travelling this summer may paying extra. have to pay extra just to sit next to That means mom might end up in row one another. 20, dad in row 23 and junior sitting Airlines are reserving a all the way back in row 30, regardless growing number of seats for elite of age. Airlines say their gate agents customers or those willing to shell try to help family members without out more money. These seats often — adjacent seats sit together, especially but not always — come with a little people flying with small children. extra legroom. The catch: setting Yet there is no guarantee things will

work out. Often, the only way to ensure that the family sits together is to book well in advance, or pay $25 or more, per seat, each way. Summer is an especially hard time to keep families together. Last July, U.S. airlines sold a record 87.8 per cent of seats on domestic flights, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statics. And that

figure doesn’t include seats occupied by airline employees flying for free. In other words: virtually every seat was taken. Airlines are predicting that even more passengers will step aboard planes this year: 222 million passengers between June 1 and Aug. 31. That’s 2.4 million passengers a day or 4.5 per cent more than last summer.

US economy contracts mildly in first quarter The U.S. economy contracted in the first quarter but less than previously estimated as it struggled with bad weather, a strong dollar, spending cuts in the energy sector and disruptions at West Coast ports. Growth, however, has since rebounded in the second quarter as the temporary drag from unusually heavy snowfalls and the ports dispute faded. Retailers reported strong sales in May and employers stepped up hiring. Housing is also strengthening and manufacturing activity is beginning to stabilize. A steadily firming economy could encourage the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates later this year. The Commerce Department said on Wednesday gross domestic product shrank at a 0.2 percent annual rate in the January-March quarter instead of the 0.7

percent pace of contraction it reported last month. A fairly stronger pace of consumer spending and inventory accumulation than previously estimated accounted for the upward revision to GDP. Business investment spending was less weak than the government had estimated last month. “These revisions have a marginally positive impact on our view of the second quarter. Demand is still solid, but the adjustment to the strong dollar has not run its course,” said Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at IHS in Lexington, Massachusetts. Consumer spending, which accounts for more than two thirds of U.S. economic activity, was raised to a 2.1 percent growth pace from the 1.8 percent rate reported in May. With more Americans getting a

paycheck and a tightening labor market finally spurring stronger wage growth, consumer spending could accelerate in the second quarter. Spending could also get a boost from rising household wealth as home prices accelerate. Personal savings increased at a robust $720.2 billion pace in the first quarter. Though export growth was revised higher, that was offset by an upward revision to imports, leaving a still-large trade deficit that subtracted almost 2 percentage points from GDP. U.S. stocks were trading slightly lower as debt negotiations between Greece and its foreign creditors hit a snag. The dollar was little changed against a basket of currencies, while prices for longer-dated U.S. Treasury debt rose. The economy was

initially reported to have grown at a 0.2 percent rate at the start of the year. It expanded at a 2.2 percent rate in the fourth quarter. Growth estimates for the second quarter are currently between a 2.0 percent and 3.0 percent rate. But the first-quarter slump in output likely is not a true reflection of the economy’s health. Economists, including those at the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank, say a problem with the model the government uses to smooth the data for seasonal fluctuations also contributed to depressing the GDP number. The government said last month it was aware of the potential problem and was working to address it when it publishes annual GDP revisions in July. “We do not believe that economic activity stalled in the first quarter. Other

data on labor markets ... are more consistent with a modest pace of economic activity,” said Michael Gapen, chief economist at Barclays in New York. Over the past year, GDP expanded 2.9 percent. When measured from the income side, the economy expanded at a 1.9 percent rate in the first quarter instead of the previously reported 1.4 percent pace. A measure of domestic demand growth was revised up fourtenths of a percentage point to a 1.2 percent rate. Economists estimate unusually heavy snowfalls in February sliced off at least one percentage point from growth. Dollar strength and lower energy prices have been a drag on business spending and factories, with manufacturing production also undercut by the ports labor dispute.


