VOLUME 12 ISSUE 06

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

Website: www.suntci.com

VOLUME 12 - NO. 06

Email: sun@suntci.com

Tel: (649) 339-5879

$1.00

Fax: (649) 941-3281

www.facebook.com/tcisun

BEACH ACCESS CONTROVERSY OVER LORD ASHCROFT LAND HUNDREDS CELEBRATE MIKE MISICK’S 50th BIRTHDAY

American R&B singer Ashanti (center) and reggae artist “Gramps” Morgan singing happy birthday to former Premier Michael Misick.

Former Premier Michael Misick celebrated his 50th birthday with a free, star-studded party at the Downtown Ballpark in Providenciales last weekend.

R&B singer Ashanti and “Gramps” Morgan of the reggae band Morgan Heritage, both of whom are close friends of Misick, joined a list of local DJs and musicians who entertained hundreds of patrons from all strata of society who attended the event.

Prior to the concert, there was some controversy country-wide with many persons saying that Misick exhibited bad timing by holding a lavish birthday party while he is part of an ongoing corruption trial.

Misick, however, was unfazed by those criticisms and told the large audience that no weapon formed against him will prosper. the net effect will be that Taylor Bay will become a private beach, accessible only by sea and that regular members

A prime piece of beachfront of the public will simply not be able to land that was once owned by legendary get to, or use, the beach.

American radio and television However, a spokesman for personality Dick Clarke, but now MWE Holdings, one of Lord Ashcroft’s belongs to British billionaire Lord companies that bough the 27-acre Michael Ashcroft, is at the centre of plot of land from Dick Clarke, has raging controversy in Providenciales, categorically denied those accusations Turks and Caicos Islands. and have accused the protesting

Residents of Taylor Bay, which residents of trying to mislead the is located near Chalk Sound, are public and sensationalise the issue. alleging that because of certain actions The residents claim that the by a company owned by Lord Ashcroft, shape of the property is such that

by Hayden Boyce Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

it cuts off beach access to owners of property in Sunset Bay, which is a private development in the Chalk Sound area. They allege that Lord Ashcroft’s company is building a chain link fence along its property boundary that will prevent access and that the only way that the Sunset Bay owners and anyone else can get to the beach is if they pay.

These charges were rejected by the Lord Ashcroft spokesman who told The SUN that the property which once housed Dick Clarke’s luxury vacation home and which has since

been demolished because vagrants were living in it, is being marketed for sale.

“There’s definitely a beach access there, so it’s not true to say that anyone is being denied access to the beach at Taylor Bay,” he said.

The official explained that the homeowners in the area took Lord Ashcroft to court about the matter and they lost and had to pay him cost. After that, the official, said, the residents pooled together and bought what is called an “easement” for $930,000 Continued on Page 2

Party Headquarters returned to PNP – Page 5

Fortis passes on fuel cost savings – Page 7

Court of Appeal throws out drug conviction – Page 13

Norovirus outbreak in North Caicos – Page 6

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

LOCAL NEWS

BEACH ACCESS CONTROVERSY OVER LORD ASHCROFT LAND

Continued from page - 1

The Lord Ashcorft property is on the market for $23million. A description online states: “The Beach Oasis on Taylor Bay (previously Dick Clark’s Estate, the legendary American Media Mogul and creator who brought us American Bandstand) is the ultimate island property in the exclusive upscale community of Chalk Sound, this beachfront acreage is a rare find on the peaceful southwest side of Providenciales. For those who crave serenity and privacy, this is the ideal site, a gorgeous setting for your dream estate or for the developer, an exclusive villa-home site development.

This offering consist of two lots being sold together totaling 30 acres with a generous 2200 feet of beach front (sandy shoreline) and over 500 feet of ocean front (iron shoreline). Taylor Bay is formed in the shape of a crescent and it is known for its stunning crystal blue waters and amazing sunsets. A wondrous opportunity to enjoy privacy and the very best in beachfront living.”

Lord Ashcroft, who is the 74th richest person in the UK, as ranked by the Sunday Times Rich List 2015, with an estimated fortune of £1.32 billion, is one of the most influential and powerful men in the UK and is a Belonger of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

He sat on the Conservative benches of the House of Lords until 2015, having been ennobled as a life peer in 2000.

The SUN obtained a copy of a letter which was sent to homeowners in the area by attorneys from two leading law firms in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The letter stated: “As many of you are aware the construction of the fence by MWE Holdings LTD (Lord Ashcroft’s company) along the boundary between parcels 146 to 153 and parcel 10 has become a major issue for many owners. The Home Owners Association has engaged in litigation on the matter but seems unlikely to prevail and as a result the access to the beach over parcel 10 will most likely be closed unless a commercial deal is struck with MWE Holdings Ltd.”

The letter continued: “Jasna Stanivuk (Five Turtles Ltd. – parcel 152) and Jill Joyce (Cake-o’s Ltd – parcel 153 and 164) have negotiated for themselves an option to acquire an easement over parcel 10 that will allow their properties direct access to the Beach. For the avoidance of doubt they are prepared to pay for that right for themselves whether any other owner wishes a similar easement or not.”

“During the course of negotiations with MWE Holdings it was made clear that they were not willing to negotiate a price for individual easements to some owners and not others but were prepared to sell at a price that reflected the grant of an easement either to the Beach front parcels only or to all owners. Our clients were therefore forced to pay an amount that reflected the cost of an easement for one or both of these sets of owners and not just an easement for their own properties. In doing so they also acquired the right to assign the benefits of the easement to any other owner in Sunset Bay who wishes to acquire one. The easement will allow

An aerial view of the property on which Dick Clarke’s house was once located. The house has since been demolished after it was vandalised and occupied by vagrants. access over virtually the entire strip of land that separates Sunset Bay from the beach. An access point will be created at the tennis courts to allow access for owners of properties closer to that point. Another access point will be created at the end of the small path separating parcels 151 and 152.

This will result in almost exactly the same access to the beach that has been enjoyed previously.”

The letter from the lawyers noted that the easement will be registered as an appurtenance to each of the resident’s parcels in the land registry.

“This means that your right to access the property will be recorded on your title and will run with the property. In other words it will benefit any future owner of your property and will significantly enhance the value of your property,” the letter added.

“At the same time the easement will be registered as an encumbrance on parcel 10 and as such will bind the current and all future owners of that property to allow the access granted by the easement. As the easement will allow access over the entire strip it means that the strip cannot be developed in the future in a manner that would in any way interfere with these rights. Again this assurance will enhance the value of every property in Sunset Bay. The total direct cost of the Easement for

the Beachfront owners is $700k and for all owners is $1million. In other words the lots behind the beachfront lots can acquire the same easement right for a total of $300,000.00. Our clients have incurred costs and will continue to incur those costs until the transaction is complete.

We anticipate the total costs will be in the region of $50,000.00. Our clients will therefore assign the benefit of the easements to any owner that contributes a fair proportion to these costs. In deciding what is a fair proportion our clients have recognized that the easement is likely of more value to some than other owners.”

The letter stated that there are two price points:

Parcels 134 - 145 will be offered the easement for a minimum amount of $30,000.00 (This price recognizes that there are probably 10 owners who will wish the back lot easement)

Parcels 147 – 153 will be offered at the easement for a minimum amount of $100,000.00.

The letter stressed: “Please note that, if all owners do not contribute, the cost of each easement will have to be borne by those who do wish to contribute or the option to take up the easement will not be pursued.

The final cost of the easements will be determined by the level of participation and all owners will be advised of that once the offer period expires. Non-

participating owners will be charged a premium to obtain an easement at a later date. In order to participate, each owner should send a letter of commitment to do so and arrange for the transfer of a deposit of 50% of the amount required to be paid to Misick and Stanbrook which will be held in trust until the easements are issued.

At that point the deposit paid becomes non-refundable and the balance of the amount required will be due. In the event that any owner cannot make the entire payment required in one go then the balance can be financed and arrangements regarding that will be provided on request.”

It was also noted that in addition to the cost outlined above there will be an additional fee of $2,000.00 per lot to arrange registration of their easement and to offset some of the cost incurred by our clients in negotiating this deal and preparing and registering each of the easements.

“This sum should be added to the 50% deposit and sent at the same time. Beneficiaries of the Easement will be expected to make a modest contribution to the maintenance and monitoring of access points on an ongoing basis. Any surplus above the actual cost of acquisition of the Easement, legal costs incurred by our clients and costs of registration of the easements will be transferred to the Maintenance fund,” the letter added.

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

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FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 5

LOCAL NEWS

Party headquarters returned to Progressive National Party

The ruling Progressive National Party (PNP) in the Turks and Caicos Islands has regained control and ownership of its controversial headquarters on Airport Road, Providenciales, which was seized by the Crown after the Supreme Court ruled that the party was squatting on Crown land.

“PNP’s across the length and breadth of the country should feel proud!”said Party Leader, Premier Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing upon receiving confirmation from the Governor’s Office. “This is when you have a party and government who are working to deliver results. We have soldiered in the field for a long time to see this day when our headquarters would be returned to us. As your Leader, I was committed to seeing that happen.”

The Premier said the details of the settlement will be announced later.

The PNP Headquarters, the home of the last two consecutive party victories in 2007 and 2012, was built during the Michael Misick administration and served as the spiritual home for supporters and stalwarts alike.

The building which comprises of a boardroom, the Leaders Office and offices for all sitting members of Parliament in Providenciales and caretakers, will be celebrating with an official re-opening in the coming weeks.

On Wednesday, September 4th, 2013, acting on instructions from the Attorney General’s Chambers, locks were changed on the two-storey headquarters.

At that time, Attorney General, Rhondalee Knowles announced that the Crown “peacefully re-entered Progress House (PNP headquarters) on Providenciales and changed the locks to recover possession of the land”.

On July 12th, 2013, Chief Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale ruled that the land on which the headquarters was built, has always been, and remains, Crown land.

The matter involving possession of the building has been rather complicated.

After the court ruling by Madame Justice Margaret RamsayHale in July, the Attorney General claimed victory, saying in a press release that the Supreme Court ruled in the Crown’s favour, giving judgment in the claim by the Attorney General against the PNP.

The judgment had stated, among other things, that “The only possible conclusion is that the beneficial and legal interest in the Land was always and remains in the Crown”.

The Judge also ruled that the PNP, as an unincorporated association, has no legal personality and cannot sue or be sued. She therefore determined that the claims for damages could not be pursued against the PNP as a body, or Trevor Cooke, the Chairman of the PNP, since it had not been shown that he personally was a trespasser, nor was he deemed by the Court to be legally representative of all the PNP members.

According to the Attorney General’s interpretation, the outcome of the case is that the Crown is entitled to parcel 60602/79 including the PNP headquarters, but it is not entitled to pursue its claim for damages against the PNP (because it does not legally exist according to the Court)

or against Mr Cooke (because he has not personally been shown to be a trespasser).

However, the PNP responded by saying that the press release issued on behalf of the Attorney General about the outcome of the Supreme Court ruling on the Progressive National Party (PNP) headquarters was “ misleading to the point of dishonesty and can only be intended to cover up this almost criminal waste of Turks and Caicos Islands tax payers’ money”.

The PNP statement said that the party has never claimed title to the land, but rather only to be allowed to purchase it for a reasonable amount and to pay a reasonable rent for the time the Party has occupied the land since building its headquarters there.

Ownership of the land, according to the PNP, was never in issue and for the Attorney General to spend thousands of tax payer dollars for the Court to tell him what everyone knew and accepted was wasteful.

The PNP’s position was that the court proceedings were brought by the Attorney General to evict the PNP and take possession of the building, but that claim was dismissed by the court, which stated:

“As the PNP is not a legal entity the claim against it must be dismissed. For the reasons I have given, Mr Cooke cannot represent the members of the PNP in the action for the trespass as it cannot be said that all the members of the PNP have the same defence. The claim against Mr Cooke personally in respect of the trespass to the land is dismissed, there being no evidence before the court that he is or has been a trespasser. As action to recover possession can only be taken against the persons, real or legal, who are in possession of the property and the PNP is not a person. No evidence has been led as to who is in actual possession of the premises. Insofar as the as the Plaintiff (AG) purports to proceed against Mr Cooke personally to recover possession of the land, that claim too is dismissed, there being no evidence that he is in possession of the land or any part of it.”

The PNP statement noted that the Attorney General also claimed to be entitled to repayment of the sum of $480,000.00 in rents paid to a private management company for MPs constituency offices located in the building, but that claim was abandoned midway through the trial.

The PNP statement added: “The Attorney General further claimed an order to be permitted to demolish the building. That claim was abandoned at the commencement of the trial. It would have amounted to nothing more than court sanctioned vandalism. The Attorney General was told, before he issued these proceedings that he could not sue the PNP because it is not a legal person. It was for this reason that his case for possession against the PNP was dismissed. The Attorney General was told that naming Trevor Cooke as a defendant on the basis that he is the Chairman of the PNP did not help his cause. In the end the case against Trevor Cooke was dismissed. It is true that the Court rejected the estoppel defences raised on behalf of the PNP. However these were defences, not claims. The distinction is important: a claim is a request of the court to allow some positive action, whilst a defence

PNP Headquaters is a request to deny that action. In this case the Court denied the Attorney General’s claim to evict the PNP though not on the basis of the estoppels raised on behalf of the PNP but on the basis that the PNP cannot be sued because it is not a legal person. That is a principle that is taught in first year law school!

So after all is said and done the

Attorney General has paid the Civil Recovery Team in excess of $250,000.00 to get no further than where he was before the proceedings were commenced and for the Court to tell him what we all knew and accepted from the beginning.

It’s no wonder he’s looking forward to negotiating an amicable resolution.”

BUTTERFIELD GOLD GROUP OF COMPANIES POSITIONS AVAILABLE Three (3) Mixer Driver/ Operator

The applicant must have clean drivers Licence and Police Record with have at ten years experience with 10 wheeler trucks and mixer trucks.

Must have knowledge on how to trouble shoot minor engine problems and effect preventive maintenance at all times.

One (1) Heavy Equipment Mechanic/Mechanic Knowledge of CAT and Cummings Engines as well as John Deer Equipment would be an asset. Will be requiring setting up and implementing a maintenance schedule. Proof of certification required, and a minimum of ten years work experience The employee is responsible for the repair and maintenance of all Company equipment/ machinery, and to ensure minimum downtime of same through proper coordination of the preventative maintenance program.

-Must have least 10 years experience -Must have the ability to lift and move up to 100lbs -Must have vision abilities; close vision, color vision, peripheral vision and depth perception.

-The applicant must have knowledge of occupational hazards and safety precautions applicable to the trade.

-Must have the ability to communicate effectively

One (1) Pump Operator

Must have Ten years experience in operating concrete pump Knowledge of the function of motors and ability to affect minor repairs to same Heavy equipment license and clean police record.

Basic Knowledge of concrete Ability to relate to customers and coworkers

One (1) Concrete Batch Plant Technician Concrete Technician

Applicant will be responsible for proper proportioning, timely dispatch and quality control of concrete production, in addition to ensuring the proper coordination of the preventative maintenance program in order to reduce downtime.

Must have the ability to lift and move up to 100lbs Applicant must have knowledge of aggregates and deleterious materials.

Applicant must be able to have vision abilities – close vision, color vision, peripheral vision and depth perception.

Applicant must have knowledge of occupational hazards and safety precautions applicable to the trade.

Ability to communicate effectively Application forms available from Butterfield Gold Human Resource Department. Only applicants selected for interview will be notified. Submit applications to

by February 19 2016 to: Butterfield Gold Ltd., Human Resource Department Town Center Mall Providenciales Tel: 649-946-4211

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

LOCAL NEWS

Virus affecting residents and children in North Caicos

For the past seven days the Ministry of Health, Agriculture & Human Services has noticed a significant amount of Gastroenteritis cases in North Caicos especially among school age children.

According to a Government press release, the Environmental Health Officer has conducted a number of educational sessions with the teachers and student of the affected schools and has advised the principle on the necessary requirements for cleaning and sanitizing of the school. Samples were taken for testing to identify the underlying cause.

The Ministry of Health and Human Services reminds everyone to practice personal hygiene and sanitation during this winter season.

Norovirus is a contagious virus often referred to as the stomach flu; however it is more severe and is highly infectious.

Norovirus causes stomach

inflammation diarrhoea.

with

vomiting

and

Norovirus is spread by: -Direct contact with an infected person -Touching contaminated surfaces or objects -Ingestion of contaminated foods or liquids

These viruses can infect anyone at any age once or more during a lifespan.

The illness often begins suddenly and is usually not serious. Most people feel better within 1 to 2 days. However, this illness can be serious in young children, the elderly and people with chronic health conditions.

Symptoms of norovirus infection usually include diarrhoea,

vomiting, nausea, and stomach cramps.

Other symptoms may include lowgrade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and fatigue. Bodily fluids lost from vomiting or diarrhoea may cause mild to severe dehydration. These fluids can be replaced by drinking lots of liquids or oral rehydration solution.

Severe dehydration, which can be life threatening, requires immediate medical attention.

To prevent the spread of germs and infections, the Ministry of Health and Human Services encourages everyone to:

Wash your hands properly and frequently especially after using the toilet and changing a diaper and before eating and preparing foods. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer. Note: hand sanitizer is not a substitute for washing hands with soap

and water.

- Carefully wash fruits and vegetables, and cook shellfish thoroughly before eating them.

- Keep your environment clean and surfaces disinfected with a bleach and water solution.

- Avoid sick persons. If caring for a sick person, keep them isolated, clean and disinfect contaminated areas and thoroughly wash soiled laundry.

To this end the Ministry of Health, Agriculture and Human Services advises all parents and Guardians of children experiencing Gastroenteritis not to be alarm, the Environmental Health Department on North Caicos is working with the schools to ensure that the required deep cleaning is conducted.

Training workshop for teachers and library assistants

A training workshop was held for Teachers and Library Assistants on Grand Turk and Providenciales during the week of January 18 - 22, 2016.

This week of training was very significant as it marked the first time in many years that staff and teachers were exposed to training targeted at the development of library skills, library programs and helping teachers to raise an interest in reading among very young children.

One of the key objective were to expose school teachers to the benefits and techniques of incorporating Public Library resources into their classroom and learning exercises. The workshop

heightened awareness to libraries as a critical partner in education. Attending teachers found the training to be very useful and enlightening.

The library assistants were exposed to skills training and that portion of the workshop was intended to increase their skill level to enable an acceptable standard of services and operations throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The facilitators for the workshop were Mrs. Winsome Hudson, National Library of Jamaica and Mrs. Grace Spence, former Librarian at Jamaica Library Service. A special thanks to the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports

and Library Services and the Deputy Governor’s Office, major sponsors of this program.

“The Office of the Deputy Governor is pleased to have funded this program through the Professional Development Budget which was created in the 2015/2016 Budget to focus particularly on providing in depth training and skills development programs to departments across government,” said Deputy Governor Anya Williams.

“As the Ministry of Education seeks to redevelop and improve its library services across the islands, this training program will be of great assistance to this work. Congratulations to all attendees.”

Joining in extending congratulations was the Minister responsible for Library services Honorable Akierra Missick; “As Minister I envision a well-staffed, highly professional library service which caters for the reading needs of all and the Development of staff is one strategy we are using.

“I commend the staff for taking up this initiative and I know this will motivate staff members to do further studies in Library Services. We congratulate all the participants, the acting librarian and all who made this training a success.”

5.Experience in lead generation and supporting customer service.

6.Experience in the writing, designing and production of marketing materials.

7.Experience in using website management and other communication channels

INVEST TURKS AND CAICOS a beacon for investment

JOB TITLE: VICE PRESIDENT - SME Job Summary: The Vice President-SME (VP-SME) will be responsible for leading efforts to implement the TCI Government’s Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Ordinance and encourage all other aspects of domestic investment.

The incumbent will be responsible for facilitating applications by domestic investors for duty concessions and cash grants as outlined under the MSME Ordinance and for providing funds to clients of the Center for Entrepreneurial Development who have been approved for technical assistance.

The incumbent will be responsible for reviewing project proposals, following up with investors to ensure that there is a complete package of materials, arranging for materials to be distributed to the Development Advisory Group for their input, providing feedback to their investor clients on issues, supporting the SVP in negotiating with Government and clients on investment incentives.

The ISE-SME will be required to prepare Cabinet submissions with respect to specific projects under their care and to provide advice and support to Ministers related to those projects. As well, the ISE-SME will need to develop and implement guidelines for the provision of cash grants for domestic investors who have applied for grants and to provide contribution (grant) agreements to clients of the CED who are approved for technical assistance.

Education and qualifications: Post graduate degree in a relevant discipline such as Business Management, Marketing, or Economics.

Experience and Knowledge:

1.At least three years’ experience in a management role in a business or economic development organization.

2.Extensive research and analysis experience involving industry or economic development issues 3.Experience in destination and/or investment marketing.

4.Strong background in sales and business development and the ability to proactively seek out and call on senior executives of commercial organizations and advise them on their business operations

Skills:

1.Creativity.

2.Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

3.Use of MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook 4.Experience making presentations to large and small groups 5.Motivated self-starter with ability to work independently.

6.Ability to effectively manage time.

Personal Qualities: 1.Open and engaging demeanor.

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 and sea.

Salary and Allowances: Negotiable in the range of $65,000 to $71,000 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 from a former employer), copies of educational certificates, a Police Certificate and a copy of the Passport photo page. To obtain a copy of the Vice President - SME job description please send an email to investturksandcaicos@gmail.com.

All applications must be received by 12 noon on Monday, February 22, 2016 and should be emailed to investturksandcaicos@gmail.com. Only persons considered for an interview will be contacted.

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 7

LOCAL NEWS

Decreased Global Fuel Costs Bring Massive Electricity Savings to FortisTCI Customers

As world market prices for crude oil continue to fall, FortisTCI customers are receiving major savings passed on by the Company through monthly electricity bills. The fuel factor was at a peak in August 2014 at $0.2447 and has since declined 60% to $.0999 in December 2015. This new rate reflected on customers’ January 2016 bills. With global fuel prices this low, there should be a relative decline in the cost of living throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands.