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LOCAL NEWS BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

Branson says Virgin Cruises will sail out of Miami in 2020

Richard Branson arrives by helicopter for a news conference at the Perez Art Museum in Miami, Florida June 23, 2015.

Richard Branson’s Virgin Cruises will take delivery of three ships capable of carrying nearly 3,000 passengers each starting in early 2020, the British entrepreneur told reporters during a news conference on Tuesday. “It’s no secret I’ve dreamed of building a cruise line for a very long time,” said Branson, 64. The first ship will operate out of Miami, but no decision was announced about the other two Branson arrived at the news conference by helicopter and posed for pictures sporting a cherry red captain’s hat with matching shorts and boat shoes, flanked by two models. Virgin Group announced the Bain Capital-backed project last December. The company plans to spend under $2 billion with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, Branson told reporters.

Virgin is shying away from the mega-vessels that Carnival CorpN> and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd are building, which can carry more than 5,000 passengers, hoping to provide a more intimate experience to customers who might not otherwise consider cruising. “We go against the grain,” said Virgin Cruises Chief Executive Tom McAlpine, former president of the Disney Cruise Line, a unit of Walt Disney CoN>. The announcement came amid a pending $300 million lawsuit by former Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd CEO Colin Veitch, who oversaw Norwegian from 2000 to 2008. In the lawsuit, filed in March, Veitch alleged that Virgin muscled him out of a plan to break into the highly profitable cruise industry with two large “ultra-

ships” that would give it a foothold in the hard-to-enter business, according to the complaint. “We’re fully confident the lawsuit doesn’t have any merit,” Branson said on Tuesday. Branson’s Virgin companies are known for taking irreverent, playful approaches to various businesses, including airlines, rail and cell phone service. The billionaire also took a stab at traditional business decorum during the news conference at Miami’s art museum overlooking Biscayne Bay. “I’ve spent my life trying to get people to get rid of suits,” Branson said moments before grabbing a pair of scissors and cutting through Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s blue necktie, as well as those of two other maritime executives on stage with him.

Why the US Navy is still paying Microsoft millions for Windows XP

Microsoft stopped -0.60% , in exchange, will “Until those applications and supporting Windows XP in supply the command with programs are modernized or April 2014, but the product is custom security fixes for its phased out, this continuity products such as Windows XP, of services is required still a moneymaker. maintain operational That’s because some which no longer gets security to customers just can’t let go updates, and Office 2003, effectiveness.” of it. The United States Exchange 2003 and Windows In fact, as many as Navy’s Space and Naval Server 2003, which lapse in 100,000 machines at SPAWAR may rely on the outdated Warfare Systems Command mid-July, reports IDG News. “The Navy relies on a technology, according to a (SPAWAR), for instance, inked a $9.1 million contract number of legacy applications federal contract extension. But the Navy isn’t with the Redmond, Wash.- and programs that are reliant based tech giant this month on legacy Windows products,” the only holdover. The to keep its XP-based systems SPAWAR spokesman Steven Army recently green-lit afloat. Microsoft MSFT Davis told the news service. an extension of Windows

Nokia CEO says to get back into phones Nokia, once the world’s biggest maker of mobile phones, plans to start designing and licensing handsets again once an agreement with partner Microsoft allows it to in 2016, its chief executive told Germany’s Manager Magazin. “We will look for suitable partners,” Rajeev Suri said in an interview published on Thursday. “Microsoft makes mobile phones. We would simply design them and then make the brand name available to license.” Finland’s Nokia sold its phone business to Microsoft in 2014 after years of declining sales as it failed to keep up with innovations led by Apple’s iPhone. But months later it launched a new brand-licensed tablet computer, produced under license by Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn, with an intention to follow up with more devices. Many analysts expect Microsoft to write off all or part of the $7.2 billion it paid for Nokia’s handset unit, a deal that left Microsoft with a money-losing business

and only 3 percent of the smartphone market. Microsoft manager Stephen Elop, whom the U.S. software giant installed as Nokia chief executive for a time, is now leaving Microsoft in a sign the company is turning away from the hardware devices business he headed and back to its core software business. Nokia in April announced a 15.6 billioneuro ($17.8 billion) takeover of Alcatel-Lucent in a bid to boost the network equipment business that is now its mainstay. It is also hiving off its mapping business, which has drawn interest from German premium carmakers BMW, Audi and Mercedes, as well as Silicon Valley and Chinese Internet and technology businesses. Upon being asked whether there were any preferred bidders for the HERE high-definition maps business, Suri told the magazine, “Anybody who can improve the business in the long run is a good buyer.”

XP support for “over 8,000 to let its contract expire—or devices,” Ars Technica points for it to roll out an emergency out. And federal agencies operating system refresh that such as the Internal Revenue it might potentially botch. Service are still paying for Letting its Windows XP support while they transition support expire might leave to Windows 7, for which “critical command and control free security updates won’t systems” vulnerable to attack, end until the beginning of as IDG notes, citing Navy 2020. (Microsoft is releasing documents. Windows 10 at the end of “A plan for migrating July.) to current and supported All this may seem capabilities has been weird, but it would be far developed and is being more dangerous for the Navy executed,” Davis said.

BlackBerry shares fall

BlackBerry shares fell on BlackBerry said two new Tuesday as doubts surfaced about licensing deals, one with Cisco the sustainability of the sharp Systems Inc and one with an growth the former smartphone unnamed party, made a “significant pioneer reported in crucial software contributions” to software revenue revenues, an area BlackBerry’s in the quarter, but it did not disclose CEO said he will augment via the terms of the agreements. It was acquisitions. also not clear how much they would The company’s shares boost revenue in future quarters. were down 3.5 percent in afternoon On a conference call, trading. They had risen 8 percent analysts grilled the company on its before the market opened after business and Chief Executive John BlackBerry reported first-quarter Chen vowed to follow up with more results that showed a more than details. Chen later told media that 150 percent rise in software and overall software revenue growth licensing revenues to $137 million. was roughly around 30 percent Initial investor elation over year-over-year. However, it was still that growth, however, was later not clear what percentage of the undermined by uncertainty over $137 million in software revenue how much came from recurring was recurring in nature. revenues, versus one-time licensing payments. ACQUISITION GROWTH As the Waterloo, Ontariobased company transforms Chen, who has said he aims to from being a hardware-driven expand software revenue to $600 smartphone maker to a more million in the current fiscal year, software-focused entity, all eyes said some of that growth is set to are on the growth it gets from its come from acquisitions. core device management platform “I’m not done with acquisitions,” he BES12, which manages and secures told media after the company’s all manner of traffic on Android, iOS, annual shareholder meeting Windows and BlackBerry devices. in Waterloo on Tuesday. “There “When the headline hits, are capabilities we are (looking you say ‘wow they really blew out for). Some of them are technical that software number, good for capabilities, some of them are them, they’re starting to get some (sales) channels, some of them are traction’,” said BGC Partners applications. But they will all center analyst Colin Gillis. “But, of course, around everything I talked about: it’s not truly $137 million because security, privacy and the Internet of there is some licensing in there.” things.”