In mid-January crude oil prices are reported to have dropped to a 12 year low, trading below $35 a barrel. Considering the fuel factor (or power cost adjustment) is based on the world market price at the time purchased, FortisTCI customers may see further savings, depending on further declines in the world oil prices. The savings that customers are receiving is an indication that the present regulatory framework works to the benefit of all stakeholders. When fuel prices are increasing, it allows the Company to recover sufficient cashflows to pay for the necessary fuel

to ensure the continuity of services.

When fuel prices are declining, these savings are passed on immediately to the benefit of electricity customers.

When the fuel factor was at a peak in August 2014, average bills inclusive of the then fuel factor rate for residential customers in Providenciales was $252. That average dropped to $177 in January 2016. Average bills for commercial customers in Providenciales when the fuel factor was at a peak in August 2014 was $1,552. The average bill for commercial customers has declined to $926 in January 2016.

FortisTCI President and CEO, Mr. Eddinton Powell, said, “We are pleased that our customers are seeing reductions in their electricity bills.

The calculations of the monthly Fuel Factor is verified independently by the Energy and Utilities Commissioner’s Office, prior to implementation; thus ensuring that electricity customers’ interest is protected. However, we constantly stress to our customers the importance of managing their energy consumption for long term power-

costs savings.” Mr. Powell added that “the volatilities of the world market make it difficult to predict future pricing, and while our customers can enjoy the benefits of lower electricity prices as of results of lower fuel prices, the Company continues to pursue other means of bringing potential savings to customers. For example, we commissioned and recently completed a study on ways in which to streamline the fuel supply chain to the Turks and Caicos Islands. We are actively investigating how the findings of the report can be implemented to the benefit of our customers.”

In November 2015, FortisTCI launched its renewable energy programs CORE & UORE, now available to customers in Providenciales. The renewable energy programs will be extended to Grand FortisTCI President and CEO, Mr. Eddinton Turk in 2016. These programs allow Powell electricity consumers to sell electricity into the grid. The Company has set a offers free energy audits to residential target to avoid burning 19,000 barrels customers. More information on this of oil in 2020 through the integration free program can be obtained from of rooftop Solar PV systems. the Company’s Customer Service

In addition, the Company Department.

23 Parade Avenue, Town Center Mall, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands

Paradise Smiles is looking to fill the following positions:

DENTAL HYGIENIST Job Duties: •Checking gums and teeth for oral abnormalities •Taking and developing dental x-rays •Educating patients on oral hygiene •Developing care plans for maintaining good dental hygiene •Smoothing and polishing metal restorations •Fluoride administration and sealant applications •Administering local anesthetic •Removing stains and plaque •Preparing and maintaining dental instruments, supplies and equipment.

Dental Technician Job Duties: • Read prescriptions or specifications, and examine

models and impressions, in order to determine the design of dental products to be constructed.

•Fabricate, alter, and repair dental devices such as dentures, crowns, bridges, inlays, and appliances for straightening teeth.

•Melt metals or mix plaster, porcelain, or acrylic pastes; and pour materials into molds or over frameworks in order to form dental prostheses or apparatus.

•Load newly constructed teeth into porcelain furnaces in order to bake the porcelain onto the metal framework.

•Prepare wax bite-blocks and impression trays for use.

•Mold wax over denture set-ups in order to form the full contours of artificial gums.

•Rebuild or replace linings, wire sections, and missing teeth in order to repair dentures.

•Shape and solder wire and metal frames or bands for dental products, using soldering irons and hand tools.

•Train and supervise other dental laboratory bench workers.

Pay will commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Please submit applications to email: paradise.smiles12@gmail.com

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

LOCAL NEWS

Devon Williams appointed chairman of Ports Authority Board

Cabinet has appointed businessman Devon Williams as chairman of the TCI Ports Authority Board with effect from March 1st, 2016 for a period of 3 years;

This was one of the main decisions that came out of the February 4th Cabinet meeting that was chaired

by His Excellency the Governor, Peter Beckingham, at the Hon. Hilly Ewing Building in Providenciales.

All Ministers were present at this Cabinet meeting where Cabinet also advised His Excellency the Governor to place a moratorium on grants of new business licences to operate in the areas of private investigation and security guards and security services until the Government has reviewed the Private Investigators and Security Guards Ordinance 2009 and an appropriate regulatory regime is brought into force;

Cabinet also approved an increase in the taxi quota from 175 to 195 and in the number of VIP vehicles by 5 on Providenciales and directed the Ministry of Home Affairs, Transportation and Communication to produce a draft national transportation strategy.

They also approved a prevention and control strategy developed by the

Ministry of Health, Agriculture and Human Services to enhance contingency planning to address and combat the spread of the Zika Virus in the event of the virus reaching TCI and agreed to provide $291,000 from contingency funds to enable the Ministry to implement measures set out in the strategy.

In addition, Cabinet endorsed changes that were appended to the draft 2016/17 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure following the Cabinet meeting of 28 January 2016 for forwarding to the UK Government for approval and agreed a timetable for the passage of the 2016/17 Budget Estimates and Supplementary Appropriations Bill through the House of Assembly.

Cabinet also agreed on amendments to the organisation chart of the Invest Turks and Caicos Agency to include a new position of Director of Small and Medium Enterprises to enable implementation of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Ordinance 2015 and agreed to a request

by Logwood Development Co. Ltd to release a portion of the funds held in escrow by Bordier Bank in relation to the company’s involvement in the West Caicos Resort.

Turks and Caicos Sun Suite#5, Airport Plaza Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands Tel: (649) 339-5879 Fax: (649) 941-3281 Email: sun@suntci.com Read us online at www.suntci.com Publisher & Editor-in-Chief: Hayden Boyce Office Manager: Dominique Rigby Graphic designer Information Technology and Production Manager: Kelano Howell Todeline Defralien Reporter

Devon Williams

They also received the report on the recently concluded public consultation on building height and density and requested a presentation from the Planning Department on its recommendations and findings at its next meeting.

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.

ABRAHAM & GALLIS GRAND TURK LTD. and its affiliated chain of signature

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

SALES SUPERVISORS and SALES CLERKS

PLAY PAL -Have a proven and unblemished track record of employment in the entertainment industry -Good interaction with clientele of all ages -Have a valid passport -Have at least 3 years’ experience in the hospitality industry.

-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 PLUMBER -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 CHEF -Have a proven and unblemished track record of employment in the and experience in a high-pressure and quick-paced kitchen -Have a valid passport -At least 5 years’ experience in managing more than 1 kitchen operation -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 TOUR GUIDES -Hold a valid TCI Driver’s Licence with a minimum 5 years driving experience.

-Be at least 25 years old.

-Have a minimum of 3 years’ experience in the operation of a tourist passenger vehicle.

Other prior experience in the tourist service industry would be an asset.

-Possess an excellent driving record. A defensive driving certificate would be an asset.

-Have a valid passport.

-Be proficient in spoken and written English as primary language. Additional language proficiency will be an asset.

-Be trained in CPR and First Aid delivery.

-Must be willing and able to work flexible hours, including on weekends and public holidays, as necessary to meet the challenging needs of cruise ship schedule and/or reasonable needs of the business.

-Clean criminal record.

brand stores trading as Ron Jon Surf Shop, Pirana Joe, Del Sol, Silver Sun and Splash Down, at the Grand Turk Cruise Center, South Beach Grand Turk, is accepting applications along with CVs/Resumes from interested and suitably qualified persons for the following positions:

Requirements:

•A sound educational background •A minimum of five years (Supervisors) and two years (Sales Clerks) general merchandising experience in a highly trusted or related field of employment or business •Proven and unblemished track record of employment •Positive and disciplined attitude and aptitude toward work in a customer service oriented business •Excellent communication, inter-personal and customer service skills •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 cruise ship schedule and/or reasonable needs of the business.

•Clean criminal record •All candidates must be proficient in the English written and spoken word. Command of a second language will be a definite asset

Requirements:

STOREKEEPER/LABOURER

•Handyman to assist with cleaning and maintenance •Ability to give general assistance to Sales Clerks on receiving and storage of merchandise •Proven and unblemished track record of employment •Positive and disciplined attitude and aptitude toward work in a customer service oriented business •Excellent communication, inter-personal and customer service skills •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 cruise ship schedule and/or reasonable needs of the business.

•Clean criminal record •All candidates must be proficient in the English written and spoken word. Command of a second language will be a definite asset

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 Regional Manager at the following address: Via mail or delivery: Abraham & Gallis Grand Turk Ltd.

Ron Jon Surf Shop

Grand Turk Cruise Center Grand Turk

Turks & Caicos Is. Via

email to:

pedro@loscincosoles.com

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

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

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 9

Page 10

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

LOCAL NEWS

A Visitor’s perspective of Turks and Caicos Islands

OK to ramshackle.

I can only note as a general impression the obvious disparities in Dear Editor, wealth and the evident ownership of

My wife and I recently made a vast majority of this wealth by offour first visit to TCI and, while finding islanders. great beauty and wonderful people, I can only hope, without also saw much that was concerning. knowing the actual data, that a

We visited Providenciales and reasonable slice of the action is saw a bit more of the cays to the east going to native islanders in the form on a boat trip one day: the beaches of decent jobs, education, social and the color and clarity of the water and transportation services, and are superb. The same may be said infrastructure, and that such will, of the Grace Bay resorts, which are over time, provide opportunity and well kept and cater exquisitely to the social mobility. visitor.

It is also sad to say that the

Elsewhere, one sees a jarring island’s beauty is despoiled by traffic variety of palatial houses, half- congestion, air pollution, and litter. finished derelict projects, ground I saw workers dousing scraped bare for new projects, and virtually everything at our resort with housing for “Belongers” ranging from pesticide. Other than Northwest Point

by Mike Dyer Essex, Massachusetts, USA

National Park (a gem that we visited twice), almost all of Providenciales has been developed and the small portion left seems certain to meet the same fate.

All of these signs seem to indicate a lack of stewardship of TCI’s stunning environment, the wellspring of your economic lifeblood.

Given the risks of rising waters faced by island nations, as well as several other serious problems affecting the global ocean, this disconnect is baffling.

And yet, there may a path to a sustainable future for TCI, and one that sets an example for other nations at risk.

Your domestic and transportation energy needs could be largely if not fully met by exploitation

of your two most abundant resources, sun and wind.

This would require serious investment in generation and energy storage equipment, rechargeable battery-powered cars and motorcycles (perfect for small islands!), and a distribution and charging network.

Other actions such as reduction of plastics use and of pesticide application could also be part of an ambitious island and ocean stewardship program. Such a program would require strong political will, money and the participation of all, including offshore interests.

These thoughts I respectfully submit for consideration by the citizens of TCI, with all good will, and hoping you’ll take account of my quite shallow grasp of TCI’s affairs.

Police investigating burglaries

Officers of the Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Force (RT&CIPF) are investigating a number of Burglary reports for Thursday 11th February 2016:

1. A complainant reported that his business establishment located in the Bight area was secured at 11:30 pm on Tuesday 9th February 2016. At 7:30 am the next day (Wednesday 10th February) he discovered the establishment

burglarized and a quantity of alcoholic beverages was stolen.

2.

A complainant stated that she secured her home located on the Millennium Highway at 11:00 am on Tuesday 9th February 2016 and went away. Upon arrival the same day at 3:10 pm the discovery was made where a DVD Player, two flat screen television (19 and 42 inches), one Ipad mini, two boxes of juice, four Heineken Beers, five sodas, jewelry,

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cologne and bike were stolen. tam over his head running through

3.

Also at a home on the living room and made his escape.

Millennium Heights, a complainant One Blackberry Z10 cell phone was stated that she secured the home at stolen.

10 pm on Wednesday 10th February 4. A complainant reported 2016 and went to bed. At around that he secured his home located in 4 am on Thursday 10th February Blue Hills at 1200 am, then went to 2016) she was awakened by the bed. Upon making checks in his home noise of the front door closing. Upon at 5:11 am he discovered a quantity investigating, she saw an unknown of items missing which included a male dressed in black short pants, 32inch JVC Television, three cellular black short sleeve shirt with a black phones, and one watch.

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FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

LOCAL NEWS

Page 11

New Superintendent of Prisons appointed

Pictured left to right, Acting Superintendent Raymond Grant, Governor Peter Beckingham, Prison Officer Daniel Andrews and new Prison Superintendent, Steve Barrett

Steve Barrett, a veteran of the UK prison service, has been appointed Superintendent of Her Majesty’s Prisons in Grand Turk.

Commenting on the

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

appointment, Governor Peter Beckingham, said: “Steve comes with a vast amount of experience from the UK prison service, including working with the rehabilitation of young offenders – a subject

of great importance for TCI – and training prison officers.

We are fortunate to have such an experienced and well qualified Superintendent join us. I’m sure his former skills as a professional soccer player will also be welcomed by the growing band of enthusiastic young soccer players in Grand Turk, their trainers and TCI’s FIFA representative.”

The Governor also presented the 4th Annual Prison Officer of the Year Award on 9 February to prison officer Daniel Andrews. Speaking at the

Awards ceremony, when Daniel was presented with a cheque for $500 and a medal, the Governor said: “I am delighted to attend this ceremony for the third year running. It’s a great way of marking the efforts of the prison staff. Their work is tough and demanding, often out of the public spotlight, but essential for the wellbeing of everyone in our society. Congratulations to Daniel Andrews and to all his colleagues for the work that they have done throughout the last year.”

The Governor also noted the contribution that Raymond Grant, the Acting Superintendent, has made since assuming that position some two years ago.

“Ray Grant has kept the show on the road, often in the face of difficult resource issues, and I would like to record my gratitude to him for all his hard work and dedication, while at the same time welcoming the new Superintendent, Steve Barrett, to Turks and Caicos Islands this month,” the Governor added.

Man and woman charged for numerous offences

Investigators of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force have jointly charged a man and woman for a spate of offences that were reported on Thursday 22nd October 2015.

53-year-old Wilmine Milion ParkerDorcely and 35-year-old Jean Daniel Mizaine of Millennium Highway was formally charged and caution on (Tuesday 09th 2016) for possession of criminal property, one count of use of criminal property, two counts of forgery and four counts of a theft of a chosen action.

black with black masks and armed with firearms entered the store and demanded cash.

Before fleeing the scene with a cash register containing an undisclosed amount of MASKED ROBBED STORE cash and two cell phones one of the culprits IN FIVE CAYS struck the security guard on the head

Officers of the Royal Turks and causing a laceration.

Police officers responded and made Caicos Islands Police Force are investigating checks in the area but the culprits were not a report of a robbery that occurred at a store found.

The Security officer was taken to the in Five Cays.

Cheshire Hall Medical Centre where he was

Just before 8pm (Tuesday 9th, treated.

February 2016) three (3) men all wearing

They were both offered bail for their appearance in court on Wednesday 17th February 2016.

suppliers Ability to communicate technical issues to non-technical internal customers and executives, and translate their needs into appropriate applications Ability to assess technology alternatives and identify and implement applicable solutions Ability to develop, track and adhere to budgets Seven Stars Resort is currently seeking highly qualified candidates to fill the positions outlined below. The ideal candidate must possess the relevant professional qualifications and experience in a luxury resort environment, as well as a professional, outgoing and friendly demeanor with a strong command of the English Language (oral and written). Salary is based on education, experience and qualifications.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Seven Stars is currently seeking a highly qualified, hands-on, Manager of Information Technology for the Resort. The ideal candidate will play a lead role in the development, delivery and implementation of key business applications. This individual will have a keen understanding of hospitality technology and will be responsible for identifying solutions for the resort’s current and future business needs.

Minimum Requirements  Strong understanding of technology architecture, IT business models, systems development and life cycles with an ability to set the direction of the Resorts IT function Degree in Information Technology, Engineering or other technical field AND 10 years’ leadership experience working with IT and telephony applications within the hospitality industry. Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, deadlinedriven environment Working knowledge of Visual One, Micros and/or Opera Fidelio Proficiency in Microsoft Office Products (Word, Excel, Outlook) Critical thinker with complex problem-solving abilities Strong leadership skills with the ability to “see the big picture,” evaluate technologies and identify business solutions strategies Ability to develop and manage strong working relationships at all levels of the organization, as well as with external vendors and

SECURITY OFFICER The areas of responsibility for this position include the protection and safety of property assets, employees, guests, accident and fire prevention and response. The ideal candidate must exemplify excellent customer service and create a positive atmosphere for guests and employees and be available to work a rotating and flexible schedule. In this role, you will require the following: Requirements: •Ex-Military with Officer Rank experience •Able to work flexible hours holidays and weekends.

•Highly trained in security procedures •First Aid training is preferable •Ability to communicate effectively In addition, we are also currently recruiting for the following: •Food & Beverage Director •Room Attendant •Senior Sous Chef •Housekeeping attendant •Security Officer •Spa Therapist •Maintenance Team Leader •Accountant •Duty Manager Interested candidates should apply via e-mail to Seven Stars at hr@ sevenstarsgracebay.com for consideration. Application deadline: February 19, 2016.

ONLY CANDIDATES MEETING ABOVE REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS WILL BE CONTACTED.

Page 12

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

LOCAL NEWS

InterCaribbean airlines offering nonstop service between Providenciales and Havana

Commencing on May 3, 2016 interCaribbean Airways is is pleased to launch new nonstop services to Havana’s Jose MartíInternational Airport (HAV), from Providenciales (PLS), Turks & Caicos Islands.

With this new nonstop service to Havana from Providenciales, as well as connections from numerous cities in the Caribbean, interCaribbean makes the journey to Cuba, the fastest of any airline within the region.

Twice weekly service to Havana will be as follows: Providenciales (PLS) to Havana (HAV) Cuba Flight No Routing Effective Date Days Depart Arrive JY310 PLS HAV May 1, 2016 Tue, Thu 4:30pm 19:20pm Havana (HAV) Cuba to Providenciales (PLS) JY 311 HAV PLS May 1, 2016 Wed, Fri 08:10am 11:20am

Connection flights from Antigua, Kingston and Montego Bay, Jamaica, Santo Domingo, Punta Cana and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Port au Prince, Haiti, San Juan Puerto Rico, Grand Turk and South Caicos, Turks & Caicos Islands are available.

With the demand for services to Cuba, interCaribbean Airways provides timed 45 minute connections to Cuba, from centrally located Turks & Caicos. With the USA easing entry to Cuba, we look forward to welcoming aboard those who wish to enjoy two destination trips, and increase trade and travel between our Caribbean Countries. Cuba is a beautiful country with so much to offer a visitor and one visit will not be enough. “With People to People visits from the United States, and new categories of travel for USA citizens, interCaribbean is well placed to facilitate entry to Santiago, and now to Havana, as we serve two of the most important cities of the country,” said Lyndon R. Gardiner, Chairman of interCaribbean Airways.

Trevor Saddler, CEO of interCaribbean, said: “We know that Cuba today prior to the arrival of the Air China flights starting in December received over 20,000 Chinese visitors per year. Those visitors had no effective way to come to the Turks & Caicos Islands except to transit via another island. With the new 3 times weekly Air China flights and the introduction of nonstop service to Havana, we believe that the Turks & Caicos Islands will be a direct beneficiary of this route in attracting tourists from China.”

He added: “Cuba has provided the world, with world class pioneering Doctors, and nonstop flight access to Havana will provide access to the Medical Tourism and options for the National Health Scheme of the Turks & Caicos in receiving first class care. Medical Tourism in Cuba has already taken root in the Country.”

Saddler said the introduction of Havana makes 18 cities in 9 countries served by interCaribbean as they recognize this month 25 years since the initial founding of the company.

“It’s a remarkable achievement and one in which we are proud to call the Turks & Caicos the home of the leading airline of the Western Caribbean,” he added.

“interCaribbean plays a significant role in the arrival of tourists from Latin America into the Turks & Caicos, providing a gateway home to the many workers from other countries living in the Turks & Caicos Islands. Since we rebranded the company our growth of flights, has allowed that we not just fly to and from the Turks & Caicos Islands but connecting today other countries. Examples are Jamaica to Haiti, Haiti the Dominican Republic and the Dominican Republic to Antigua.”

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FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 13

LOCAL NEWS

Court of Appeal throws out drug possession conviction

A woman who was sentenced to four years for drugs by a high court judge, had her sentenced quashed by the Court of Appeal who ordered a new trial because the judge did not give the jury proper directions.

Muriel Williams was tried and convicted before Madame Justice Joan Joyner for possession of drugs and possession with intent to supply the same drugs. She was sentenced to four years.

“Having regard to the fact that this was misdirection (to the jury) on a very important and fundamental issue, we have come to the conclusion that the conviction cannot stand,” said the Court of Appeal which comprises President The Right Honorable Sir Edward Zacca, Mr. Justice Elliott Mottley, QC and Mr. Justice Ian Forte, QC.

“The question of the proper disposal of the appeal gave us great concern, but as we felt that the jury, properly directed, may not have come to the conclusion they did, we have determined that in the interest of justice a new trial should be ordered, and we so do,” the judges added.

The prosecution’s case disclosed that on January 18th, 2014 the police went to Williams home around 5 a.m. with a search warrant to search for drugs. During the search,

PC Jordon Sutton found ten Dime bags and a seasoning salt bottle with one sealed package with marijuana under the dresser in the bedroom.

In the nearby bathroom he found a sealed Tampico box stacked upon two sealed buckets.

The Tampico box contained four packages of marijuana, the blue bucket contained 11 packages and the grey bucket contained six sealed packages.

When question, Williams told police that the salt bottle contained tobacco, and she said that she did not know what was in the Tampico boxes or the bucket which she was holding for a friend.

After she was arrested and charged, Williams said she was holding the containers for a tenant to who she had rented the property and had left the premises owing her money.