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SPORTS

A second statue in honour of national hero Sir Garry in Barbados The Barbados refurbishment of the complex, planned. Government is erecting another including the Gymnasium, with He said that the life-size statue of National Hero Chinese assistance. As a result, resolution to lease land to and international cricket legend the complex will be closed for 14 Rotary is for that organization Sir Garfield Sobers, who already months. to construct a facility holding a stands memorialized in bronze Besides the second maximum of 30 to 40 children at the entrance to the world- statue of Sir Garry, Lashley at a time. It will be “designed renowned mecca of Caribbean said the upgrade includes the as an indoor recreation facility cricket, Kensington Oval. establishment of a Sporting and that will facilitate indoor According to Barbados Entertainment Wall of Fame. sports, cultural activities and Today, Minister of Sports, “The Sporting and Entertainment educational activities for the Culture and Youth Stephen Wall of Fame should be so done children”. Lashley told the House of that it pays tribute in a profound “It would include a Assembly the second statue way to the contribution of Sir sensor room with light and would be erected on the grounds Gary Sobers,” he said. sound stimulation; a soft-padded of the Garfield Sobers Sports He said the wall “will comprise room with a half regulation-size Complex at Wildey, St Michael, photos of sporting icons and basketball court, a playground earmarked for transformation celebrities who perform at the with … slides, swings tunnels into an international sports hub. gymnasium, but a specific area … that will facilitate activities The House was is intended to be designed to by both the disabled and ableconsidering a resolution to grant highlight the contribution of bodied,” he added. a 25-year lease of 25,000 square Sir Garry”. He said that among “The model which has feet of land adjoining the complex those highlights will be the been put forward by Rotary, to the Rotary Club of Barbados statue. though intended to benefit and South for the construction of According to the to send a signal of the inclusive a sporting facility for children Minister, approximately 10.8 response to our disabled with disabilities. hectares of the complex’s land children, is designed to bring Altogether, 26.4 has so far been allocated for in one location a facility that hectares surrounding and various sports and another 5.4 can benefit, not only differentlyincluding the complex will is under consideration, leaving abled children, but those that be developed under a project 10.1 for accommodation of up have not been born with any which is slated to begin in April to five sports projects similar physical disabilities,” Lashley 2016, with an $18.4 million in size to those there now, and added.

Sir Garry statue

Unbeaten James aiming to regain world title NEW YORK – Olympic 400 metres champion Kirani James of Grendada is determined to regain the world title he won in 2011 but surrendered to his American rival LaShawn Merritt two years later in Moscow Russia. James, who has not been beaten over the one-lap event since last May, is preparing for the August 22-30 championships in Beijing, China. His coach Harvey Glance says the Grenadian runner is on target this season and his consistency is evidence of what he has set out to accomplish this year. “I think he is a bit hungry to try to regain his world title, and rightfully so, as well as LaShawn is trying to defend it. So it’s setup up

for something great,” said Glance, a former world record holder. “Our goal this year has been, and had been for the last several years, is to be consistent week in and week out. We feel though that he could be more of a threat to his competitors if he could run fast week in and week out. That puts a lot of pressure on anyone who tries to compete against him and I think he had done that”. James has been unbeaten in five races this year including three head-to-head with world champion La Shawn Merritt- Drake Relays and IAAF Diamond League meets in Shanghai and Eugene. His winning margin has been impressive and Glance believes that as he grows

competitively he will continue to run consistent times. “Every race this year he probably had a five to seven-metre lead hitting the tape. We know that one thing that’s going to happen either people (competitors) are going to get close or he is going to continue to beat them,” said Glance in an interview with Grenadasports. “But for sure he is in phenomenal shape. I feel as we get more and more in tune in his training as well as his career, he will be consistently running 43 seconds”. James is the world leader with 43.95 clocking at the Eugene Diamond League on May 29, the only quarter-miler to run sub-44 Olympic 400 metres champion Kirani James is determined to this year. regain the world title.

CPL and Guardian Group give fans a chance to win US$1million

CPL fans have been given one million reasons to get their tickets for this year’s competition, with the launch of Catch A Million, in association with CPL sponsors, Guardian Group. Catch A Million will be the biggest-ever sports promotion in the Caribbean. If a fan is the first to catch a six onehanded at a CPL game he/ she will automatically win US$1000 and a chance to win a trip to Trinidad for the final.