In her summation to the jury, although Madame Justice Joyner described the burden placed on Williams as a evidential burden, went on to tell the jury that Williams had to prove on a balance of probabilities that she did not know that the various containers had drugs in them.

According to the Court of Appeal judges, Madame Justice Joyner told the jury: “Now normally in criminal cases the burden of proof

rests on the prosecution and stays with the prosecution throughout but in this case because of section 12 defence something called evidentiary burden is created for Williams to prove – oh yes – and I will explain that to you when I come to it – yes.”

The judge also told the jury: “Basically, the prosecution has to prove that the drugs that were found in the custody or control of Williams and there is a strong inference that she knew what was in the containers – yes.

After that she is alleging that she does – did not as she is doing in this case, there is what is called evidentiary burden which shifts to her side to show and prove that she did not know.”

“The test for the defence’s evidentiary burden the standard of the test is on a balance of probabilities law of the prosecution’s test which is beyond a reasonable doubt, so that’s why I say the case is not as simple as it looks because of the defence raised.

The defence (Williams) has to prove that she did not have knowledge, and when we say balance of probabilities, we mean you ask yourself whether it is likely that she knew or whether it is likely that she did not know what was in the buckets and the box – yes?”

However, the Court of Appeal judges ruled that Madame Justice Joyner placed a burden on Williams

to prove that she did not have the requisite knowledge.

“That is incorrect, because in such cases the prosecution has the burden of proving the ingredients of the offence, one of which is that the accused had knowledge that he/she posses a controlled drug,” the judges added.

The Court of Appeal said Joyner dealt with the question of burden of proof in her summing up, when she told the jury: “You are to dispassionately, which means without any emotion, examine the evidence and come to your own verdict. Strip it down, look at it from both sides; prosecution with their burden being beyond reasonable doubt and the defence from their burden being on a balance of probabilities, just to the knowledge issue.”

The three judges noted: “Here again, the learned trial judge is placing a burden of proof in respect of the knowledge, on Williams, and this in spite of the fact that she (the judge) recognizes that the burden which rests on Williams is an evidentiary one and not a legal burden.”

Williams was represented by attorney Keith James, while Angela Brooks and Shatelia Hall appeared for the Crown.

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

LOCAL NEWS

TCI benefits from economic diversification study

On November 26, the EU funded COSME Programme, launched a regional study on diversification of the Caribbean OCTs. The purpose of the study is to determine the extent to which the economies of the Caribbean OCTS need diversification and provide concrete recommendations to do so.

Consultants are A-to-Z Consultants, with key experts Dr. Noel Watson and Tamira La Cruz, MBA.

The objective of COSME is to improve the competitiveness of SMEs in the British, Dutch and French OCTs by facilitating an enhanced business enabling environment through appropriate policies, support to BSOs and SMEs and efforts to increase collaboration and trade between the OCTs, with the rest of the Caribbean and with Europe. The beneficiary countries include Aruba, Curacao, St. Maarten, Bonaire, Saba, St. Eustatius, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, St. Barth’s and Turks & Caicos Islands.

‘Diversification is important because of the vulnerability of small economies. In addition the findings of the study will be an input for policy

formulation, which is an objective of the program’, says Diana HendricksonFleming, Team Leader/Key Expert 1 of GOPA Consulting Team attached to the COSME Programme Management Unit in the British Virgin Islands.

Both consultants Dr. Watson and Ms. La Cruz are from the region and have extensive experience with regional economic development in CARICOM, CARIFORUM and the OCTs. They will consult with stakeholders in all OCTs, benchmark the performance of the countries based on hard data, provide recommendations and develop a system for the structured sharing of best practices of small states in general and the OCTs in particular.

The OCTs are often not included in global benchmarking studies, so this will be relatively new.

The consultants will assist in particular those smaller OCTs which do not have the resources to study and develop their own diversification and other economic development strategies.

Focus of the recommendations will be on opportunities for SMEs, defined to be companies with up to 50 employees or annual revenues up to USD 3 million.

Water and sewerage – consultation

The Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Planning will commence work leading to the drafting of a National Water and Sewerage Policy for the Turks and Caicos Islands and the modernization of the legislative and regulatory framework governing the sector.

As part of the consultative process, the Energy and Utilities Department would like to invite the management of water and sewerage services and other stakeholders across the island of Providenciales, to a consultation meeting on Monday 15th February, 2016 at 9:30 AM at the Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs, located on lower Bight Road, Providenciales.

The meeting will facilitate discussions on policy and regulatory issues and provide the opportunity for stakeholders to give their input and feedback.

The main objectives are to: 1. Ensure the long term availability and sustainability of water supply and the provision of safe water and sewerage services across the islands; 2. Implementation of measures that contribute to the preservation and sustainability of watercourses; 3. Improve the quality of life and the protection of public health and the environment through effective management , accountability and oversight of service providers; 4. Modernize the regulatory regime governing the water and sewerage sector across the TCI. For more details on this meeting please contact Malike Cummings @ MLCummings@gov.tc. Phone: 338 3504.Government Press Office

InterCaribbean is seeking an Electrical Technician.

The successful applicant must:

 Have certification from an accredited institution,  10 years or more experience,  Track record of trouble shooting and fixing electrical problems successfully  Dependable, innovative, with strong team player  Can work independently  Ability to communicate written and verbally to other intercompany department  Computer literate and can work with Microsoft word and Excel  Must be a Belonger /PRC holder to apply.

Send resume to jobs@intercaribbean.com

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 15

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

LOCAL NEWS

Government approves $327, 000 to fight Zika Premier and Minister of Health Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing

TCHTA’s Executive Director Stacy Cox

The Turks and Caicos Islands Government has approved emergency funds in the sum of $327,433.00 to procure additional resources, chemicals and step-up on manpower in the fight to ensure that TCI remain Zika free.

The funding will be used to purchase mosquito nets for vulnerable populations such as pregnant women, the elderly. In addition, the Government also intends to bulk purchase mosquito repellents which would be distributed to the above mentioned vulnerable group’s households throughout the islands.

The Department of Environmental Health will also be purchasing additional fogging machines and several hand-held industrial fogging machines which would permit more effective fogging

operations throughout the islands, particularly within communities and areas which are not easily accessible with vehicles.

Cabinet also granted approval for a reduction in the tariff for the purchasing of held fogging machines, as such the public and the commercial establishments on island are encouraged to import hand-held fogging machine, and individuals are also encouraged to purchase these items and as frequent as necessary engage in fogging of their premises.

However, the Government said it recognizes that fogging alone will not be the solution, adding that part of the solution is to prevent the adult mosquito from finding suitable areas with settled water to lay their eggs.

In an effort to address this, The Turks and Caicos

Government in collaboration with the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association (TCHTA) and other civic groups will be conducting a National clean-up Campaign.

Communities and resident are encouraged to clean their back yard, place the trash in front of their property and arrangement would be made to remove the trash.

All persons, community groups, church groups, schools, adult’s young and old asre encourage to come out and be part of the Nationwide clean up exercise in an effort to ensure that TCIG remain Zika Free.

Speaking on the Zika threat was TCHTA’s Executive Director Stacy Cox who noted, “Last week we attended a webinar with CHTA, CTO and our Caribbean counterparts where information on the virus and preventative measures were disseminated. We will be in constant communication with CHTA and will share any pertinent information with our local stakeholders including health protocols in dealing with mosquito-borne viral diseases found in our region.”

Career Opportunities:

Grace Bay Club is looking for candidates that have the requirements listed along with an outgoing professional manner. They love to work with different types of people, meet challenges with a positive attitude and live the standards of our organization. Their management style is one that balances a commitment to people and their development with business/financial accountability and delivers an exceptional guest experience.

Assistant Restaurant Manager Job Overview: The Assistant Restaurant Manager is someone who is passionate about food and customer service. They are a problem solver with strong work ethic and leadership skills. The Assistant Restaurant Manager understands that customer satisfaction always takes priority but efficient restaurant operations make it possible. They are an experienced leader with a goal to move up in the management field. Shifts varies. Full time. Weekend and holiday work may be required.

Responsibilities

•Identify and delegate responsibilities to shift leaders and staff to ensure objectives are met and excellent service is consistently achieved •Effectively manage the restaurant in the absence of the Restaurant Manager •Manage operations with passion, integrity, and knowledge while promoting the culture and values of Grace Bay Club •Implement new company policies and procedures by developing plans and instructing staff •Consistently review operations and staff to identify any problems, concerns, and opportunities for improvement •Provide coaching and feedback to managers and staff and assess performance on and ongoing basis •Create a positive guest experience by delivering a high level of service and ensuring all staff engage guests to understand their needs and exceed expectations •Manage the restaurant to meet or exceed standards in food quality, safety, and cleanliness •Train and coach staff on guest services principles and practices •Follow the Grace Bay Club policies and procedures, including those for cash handing and safety/security •Monitor and maintain the Micros POS System •Assist in conducting staff and daily pre-shift meetings •Assist in any areas of the restaurant when staffing constraints require •Identify employee weaknesses and retrain as necessary

Qualified Belongers need only to apply Salary Range: Commensurate based on qualification and experience

To Protect Yourself from

Cox added, “One Mosquito Bites takeaway from the meeting was the importance of educating our residents •Apply insect repellents on exposed skin liberally about ways to control the mosquito population. TCHTA •When weather permits, wear long-sleeved shirts and long as the largest tourism and pants hospitality body in the nation will therefore be increasing •Use air conditioning or window/ door screens to keep our public awareness and mosquitoes outside training among our employees and will be taking proactive •If you are not able to protect measures to combat Zika, yourself from mosquitoes inside your home or hotel, Dengue and Chikungunya.” sleep under a mosquito net

The Ministry further advises that protecting •Help reduce the number of mosquitoes inside and yourself from mosquito bites outside your home by: will help you to stay safe from contracting Dengue, •Check around buildings for anything that could hold Chikungunya and Zika and water, inspect your home and if travel is essential to areas experiencing these diseases, yard weekly especially for pregnant •Turn containers over or cover them women, remember to exercise extreme caution to avoid •Get rid of or cover old tires •Properly dispose of all mosquito bites. garbage/refuse

While the number of Zika cases continues to •Cover boats, children’s pools, water drums and rain barrels increases in the Caribbean etc. and Latin America region and more countries are becoming •Clean rain gutters and make sure they are flowing affected, The Ministry of properly Health, Agriculture and Human Services is please to •Check screens for holes say that the Turks and Caicos •Empty standing water from containers such as flower Islands is currently Zika free. pots or buckets

Restaurant Supervisor Job Overview: To supervise and run operations of Grill Rouge Restaurant. To take all orders from guests, have substantial F&B knowledge in order to upsell and describe menu items, manage staff in conjunction with F&B manager, handle complaints and be person responsible in absence of senior managers.

Responsibilities:

•To prepare the weekly schedule, ensuring adequate staffing of the restaurant at all times •To supervise and assist the restaurant staff on a daily basis •To assist with processing the daily cash sheets in conjunction with other supervisors and managers •To take food and wine orders from all guests.

•To have excellent understanding and product knowledge of what is being served on the menu for any service •Conduct daily briefs prior to each and every service and liaise with Chef to be aware of any special dishes.

Qualified Belongers need only to apply Salary Range: Commensurate based on qualification and experience

Domestic Worker/Housekeeper Job Requirements: •Ensure the cleanliness of all hotel areas •Assist in all Housekeeping responsibilities, cleaning of all guest rooms, stocking amenities and linens •physical stamina and mobility including ability to reach, kneel and bend •ability to lift, push and pull required load (usually about 30lbs) •Ensure inventory is used properly and in supply at all times •Possess knowledge of proper cleaning supplies and chemical handling Qualified Belongers need only to apply Salary Range: Commensurate based on qualification and experience

Interested persons can contact our Human Resources Department no later than February 19th, 2016 @ (649) 946-5050 Ext. 1030 Email: sheba.wilson@gracebayclub.com Fax: (649) 946-5758 P.O. Box 128 Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, British West Indies

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 17

LOCAL NEWS

CDEMA participates in 2nd Humanitarian Networks and Partnership

In efforts to further the region’s capacity in providing humanitarian assistance to affected Participating States of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the region’s institution with responsibility for disaster risk management participated in the second annual meeting of the Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week (HNPW).

The event was held under the theme ‘Effective Preparedness and Response’ from February 1st - 4th, 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The purpose of the event was to provide a platform for networks and partnerships to explore ways to

strengthen their interoperability, and being addressed at the regional level to improve their cooperation in areas include the development of regional of common interest. As co-chairs of the and national search and rescue Consultative Group, the Department capacity, the damage assessment and for International Development (DFID needs analysis (DANA) continuum UK) and the United Nations Office and building interoperability among for the Coordination of Humanitarian national, regional and international Affairs (UNOCHA) led the event. networks towards strengthening of CDEMA’s representative, the Regional Response Mechanism Joanne Persad, Programme Manager (RRM) managed by the CDEMA”, said Preparedness and Response Persad. participated in the week’s activities on The HNPW brought behalf of the region. She participated operational and service-oriented in the International Search and Rescue response and preparedness networks Advisory Group (INSARAG) and the together on the basis of shared, United Nations Disaster Assessment practical challenges that cannot be and Coordination (UNDAC) sessions solved by any singular network or as the Regional Focal Point. organization. The forum enabled

“Some of the key issues participants to inspire and learn from

one another, compelled networks to explore new and innovative approaches to perennial challenges and facilitated the development of collective solutions and the mobilization of shared resources towards these ends.

Building on the success of the first HNPW, the second annual meeting brought together 825 representatives from several emergency preparedness and response networks supported

by UNOCHA’s Emergency Services Branch including national institutions, regional organizations, research and academic institutions, NGOs, UN agencies, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and the private sector.

TCI National Primary Schools Spelling Bee 2016

The General Public is informed that the 2016 TCI National Primary Schools Spelling Bee which will be held on 18th and 19th February 2016.

This year’s platinum sponsors are Michael and Nancy Goldberg. The Preliminary will commence at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, 18th February 2016 at the Gustarvus Lightbourne Sports Complex and the final will take place on Friday, 19th February 2016 at Beaches, Turks and Caicos commencing at 9:30 a.m.

The ten finalists and their coaches will also be honored at a dinner on the evening of the Preliminary on 18th February.

As customary, the Final will be aired live on Radio Turks and Caicos. The prizes for the event include: Grand Prize: Apple MacBook Air with a printer Runner Up Prize: Apple iPad Mini Top 8 of final 10: Asus Memo Tablet Champion Coach: Apple iPad Mini Remaining Participants: $50 gift certificates Complimentary Trophies for everyone.

The 2016 Spelling Bee Participants are: Adelaide Oemler Priamry –Davar Lewis; Alpha Academy – Kamryn Woolery; B. E. S.T Institute – Brentez Williams;

INVEST TURKS & CAICOS VACANCY Job Title: Legal/Compliance Officer

Salary: Negotiable depending on qualifications and experience within a range of $73,400-$81,600.

Job Summary:

The Legal Compliance Officer is a key member of the Management team and responsible for providing sound technical support and legal advice to the CEO and other members of the team in order to maximize the effectiveness of the Agency’s ability to attract qualified investors to the Islands.

The Legal/Compliance Officer will provide legal advice at the Agency with respect to all aspects of investing in the country and take an active role in negotiating agreements with investors. The Legal/Compliance Officer will be a key leader in identifying and providing advice on ways for Government to revise laws, regulations and procedures to improve the business environment for both investors and Government. The Legal/Compliance Officer will provide legal advice on other legal matters that may arise in the organization.

Education and qualifications: A law degree from a recognized university and a member of the bar in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Experience and Knowledge: 1.A minimum of three years commercial law experience, with knowledge of TCI laws dealing with investment projects.

2.Experience dealing with domestic and foreign investors in the commercial law environment.

3.Strong background in using various types of office related software and preparation of presentations and reports.

General Information for All Applicants In evaluating the education and experience of applicants, the evaluation committee will consider an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Eliza Simmons Primary – Alex Gordon; Enid Capron Primary – Nethlie DeJean; Holy Family Academy – DeChelle Williams; Ianthe Pratt Primary – Chimbuchi Orumba; Intern’l School of the T C I – Jayda O’Neil; Iris Stubbs Primary – Gabriel Clunis; MIILS Institute –Kaidan Bobb; Ona Glinton Primary – Favor Mubenwafer; Oseta Jolly Primary –Arquino St. Paul; Providence International Academy –Shandia Gardiner; Provo Christian School – Shantavia Clarke; Richmond Hill Preparatory – Aliyah Forbes; Shining Stars Preparatory – Jabriel Williams.

This is a management position, reporting to the CEO and candidates for all the positions will need the following skills: •Strong track record of competency in current and previous employment.

•Excellent Leadership Qualities •Strong Writing and presentational skills.

•Excellent Communication and interpersonal skills.

•Excellent skills in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook •Ability to work in a team environment and manage time effectively •Commercial awareness.

•Creativity.

•Ability to maintain confidentiality All applicants will be assessed for the following personal qualities in addition to education, skills and experience.

1.Open and engaging demeanor.

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.

Application Procedure Interested persons should submit a resume, along with their contact information, cover letter, two letters of reference (one from a former employer), copies of educational certificates, a Police Certificate and a copy of the Passport photo page. To obtain a copy of the legal officer job description please send an email to investturksandcaicos@gmail.com. Alternatively persons can get the job description from the TCI Government website at www.gov. tc/government-vacancies

All applications must be received by 12 noon on Monday, February 17th, 2016and should be emailed to investturksandcaicos@gmail.com. Only persons considered for an interview will be contacted.

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE BOARD JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE:

Medical Officer

ANNUAL SALARY:

Salary will commensurate with qualifications and experience

LOCATION:

Providenciales

REPORTS TO:

Chief Executive Officer

SUBORDINATES:

Provider Services Manager/ Patient Services Representatives/ Clinical Services Manager

EMPLOYEE #: SUMMARY / PURPOSE OF JOB:

This is a managerial position, which has departmental wide responsibility for activities and direction of the Operation department and NHIP Emergency Overseas Treatment Programme; Providing technical leadership to the Insurance Operations team, the Medical Officer formulates polies and procedures to enhance the impact of the department; monitors patients overseas to assess their progress and report to the CEO; verify the eligibility of each claims, ensure staff is properly supervised and trained; and customer concerns addressed; as well as ensuring appropriate cost efficient health care services with best medical practices in place.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:  Manages the medical aspects of the NHIP Emergency \ Overseas Treatment Programme;  Manages all aspects of the Operations department inclusive of all staff assigned to the department;  Manages and develop the Operation Department Budget with the view of ensuring that the Department expenditure remains within or below the Budgeted ranges;  Developing policies, procedures, standards and controls or effective management of the Operations Department  Collection of statistics form ICL (the hospitals) and the private providers as required by management and the actuary  Liaise with the NIB to identify number of employment injury and occupational disease cases.  Enforces cost-reduction strategies and recommends initiatives in the management of patient’s care;  Prepare Quarterly performance reports and trend analysis  Recommends and monitors systems and procedures to facilitate achieving of objectives within the area of responsibility;  Verifies and signs-off on overseas provider claims in order to ensure veracity of claims as well as conducts value for money audit;  Advise on the adjudication of claims by Beneficiaries in special circumstances, outside the scope of usual and

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

customary benefits, including overseas claims  To make recommendations to the Board on policy decisions such as but not limited to; reimbursement and to recommend accreditation standards in line with the Health Practitioners Board or other authorized Agency.  Conducts a sample survey of health care providers and facilities to derive baseline data on the availability and quality of services as well as the capacity and readiness to meet the demands of the NHIB;  Coordinates activities and provides advice to the NHIB team charged with the specification and costing of the service benefit package and in the development of provider payment systems;  Convenes and takes the lead in meetings and other mechanisms aimed at defining criteria for inclusion in the NHIB provider network, as well as developing norms and protocols for quality assurance utilization reviews, access to overseas care, and modifications ( inclusion and exclusion) of items in the benefit package;  Collaborates with other members on the NHIB team in the design and implementation of activities related to accreditation of health providers;  Collaborates with other members of the NHIB team in defining and developing contractual agreements with local and overseas providers for services within the benefit package;  Assists in the development of detailed terms of reference and procedures for the activities of the NHIB Medical Review Committee.  May perform other duties as assigned by the immediate supervisor or any other person authorized to give instructions or assignments  Any other duty deemed appropriate and consistent with the position, professional qualification and skill set as directed by the Chief Executive Officer WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:  Internal – Chief Financial Officer, Insurance Claims Manager, Nurse Case Managers, Claims Officers, IT, Registration and Accounting Officers  External - Members of the public, Ministry of Health and other TCIG Ministries, TCI Hospitals, International medical providers, Insurance Third Party Administrators MINIMUM KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

 Principles, practices and techniques of medical case management  Principles and practice of strategic, long-term business planning  Principles and practice of effective management and supervision  Good Problem Solving Skills  Human Relations  Strong written and oral skills including computer literacy in the main processing, spreadsheet and presentation graphics programmes.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:  Medical Doctor with at least 7 years’ experiences a full time practitioner in primary care and hospital settings with the necessary competencies to effectively respond to the challenges of the job.  Business post graduate Degree  Business Management Experience  Knowledge of the NHIB Ordinance and Regulations  Current (Good Standing) Registration with TCI Health Practitioners Board  Experience with health insurance operations such as member of medical review panel will be an asset.

Deadline for submission is February 26th, 2016.

All Applications should be addressed to: Human Resources Manager National Health Insurance Board Salt Mills Plaza Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands British West Indies Email: recruitment@tcinhip.tc

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

NOTICE OF PUBLIC AUCTION SALES

Page 19

FirstCaribbean International Bank (Bahamas) Ltd as Chargee pursuant to the Registered Land Ordinance hereby gives Notice that it will cause to be sold by Public Auction the following scheduled properties outside the offices of Miller Simons O’Sullivan, Regent House West, Regent Village, Grace Bay, Providenciales at 10:00 a.m. on 24 February 2016.