The public will vote on the best catches online at CPL’s official Facebook page to decide who makes the trip to Trinidad. “If selected and you repeat the feat at the final, you could win the incredible sum of US$1 million! Full terms and conditions can be found at CPLT20.com. There were 387 sixes smashed during 30 matches in the 2014 Caribbean Premier League, with Chris

Gayle and Lendl Simmons topping the charts, after blasting 24 maximums each. With the likes of Shahid Afridi and Kevin Pietersen joining the ranks this year, fans can expect many more opportunities to win their prize at CPL 2015! Damien O’Donohoe, Chief Executive, Hero CPL, said: “Tickets are already selling out fast as excitement ramps up ahead of CPL 2015, and there definitely won’t

be many left when fans find out about the chance to win US$1 million! Catch A Million is absolutely massive for the Caribbean, and we’re so thankful to Guardian Group for making this once-in-alifetime prize possible. ” Larry Olton, Group Vice President – Integrated Marketing Communications, Guardian Group, said: “We’re thrilled to be supporting the CPL to introduce Catch A Million, and we wish all the

fans the best of luck during the tournament. The League is all about fun and excitement, and Catch A Million is going to take that excitement to a whole new level.” At the Hero CPL, global superstars including Kevin Pietersen, Jacques Kallis and Shahid Afridi will join the Caribbean’s finest cricketers, like Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo, and exciting up-andcoming local talent.


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LOCAL SPORTS

JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

LOCAL NEWS WORLD SPORTS

Beaches beat Quality Kings

Anthony McKnight The HAB Group sponsored TCICA T20 Summer Cricket League continued on Saturday the 20th of June 2015 at the Downtown Ballpark Providenciales with Beaches defeating Quality Kings by eight wickets. Beaches won the toss and invited Quality Kings to take first knock, who then were dismissed for a paltry 117 runs from 19 overs. The top scorer for Quality Kings was Jeffery Bascoe with 30 runs which included five boundaries and Ebbon Caesar, who chipped in with 25 runs, including four boundaries.

Bowling for Beaches, Danar Lewis, Ancell Williams, Damian Young and Anthony McKnight, all grabbed two wickets apiece. In reply, Beaches made light work of the score and reached the target of 118 runs from 12 overs for the loss of two wickets. Anthony McKnight led the way with 55 runs, which were punctuated with six 4s and three 6s, and Danar Lewism who made an unbeaten 30 runs which consists of five 4s. Bowling for Quality Kings, Damian St.Ange and Jeffery Bascoe grabbed one wicket each.

JADOT CUP GOLF TOURNAMENT MARKS 15 YEARS IN TCI

Jadot Cup Golf Tournament there as well. The Edward Gartland marks 15 years in the Turks and Youth Centre provides, among Caicos Islands. The event was co- other things, a place for students to founded by former Premier Galmo study after school and hold cultural ‘Gilley’ Williams and Terry Drummey. activities. It is also an avenue for sports Williams explained that the Jadot Cup Golf Tournament was activities, including basketball and initiated to address some of the ills volleyball. The Jadot Cup Dinner takes in the community, and since AIDS, at place Friday, June 26, while the Golf the time, had begun to hit families Tournament takes places on Sunday, here, decided to channel the funds June 28. In Photo, from left –Roxan raised to fight that scourge. He said Wake-Forbes of the Edward Gartland since the construction of the Edward Youth Centre; Galmo Williams; Terry Gartland Youth centre a few years ago, Drummey, Anansa Jervis of the TCI part proceeds from the Jadot Cup Golf AIDS Awareness Foundation and the Tournament and more recently the Edward Gartland Youth Centre; and banquet, go towards the programmes Desmond Williams of the Wine Cellar.

Swim Federation events scheduled for July

A number of Swim and swim related events are scheduled to take place in July, which the public is invited to attend. The first event is scheduled to take place on July 1, when 1 July Yuko Matsuzaki again swims solo, non-stop from Sandy Point, North Caicos to Grace Bay, finishing at the Alexandra Resort. On July 2 the Turks and Caicos Islands Swim Federation will be having its fundraiser at the

Beach House (Deck in back) starting 7p.m. and ends 9 p.m. Three-time Olympic gold medalist, and Hall of Famer, United States Ambrose "Rowdy" Gaines, is headlined as one of the speakers. On July 3, Gaines will lead a swim session with local teens, which is organized by Red Cross and TCI Swim Federation July 4 will be the sixth annual Turks & Caicos “Race for the Conch” Eco-SeaSwim, to take

place in front of Rickie’s Flamingo Cafe. That event starts 8 a.m., with 2.4 mile race, followed by 1/2 mile race at 9:45.Those events will be followed by a 1 mile race at 10:15 (1 mile is the big one), plus 100 meter Children’s Swim. The awards ceremony will be held later that day at 7:15 p.m., on the beach in front of Rickie’s. on July 5 July will be Windvibes at Long Bay.


JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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WORLD

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

LOCAL NEWS

SPORTS

Kevin Love It appears the Cleveland Cavaliers will be forced to justify their love for one of their top players. Kevin Love, who played a big role in the LeBron James-led resurgence in Cleveland this season, is opting out of the final year of his Cavaliers contract, according to multiple reports.

Love, who was set to make $16.7 million next season, informed Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin of his decision Wednesday, the Associated Press reported. Griffin told reporters last week he expected Love and James to opt out of their deals this summer, and also said he expected both of them to re-sign with

Brazil plans 60000 security force for Rio Olympics

Kevin Love opts out of contract with Cleveland Cavaliers the season Love would eventually opt the Cavaliers. ESPN first reported Love’s out of his contract after a sometimes uneasy first season playing alongside decision to opt out. Love, 26, was acquired by James. Cleveland last summer in a trade with In February, James criticized the Minnesota Timberwolves. He had Love when he tweeted, “Stop trying to an uneven season with the Cavaliers find a way to FIT-OUT and just FIT-IN. but said last month he was planning Be a part of something special!” James was referring to Love’s comment to return to Cleveland next season. Speaking to reporters on May during the preseason that his focus 31, Love responded, “Yes, sir,” when was on being himself and not trying to asked if he will be playing for the “fit in” with his new teammates. Love said he didn’t have a Cavaliers next season. ‘ ’I truly haven’t even thought problem with James’ tweet, but he about it, but as I mentioned, I expect later admitted he wasn’t “best friends” to be suiting up by Game 1 of next with James. year,’’ Love said. One of the NBA’s top power Love’s season came to an early forwards, Love should draw plenty end when he suffered a dislocated left of interest from NBA teams once free shoulder during the Cavaliers’ opening agency begins July 1. He averaged playoff series against the Boston 16.4 points and 9.7 rebounds in 75 Celtics. There was speculation during starts last season.

Tom Brady awaits NFL’s decision on suspension appeal as hearing concludes

New England Patriot’s quarterback Tom Brady arrives at NFL headquarters as people ask for autographs in New York June 23, 2015.

Dancers carry Brazilian olympic team mascot, Ginga, during the celebration of Olympic Day at the Maria Lenk aquatic center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 23, 2015. Brazil plans to deploy around 60,000 security forces for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, a source familiar with the preparations said on Tuesday, bolstering security amid fears of a spike in violence in the picturesque city. The security operation would be larger than the 40,000 deployed for the 2012 Games in London, but smaller than the 75,000-strong in Athens in 2004 when organizers worried about terrorism following the Sept. 11 attacks in New York three years earlier. The source, who requested anonymity because the information is not yet public, said federal and state governments and the organizing committee are still hammering out details of the operation that will include military troops, police, firemen and private security agents. Unlike when the city hosted