1.Title No. 60603/62 Norway & Five Cays, Providenciales Registered Proprietor: Philip Nathaniel Handfield The property is a 3 acre parcel and comprises a two-storey commercial/residential building containing eight units. The ground floor contains four units, three of which are office space and the fourth currently being occupied by a restaurant. At the back of the building is a two-bedroom apartment unit with one bathroom and an open kitchen/living/dining area. The property is located on South Dock Road.

2.Title No. 60603/63 Norway & Five Cays, Providenciales Registered Proprietor: Philip Nathaniel Handfield The property is a 2 acre parcel and comprises generally vacant land. The majority of the property is currently used for storage of construction equipment. The property is located on South Dock Road.

3.Title No. 60804/157/K31 The Bight & Thomas Stubbs, Providenciales Registered Proprietor: Blue Water Production Ltd. Comprising a one bedroom condominium end unit on the fourth floor of The Alexandra Resort located in Grace Bay. The unit has a floor area of 1,054 square feet including the balcony. The condominium also contains an entrance area, bathroom, powder room, living/dining room and kitchen. The unit has its own parking space and also benefits from the resort facilities including the swimming pool, restaurant, sun deck, tennis courts and a small gym.

4.Title No. 10104/44, North East Suburbs, Grand Turk Registered Proprietor: Glennevans Clifton Clarke and Dorothy Clarenda Clarke Comprising 0.30 acre parcel containing a five-bedroom dwelling house with two bathrooms, open kitchen/living/dining area, enclosed rear patio and external laundry/storage room. The property is located on Lighthouse Road in The Ridge residential subdivision.

5.Title No. 10304/33 and 131, Central, Grand Turk Registered Proprietor: Dots Enterprises Company Limited The property is a combined parcel size of 0.22 acre. The property contains a two-storey commercial building with a single storey extension.

6.Title No. 60716/55 Cheshire Hall & Richmond Hill, Providenciales Registered Proprietor: Mamanita Holdings Ltd. This property is a 0.53 acre parcel located off the westbound carriageway of Leeward Highway in the Cheshire Hall & Richmond Hill area. The parcel consists of a single storey commercial building, which holds a bar, restaurant, kitchen, bar and night club. There is also an incomplete unit to the west of the building.

7.Title No. 60715/210, Cheshire Hall & Richmond Hill, Providenciales Registered Proprietor: Lincoln Hudson Ferreira Comprising a 0.54 acre canal-front parcel of bare land containing dense indigenous bush and mature trees.

8.Title No. 60602/396 Norway & Five Cays Registered Proprietor: Kimiko Le-Var Kamal Talbot and Calvina Latanya Talbot The property is a 0.40 acre parcel and comprises a restaurant structure, a two-bedroom and one-bathroom house and also an apartment building with five one-bedroom units and a retail space currently occupied by a store. The property is located in Kew Town, on the corner of Birdberry Close and Houseman close.

9.Title No. 50500/194 Whitby, North Caicos Registered Proprietor: John William Gray

The property is a 0.60 acre parcel containing a two-bedroom, two-bathroom house with a kitchen, dining/living area and storage room. The property also contains a structure complete to beam level including columns, external blockwork walls, partial floor slab and cistern.

Any and all potential bidders will be required to produce one (1) valid form of identification to Miller Simons O’Sullivan on the day of the Auction.

Draft Terms and Conditions of Sale and the draft Agreements for Sale are available upon demand prior to the Auction.

Any and all Successful bidders will be required to pay a ten (10%) per cent deposit upon a successful bid before close of business on the day of the Auction. Any and all successful bidders will also have to pay Auction legal fees in the sum of Seven Hundred and Fifty Dollars (US$750.00).

Page 20

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

LOCAL NEWS

Independence: A State of Mind

seats in 2007, Hon. Michael Misick PNP only got 58% of the overall

Until recently, if someone votes casted. Contrary to population had asked me if the TCI was ready belief my first thoughts on TCI for Independence, my standard Independence came in the early answer would have been No, with the 2000’s when my Uncle Hon. Clarence caveat that we could be made ready Selver than Minister of Health and within 8-10 years once we properly Education met with some of the set ourselves on that path. returning university students in his

However, what occurred to conference room. me that Independence of the TCI is He said to us at that simply a State of Mind. Some would meeting that he prays for the day say we have so many more institutions that we no longer have to sing ‘God to build, to diversify our economy etc. save the Queen’. From that day to But I now say that as a small country this, Independence for the TCI has we have as stable an economy and always been a part of my conscience majority of institutions needed to be and subconscious. So until we a functioning Independent Country. have leadership that most people

I wholeheartedly believe will follow regardless of political there are two main reasons for affiliations, Independence will be out most people that don’t support of our reach.

Independence for the TCI, whether I now turn to the second they say it or not. The first is lack of point which deals with sacrifice. We trust in the Leadership of our Country have been colonized to the point that and the second is an unwillingness to we think there is only one way to sacrifice. be an independent nation, which is

In the first instance, at no the way of Western Industrialized time has any leader of this country Nations. been able to get two thirds of the If we look at Independence population to trust in them to take us in its simplest form, it is the ability to Independence. The closer person to take care of our needs. When may have been Hon. Derek Taylor our ancestors were left on these but TCI Independence was not on Islands “for dead” by slave masters his agenda though it is a significant fleeing, were they not Independent pillar of the PDM’s Constitution. in their survival? Before Christopher

At the height of his power Columbus so-called “discovered” a having won 13 of the 15 available land which had inhabitants, were the

By Jamell Robinson

Jamell Robinson Taino Indians not Independent?

Before Britain colonized nearly half of the world, were these tribe communities, countries or Kingdoms not Independent? I say we are looking at this independence thing the wrong way. We will never be a fully industrialized nation and nor should we try to be as we would

be chasing ghosts.

We can figure out what best covers our basic needs while maximizing our wants. Case in point, does an Independent TCI really need embassies all over the world? No. We can start with countries that have high concentrations of Turks and Caicos Islanders overseas or that we are likely to have a trade or strategic relationship with. Examples would be the Bahamas, USA, or Canada.

What about a Defense Force?

Who’s trying to invade us? With the strengthening of Border Control and Support of OPBAT type agreements, we would be good to go.

Anyone ever notice that most of our Caribbean neighbours may be the first to tell us reconsider Independence in one breath but have the biggest parades and parties worldwide on their independence days in another. Ask them next time if they could go under Britain would they and see how many would say yes. My guess is very few would even though many may lack faith in their Country’s Leadership.

I will end where I began, Independence is simply a state of mind and with trusted leadership and a willingness to sacrifice and take on responsibility, we are closer to independence than we think.

Stay Blessed,

9. Propose and direct administration of a broad programmes of health and welfare benefits.

10.Direct the investigation and resolution of complaints.

11.Direct the development and delivery of training for managers and supervisors on human resources legal and procedural requirements.

12.Monitor developments in areas of responsibility.

JOB DESCRIPTION

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER Reporting Officer: Director of Ports Supervises: N/A

Salary Grade: $63,000 per annum Date of Appointment:

GENERAL PURPOSE: Under policy direction, plans, organizes, directs and implements comprehensive Ports Authority of the Turks and Caicos Islands human resources management programmes, including recruitment, selection, employment, classification, compensation, employee relations, labour relations, equal opportunity management, performance appraisals, benefits and other services; provides expert professional assistance and guidance to management on human resource and employee relations matters; and performs related duties as assigned.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 1.Lead, plan, organize, control, integrate and evaluate the work of the department; with subordinate managers and staff, develop, integrate, imple¬m¬ent and monitor work programs, policies and processes to achieve Ports Authority mission, strategic and business plans, goals and performance measures.

2.Participate in the development of the strategic plan and key strategic initiatives.

3.Provide leadership and work with managers to develop and retain highly competent, service-oriented staff through selection, compensation, training and day-to-day management practices.

4.Plan, organize, direct and evaluate the performance of assigned managers and staff.

5.Participate in the development and implementation of strategic and business plans, goals and objectives; lead and direct department staff in the development and application of new processes and technologies to achieve higher efficiency, productivity and customer service in department work processes.

6.Develop, implement and administer comprehensive human resources management programmes, policies, guidelines and procedures across all departments, consistent with Turks and Caicos Islands labour requirement and sound professional principles and practices; confer with and coordinate the implementation of programmes, policies and practices with other departments.

7.Participate in negotiating and administering labour contracts until agreement is reached; advise the Board of Directors, department heads and other managers and supervisors on employee relations matters, including grievance and disciplinary procedures and actions.

8.Direct recruitment, testing and selection activities for classified and unclassified positions; direct the development and maintenance of comprehensive classification and compensation plans; approve completed classification and job evaluation studies; direct administration of performance appraisal practices and programmes; oversees administration of any scholarship programmes; direct the maintenance of a centralized personnel records.

Knowledge of: 1.Theory, principles, practices and techniques of public personnel administration, including recruitment, testing, selection, equal employment opportunity, employee relations, classification and job analysis/job evaluation, compensation, benefits design and administration, employee and management development and performance planning and appraisal.

2.Principles and practices of strategic, long-term business planning, labour management relations, including negotiation and contract administration techniques.

3.Local laws, regulations and court decisions applicable to assigned areas of responsibility.

4.Principles, methods and techniques of strategic and business planning, public administration, including budgeting, purchasing and maintenance of public records.

5. Research methods and analysis techniques.

6. Ports Authority functions and operations and associated human resource management issues.

7. Principles and practices of internal consulting.

8. Organization and functions of a public board.

9. Trends and best practices in human resource management.

10. Principles and practices of effective management and supervision.

11. General Staff Policies and Procedures and labour contract provisions.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must possess a Master’s of Science degree in Human Resources Management, Psychology; and at least ten years of progressively responsible human resource management experience (at least seven of which were in a supervisory position) including labour management relations.

Experience in a public sector setting is preferred.

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 current Police Certificate and a copy of the Passport photo page.

Applications should be addressed to: Director of Ports, Ports Authority of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands and may be delivered to the Turks and Caicos Islands Ports Authority, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands by the deadline date. Envelopes should have the subject “Human Resources Manager” clearly marked on the front.

Deadline: Monday, February 22nd 2016 We thank all applicants for their interest. However, only persons selected for an interview will be contacted.

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 21

PRESENTS: The

th

Annual FortisTCI

In collaboration with the Department of Education Wednesday, March 2nd — Thursday, March 3rd, 2016 Gustavus Lightbourne Sports Complex Downtown, Providenciales

2015’s Winners: Champions for Christ International School of Excellence www.fortistci.com | 649-946-4313 | P.O. Box 132 1030 Leeward HWY, Providenciales, TCI

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

LOCAL NEWS

LIME BOASTS PARTNERSHIP WITH JAI’S TO BRING CUSTOMERS SWEET DEALS FOR VALENTINES

On Friday, February 5th, LIME launched their 2016 Valentine’s Day Campaign, with some very sweet deals and surprises for customers to take advantage of during this wonderful time of year.

The backdrop for this year’s launch was Jai’s Movado showcase at their Regent Village store in Grace Bay, bringing to light a very exciting announcement for customers.

LIME and Jai’s Jewelry

have joined forces this year to give customers a chance to text and win a his and her Movado Museum Black Dial Black Leather watch set with a gold plated case.

“Jai’s is proud to partner with LIME in this Valentine’s Day Campaign, wishing all LIME customers best of luck. Drop by the store to say hello, view the Movado watches on display and perhaps be tempted by the numerous Valentine’s Day promotions

we have in-store,” says Mr. Tolani. also have an opportunity to purchase

Customers are simply asked the featured Alcatel Pixi 3 smartphone to text LOVE to the short code 5463 at just $69 for prepaid customer and (LIME) to be entered into the draw. FREE for postpaid customers with the Each SMS is valued at $1 per text. purchase of a minimum of a 1GB data

This particular offer runs until plan. the 25th of February. One (1) lucky The Alcatel Pixi 3 offer runs winner will be randomly selected and until February 19th at all locations. the announcement will be made on site Each customer will receive a FREE at Jai’s on February 26th. case with purchase.

And that’s not it, customers

LIME & Jai’s personnel showcasing the Movado Collection with the Movado His and Her Watch Set and Alcatel Pixi 3 smartphone offer on full display

Movado Museum Black Dial Black Leather His and Her Watch Set

WATERLOO HOTEL MANAGEMENT LTD Alexandra Resort, Blue Haven Resort & Marina and the Beach House We are seeking to employ, suitably qualified and experienced hospitality professionals in the positions listed below.

Our ideal candidate should have an outstanding command of the English language, written and oral, strong communication and excellent customer service skills. Salary for these positions will commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Operations/Accounting/IT •General Managers •Night Auditor •IT Support Engineer Engineering & Grounds •Chief Engineer •Maintenance Manager •Electricians •Maintenance/Room Technicians •Carpenter Helper Spa •Spa Therapists •Receptionist/Nail Technician

Food and Beverage •Catering Coordinator •Restaurant Maintenance Technician •Chef de Partie •Demi Chef •Line Cooks •Bartenders •Servers •Stewards Supervisor Loss Prevention •Loss Prevention Supervisors •Senior Loss Prevention Officers

Interested persons may contact our Corporate HR department Mon. – Fri. from 9am-3pm via telephone number 946-8054

or you may submit your resume with qualifications and experience to: cgibbons@wihl.com or kbeen@wihl.com

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Turks & Caicos National Museum

Page 23

History and Cultural Heritage Quiz Support our students during education week Date: Time:

Tuesday, March 1, 2016 1:00 p.m.—3:00 p.m.

Venue:

Gustavus Lightbourne Sports Complex, Downtown, Providenciales

Sponsored by:

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

LOCAL NEWS

Photo highlights from Clement Howell High School Sports Day 2016

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

LOCAL NEWS

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

Fuel Factor Reduced by 60%* Fuel Factor Down by 60 % from August 2014 to December 2015

FULE FACTOR

$0.25

$0.23

Average bill including Fuel Factor for January 2016

$0.21

Residential - $177

$0.19

Commercial - $926

$0.17 $0.15 $0.13

Average bill including Fuel Factor for August 2014

$0.11

Residential - $252

$0.09

Commercial - $1,552

$0.07

Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr MayJune July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Fuel Factor

FortisTCI is committed… …to providing safe, reliable, least cost energy

…to diversifying the energy mix of the TCI

…to excellence in customer service

www.fortistci.com | 649-946-4313 | P.O. Box 132 1030 Leeward HWY, Providenciales, TCI

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 27

LOCAL NEWS

Photo highlights from Mike Misick’s 50th birthday celebrations

Page 28

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 29

We hire smiles!!!

Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort Villages and Spa, the only 6 Diamond All-inclusive property in the Caribbean is inviting applications from Turks and Caicos Islanders for the following vacant positions. We hire the personality and train the individual.

Applicants must have a clean police record and a good command of the English language both written and spoken. In addition candidates must be able to work nights, public holidays and week-ends. The Resort thanks everyone for their interest in advance and advises that applicants will be contacted for an interview via Text Message.

The Rooms Division Department Requires:

The Security Department Requires:

 Butler Requirements include but are not limited to: o Member of the Association of English Butlers o Ability to go above and beyond for guest

 Security Supervisor  Security Shift Leader  Security Officer Requirements include but are not limited to: o Supervise a team of officers (Supervisor and Shift Leader) o Responds rapidly to all incidents. o Ability to write reports. o Identify and eliminate risk. o Ability to work in the sun o Medically and Physically fit o At least 2 years relevant experience

 Concierge Agent  Front Office Agent  Receptionist  Travel and Loyalty Agent/ Concierge Requirements include but are not limited to: o Certified Guest Service Professional o Experience in resolving guest concerns o Sales experience (Travel and Loyalty) o Ability to go above and beyond for guest

The rate for the positions listed above is $6.25 to $10.00 an hour.

The Food and Beverage Department requires:

 Bellman  Junior Concierge (use to be Minibar Stocker/Attendant) Requirements include but are not limited to: o Physically Fit o Outgoing and friendly attitude

 Supervisor Requirements include but are not limited to: o Three years supervising a restaurant with seating of over 100 persons o Knowledge of inventory o Excellent customer service skills

The rate for the positions listed above is $6.25 to $9.00 an hour

 Hostess  Server  Labour/ Dining Room Cleaner Requirements include but are not limited to: o Physically Fit o Ability to carry out labour intensive task

The Grounds Departments requires:  Supervisor Requirements include but are not limited to: o Minimum 2 years supervising a team of grounds man o Experience with tropical or subtropical plants, Greenhouses and Irrigation o Physically Fit

The rate for the positions listed above is $6.25 to $10.00 an hour.

The Kitchen Department requires:

 Grounds man/ lady  Grounds Keeper Requirements include but are not limited to: o Physically fit o Ability to carry out labour intensive task

 Chef  Cook (Grade 1,2 and 3) Requirements include but are not limited to: o Must have worked in a Resort kitchen or medium to large sized restaurant o Must have over three years’ experience o Professional qualification an asset

The rate for the position listed above is $6.25 to $9.00 an hour.

The Spa Department Requires:

The rate for the positions listed above is $6.25 to $10.00 an hour.

 Spa Therapist/Technicians/ Cosmetologist  Tennis Instructor/Pro  Fitness Pro/ Instructor/ Coordinator Requirements include but are not limited to: o Certification in one or more of the following areas: Massage, Esthetics, Body treatments, Hair services, Tattoos and Nail services. (Spa Team Member) o Certification as a tennis professional (Tennis Pro) o Must be sales driven with proven customer service skills, upgrading of services/ retail.

 Supervisor  Steward Requirements include but are not limited to: o Experience in supervising a cleaning team (supervisor) o No Food or chemical allergies o Physically Fit o Ability to carry out labour intensive cleaning task

Remuneration: Bi-weekly base pay plus commission

The rate for the positions listed above is $6.25 to $8.00 an hour.

 Spa Attendant  Gym Attendant Requirements include but are not limited to: o Physically Fit o Ability to carry out labour intensive cleaning task

The Photoshop Department requires:

The Stewarding Department Requires:

 Photographer  Underwater Photographer Requirements include but are not limited to: o PADI certification(Underwater Photographer) o 2 years’ experience in field o Ability to sell and make quotas

The rate for the positions listed above is $6.25 an hour.

The rate for the position listed above is $6.25 to $7.50 an hour.

Applications giving full details of qualifications and experience should be sent to: mmvaughn@grp.sandals.com or placed in the secure drop box at the service gate or Fax to: 941-4870 Attn: M McClean-Vaughn The Labour Commissioner Labour Department Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands

and

The Human Resources Department Beaches Turks and Caicos P.O. Box 186 Lower Bight Road

and should reach not later than February 29th 2016

Page 30

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

We hire smiles!!!

Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort Villages and Spa, the only 6 Diamond All-inclusive property in the Caribbean is inviting applications from Turks and Caicos Islanders for the following vacant positions. We hire the personality and train the individual.

Applicants must have a clean police record and a good command of the English language both written and spoken. In addition candidates must be able to work nights, public holidays and week-ends. The Resort thanks everyone for their interest in advance and advises that applicants will be contacted for an interview via Text Message.

The Island Routes Department requires:

The Rooms Division requires:

 Senior Tour Specialist Requirements include but are not limited to: o Must be service driven with excellent customer service skills o Excellent Organizational Skills o Ability to meet and exceed sales targets

 Supervisor (Front Office)  Supervisor (Concierge)  Shift Leader (Front Office)  Shift Leader (Concierge) Requirements include but are not limited to: o Assist with the supervision of the front desk o Assist with the supervision of all staff within the department

The salary range for the position indicated above is $40,000.00 to $55,000.00

 Storeroom Controller Requirements include but are not limited to: o Experience with Inventory and stock keeping o Experience with budgets and reconciliations

The Entertainment Department requires:  AV Technician Requirements include but are not limited to: o Experience Dee Jay with ability to use turntables and digital o Ability to set up and breakdown sound system for an event o For Senior Tech supervise a team, conduct inventory and ensure equipment is maintained in a good working order.

The rate for the positions listed above is $6.50 to $10.00 an hour.

Watersports and Catamaran Departments require:  Lifeguard Requirements include but are not limited to:

 Fun pals/ Players/ Dancers/ Clowns Requirements include but are not limited to: o An outgoing personality required o Ability to sing and dance

o Ability to Swim o First aid/ CPR Certification  Watersports Attendants  Beach and Pool Attendants Requirements include bur are not limited to: o Assist with the maintenance of the pool. o Keep the pool area tidy and well stocked o Ability to swim

The rate for the positions listed above is $6.25 to $7.25 an hour The Bar Department requires:  Bartenders  Bar Porters  Beach Server/ Pool Server  Cocktail Waitress Requirements include but are not limited to: o Ability to mix a variety of drinks alcoholic and non-alcoholic. o Outgoing personality o Ability to work in the sun o Physically fit

 Dive Instructor  Dive Master  Scuba Instructor Requirements include but are not limited to: o International Dive certification required o An outgoing personality required o Strict adherence to safety procedures o Ability to swim

The rate for the positions listed above is 6.25 an hour.

Laundry Department requires:

The rate for the positions listed above is $6.25 to $8.75 an hour.

 Supervisor  Laundry Attendant Requirements include: o Experience supervising a commercial laundry(supervisor) o Physically fit o No allergies to chemicals and the ability to handle heat o Previous experience in commercial Laundry an assist

The Housekeeping Department requires:  Room Attendant  Housemen  Turn down Attendant  Public Area Attendants/Cleaner Requirements include but are not limited to: o One year’s experience in a hotel environment an asset. o Physically fit

The rate for the position listed above is $6.25 to $8.75 an hour.

 Linen Room Attendant Requirements include but are not limited to: o Experience with inventory and maintaining par levels. o Physically fit

The Engineering Department requires:  Assistant Waste Treatment Operator Requirements include but are not limited to: o Experience working with sewage and sewage plants o Physically Fit o Ability to carry out labour intensive task

The rate for the positions listed above is $6.25 an hour.