the 2007 Pan-American Games, authorities are not considering sending troops to the favelas, or hillside slums, known for drug violence as “security has improved substantially in Rio,” said the source. However, a rash of stabbings and shootings as well as a climb in robbery across the city has rekindled security concerns after years of progress in clamping down on crime. Rio has invested heavily to bolster its police force, particularly in the favelas where heavily armed drug gangs have ruled for years. The security operation at the Olympics was expected to cost about 600 million reais ($195.10 million), according previous estimates from the defense ministry. A spokesperson for the local Olympics organizing committee and the federal government were not immediately available for comment.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s appeal of his four-game National Football League suspension for participating in a scheme to deflate footballs concluded in a marathon hearing on Tuesday at NFL headquarters. The two sides finished 11 hours after the start of the appeal heard by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that included an hour break for lunch. “Tom was here until the bitter end,” Players Association lawyer Jeffrey Kessler, who represented Brady, told reporters as he left the Park Avenue office tower. “I think we put in a very compelling case.” Thursday had been set aside for a possible second day for the appeal, but was not needed. Kessler said Commissioner Goodell gave no timetable for his decision. Goodell, who approved the four-game ban, is the arbiter of the appeal by the New England Patriots quarterback. A league-hired investigator found that Brady had been aware of the plan. The front and back entrances to the league’s headquarters were crowded all day with TV cameras, reporters and fans with phone cameras at the ready for a glimpse of

Brady, and satellite trucks lined up in front of the Park Avenue address. Brady, wearing a dark suit and tie and accompanied by an entourage, was mobbed by autograph seekers on his way into the office tower, while a young fan waved a sign with “Free Brady” written above the Patriots logo. The Patriots were fined $1 million and forced to surrender two draft choices for deflating footballs in a 45-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in January’s American Football Conference (AFC) championship, which put New England in the Super Bowl. New England defeated the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl, a title now viewed by some as tainted. Deflating a football below NFL standards could enable a quarterback to grip the ball better, especially in the raw conditions in which the AFC title game was played. A four-game suspension against the 37-year-old Brady could harm his legacy as one of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks ever. He has denied any knowledge of a plan to deflate the balls. Should Goodell uphold the suspension, the four-time Super Bowl champion could take his case to federal court, where the NFL’s track record has been shaky recently.


JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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LOCAL WORLDNEWS SPORTS

NCAA proposal for NBA draft would allow players to return to school

Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns puts up a shot during a game against Florida on Feb. 7, 2015. Towns announced he was leaving the Wildcats after hs freshman season and is expected to be one of the top picks on Thursday. The NCAA men’s basketball oversight committee has proposed a new rule that would allow players to keep their college eligibility even after declaring themselves eligible for the NBA draft. Committee Chairman Dan Guerrero, who also serves as UCLA’s athletic director, confirmed the proposal Wednesday to ESPN, saying there’s a chance

it could be adopted ahead of the 2016 NBA draft if it’s approved by NCAA membership in January. The proposal would allow underclassmen to attend the NBA’s draft combine in May and decide whether or not to return to school after receiving evaluations by NBA team personnel. The allowance would help college basketball players better gauge their draft stock before making

a final decision on their NBA aspirations, supporters say. Players would then have up to 10 days before the draft to make a final decision, as stipulated by the collective bargaining agreement. “This is a positive development for studentathletes exploring their professional dreams,” Dan Gavitt, NCAA vice president of men’s basketball, told ESPN. “This would give prospects and their families more appropriate time and unbiased info from the NBA to make important decisions.” Under current rules, underclassmen who declare for the NBA draft forfeit their remaining eligibility. The proposal also would presumably help colleges hold on to more of their underclassmen. The proposal is the latest in a series of recent moves the NCAA has explored and enacted in men’s college basketball. Earlier the month, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved a 30-second shot clock as part of a series of rule changes aimed at speeding up the game.

Blatter to attend World Cup draw in Russia on July 25 FIFA president Sepp Blatter will attend the 2018 World Cup qualifying draw in St Petersburg on July 25, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said. “Of course, he (Blatter) will attend (the draw),” Mutko told the TASS news agency. “The whole of the (FIFA) executive committee will be there, as well as all 209 national federations. Preparations are going as planned,” the minister added. The Russian Football Union (RFS) also said Blatter would attend the draw. ADVERTISING “As a person who knows a few things about Blatter, I am in no doubt that he will attend the draw,” RFS general secretary Anatoly Vorobyov told Reuters in a telephone interview. “Blatter has come to Russia 23 years in a row to attend the Commonwealth Cup.

Sepp Blatter Blatter, 79, said on However, now there is a very important event in the sporting June 2 he would step down and social-political calendar. Of from his post after U.S. and course the president of FIFA Swiss authorities widened their should attend these events. investigations into bribery and “I am sure that if nothing corruption at world soccer’s unexpected happens, Blatter will governing body. Blatter has not been visit St Petersburg on 25th July,” Vorobyov added. charged with any wrongdoing. Swiss authorities are The Commonwealth Cup began in 1993 as a tournament also investigating the awarding for the champions of the former of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively. Soviet Union republics.

Djokovic and Serena named top seeds for Wimbledon 2015 London, UK: Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams were named top seeds for Wimbledon on Wednesday as two-time champion Rafael Nadal was seeded at 10, his lowly status reflecting his recent struggles. Defending champion Djokovic and five-time winner Williams are both current world number ones and their top billing was a formality. Former number one Nadal, the Wimbledon champion in 2008 and 2010, has endured

a miserable record at the All England Club in recent times, losing in the second, first and fourth round on his last three visits. He was dethroned as French Open champion this season and despite winning the grass-court title in Stuttgart, he was then bundled out of Queen’s by Ukrainian journeyman Alexander Dolgopolov in his opening match. As 10th seed, Nadal could play one of his major rivals such as

Djokovic, seven-time champion Roger Federer or 2013 winner Andy Murray as early as the fourth round at Wimbledon which gets under way on Monday. Federer, fresh from his eighth Halle grass-court title, is seeded two with Murray at three. Behind Williams, who is bidding to clinch her third major of the year after winning the Australian and French Opens, defending Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova is seeded second.

Denver Broncos deny trying to trade Peyton Manning to Houston Texans

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning A Denver radio host reported Tuesday that the Broncos recently tried to trade Peyton Manning to the Houston Texans, causing both teams to quickly deny the rumor. Benjamin Allbright of 94.1 FM in Denver cited “two unrelated official sources” in reporting that the Broncos wanted to move the 39-year-old Manning along in order to install fourth-year man Brock Osweiler as the team’s starting quarterback. Patrick Smyth, the Broncos’ Vice President of Public Relations, flatly denied the proposed trade via Twitter: The Houston Chronicle later reported that several sources with the Texans also denied the trade rumor. It’s not known what the Texans would have given up to acquire Manning. Manning has two years and $39 million left on the five-year contract he signed with the Broncos prior to the 2012 season. He passed for 4,727 yards and 39 touchdowns in 2014, but faded badly late in the year and played poorly in Denver’s 2413 divisional-round playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Osweiler, 24, was Denver’s second-round pick in 2012 out of Arizona State. He has played sparingly in 13 games as a back-up the last three seasons, combining to complete 17 of 30 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown. The Texans are expected to enter the season with Ryan Mallett, a fifth-year veteran out of Arkansas, as their starting quarterback. Mallett, 27, started two games under center for Houston in 2014 before a season-ending pectoral injury.

Record prize money on offer for British Open winner This year’s British Open champion will earn more than 1 million pounds for the first time in the storied history of the event. The Royal & Ancient announced the increase in prize money for 2015 on Wednesday and the champion will receive 1.15 million pounds, which equates to about $1.8 million in U.S. dollars. This year’s total purse is 6.3 million pounds, up 900,000 pounds from 2014. “The Open is one of the world’s preeminent sporting events,” said R&A chief executive Peter Dawson in a statement Wednesday. “The Championship represents the pinnacle for the world’s greatest golfers and this increase is appropriate for an event with The Open’s global appeal.” This year’s British Open will take place from July 16-19 on the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland.


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Published by SUN MEDIA GROUP, Turks and Caicos Islands | Tel:649 946 8542 | Fax: 649 941 3281

JUNE 26TH, 2015 – JULY 3RD, 2015


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