The Gift Shop Department:  Cleaner Requirements include but are not limited to: o Physically Fit o Ability to carry out labour intensive cleaning task

The rate for the position listed above is $6.25 to $9.00 an hour

The rate for the positions listed above is $6.25 an hour

Applications giving full details of qualifications and experience should be sent to: mmvaughn@grp.sandals.com or placed in the secure drop box at the service gate or Fax to: 941-4870 Attn: M McClean-Vaughn The Labour Commissioner Labour Department Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands

and

The Human Resources Department Beaches Turks and Caicos P.O. Box 186 Lower Bight Road

and should reach not later than February 29th 2016

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 31

We hire smiles!!!

Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort Villages and Spa, the only 6 Diamond All-inclusive property in the Caribbean is inviting applications from Turks and Caicos Islanders for the following vacant positions. We hire the personality and train the individual.

Applicants must have a clean police record and a good command of the English language both written and spoken. In addition candidates must be able to work nights, public holidays and week-ends. The Resort thanks everyone for their interest in advance and advises that applicants will be contacted for an interview via Text Message.

The Human Resources Department requires:

The Weddings Department requires:

 Human Resources Clerk

 Weddings Manager Requirements include but are not limited to: o Experience managing multiple wedding retail outlets(Manager) o Proven sales track record in Weddings exceeding sales targets o Ability to up and cross sell

Reports to: Human Resources Manager Position purpose: To assist the Human Resources Administrator with clerical aspects of the Human Resources Department and its daily operations.

The Accounts Department requires:  Accountant  Assistant Accountant Requirements include but are not limited to: o Professional Accounting designation preferred o 3 years’ experience managing a multi-million dollar portfolio o Experience with Budget generation

Responsibilities/Duties: o Prepare a report due the end of each month on all activities in the areas of responsibility and their status. o Assist in the interview process, this includes interviewing when requested to assist, the preparation of application forms, tests and copying of identification documents. o Collection of all Team Member documents pertaining to Immigration and Labour. o Keep a proper record of all Immigration documents submitted to the H.R. Department for processing. o Prepare all Immigration documents for processing and track and monitor the document through the work permit process. o Assist within other areas of the Human Resources Department. o Advise and update the Human Resources Manager of all pending issues affecting the Department and the resort. o Any other duties assigned by Management.

The Entertainment Department requires:  Animations Manager Requirements include but are not limited to: o Three years’ experience with managing animation characters o Knowledge of their care and maintenance o Maintain or exceed performance targets

Requirements: o Driver’s License (required) o Associates Degree of higher o Proficient in Excel and Word o Experience with report generation and meeting deadlines o Confidential o Time management skills

Salary for the above mentioned positions is $25,000.00 to $50,000.00 The Kitchen Department requires:  Executive Chef  Assistant Executive Chef  Executive Sous Chef Requirements include but are not limited to: o To create recipes and production methods, as well as compile new banquets methods when required. o Oversee the training and development of staff.

The rate for the position listed above is $9.00 an hour Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort Villages and Spa has administrative/ clerical positions in the following departments:

The Information Technology Department requires:

 Kitchen  Cost Control  Environmental Health and Safety Requirements include but are not limited to: o Associates Degree of higher o Proficient in Excel and Word o Experience with report generation and meeting deadlines o Experience in at least one of the following areas: o Payroll o Inventory o Inspections and audits o Confidential o Time management skills

 Senior Information Systems Manager Requirements include but are not limited to: o Knowledge of a PBX system o A recognized IT professional qualification such as Degree/Advanced Diploma in IT or Computer Science & Technology o Due to the physical layout of the property, applicants should be in good physical condition.

Salary for the above mentioned positions is negotiable The Training Department Requires:

The rate for the positions listed above is $7.00 to $10.00 an hour.

 Restaurant Manager Requirements include but are not limited to: o Experience in managing multiple Restaurant outlets with seating of over 200 o Five (5) years relevant experience in Fine Dining, Al La Carte and Buffet

 Training and Development Manager  Assistant Training Manager Requirements include but are not limited to: o A first Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management or Training and Development or any other related discipline o Minimum two years’ work experience in a leadership position o Experience in Adult learning theories and instructional methodologies

The salary for the position listed above is $20,000.00 to $30,000.00 per annum

The salary for the position listed above ranges from $28,000.00 to $45,000.00

The Food and Beverage Department requires:

Applications giving full details of qualifications and experience should be sent to: mmvaughn@grp.sandals.com or placed in the secure drop box at the service gate or Fax to: 941-4870 Attn: M McClean-Vaughn The Labour Commissioner Labour Department Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands

and

The Human Resources Department Beaches Turks and Caicos P.O. Box 186 Lower Bight Road

and should reach not later than February 29th 2016

Page 32

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

LOCAL NEWS

WANTED 1 LABOURER Salary $7.00 per hour To work in Provo Contact 341-8867

SUNRISE CAFÉ In Five Cays, Seeks 1 Waitress Salary $150.00 per week, 6 days per week Contact Noel Munroe at 242-2495

CAMERA OPERATOR A Camera Operator is required for a firm based in Providenciales. Duties include but are not limited to shooting and recording television programs, documentaries or news and sporting events. Organize raw film footage into a continuous whole. Collaborate with a director to determine the overall vision of the production. Discuss filming and editing techniques with a director to improve a scene.

Select the appropriate equipment from the type of lens to the appropriate lighting, shoot or edit a scene based on the director’s vision.

Salary commensurate with experience.

Application must be submitted to: Employment Department F Corporate & Management Services Limited Tel 649-339-6275 Fax 649-941-4777 Email oa@fcorporatemsl.com

CLICHÉ CLEANING SERVICES Is hereby seeking the following:10 Domestic Workers 6 Labourers Salary $6.25 per hour Contact dash_247@hotmail.com

D and S Construction

1 Mason Salary $10.00 Telephone : 946-8876

EPIC CORPORATE & CONSULTANCY

SEEKS 1 Labourer/Handyman Interested person must be hardworking & reliable Salary $6.25 per hour 6 days per week Contact 946-1570

ROLAND JUNIOR CHIPLITE

Is hereby seeking a Domestic Worker 5 days per week Salary $6.25 per hour Contact dash_247@hotmail.com

The Stage Bar & Grill

NOW HIRING

Looking for 3 employees BARMAID Salary will be discussed based on the experience.

Contact 344-8644 or email browill649@gmail.com

JESSE ALEXANDER EWING SEEKS 1 LABOURER Salary $6.25 per hour Contact 341-6315

ROBERT LUKER

Air and Sea Agency is currently seeking 1 Accounts Clerk Requirements: At least 6 years experience in Accounting Bachelors Degree in Accounting or Finance is preferable

SEEKS 1 Maintenance Man Salary $6.50 per hour 6 days per week Contact 231-0262

All you advertising needs contact TCISUN at 339-5879 Or email – sun@suntci.com

MECHANIC ASSISTANT A local Company is seeking a suitable candidate for the position as Mechanic Assistant.

Remuneration based on experience and qualifications.

Application must be submitted to: Employment Department F Corporate & Management Services Limited Tel 649-339-6275 Fax 649-941-4777 Email oa@fcorporatemsl.com

Software Knowledge: QuickBooks, Excel and Word Demonstrated ability to manage a large workload including completing multiple tasks to deadlines Compensation: Based on qualifications and ability Kindly submit application to:

Caicos Dream Tours Seeking: 1 Boat Mechanic 1 Trainee Operator Salary: Depends on qualifications and experience Requirement: Must have a minimum of 3 years experience Must be computer literate An associate degree or its equivalent in related field Successful applicants must be willing to work weekends and holidays

Air and Sea Agency Alliance Busines Center Providenciales TCI Email Address: airseaagency@gmail.com

Only Belongers need to apply Contract -649 231- 7274

WHATTA BURGA

V & M SECURITY LTD

Seeks 1 Barmaid Salary $6.25 per hour Contact 246-5022

TEONA SPA Seeking Spa Therapists Requirements: •Must have at least 3-5 years working experience as a therapist •Aesthetician - massage therapist full training •Required to work weekends, holidays and extraordinary hours Salary: •$6.00 per hour plus commission Only Belongers need to apply Contact – 649 946-8876

SEEKS 1 Security Guard Salary $6.50 per hour 6 days per week Contact 941-5139 FLAMINGO CAFÉ TAKE OUT

Is seeking A Waitress Salary $6.25 per hour Contact 241-3943

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

CARIBBEAN WORLD

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 33

CARIBBEAN NEWS

NEWS NEWS

Haiti’s mood grim as president leaves with no replacement, Carnival delayed

Michel Martelly stepped down as Haitian president on Sunday, leaving a deeply divided country in the hands of a disputed interim government, while the first day of Carnival celebrations was canceled as violent protests erupted.

The mood was grim on what should have been a festive day that would have marked a newly elected president, as well as the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Duvalier dictatorship and the start of the Caribbean country’s Carnival.

Riot police clashed with protesters and Martelly handed back the presidential sash without anyone to succeed him.

Weeks of unrest set off by a first-round election that critics Former President Michel Martelly say was fraudulent meant the impoverished nation was unable to group of eight losing candidates from do not have the legitimacy to oversee hold a runoff to chose a new president the first round rejected the notion the interim government or a new vote. before Martelly’s term ended. of parliament choosing the interim “This alleged agreement attempts to Under a last-minute president, and called instead for a validate the 2015 elections as if they agreement welcomed by Washington Supreme Court judge to lead the were regular, regardless of popular and other foreign powers, parliament process. protests that resulted in numerous is due to choose a temporary president The group, which includes casualties,” spokesman Samuel in the next few days. Elections are the opposition candidate for the Madistin said in a statement. set for April 24 and the winner would runoff, Jude Celestin, believes the Madistin said the agreement take office in May. parliamentarians, who were elected in reflected the position of part of the

But there is a major catch. A the same flawed October first round, international community and Haiti’s

ruling class.

Opposition protesters and police clashed again in downtown Port-au-Prince on Sunday in the area that hosts the capital’s heavily attended and raucous annual Mardi Gras celebrations, with some groups trying to attack Carnival stages.

The Carnival organizing committee called off the first day of the festival, citing the unrest. Two top musical groups had already pulled out, with bandleader Roberto Martino saying his group, T-Vice, might not take part at all.

Martelly formally left office during a ceremony at the national assembly, guarded outside by U.N. troops and riot police. Assembly President Jocelerme Privert called for a “truce” to allow enough stability to organize the elections, already postponed three times, most recently in January.

Any interim government will have to overcome strong disagreements about which candidates can participate, since many are convinced the first round unfairly favored ruling party candidate Jovenel Moise.

Martelly’s government denied any wrongdoing.

Barbados confirms three Zika cases in pregnant women The Shore Club is now accepting applications/résumé for the following position. Only highly self-driven & motivated, personable and professional individuals, whom have the desire to serve others, need apply:

Corporate Operations Facilitator Primary Responsibilities/Requirements:

•Minimum of 15 years operational management experience in luxury resort setting •Must have previous managerial experience directly in hotel preopening •Prepare Critical path to opening •Must have a history of delivering high end projects such as 5 Star Hotels/ Resorts and Residential/ Commercial developments •Must have previous experience working with leading developers and must pay exceptional attention to detail. Must be able to make sure all works are completed to the highest level and manage any discrepancies. Must have leadership qualities to ensure the job is completed to the client’s high standards •Designs and executes decorations for variety of hotel functions and events.

Previous work experience in managing upholstery workshops •Keep documentation on all vendors and supplies •Assist in the selection and purchasing of supplies •Coordinate and follow up on all the orders assigned •Keep documentation of all fabrics, paint colors, equipment and supplies, etc.

•Conduct room punch list to ensure that all the finishes are flawless and to high standards •Assist designers and cabinet makers •Set up inventory and maintenance codes into inventory and maintenance software •Organize and set up back of the house spaces •Set up Standard Operational Procedures for various departments •Ensure that all furniture and equipment and supplies are inventoried and cataloged and placed in proper location •Conducts Room Punch inspections to ensure that all the finishes are flawless and to the highest standards; communicates deficiencies to Construction Supervisor •Strong understanding of overall hotel business •Any other tasks that may be assigned, associated with the preopening

Applicants must have a willing, positive and personable attitude as well as be willing to work holidays and weekends. Turks & Caicos Islands citizens only need to apply to the Assistant Human Resources Manager, Sheena Smith at The Shore Club on Long Bay, Providenciales or e-mail: careers@ theshoreclubtc.com. Deadline is February 26th, 2016.

MIAMI, UNITED STATES: Barbados on Tuesday confirmed three cases of Zika in pregnant women, bringing to seven the number of people on the Caribbean island with the virus, which is believed to be linked to birth defects.

The latest results from the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) bring the number of confirmed cases to seven.

According to a statement from the Ministry, the three women have been notified of the results and have been counselled.

“Specialised obstetrics care will also be provided to monitor the progress of their pregnancies,” the statement added.

The Ministry advised the public that pregnant women were at risk of getting the Zika virus at any trimester in their pregnancy.

However, it explained that the overall link between the Zika virus, babies with small heads and neurological abnormalities, was still under investigation, and therefore, the relationship between the virus and microcephaly had not been established.

“The situation is still evolving and information is being updated regularly. The Ministry of Health will continue to roll out its response based on the local, regional and international experience,” the statement said.

As a proactive response,

the Ministry has developed and disseminated guidelines to guide general practitioners, obstetricians and other health care providers in the clinical management of women who have the Zika virus during pregnancy.

According to the statement, the guidelines were developed with the full cooperation and input from the Obstetrics and Paediatrics Departments at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Zika, a primarily mosquitoborne illness, has spread rapidly through Latin America and the Caribbean. It generally causes mild symptoms but has been blamed for a rapid rise in the number of children born with microcephaly -abnormally small heads and brains.

Barbados said that link has not been confirmed.

The World Health Organization has declared a global medical emergency to combat Zika and individual countries and regions are beginning to mobilize.

With no cure or vaccine for the virus, some countries have taken the extraordinary step of urging women to delay getting pregnant.

According to the PanAmerican Health Organization, 26 countries have confirmed cases, spanning 7,000 kilometers (4,400 miles) from Mexico to Paraguay.

The hardest hit country is Brazil, which hosts the Summer Olympics starting in August.

Page 34

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

CARIBBEAN NEWS

Opinion polls put ruling party ahead in Jamaica

KINGSTON, Jamaica – The ruling People’s National Party (PNP) is projected to win the February 25 general elections according to a report published in the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper.

In the last general elections, the PNP won 42 of the 63 seats at stake with the remainder going to the main opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).

The paper said that two research teams from the University of the West Indies, using different methods, have projected victory for the PNP, with one putting the margin of victory as similar to the 2011 poll.

The paper said that lecturer in political psychology Dr Christopher Charles, and Gleasia Reid, an MPhil/PhD student in political science, using the CHAMPSKNOW system of forecasting, are projecting that the PNP has a 60 per cent chance of winning the election and will capture 40 seats while the JLP will come out with 23 seats.

“Polling is just one of the things that will inform forecasting.

But it’s important to know that whereas polling captures

happenings at a particular moment in time, forecasting is different. Forecasting may or may not use polling.

“Political forecasting is predicting political outcomes. So you can predict if there is going to be violence; if a public policy is going to be successful; if an election is going to be called in a certain period, and the outcome of an election,” said Charles.

He said having started by giving the parties an equal chance of winning the general election, the forecast last November gave the PNP a 55 per cent chance of winning. But changes on the political stage since then have seen that projection increased.

“Voter turnout is decreasing and is likely to be near 50 per cent so the diehards will determine the election,” he said, noting that while his team has forecast that the PNP will lose two of the 42 seats it now holds, they are not yet ready to name those seats as campaigning over the next weeks could lead to changes.

Social anthropologist Dr Herbert Gayle and his team,

using integrated methodology, with the assistance of qualitative and historical material, have given the PNP 36 seats, the JLP 18, with the remaining nine seats still up for grabs.

“The research team was trained to cover all the polling divisions in each constituency, paying attention to proportion, to allow for some degree of accuracy.

Nonetheless, the study was not designed in a way to provide precise data such as X will win by X% – and this was not the main objective of the study,” said Gayle.

He noted that data for the study was collected over a seven-week period between November 2015 and January 2016, with just over half of the persons on the voters’ list saying they intend to vote.

“The data … show that the PNP is likely to have 12 clear wins … a clear advantage in 14 constituencies, and can arrest another 10 in which they have a mild advantage.

“The tally of these (36 seats) suggests that the PNP is almost guaranteed a win in the upcoming election – barring a major social shift,” he added.

Pastor pulled from pulpit for appearing on political platform

Adventist pastor Dr Michael Harvey says he is now cleaving to prayers, after his church leadership sanctioned him for appearing on a People’s National Party (PNP) platform, urging Jamaicans to stick with the governing party in upcoming polls.

Harvey confirmed with The Gleaner that he has been sent on administrative leave from his position as senior pastor and vice-president of spiritual affairs at the Seventh-day Adventist-run Northern Caribbean University (NCU), effective February 1-15.

“I am trusting the Lord.

With the prayers of my friends and few of the brethren, I am holding strong,” the 52-year-old, self-declared Comrade told The Gleaner.

He declined to say whether he regretted his statements at Sunday’s mass rally in Half-Way Tree, which was used by Prime Minister Portia

Simpson Miller to announce the February 25 general election date.

Indications that Harvey could face sanctions from his church leadership came Monday when the church and the NCU issued separate statements distancing themselves from his comments and accusing their senior member of breaching global church policy.

“He violated the principles of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in which we encourage our members not to take partisan political lines,” Pastor Everett Brown, president of the Jamaica Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, told The Gleaner.

Harvey had said he was confident he did not bring the church into disrepute.

But Brown insisted that Harvey, a National Housing Trust board member, went overboard.

“He is free to associate.

He is free to go there. We have

Ricardo Makyn Dr Michael Harvey, senior Adventist pastor, has ignited a firestorm over his advocacy for the PNP. He has been sent on administrative leave. members on either side of the fence and on no side of the fence … , but when you are a worker – when you are a pastor in the church – you should not use your position as pastor or leader to carry a partisan political position,” Brown said.

“If you want to do that, you should relinquish your leadership position in the church,” Brown said.

Harvey is not certain whether the administrative leave will be the extent of his punishment.

St Barts named the most expensive destination in the Caribbean

PARIS, France -- The island of St Barts has been named the most expensive destination in the Caribbean for accommodation, according to a new survey by TravelMag.com.

The French-speaking island, whose full name is St Barthélemy, took the number one spot for its lodging costs during February – a month that is considered high season across the Caribbean.

A total of 30 Caribbean islands were included in the survey, which analysed the average cost of the cheapest available double room in hotels and resorts with at least a 3-star rating.

To stay overnight in St Barts’ least expensive double room, a guest can expect to spend an average of $324 this February. Second in the survey was Anguilla, with an average overnight rate of $285.

Another former French colony, Saint Martin, takes the third slot in the survey with an average cost of $261 per night, while Providenciales (Turks and Caicos Islands) comes in fourth with a price of $247 per night.

At the other end of the scale, the cheapest Caribbean destination for accommodation this February is Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, which averages just $43 for a nightly stay.

Joining it in the affordability stakes are Punta Cana, St Vincent and Curacao, with all three destinations averaging substantially under $100 per night this February.

The table below compares 30 destinations in the Caribbean based on the average rate for the cheapest available double room (minimum 3-star hotel) during the time period 1 - 29 February 2016.

1. St Barts $324 2. Anguilla $285 3. Saint Martin $261 4. Providenciales (Turks and Caicos Islands) $247 5. Grand Cayman (Cayman Islands) $212 6. Nevis (St Kitts and Nevis) $203 7. Le Gosier (Guadeloupe) $192 8. Nassau (Bahamas) $185 9. Antigua (Antigua and Barbuda) $184 9. Georgetown (Bahamas) $184 11. St Thomas (US Virgin Islands) $176 11. Vadadero (Cuba) $176 13. St Maarten $174 14. Tortola (British Virgin Islands) $153 15. Port of Spain, Trinidad (Trinidad and Tobago) $146 16. Dominica $142 17. Aruba $138 18. Ocho Rios (Jamaica) $137 19. San Juan (Puerto Rico) $131 20. Havana (Cuba) $128 21. Fort-de-France (Martinique) $127 22. Grenada $127 23. St Lucia (Gros Islet) $126 24. Tobago (Trinidad and Tobago) $117 25. Montego Bay (Jamaica) $107 26. Bonaire $98 27. Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) $87 28. St Vincent (St Vincent and the Grenadines) $84 29. Willemstad (Curacao) $72 30. Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) $43 The above rates are based on research conducted across various leading hotel booking websites across the period 13 – 15 January 2016,

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

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CARIBBEAN NEWS

Bermuda opposition protests government plans to give foreigners more rights

HAMILTON, Bermuda – A government plan to give more security to foreigners has sparked a protest from the opposition Progressive Labour (PLP).

Home Affairs Minister Michael Fahy unveiled new proposals on Friday under which long-term residents will be given increased rights to apply for permanent residency and Bermudian citizenship.

The move will allow residents who have lived on the island for 20 years to gain status, while those resident for 15 years will be entitled to permanent residency.

Citizenship would give foreigners the right to vote in general elections in this British Overseas Territory which has a population of 65,000.

Only those foreigners without status who were registered to vote before 1976 have been able to cast a ballot in subsequent elections.

Fahy described the policy

as “the right thing to do”, dismissing suggestions that the changes were “anti-Bermudian” or would take jobs away from Bermudians.

But the announcement prompted an angry response from PLP member of parliament Walton Brown, who took to social media to accuse the One Bermuda Alliance government of “losing its mind”, and claimed it had shown contempt for Bermudians “reminiscent of the racist policies of the 1960s”.

Fahy said amending the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act 1956 to incorporate the new provisions would bring Bermuda in line with the European Convention on Human Rights, generate revenue and help to address the decreasing work population.

“There is nothing antiBermudian about helping our family, friends and our neighbour,” Fahy said. “The people we are talking about represent every class, race, ethnicity

and national origin.”

Under the proposed changes, residents who have lived in Bermuda for 20 years will also need to be Commonwealth citizens, of good character and not convicted of criminal offences to apply for status.

“There is no longer space to discuss and negotiate. This is the time for direct action. Civil disobedience. I will consult with other like-minded people and we will act … as early as next week. Are you in?” Brown asked.

He later reiterated his comments to journalists, saying: “The time for discussions is over. The government clearly has no intention of having a collaborative approach on one of the most contentious issues.

“If the minister seeks to throw the gauntlets down to the Bermuda public he will get an appropriate response.”

Fahy said the number of residents who would qualify under the new pathways for residency and status

was “very small” and maintained the strategy would create “pragmatic, immediate benefits”.

“New applications will represent a revenue-enhancing opportunity as applicants pay the substantial fees involved under the legislation,” he said.

“New Bermudians, with their new-found security, could seek to purchase real estate or inject capital into Bermuda companies.

“Assets which will be earmarked to leave Bermuda will be more readily available for investments in the local economy.

Fahy added: “The 2010 census data revealed a total work-permit population of 6,421. Of that, 5,738 had been in Bermuda for less than 15 years. 511 have been in Bermuda for 15 years or more.

“Bermuda is one of the only places in the world that does not have a pathway to status that isn’t through marriage.

Judge gives ex-wife green light to pursue court action against St. Lucian diplomat

Akiel Smith (brown suit, light shirt, centre) and Carl Smith (blue shirt) outside court.

Two Bahamian policemen charged with killing prisoner while in custody

Two policemen in The Bahamas were granted $18,000 bail on Tuesday following their arraignment in connection with the beating death of Aaron Rolle exactly three years after the 20-year-old was found dead in a police station cell.

Constables 2126 Akiel Smith and 2648 Carl Smith were flanked by colleagues as they entered the Nassau and South Streets Magistrates Court Complex where they appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann FergusonPratt facing a charge of manslaughter.

It is alleged that the pair, on February 9, 2013, used unlawful harm to cause the death of Rolle.

The accused men will not be allowed to enter a plea to the allegation until they are formally arraigned in the Supreme Court where they are expected to be tried.

The presentation of a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI), scheduled for March 23, will facilitate the transfer of the matter to the Supreme Court.

The police officers were charged with manslaughter under Section 293 of the Penal Code.

When the chief magistrate told the accused that they would have to be remanded to the Department of Correctional Services, their lawyer, Wayne Munroe, QC, said that manslaughter was a bailable offence under the amended Bail Act.

After an inspection of said law, police prosecutor ASP Clifford Daxon was asked if he had any objection to the officers receiving a bond pending trial.

The prosecutor did not object.

Mr Munroe advised the court that the matter was three years old.

“This matter was subject of a coroner’s inquest and appeal and my clients are still here,” the lawyer stressed.

“They are serving police officers?” the chief magistrate asked.

Mr Munroe said yes and the court set a bond of $18,000 for each accused.

They were ordered to return to Magistrate’s Court on March 23 for the VBI presentation.

If convicted, the officers could face between 18 to 35 years imprisonment as prescribed by the Court of Appeal in the case of Larry Raymond Jones. However, a judge does have the discretion to impose a lesser sentence when factoring mitigating and aggravating circumstance of the case.

The circumstances surrounding Rolle’s death were initially heard in Coroner’s Court where an inquest was held.

On May 7, 2013, a Coroner’s Court jury found Rolle’s death to be an “unlawful” killing.

Upon conclusion of the inquest into Rolle’s death, Acting Coroner Jeanine Weech-Gomez recommended the file be reviewed by the Office of the Attorney General to determine whether action should be taken against the officers. She also suggested that it be forwarded to Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade to conduct disciplinary proceedings against the men.

LONDON– A High Court it intended to uphold the principle judge has rejected a claim of of diplomatic immunity by allowing diplomatic immunity from the Juffali to invoke his diplomatic St. Lucia Ambassador to the immunity in the civil case brought International Maritime Organization by his ex-wife.

(IMO), Dr. Walid Juffali, and has The legal firm representing given his former wife the right to sue Estrada, 53, had been urging him here for support.

Castries to grant a waiver of the

‘I am satisfied that what diplomatic immunity of Juffali, so has transpired here is that (Dr that he could answer a claim for Juffali) has sought and obtained additional financial relief in the High a diplomatic appointment with Court in London from his ex-wife, a the sole intention of defeating (Ms former Pirelli calendar model whom Estrada’s) claims consequent on the he married in 2001 and divorced last breakdown of their marriage,” said year in Saudi Arabia.

Justice Hayden.

Juffali, 60, who has vowed to

‘Dr Juffali has not, in appeal, was appointed to represent any real sense, taken up his St. Lucia at the IMO two years ago. appointment, nor has he discharged According to court any responsibilities in connection documents he says he has made with it. It is an entirely artificial ‘generous’ provision to his former construct,” he added. wife and bought her a property in

Christina Estrada, the Beverly Hills, California. ex-wife of the Saudi billionaire is He claims he pays her seeking a slice of the four billion US$100,000 a month and meets all pound (One British pound =US$1.44) the expenses of raising the couple’s fortune after the end of their 13-year 13-year-old daughter. marriage.

Estrada claims Juffali

But the tycoon, who owns obtained the divorce without her more than £140million of property knowledge and it is not possible for in the United Kingdom, insisted her to bring any financial claims that he was not subject to British against him in his Saudi homeland. divorce laws because he is St Lucia’s She obtained leave under representative to the IMO. Part III of the Matrimonial and

Earlier this month, the Family Proceedings Act 1984, which St. Lucia government said it had relates to overseas divorces, to make informed the British Foreign and an application for financial relief in Commonwealth Office (FCO) that the family courts in London.

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

NEWS

North Korea executes army chief of staff

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

North Korea has executed its army chief of staff, Ri Yong Gil, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported on Wednesday, which, if true, would be the latest in a series of executions, purges and disappearances under its young leader.

The news comes amid heightened tension surrounding isolated North Korea after its Sunday launch of a long-range rocket, which came about a month after it drew international condemnation for conducting its fourth nuclear test.

A source familiar with North Korean affairs also told Reuters that Ri had been executed. The source declined to be identified, given the sensitivity of the matter.

Ri, who was chief of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) General Staff, was executed this month for corruption and factional conspiracy, Yonhap and other South Korean media reported.

Yonhap did not identify its sources. The source who told Reuters the news declined to comment on how the information

about the execution had been obtained.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service declined to comment and it was not possible to independently verify the report.

The North rarely issues public announcement related to purges or executions of high-level officials.

A rare official confirmation of a high-profile execution came after Jang Song Thaek, leader Kim Jong Un’s uncle and the man who was once considered the second most powerful figure in the country, was executed for corruption in 2013.

In May last year, the North executed its defense chief by anti-aircraft gun at a firing range, the South’s spy agency said in a report to members of parliament.

The North’s military leadership has been in a state of perpetual reshuffle since Kim Jong Un took power after the death of his father in 2011. He has changed his armed forces chief several times since then.

Some other high-ranking officials in the North have been absent from public view for extended periods, fuelling speculation they may have been purged or removed, only to resurface.

Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina end Republican presidential campaigns

Christie exited the race came after his disappointing sixthplace finish in New Hampshire.

Campaign spokeswoman Samantha Smith said Christie broke the news of his decision to staff at his campaign headquarters in Morristown, N.J., late Wednesday afternoon.

Christie was also calling donors and supporters to give them the news.

Chris Christie

Fiorina finished right

The field of Republican behind Christie in New Hampshire presidential candidates began in seventh place. thinning out a day after the New The 61-year-old former Hampshire primary. technology executive had drawn Late Wednesday positive reviews for several afternoon, New Jersey Gov. Chris strong debate performances, in Christie dropped out of the race which she promoted her business for the Republican nomination, a expertise and argued that as the spokeswoman said. Hours earlier, lone woman in the GOP field she Carly Fiorina announced on was best positioned to oppose Twitter that she was suspending likely Democratic nominee Hillary her campaign.

Clinton. But she struggled to build

Carly Fiorina support in a crowded primary field and her poll numbers lagged.

Fiorina announced her candidacy in April. She previously ran unsuccessfully for Senate in California.

Fiorina struggled with criticism of her time at HewlettPackard, where she was ousted from the top job in 2005, after leading a major merger and laying off 30,000 people.

Police take a mug shot of a protester who was detained in Ferguson, Missouri, in this August 10, 2015 file photo.

Justice Dept. sues Ferguson, Missouri, to force police reforms

The U.S. Justice Department sued Ferguson, Missouri, on Wednesday to force the city to change its police department and court system after the federal government found both to be biased against minorities.

The St. Louis suburb, a symbol of problems with policing and race in the United States, earlier on Wednesday said it wanted to change an agreement it had negotiated with the federal government due to the costs involved.

“The residents of Ferguson have waited nearly a year for their city to adopt an agreement that would protect their rights and keep them safe,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch said at a news conference.

She said the agreement that was decided upon had been painstakingly negotiated and Ferguson officials knew that rejecting it would invite litigation.

Ferguson officials had no immediate comment on the civil rights lawsuit, said spokesman Jeff Small.

The Justice Department initiated a civil rights investigation into Ferguson’s policing after an unarmed black teenager was killed by a white police officer in 2014.

It was one of several killings of black men, mostly by white officers, that started a nationwide debate about the use of excessive force by police, especially against minorities.

It resulted in a Justice Department report that was extremely critical of Ferguson’s police and court systems.

Mayor James Knowles told a news conference that reforms had to be affordable and attainable. “It serves no one’s purpose for us to fail,” he said.

Ferguson’s city council voted on Tuesday to accept the reform agreement, called a consent decree, as long as the city did not have to increase police officers’ pay and police staffing levels. It also said it wanted more time to comply with the other terms.

Knowles said that only in the last two weeks had the city been able to analyze the costs of implementing the decree.

He and city council members said Ferguson had already made some reforms, including community policing and a civilian review board to oversee police.

Civil rights advocates warned that litigation with the Justice Department could cost more than implementing the agreement.

“This decision only creates the potential for the type of litigation that creates more financial challenges that will be a burden on poor people,” said Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color of Change, a national civil rights organization.

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French president reshuffles cabinet with eye on 2017 election forward,” Hollande told French television.

He said his new three-pronged focus would be on fighting unemployment, now at 10.6 percent, ensuring security after France was hit French President charismatic heavyweight by Islamist militant attacks Francois Hollande on and does not change the that killed 130 people in Thursday broadened his government’s policy agenda.

November, and protecting the cabinet to include the heads of Besides handing environment. two smaller left-wing parties, portfolios to the Greens and the “There is no change of looking beyond his Socialist center-left Radical Left Party, course, but Hollande is trying party in a bid to improve Hollande recalled his former to broaden his appeal by his faltering chances of re- prime minister Jean-Marc bringing on allies, expanding election in 2017.

Ayrault, seen as a safe pair his base beyond the Socialist

Dogged by deep of hands, to head the foreign party to boost his chances to unpopularity and public ministry. The appointment of qualify for the presidential anger over unemployment, the veteran German-speaker election run-offs,” Ifop Hollande hopes the reshuffle was immediately welcomed by pollster’s Jerome Fourquet will widen his voter appeal Berlin. said. and discourage other leftist Michel Sapin stays In French presidential candidates from running on as finance minister and elections, only the top two against him.

Emmanuel Macron as economy candidates in the first round

But one left-winger minister, and the government make it to the run-off. As of just declared his intention to is expected to largely stick now, Hollande is far from be a candidate in 2017 and to the pro-business line it certain to reach the second analysts swiftly cast doubt switched to two years ago. round. on the possible impact of a “This government “Opinion polls now reshuffle that brings in no must act, reform, move show that the National Front’s

Marine Le Pen will most likely make it to the second round so it’s crucial for Hollande to do all he can to boost his chances in the first round,” Fourquet said.

the divided Greens party last year precisely because it was becoming increasingly critical of the government, also joined the cabinet as secretaries of state.

The head of the FIREBRAND DISSIDENT small Left Radical Party, Jean-Michel Baylet becomes Another problem minister for local authorities. for Hollande is that left- German Foreign wing firebrand Jean-Luc Minister Frank-Walter Melenchon said late on Steinmeier said: “I’m happy Wednesday he would run for that Jean-Marc Ayrault, the the presidency again next year, former prime minister, who a move that risks splitting the has strong ties with Germany left-of-center vote. is now the successor in the Besides, the foreign ministry. I say to Jeannomination of Greens leader Marc: welcome and looking Emmanuelle Cosse, who forward to our cooperation in joins as Housing Minister, is the future.” controversial within her own After two years as party. Two party spokeswomen prime minister at the start of said in a statement that the Hollande’s mandate, Ayrault party disapproved of her was dropped in favor of the joining the government and younger and more thrusting that this meant that she was Valls. He replaces Laurent de-facto no longer party chief. Fabius, who is leaving to head Two dissident France’s top constitutional ecologist lawmakers, who left council.

Philippines makes song and dance over start of election campaigning

Combination picture of presidential candidates running for the May 2016 national elections in Philippines. From (L-R) Vice President Jejomar Binay, Davao city Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Senator Grace Poe, former Interior and Local Secretary Mar Roxas and Senator Miriam Santiago Philippine presidential candidates began campaigning in traditionally colorful and musical style ahead of the May 9 election, with voters looking for a leader who can sustain one of the fastest economic growth rates in Asia.

Under President Benigno Aquino, the Philippines has seen annual growth of more than six percent on average, its best five-year record in four decades. He has also managed to rein in, if not halt, corruption.

Party affiliations have historically counted for little in the Philippines and policies have mattered less than personalities. Presidential campaigns are expensive and rely on the support of rich families and companies.

Candidates will be singing

and dancing along with movie and TV personalities across the archipelago of 7,100 islands over the next 90 days to gain people’s attention before revealing full details of their platforms.

The business community, however, is looking for a leader who can further liberalize the country, easing restrictions on foreign direct investment, reducing protectionism and eliminating red tape in doing business.

“It will be very interesting to see what are the positions of each of the candidates in really easing business here in the country for foreigners and Filipinos,” Julian Payne, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, said.

The latest opinion poll shows a first time senator, Grace

Poe, abandoned in a church as a baby, ahead of the pack, but analysts say it is too early to make predictions.

A Pulse Asia survey last month pointed to a tight race among Poe, Vice President Jejomar Binay, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Aquino’s handpicked successor, former interior minister Manuel Roxas.

Senator Miriam Santiago, who had ran and lost two previous presidential elections, is a distant fifth.

Poe led the pack with 30 percent support, while Binay, Duterte and Roxas were not far behind with 23 and 20 percent respectively. In December, Binay topped the polls with 33 percent.

Earl Parreno, of the Institute of Political and Electoral Reforms, said it would be a tight race to the finish

but there’s uncertainty about Poe’s eligibility because of a dispute about her citizenship and required residency in the country.

Poe, a naturalized American, returned to the Philippines when her adoptive father, who ran for president and lost, died in late 2004.

Six years later, she renounced her U.S. citizenship when Aquino appointed her to a government post.

“It’s still anybody’s ball game because most voters have not really absorbed the candidates’ messages,” Parreno said, adding poverty and corruption were among the main issues resonating with the electorate.

The campaigning began in festive mood in the capital with Duterte, running on the platform of law and order, holding his proclamation rally in the crime-prone poor community near Manila’s docks.

Poe brought together rightwing former soldiers and left-leaning activists at her kick-off campaign in historic Plaza Miranda at the heart of the capital’s old city. Binay held a rally in Mandaluyong City, next to Manila’s financial district, Makati, where he was mayor for two decades. His wife and son were also mayors.

Egyptian policeman who killed man in custody jailed for eight years

A police officer in Egypt’s eastern city of Ismailia has been sentenced to eight years in jail for beating a man to death in custody and falsifying police records, judicial sources said on Tuesday.

Human rights reduced. groups say police brutality The court sentenced is widespread in Egypt and the officer to five years for that there is a culture of “torture and beating leading impunity. Trials such as this to death” and three years are rare and when they do for falsifying police records occur, sentences are usually regarding the case. The appealed and subsequently verdict can be appealed.

The victim was a men to die in police custody in middle-aged veterinarian the space of a single week in had died in custody hours November, prompting riots in after being hauled from his Ismailia and the southern city wife’s pharmacy on Nov. 25. Luxor where nine policemen Protesters burned tyres in the are facing trial for the beating street shortly after his death. to death of a father of four.

He was one of three

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WORLD NEWS

Female suicide bombers kill over 60 Nigeria Two female suicide bombers killed more than 60 people at a camp for people displaced by an insurgency of the jihadist Boko Haram group in the northeast Nigerian town of Dikwa, military and emergency officials said on Wednesday.

The attack occurred 85 km (50 miles) outside the capital of Borno state, centre of the seven-year insurgency, they said. It took place on Tuesday, but a breakdown in the telephone system prevented the incident being made public earlier.

The two female suicide bombers sneaked into an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp and detonated themselves in the middle of it, emergency officials and the military source said.

The chairman of the State Emergency Management Agency, Satomi Ahmad, added that 78 people were injured.

No group claimed responsibility but the attack bore

the hallmarks of Boko Haram, which has frequently used female bombers and even children to hit targets.

The militant group has recently increased the frequency and deadliness of attacks with three at the end of January. At least 65 people were killed outside Borno state capital Maiduguri on Jan. 31.

Since it lost territory to a government counteroffensive last year, Boko Haram has reverted to hit-and-run attacks on villages and suicide bombings at places of worship or markets.

Boko Haram has only rarely targeted camps housing people displaced by the conflict and Tuesday’s attack was the first one to kill victims in Borno state.

The military said militants made one abortive attempt on a camp on the outskirts of Maiduguri on Jan. 31. Boko Haram hit a Nigerian IDP camp for the first time last September, in the Adamawa state capital of Yola.

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

52 dead after riot in Mexican prison

MONTERREY - A battle between rival drug gangs at a prison killed 52 people in the northeastern Mexican city of Monterrey, authorities said on Thursday, days ahead of a planned visit by Pope Francis to another jail in Mexico´s far north.

The incident was one of the worst in a series of deadly riots in recent years to rock the country’s overpopulated prisons, which often house inmates from different drug cartels.

Fighting broke out before midnight in two areas of the Topo Chico prison between a faction of the brutal Zetas gang and another group, Nuevo Leon state Governor Jaime Rodriguez said.

“During the clash several prisoners set fire to the food storage and sleeping areas,” Rodriguez told reporters.

It was not immediately clear how the victims died but Rodriguez said there was no gunfire.

Rodriguez said the situation had been brought under control at about 1:30 a.m.(0730 GMT) on Thursday and ruled out a prison break. Worried family members outside the prison at one point forced open the prison gates and threw timber and stones at riot police inside, television images showed.

“I want to know that my daughter is okay.

She is in the infirmary. There are children in there,” said one woman outside the prison as other relatives shouted and cursed.

The areas holding women and elderly inmates were calm, and Rodriguez said no women or children were hurt.

Pope Francis is set to begin his first visit to Mexico as pontiff on Friday. Next week, he will visit a prison in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, which

was once one of the most violent cities in the world.

Police vehicles patrolled the streets near Topo Chico in Monterrey, Mexico’s third most populous metropolitan area.

Milenio TV reported that inmates’ relatives who had been within the prison’s premises for conjugal visits had seen inmates with burns.

Twelve people were injured, five seriously, the state government said.

A 2014 human rights report said the prison was packed with 25 percent more criminals than it could hold, and faulted it for not preventing violent incidents. The prison has long housed members of the Zetas drug gang, known for extreme violence.

One Zetas leader was stabbed to death there in September.

In 2012, at least 44 inmates died in another Nuevo Leon prison when members of the Zetas plotted with prison guards to stage an elaborate escape.

In 2013, at least 13 people were killed and 65 injured in a prison riot, blamed on gang violence, in the central state of San Luis Potosi.

Thursday’s riot was a harsh blow to Nuevo Leon, where many were uplifted when Rodriguez, a blunt, outspoken rancher with a penchant for cowboy hats known as “El Bronco,” or “the gruff one,” defeated President Enrique Pena Nieto´s ruling party last year to win the governorship.

Rodriguez, a former member of Pena Nieto’s Institutional Revolutionary Party, waged a campaign that capitalized on widespread disaffection with the established parties. He was the first independent candidate to win such a post in modern Mexico.

Man sets himself on fire outside London palace of Prince William

A forensic police officer and undertakers strap a body to a gurney near the grounds of Kensington Palace in London, Britain February 9 2016.

A man died on Tuesday after setting himself on fire outside Kensington Palace, the London home of Prince William and his wife Kate, police said.

The incident was not

being treated as suspicious or related to terrorism, they added.

Police said they had been alerted just after midnight by officials from a central London hospital to say a man in their care

had failed to return.

Three hours later, officers were called to a site near the locked parks of the palace, located in Kensington Gardens in central London, after reports of a man acting suspiciously. When they arrived they found the man, in his 40s, ablaze.

He was declared dead not long afterwards.

Kensington Palace is the official London residence of William although he, Kate and their two children, George and Charlotte, spend most of their time at their country mansion in Norfolk, eastern England, close to where the prince works as an air ambulance helicopter pilot.

Wisconsin, couple too drunk to drive, give keys to 9-year-old County, about 75 miles northeast of Minneapolis, according to a criminal complaint.

The deputy arrested the couple when he learned that their 9-year-old daughter was driving them and their baby home in their pickup truck because they were both intoxicated, according A combination photo shows Jason Robert Roth (L) and Amanda Rose Eggert in these to the complaint from the county January 31, 2016 booking photos in Polk County, Wisconsin Sheriff’s Department, prosecutor’s office. released on February 8, 2016.

Eggert also faces several

A Wisconsin couple guilty at the court on Friday to charges stemming from a fight allowed their 9-year-old daughter charges of recklessly endangering she had with paramedics who to drive them and their 11-month- safety and neglecting a child, arrived to help her with a cut on old baby because they were according to the online records. her hand suffered when she was too drunk to do so themselves, On Jan. 31, a sheriff ’s snowmobiling earlier in the day, according to Polk County Circuit deputy responded to a call about court records showed.

Court records. an erratic driver and found Lawyers for the couple

Jason Roth, 36, and the couple and their children were not immediately available Amanda Eggert, 32, pleaded not parked at a boat drop in Polk for comment.

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WORLD NEWS

Hillary Clinton fails to rally women to her history-making bid

Hillary Clinton made the prospect of her being elected the first woman U.S. president a centerpiece of her campaign, then lost a critical nominating contest to a 74-year-old man in part because women preferred him.

NBC News exit polls showed Clinton, a former secretary of state, U.S. senator and first lady, won 44 percent of the women’s vote in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary to 55 percent for her Democratic Party rival, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.

Young women contributed significantly to Clinton’s loss, and the candidate acknowledged that she struggled with young voters.

“I know I have some work to do, particularly with young people,” Clinton said during a concession speech. “Even if they are not supporting me now, I support them.”

With women over 45, Clinton prevailed with 56 percent of the vote, ABC News exit polls found, but Sanders won 69 percent among women

Sanders. Steinem had said young women were drawn to Sanders because that was where the boys were.

With the next nominating contests in Nevada and South Carolina, Clinton will seek to lift her standing among women.

Katherine Wilbur, 20, a geography major at the University of South Carolina from Hopkins, South Carolina, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets supporters at her final 2016 New Hampshire presidential primary said she had yet to decide on a night rally in Hooksett, New Hampshire February 9, 2016 candidate or party. under 45. Among women to fix an economy he said was each other” while introducing “I think that’s under 30, Sanders won a rigged in favor of the wealthy. Clinton at a rally on Saturday. ridiculous. It’s 2016,” Wilbur staggering 82 percent.

Clinton said she was trying Clinton told a young said of the suggestion that Unlike Barack to break the “hardest, highest woman the same day that women should vote for other Obama, who played down glass ceiling.” She campaigned she has to walk a “narrower women. “It’s not important to his African-American roots alongside four women U.S. path” because she has “got to me.” when elected the first black senators, New Hampshire be aware of the fact that I’m Paige Lambert, 23, president eight years ago, in Governor Maggie Hassan and trying to be the first woman who volunteered for the this election cycle Clinton, Lilly Ledbetter, the woman president of the United States Sanders campaign in New 68, has emphasized the for whom an equal-pay law is of America, and there has Hampshire, said she thought breakthrough a Nov. 8 victory named. never been one before, and so the remarks by Steinem and would represent for women. people don’t have, you know, Albright were sexist.

At nearly every SUPPORTERS’ REMARKS an image.”

“I don’t think I should campaign stop in New BACKFIRE

The remarks by have to vote for a woman Hampshire, Clinton or a Albright, the first woman because I am a woman,” supporter emphasized the Former U.S. Secretary to serve as secretary of Lambert said. “If I would role she could play as the first of State Madeleine Albright state, and others by feminist have thought she’d do better, I woman in the White House reprised her line that “there is icon Gloria Steinem were would have voted for her. I’m while Sanders galvanized a special place in hell assailed as disparaging by not just going to vote for her young people with his promise for women who don’t help young women supporters of because she’s a woman.”

Netanyahus wife abused household staff, Israeli court finds pointed to “abusive employment conditions at the prime minister’s residence as a result of Mrs Netanyahu’s behavior and her attitude”, the court said.

“These included exaggerated demands, insults, humiliation and angry outbursts,” according to the 40-page verdict.

In her own appearance before the court, Mrs Netanyahu called the allegations slander and lies. She testified that she enjoyed excellent relations with employees and that she treated them “with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) sits next to his wife Sara during a visit at civility and politeness”. the Expo 2015 global fair in Milan, northern Italy

But, the court said, “this

Benjamin Netanyahu’s imperiousness, and it seemed is not the conclusion reached from wife Sara insulted and raged unlikely the latest case could the evidence presented to us”. Mrs at household staff, creating an cause significant political damage Netanyahu ran the household abusive working environment to her husband, now in his fourth in a “high-handed manner” and at the Israeli prime minister’s term as Israel’s leader. witnesses had been persuasive official residence, a labor court An earlier case, in 2010, and credible, it said. ruled on Wednesday. in which a housekeeper accused “The prime minister’s Allegations of her of being abusive, was settled residence, despite all its inherent mistreatment leveled by Meni out of court. A spokesman at the complexities, should serve as an Naftali, a former chief caretaker prime minister’s office declined example of how workers’ rights at the Jerusalem home, were immediate comment on the labor should be protected,” the court dismissed by the Prime Minister’s court’s verdict. said, noting that “powerless Office as “evil, skewed gossip” Naftali, who resigned in household staff were forced to when the civil lawsuit was filed in 2012 after a 20-month stint at the work very long hours” and that 2014. prime minister’s residence, said turnover at the residence had

But the court, in its 40- he had been subjected to repeated been high. page decision, said testimony scoldings by Mrs Netanyahu.

It ordered the state to pay

by Naftali and other former In one instance, he said, Naftali 80,000 shekels ($21,000) household employees about Mrs she had called him at 3 a.m. for emotional distress and another Netanyahu’s alleged abusive to chide him for buying milk 75,000 shekels ($19,300) over behavior toward them at the packaged in a plastic bag rather unfulfilled promises of tenure Jerusalem residence was credible. than in a carton. and another 15,000 shekels

Sara Netanyahu has ($3,900) to cover court costs. His elicited a multitude of headlines “SLANDER AND LIES” civil suit was brought against his in the past over what family government employer, the prime spokesmen have decried as an Testimony by several minister’s office. undeserved reputation for other former employees also

Spain’s Princess Cristina returns to court in tax fraud trial

Spain’s Princess Cristina returned to court in Palma de Mallorca on Tuesday as defendants began to testify in a fraud trial that centers on her husband’s business affairs and has badly damaged the image of the royal family.

King Felipe’s 50-year-old sister became the first member of the Spanish royal family to stand in the dock at a preliminary hearing in January, and she now faces a full trial on tax fraud charges after an appeal by her lawyers was thrown out.

Cristina will be the last of 17 defendants to testify at the Palma court, where the case is being held. It is still unclear when in February she will take the stand.

All of the accused, including her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, must sit through the statements in the public trial, meaning weeks of media scrutiny on the couple at a time when the monarchy is trying to draw a line under family scandals.

Cristina and Urdangarin arrived together on Tuesday in a chauffeur-driven car with blackedout rear windows and headed into the Mallorcan court.

The couple, who have four children, deny any wrongdoing. Cristina has been charged with two counts of being an accessory to tax fraud, which together carry sentences of up to eight years.

Urdangarin is accused of nine crimes including fraud and tax evasion with a combined possible jail sentence of 19-and-a-half years. The trial is centered on the affairs of the Noos Foundation he ran. The charity was used to embezzle millions of euros in public funds, according to prosecutors.

King Felipe, who has restored much of the monarchy’s popularity with a more austere style, is also in the spotlight over his role as a broker between political parties after Spain’s most fragmented election result in decades.

He has cut off his sister from functions and reduced the size of the royal family, meaning that officially she is no more than a relative. Cristina has also been stripped of her title as Duchess of Palma, though she is yet to give up her right to the throne, for which she is seventh in line.

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WORLD NEWS

Bernie Sanders Secret Service code name revealed

When Bernie Sanders was granted Secret Service protection earlier this month, Twitter users speculated what code name the Vermont senator and Democratic presidential hopeful would be given.

“Larry,” as in Sanders’ chief impersonator Larry David, was a popular choice.

But according to the liberal talk-show host Bill Press, Sanders’ Secret Service code name is “Intrepid.”

The Sanders campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to Press, the name “Intrepid” was chosen for the self-described democratic socialist because of his resolute stand against Wall Street banks.

Sanders is one of four presidential candidates currently receiving Secret Service protection. Hillary Clinton — who has received protection ever since her time as first lady — is referred to as “Evergreen.” (Former President Bill Clinton has too. His code name? “Eagle.”)

Republican hopefuls Donald Trump and Ben Carson were both granted Secret Service protection in the fall.

The billionaire businessman’s code name is “Mogul,” while the retired neurosurgeon goes by “Eli,” a reference to the biblical prophet.

Any presidential candidate can request Secret Service protection, but it must be approved by a congressional advisory committee that includes House Speaker Paul Ryan, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority

Bernie Sanders Leader Harry Reid.

According to CBS News, the criteria to receive protection developed by committee require that a candidate have “some degree of prominence in opinion polls, be actively campaigning in at least 10 state primaries and have received contributions totaling at least $10 million.”

Ryan, who received Secret Service protection in 2012 after being picked as Mitt Romney’s running mate, was called “Bowhunter,” a nod to the Wisconsin congressman’s well-documented hunting skills.

(Romney was known as “Javelin” — a handle thought to refer to a vintage muscle car manufactured

by American Motors Corp., where Romney’s father, George, was once chairman.)

The code name tradition dates back to when communications between the

Secret Service and White House Military Office were not encrypted.

Given modern encryption technology, there is no longer a need to keep the Secret Service code names a secret.

The Secret Service doesn’t formally reveal the code names it gives those under its protection, but “protectee call signs” are often leaked by staffers or the candidates themselves.

President Obama’s Secret Service code name, chosen during his 2008 presidential campaign, is “Renegade.” Michelle Obama’s code name is “Renaissance,” while first daughters Malia and Sasha go by “Radiance” and “Rosebud,” respectively.

Obama’s opponent in the 2008 election, Sen. John McCain, was “Phoenix,” a nod to his home state. McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin, was “Denali.”

Second member of ISIS execution cell identified as Briton

A second member of a British group of Islamic State militants dubbed “the Beatles” has been identified as 32-yearold Londoner Alexanda Kotey, according to a Washington Post and BuzzFeed investigation published on Sunday.

The group, whose leader Mohammed Emwazi gained notoriety for appearing in videos showing the murders of Western hostages, are said by former hostages of Islamic

State to have been assigned to guard foreign prisoners, and were nicknamed “the Beatles” due to their English accents.

Londoner Emwazi, referred to by British media as “Jihadi John”, is believed to have been killed in a U.S. drone strike last year.

The Washington Post and BuzzFeed said Kotey was a soccer fan who had grown up in West London and converted to Islam in his early

20s, after meeting a Muslim woman with whom he had two children. He had attended the same mosque as Emwazi, they reported.

Kotey has a Greek Cypriot mother and Ghanaian father, and left Britain in 2009 to travel to Gaza as part of an aid convoy, the report said.

The Washington Post said a U.S. intelligence official had confirmed that Kotey had traveled to Syria.

Australia is expected to legalize the cultivation of cannabis for medical or scientific purposes with a bill introduced to parliament on Wednesday -- the first step towards doctors eventually prescribing it to patients with chronic pain.

The bill will see Australia create a national licensing and permit scheme to supply medical cannabis to patients with painful and chronic conditions on clinical trials.

Several Australian states have committed to starting trials for the cultivation of cannabis for medical and research purposes but current laws forbid the growing of the plant.

As a result Australian manufacturers, researchers and patients on clinical trials have been forced to access international supplies of legal medicinal marijuana. But costs, limited supply and export barriers make this challenging.

“Allowing controlled cultivation locally will provide the critical missing piece for a sustainable legal supply of safe medicinal cannabis products for Australian patients in the future,” said Australia’s Health Minister Sussan Ley.

Although the legislation would aid supply to researchers and patients on clinical trials, access to cannabis will not be allowed for other patients and the general public.

Australia is set to decide by the end of March as to whether to lower the criteria on how it allows the use of cannabis for medical purposes.

Should Australia decide to treat cannabis similar to opium, patients dealing with chronic pain could be prescribed the drug.

MMJ PhytoTech Ltd became Australia’s first listed medicinal marijuana company following an initial public offering last year that was three times oversubscribed.

“The market for medicinal cannabis in Australia is substantial. The number of patients that could be targeted could be people with epilepsy, Multiple sclerosis, while there is the other spectrum of people with chronic pain,” said Gaelan Bloomfield, manager at MMJ PhytoTech Ltd.

New multi million dollar deal for Shaggy

Shaggy has reportedly signed a multialbum deal with Brooklyn Knights, a New York independent record label. The Grammy-winning deejay announced the arrangement on his Instagram page last weekend.

Last year, Brooklyn Knights helped promote the hit single Habibi (I Need Your Love)by Shaggy featuring Mohombi, Faydee and Costi. The song peaked at number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was Shaggy’s first major hit in 14 years.

Dee Sonaram, CEO for Brooklyn Knights, is a music industry veteran. Born in the United States Virgin Islands, Sonaram interned at Profile Records shortly after graduating from Syracuse University.

He has done stints at Robbins Entertainment/ BMG; Casino Entertainment, Koch Records and Interscope Records.

Brooklyn Knights has distribution through quickly to design the mission.

War Two. More than a million RED Distribution LLC, which is owned by Sony

“We are sailing the ships asylum-seekers arrived last year. Music Entertainment.

Shaggy has been affiliated with three major in the appropriate direction,” Unlike the EU’s maritime Breedlove told a news conference, mission off the Italian coast, labels. He was first signed to Virgin Records which and the mission plan would be which brings rescued migrants to released his debut album Pure Pleasure in 1993; refined during the time they were Europe’s shores, NATO will return Original Dobermanin 1994, 1995’s Boombastic and en route. “That’s about 24 hours,” migrants to Turkey even if they 1997’s Midnite Lover.

The multi-platinum Hot Shot (2000) and he said. are picked up in Greek waters.

The plan, which was Britain’s defense minister said 2002’s gold-selling Lucky Day were both issued by first raised only on Monday by that marked a significant change MCA Records.

Clothes Drop, released in 2005, was Germany and Turkey, took NATO in policy. “They won’t be taken by surprise and is aimed at to Greece and that’s a crucial distributed by Geffen Records. helping the continent tackle its difference,” Michael Fallon told Shaggy’s previous album, 2013’s Out of Many, One Music, was released by his Ranch Entertainment. worst migration crisis since World reporters.

NATO launches sea mission against migrant traffickers

NATO ships are on their way to the Aegean Sea to help Turkey and Greece crack down on criminal networks smuggling refugees into Europe, the alliance’s top commander said on Thursday.

Hours after NATO defense ministers agreed to use their maritime force in the eastern Mediterranean to help combat traffickers, Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Philip Breedlove said he was working

Australia set to legalize cultivation of medical cannabis

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BUSINESS &

TECHNOLOGY

Burger King set to introduce hot dogs McDonald’s offering breakfast items all day to spark a turnaround, while Wendy’s offers a “4 for $4” deal to get customers in the door. In 2014, Burger King’s sales rose 2.1 percent at established locations in the U.S. and Canada. Parent company Restaurant Brands International Inc. reports results for 2015 next week.

The hot dogs are being supplied Kraft Heinz, which owns Oscar Mayer. Investment firm 3G Capital manages both Restaurant This Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, photo, shows a Burger King “classic” hot dog at a media event to Brands and Kraft Heinz. introduce the restaurant’s new menu item, in New York.

Macedo said hot dogs would

NEW YORK — Burger King obvious product launch ever,” said build on Burger King’s momentum is looking for a new crown: Hot Dog Alex Macedo, president of Burger given their growing popularity, King.

King North America. including at trendy eateries.

The Miami-based chain says With the launch, Burger Tests of the hot dogs in a it plans to put hot dogs on its menu King says it will offer hot dogs at all handful of cities last year resulted in nationally for the first time starting 7,100 of its U.S. restaurants — more unspecified sales increases, according Feb. 23. It may seem like a jarring U.S. locations than any other chain. to Burger King. The food-review addition for those who know the Smaller chains that sell hot dogs website The Impulsive Buy noted the chain for its Whoppers. But Burger include Dairy Queen and Sonic Drive- hot dogs seem “small and not quite King says its ability to flame-grill In. substantial enough” but otherwise meat makes hot dogs a natural fit on The move comes as Burger gave them a positive review. its menu.

King works to push up sales amid Still, fast-food history is

“This is probably the most intensifying competition, with riddled with menu flops, and Burger

BMW, Volkswagen, Daimler recall vehicles in U.S. with Takata air bags

The three largest German automakers said they will recall 2.5 million vehicles in the United States equipped with Takata Corp air bags, the latest moves in a long-running safety crisis involving the Japanese automotive supplier.

On Wednesday, Volkswagen AG said it would recall 850,000 vehicles and BMW said it would recall 840,000 vehicles. That followed Tuesday’s announcement by Daimler AG that it was recalling 840,000 vehicles.

The vehicles to be recalled have Takata-made air bag inflators that the Japanese supplier declared defective last month, affecting 5.1 million vehicles in the United States. The recalls by the German automakers bring the announced vehicle recalls to the total outlined

by Takata.

These recalls involve newer model-year vehicles than previous ones involving Takata. The BMW recalls include one 2015 model.

The recalls mark the latest expansion of a safety crisis over defective Takata air bags that began in 2009. Some 24 million U.S. vehicles involving about 28 million Takata air bag inflators have been recalled.

Earlier, Honda Motor Co recalled 2.23 million U.S. vehicles in the most recent Takata expansion.

Ford Motor Co has recalled 361,000 Ranger pickup trucks and Mazda Motor Corp nearly 20,000 B-Series

trucks.

The recalls by the German companies were limited to the U.S. market. Daimler, VW and BMW each said they are not aware of any air bag failures in their vehicles.

The most recent recalls were prompted in part by the December death of the driver of a Ford Ranger pickup, as well as new tests conducted on suspected faulty air bags. Ten deaths worldwide and nine in the United States have been linked to Takata’s air bag inflators, all but one involving a Honda model.

Most of Daimler’s vehicles involved are from its Mercedes-Benz brand.

Daimler said it would take a charge of 340 million euros ($383 million) to cover the cost of the recall.

It will account for this by revising its 2015 financial results published last week, lowering net profit to 8.7 billion euros and earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to 13.2 billion euros, from 8.9 billion and 13.5 billion euros respectively.

VW’s recalls include its main Volkswagen brand with 680,000 recalled vehicles and its luxury Audi brand with 170,000 vehicles recalled.

VW said its U.S. recalls include 2006 to 2010 model year Passat sedans and wagons made in Germany; 2012-2014 Eos as well as Passats made in the United States; 2010-2014 Golf and Jetta SportWagen; and 2009-2014 Volkswagen CC.

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King is no exception. In 2013, for instance, the chain launched lowercalorie fries called “Satisfries.” They failed less than a year later.

Macedo recalled another Burger King failure from the past.

“At some point, they tried popcorn. They would give it away for free to guests in the restaurants. I wasn’t here, but I hear a lot about the popcorn days,” Macedo said.

Burger King’s “Grilled Dogs” will come in two varieties. The “classic” hot dog will be topped with ketchup, mustard, chopped onions and relish, and 310 calories. The company suggesting franchisees sell it for $1.99. A chili cheese version has 330 calories, with the suggested price of $2.39.

To get workers excited, Burger King says it enlisted Snoop Dogg and Charo to star in training videos for making the hot dogs. The company says they’re internal videos, but allowed reporters to record them on their phones, meaning they’re likely for marketing purposes.

American Express looks to grow small business loan revenue

Corporate logos are seen on the rear of a Costco membership card/American Express credit card in this photo illustration taken in Toronto, Ontario

American Express Co wants to grow small-business lending to make up for revenue it expects to lose after its credit card partnership with Costco Wholesale Corp ends this year.

Last week, American Express said it will pay an undisclosed amount to feature its charge cards on Fundera, an online marketplace. AmEx hopes small-business owners will compare loan terms and rates and choose its cards over traditional loans. The company is bracing for the end of co-branded cards with Costco that accounted for 8 percent of worldwide annual spending on AmEx cards in 2014, and 20 percent of the company’s outstanding loans.

The planned end of the partnership in March has been delayed a few months because it has taken more time to move customers to a new card, the Seattle Times reported last week.

To make up for that lost revenue, American Express has focused on small-business loans,

where it already has a foothold. It views small-business cards as an area with room to grow in the near term, unlike consumer spending.

In 2014, American Express cards for small businesses funded $190 billion in purchases, up from $122 billion in 2010. The company considers cards an untapped form of small-business funding, because small businesses tend to rely more heavily on cash and traditional loans.

Only 10 percent of small-business spending takes place on cards.

At AmEx’s investor day last year, management highlighted its small-business loan operation as an area of focus.

“One of the very most important things we’re doing as a company is lending and funding,” David Rabkin, AmEx’s senior vice president of smallbusiness customer acquisition, said in an interview. “Putting our cards on Fundera marketplace is part of that.”

The charge cards American Express offers on Fundera, called Open, are designed for companies that need to fund large spot purchases of inventory or raw materials, and can pay off the balance in full each month. The Open cards do not charge interest, but carry an annual fee. Spending limits adjust with usage and payment history.

There may be pain ahead as American Express works to grow small-business lending. The credit-card business has gotten more competitive because banks and card issuers view the loans and transaction fees as a relatively stable source of revenue. Also, consumer spending has slowed despite cheaper gasoline. American Express shares have fallen 25 percent so far this year.

The company plans to cut $1 billion in costs by the end of 2017.

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WORLD NEWS BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

Twitter disappoints investors as user growth hits wall

Twitter Inc reported its first quarter with no growth in users since it went public, stoking fresh concerns on how long it will take for the company to reverse the trend.

The stalled growth in the average number of active monthly users came despite a series of changes to make Twitter easier and more engaging.

While the company said it is taking additional steps - including launching changes to the timeline of tweets earlier Wednesday - it told investors not to expect immediate results.

“Our work will take time” before the company can create long-term shareholder value, said Executive Chairman Omid Kordestani on a call with analysts.

Twitter shares fell in afterhours trading as its revenue forecast for the current quarter missed analysts’ expectations. They were down 2.5 percent after a call with analysts ended.

The company’s share price has declined more than 50 percent since Jack Dorsey, one of the founders, returned to Twitter in July. They closed up 4 percent at $14.98 in regular trade.

“The platform’s overall growth is underwhelming,” said Randy Giusto, vice president and lead analyst with Outsell, a research and advisory firm.

“They have plateaued and can’t look

to India or China as those markets are dominated by messaging apps like WhatsApp, as well as Apple and Google’s proprietary, pre-installed platforms.”

The microblogging service forecast first-quarter revenue of between $595 million and $610 million, well below the average analyst estimate of $627.1 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Twitter said in a filing it had 320 million average monthly active users in the quarter, unchanged from the third quarter and lagging a forecast for 323 million users from RBC Capital Markets.

But Dorsey said that monthly active usage in January “has bounced back to Q3 levels.”

Facing slowing user growth, Twitter has been experimenting under Dorsey, who became interim CEO in July and then CEO in October, to make its website more engaging.

The change to the timeline made Wednesday is the most dramatic since his return. Twitter is altering the way it displays tweets on its home page - customizing them to individual users.

The change is designed to appeal to advertisers by giving more prominence to tweets that advertisers pay for.

It is not clear whether the new timeline will work. Giusto said that “so far beta testing comments

Instagram now shows how many times your videos have been viewed

Similar to Facebook, you’ll now be able to see how many times an Instagram video has been viewed by the app’s 400 million-plus users.

Today the company is beginning to roll out view counts, which will appear below video posts where likes would normally appear.

You can tap the view count to see the number of likes for each video. but Instagram says it’s giving priority to views because “it’s the best way to show how the community is engaging with video.”

According to the company’s blog post, the amount of time people spend watch videos on Instagram has jumped up 40 percent. “We are seeing wildly creative and engaging first-person narratives come to life on Instagram.”

Video views won’t really make any difference for everyday Instagram users like you and I. But for the app’s most popular creators, it’s a pivotal metric to see how their content is faring on Instagram versus, say, Vine or YouTube.

“We think it’s important to help someone like Zach King, who is getting 5m views/day, or Rachel Ryle, who is getting hundreds of thousands of views/ video, understand the depth of ways people are engaging with their videos.” It’s also something advertisers are keenly interested in. Instagram registers a view each time any video has been watched for at least 3 seconds — identical to Facebook’s approach.

Today the company will begin testing view counts with some users before rolling out the feature to everyone over the coming weeks.

Matthew O. Edwards (@Matt_ Edwards95).

And some analysts have said the earlier efforts, including Moments, which showcases Twitter’s best tweets and content, have not taken off.

“It’s still unclear how Twitter will monetize Moments. Most likely it will be some form of sponsored or native ads wrapped around individual moments,” said Giusto.

An exodus of some top executives last month added to concerns about its ability to reignite A 3D printed Twitter logo is seen in front of displayed stock graph in this illustration picture growth. The departures came as investors have already raised concerns made in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, about Dorsey’s dual role as CEO of February 3, 2016. mobile payments company Square Inc. are not favorable. So far, we don’t see “We have a structure that these changes attracting new users.” allows me to see what’s happening

Van Wiemer (@shidolido) in the week (at Twitter and Square),” tweeted on Wednesday: “Twitter Dorsey told analysts. “We set off the strongest trait was getting news up- week together at both companies and to-date. Popular tweets on timeline we have checkpoints and then the are of no use. Users are leaving, soon balance of my time is really spent on me. #RIPTwitter.” recruiting.”

On Wednesday, the hashtag Revenue rose 48.3 percent to #RIPTwitter was used roughly 20 $710.5 million in the quarter ended times per minute, according to social Dec. 31. media analytic firm Zoomph. The Twitter’s net loss shrank to hashtag had previously been the top $90.2 million, or 13 cents per share, trending item in the U.S. on Twitter in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31 over the weekend, when rumors of the from $125.4 million, or 20 cents per changes first emerged. share, a year earlier. Excluding items,

“Can only assume @Jack it earned 16 cents per share. has had a bet with Marissa Mayer Analysts had expected a who can bankrupt their company profit of 12 cents per share on revenue first. #RIPTwitter #Yahoo,” tweeted of $709.9 million.

More Americans quitting jobs as labor market strengthens

Job openings, a measure of labor demand, increased 261,000 to a seasonally adjusted 5.61 million in December, the Labor Department said in its monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). It was the second highest reading since the series started in 2001.

The so-called JOLTS report is among the data watched

by Federal Reserve officials to get a pulse on both the labor market and inflation.

The increase lifted the jobs openings rate to 3.8 percent from 3.6 percent in November.

The hiring rate was unchanged A sign marks the entrance to a job fair in at 3.7 percent, indicating that New York employers were having trouble

U.S. job openings surged finding qualified workers for in December and the number of vacant positions.

Americans voluntarily quitting A total of 3.1 million work hit a nine-year high, pointing Americans quit their jobs in to labor market strength despite a December, the highest number slowdown in economic growth. since December 2006. That

The signs of a robust pushed the quits rate, which jobs market could ease concerns the Fed looks at as a measure about the health of the economy, of confidence in the jobs market, which were underscored by other to 2.1 percent - the highest level reports on Tuesday showing a since April 2008. drop in small business confidence The dollar pared losses in January to a two-year low and against the yen after the data, further declines in wholesale while U.S. stocks briefly reversed inventories. losses. Prices of long-dated U.S.

“If the labor market is Treasuries were trading higher. tightening, can the economy The report came ahead of really be faltering?” said Joel Fed Chair Janet Yellen’s testimony Naroff, chief economist at Naroff to Congress on Wednesday. A Economic Advisors in Holland, raft of weak economic reports, Pennsylvania. plummeting oil prices and a stock

market sell-off have raised doubts as to whether the U.S. central bank will hike interest rates this year.

The Fed raised its overnight benchmark interest rate in December, its first hike in nearly a decade. The economy, however, has been undermined by a strong dollar, sluggish global demand and an effort by businesses to sell off inventory.

Ongoing capital spending cuts by energy firms also are weighing on growth.

SLACK BEING REDUCED

“Skeptics may argue that these (JOLTS) numbers are backward looking, and that spillovers from tighter financial conditions or the energy slump will curb labor market dynamics in the months to come,” said Harm Bandholz, chief U.S. economist at UniCredit Research in New York.

“This is certainly a risk and one important reason why the Fed is currently sitting back and waiting. But why should this happen now when it hasn’t over the past several months? After all, oil prices started to fall in mid2014, and most of the adjustment occurred in the first half of 2015.”

The number of unemployed job seekers per open job, a measure of labor market slack, fell to 1.4 in December, the lowest level since March 2007 and down from 1.5 in November.

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BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY WORLD NEWS

Obama proposes $4 trillion spending plan in final White House budget

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a meeting with members of his national security team and cybersecurity advisors

U.S. President Barack Obama proposed a $4.1 trillion spending plan for fiscal year 2017 on Tuesday in a final White House budget that met immediate Republican resistance for its cost and reliance on tax hikes to fund domestic priorities.

Obama, a Democrat who leaves office next January, sought to outline his fiscal and political vision for the country with proposed investments in infrastructure, cyber security, education, and job growth.

It also includes more than $11 billion for the Departments of Defense and State to fight Islamic State militants and stabilize Syria - one measure that could draw bipartisan support.

But the plan is primarily a political document and is unlikely to be embraced by the Republican-controlled Congress.

Paul Ryan, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, called it a “manual for growing the federal government at the expense of hardworking Americans.”

The budget envisions a deficit of $503 billion in fiscal 2017 after a $616 billion budget gap in the current fiscal year ending on Sept. 30.

It seeks to cut deficits by $2.9 trillion over 10 years largely through smaller tax breaks for wealthy earners, new savings in Medicare healthcare, and assumptions that adoption of its policies on immigration reform and other areas would boost economic growth.

“The budget that we’re releasing today reflects my priorities and the priorities that I believe will help advance security and prosperity in America for many years to come,” Obama told

reporters at the White House after a meeting with national security advisers on cyber security.

“It drives down the deficit. It includes smart savings on healthcare, immigration, tax reform,” he said.

The budget seeks $19 billion for cyber security investments across the U.S. government.

White House officials sought to play down the portrayal of the budget as dead on arrival in Congress. They noted bipartisan support for increases in funds for cancer research, opioid addiction programs and anti-poverty measures such as an expansion of the earned income tax credit (EITC), which helps low-income taxpayers.

Other proposals were clear non-starters, though, including one to levy a $10.25 per barrel tax on imported and domestically produced oil to fund transportation infrastructure such as mass transit and high speed rail.

“The president’s final budget continues his focus on new spending proposals instead of confronting our country’s massive overspending and skyrocketing $19 trillion in debt,” said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi.

BIPARTISAN DIVIDE The budget forecasts that deficits would average 2.5 percent of U.S. economic output over 10 years compared to about 4.0 percent in the Congressional Budget Office’s estimate, which is based on existing tax and spending laws.

It stayed within the bounds of an agreement reached between the White House and Congress

last year that lifted mandatory “sequestration” cuts on both defense and domestic spending.

The budget proposes lifting the limits entirely from 2018.

Obama and Ryan agree on some anti-poverty policies, but the general differences between the two men and their parties are vast, particularly in a presidential election year.

Underscoring that divide and the fact that the budget is Obama’s last, Republican lawmakers took the unusual step of not inviting Obama’s budget director Shaun Donovan to brief about the proposal.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest, who has likened the snub to Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump’s decision to skip a debate with fellow candidates before the Iowa nominating contest, challenged Republicans to move on areas of compromise.

“The question really for Republicans at this point is, are they going to do anything? Are they going to use their majority in Congress to strengthen our cyber security, to fight opioid addiction, to cure cancer, or are they not?” he said.

Congress can advance elements of the budget without endorsing the entire proposal.

Republicans are especially resistant to the White House’s tax proposals.

The budget takes aim at tax breaks for the wealthy that have been perennial targets, including the “carried interest” loophole allowing investment fund managers to treat income as capital gains. It would also increase the top tax rate on capital gains and impose the “Buffett Rule” to ensure that millionaires pay a tax rate of no less than 30 percent of their income after charitable contributions.

In addition, it proposes a new fee on the liabilities of the largest banks that would raise $111 billion over 10 years and discourage excessive leverage in the financial system.

The budget foresees $375 billion in new 10-year savings to federal healthcare programs, including several changes to the Medicare program for seniors.

The budget calls for $152 billion in research and development, an increase of 4 percent over fiscal year 2016.

Audi, BMW sell fewer luxury cars than Mercedes

Germany’s Audi and BMW sold fewer vehicles in January than luxury rival Mercedes-Benz, which has benefited from a continued surge in Chinese demand for its compact cars and sport-utility vehicles (SUV).

Volkswagen’s flagship division Audi and BMW, the world’s biggest luxury carmaker,

on Wednesday both posted single-digit gains in Chinese deliveries, which are dwarfed by the 52 percent jump at Mercedes reported last week.

Global sales at Audi, which slipped behind Mercedes last year for the first time since 2010, rose 4 percent from yearago levels to a record 143,150 cars, the automaker said,

powered by redesigned versions of its top-selling A4 saloon and the flagship Q7 SUV.

Munich-based BMW posted a 7.5 percent increase to 133,883 cars at its core brand and predicted the “positive trend” to continue through 2016 despite volatility in many markets such as Russia, Brazil and China.

Staples wins EU approval for $6.3 billion Office Depot buy

Staples Inc’s proposed takeover of Office Depot Inc has been approved by European regulators after the U.S. office supplies retailer agreed to sell some of the European operations of its smaller rival.

The approval comes two months after the U.S. antitrust regulator filed a complaint to block the $6.3-billion deal on concerns that it would reduce competition for nationwide contracts for office supplies in the United States.

Staples said on Wednesday that it agreed to sell Office Depot’s contract distribution business in Europe and all operations in Sweden.

The companies will also divest Office Depot’s retail, online and catalog operations in Europe.

“The commitments remove the entire overlap between the merging companies in all markets where concerns were raised, thus ensuring that an important alternative will remain available on these highly concentrated markets,” the European Commission said in a statement.

Besides the litigation with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the companies are facing heavy scrutiny from the Canadian Competition Bureau.

Staples had said it was willing to continue talks with the FTC to address the regulator’s concerns.

The acquisition has been approved in Australia, New Zealand, China and Europe.

Burberry sues JC Penney for selling knockoff jackets, scarves

Burberry Group Plc, the British luxury fashion brand, sued J. C. Penney Co on Tuesday, accusing the U.S. retailer of trademark infringement for selling outerwear that featured exact copies of its famous “Burberry check” pattern.

In a complaint filed in U.S. district court in Manhattan, Burberry accused J.C. Penney of illegally selling “quilted jackets” with the pattern, as well as “scarf coats” in which scarves carrying the pattern were sold with matching coats.

Burberry said it has used its check trademark since the 1920s, in its original red, camel, black and white color combination as well as other combinations.

It said J.C. Penney kept selling its infringing products for two months after the Plano, Texas-based retailer learned of Burberry’s objections.

The Levy Group, a Manhattan distributor accused of supplying the infringing merchandise, was also named as a defendant.

“Even though defendants’ infringing products are of inferior quality, they appear superficially similar to genuine Burberry products,” Burberry said. “Defendants’ actions are intended to deceive and mislead consumers into believing that defendants’ or their products are authorized, sponsored by or connected to Burberry.”

J.C. Penney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Levy had no one available to comment.

The lawsuit seeks a halt to further infringements, plus either triple damages, the disgorgement of illegal profit, or up to $2 million for each infringed trademark.

Founded in 1856, Burberry is one of many luxury brands to sue over the sale of alleged knockoffs that they fear can reduce sales, or damage reputations and customer goodwill.

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Career Opportunities:

Grace Bay Resorts is looking for candidates that have the requirements listed along with an outgoing professional manner. They love to work with different types of people, meet challenges with a positive attitude and live the standards of our organization. Their management style is one that balances a commitment to people and their development with business/financial accountability and delivers an exceptional guest experience

Fine Dining Restaurant Manager Requirements:

•Certification in Food & Beverage Management •A minimum of 4 years experience operating a luxury a la carte restaurant •Experience in quality and efficiency initiatives •Must be able to work with different types of people, meet challenges with a positive attitude and live the standards of our organization.

•Responsible for ordering and receiving food and beverage shipments.

•Maintain food and equipment inventories, and keep inventory records.

•Responsible for hiring and training restaurant staff •Evaluate employees and conduct shift line ups and restaurant cost controls •Micros Administrative Knowledge Required.

•Certified Departmental Trainer •Extensive knowledge of wines from around the world (Sommelier educational training would be an added advantage) •Expertise in fine wines and knowledge of Wine Spectator’s Award Process.

•Ability to conduct Wine Training / tasting and pairing with food.

Qualified Belongers need only apply.

Salary Range: Commensurate based on qualification and experience

Director of Sales / Reservations Requirements:

•A Degree in Hotel Administration or equivalent work experience •Previous experience in Reservations Department •Previous experience in Sales and Yield Management •To efficiently manage the Reservations Department with minimal costs and maximum profitability through proficient management of staff, internal controls, administration of company policies & excellent guest service.

•At least 5 years of direct related experience as a Director of Sales and or Reservations for a 5 star luxury property •Conduct department meetings as required and attends staff hotel meetings.

•Communicates with all hotel departments and staff to ensure the efficient operation of Sales and Reservations Department.

•Energetic, positive visionary leader, dedicated to motivating and developing team members.

Qualified Belongers need only apply Salary Range: Commensurate based on qualification and experience

Also accepting applications for: •Cook •Housekeeper •Public Area Attendant •Bartenders •Assistant Restaurant Manager Interested persons can contact our Human Resources Department no later than February 26, 2016 @ (649) 946-5050 Ext. 1030 Email: sheba.wilson@gracebayclub.com Fax: (649) 946-5758 P.O. Box 128 Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands, British West Indies

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

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LOCAL SPORTS

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

TCIRFU Travels to Grand Turk Schools to Offer Free Rugby Training Sessions

“Coach Aussie Dickenson from Turks and Caicos Islands Rugby Football Union, along with visiting coach, Brennan Guy from Canada, organized further rugby training sessions at some of the schools on Grand Turk on 28th and 29th January 2016.

All schools throughout TCI are being asked to contact Dan Willis at TCIRFU to organize their FREE rugby training sessions with TCIRFU’s registered and qualified rugby coaches.

The annual (non-contact) Inter-Schools Tag Festival is taking place again this year on 16th April and the FREE training sessions are a great way for TCI schools to get involved with the competition.

Children from Ona Glinton School thoroughly enjoyed the session and got involved with the rugby action as part of the FREE “Get into Rugby”

programmed organized by TCIRFU and the visiting guest rugby coaches from Canada.

The coaches were joined by players from TCI’s national rugby team, who helped coach the children for a two hour session in the art of the beautiful game of rugby. The session focused on passing, team skills and fitness, as well as the values of the game – integrity, respect, solidarity, passion and discipline. In the afternoon, the coaches visited H.J. Robinson High School and hosted a rugby training session with the students and their rugby team, The Stallions. The students at H.K. Robinson High School focused on more advanced rugby drills and techniques, with the training session being a resounding success.

All of the TCI schools visited, as part of the “Get into Rugby” programme, and have expressed

a desire and enthusiasm for more a real advantage when it comes to sessions and an eagerness for the international competitions. TCIRFU popular sport to feature in TCI’s is hoping TCIG follows suit and adds national curriculum. Several other rugby to the national curriculum in Caribbean territories, including Belize, TCI, to give TCI a greater chance of Bermuda and Cayman already teach winning when it comes to playing rugby rugby in their schools, giving them on the international stage.”

TCIFA Players to Attend College Showcase Tournament

TCIFA Academy players Makenson Cadet and James lee Louis will be going to the CDL College Showcase Tournament in Tampa, Florida, between February 12 - 14, 2016. It is expected that in excess of 100 College Coaches will be present to observe and analyse the players with a view to offering them scholarships to prospective colleges in the United States. It is understood that Mackenson (a midfielder) will be assigned to FKK’s Under 16 team and James lee (an attacking left side defender) will play with the Under 17 team during the tournament.

In 2015 the TCIFA invited Hue Menzies to visit as part of our Guest Coaches Program. Mr. Menzies is the Executive Director and Head of Coaching at Florida Kraze Krush, a very large soccer club in Orlando Florida. Mr. Menzies is also the Technical Director of the Jamaica Women’s Football Program. During his time here Mackenson and James lee were among players identified to be guest players for various age group teams at Florida Kraze Krush during significant tournaments in 2016. The CDL College Showcase Tournament is the first of TCIFA President Sonia Bein-Aime flanked by James Lee Louis and Makenson Cadet, in the departure area of the Providenciales Airport this morning, prior to their flight to Miami such.

“This is a massive opportunity for the players and is committed to creating additional pathways the players, the TCIFA and the country”; words to express themselves on the field knowing that the for the further development of our elite players and from our President, Sonia Bien-Aime Both players possibility of a college scholarship could be the result this is just one example. There is a lot of talent in are enthused and eager to impress during this if they conduct themselves in an exemplary fashion our program and we as an association will always tournament. They leave on February 10, 2016 and both on and off the field. The TCIFA recognizes Endeavour to expose this talent for the benefit of return on February 15, 2016.

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

WORLD

SPORTS

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Manning says retirement decision will wait

saying instead that a former coach of his had advised him never to make an emotional decision.

“This has been a very emotional week, an emotional night, and I’ve got a couple of priorities. I’ll take some time to reflect,” said Manning, whose ability to analyze defenses at the line of Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton scrimmage and switch plays Manning (18) hands the Vince Lombardi Trophy to his teammates after beating started a widespread trend in the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium. the league.

Peyton Manning many expect to be the final “I’m going to drink crowned a brilliant NFL game of his storied career. a lot of beer tonight. (Super career on Sunday as he helped When he took his Bowl MVP) Von Miller’s steer the Denver Broncos to a turn on the winner’s podium buying. I’m going to say a Super Bowl victory but put to hoist the championship prayer and a thank you to his retirement decision on Vince Lombardi Trophy, NFL the man upstairs for this hold.

Commissioner Roger Goodell opportunity as well.”

The 39-year-old said: “I don’t know if this is Earlier, as gold confetti Manning, who revolutionized your last rodeo, but we all commemorating the Super the position while winning want to thank you for the Bowl’s golden anniversary a record five NFL most ride.” danced in the air, Manning valuable player awards, said But Manning was in stopped for an on-field he wanted some time to no mood to overshadow his interview. reflect after playing in what team’s victory celebration, “It’s very special.

This game was much like this season has been. It tested our toughness, resilience our unselfishness,” he said.

Manning completed 13 of 23 passes for 141 yards and one interception in his team’s 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

It was not vintage Manning, but the astute field general directed a relatively clean attack and gave the dominant Denver defense a chance to carry the Broncos to victory.

With the triumph, Manning became the first NFL quarterback ever to reach 200 career wins (186 in the regular season and 14 in postseason), breaking his tie with Brett Favre, who on Saturday was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In the process, Manning became the oldest quarterback to win a Super

Bowl and the first signal caller to win Super Bowls for two franchises after winning the championship nine years ago with the Indianapolis Colts.

It had been an especially difficult season for Manning, a one-time NFL ironman at the position before missing the 2011 season due to neck surgeries. This past year a foot injury sidelined him for nearly two months.

Head coach Gary Kubiak, a former backup quarterback for the Broncos, said he told Manning after the game how proud he was of him.

“I could sit here all night and tell you (about) the meetings he and I went through over the course of the last 10 weeks when he was injured (and) working his way back -- battling his way back for the football team.”

Bad publicity leads Nestle to end IAAF partnership

Dec 19, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) is defended by Houston Rockets forward Donatas Motiejunas (20) in the second half at Toyota Center

Clippers suspend Griffin four games for punching incident

The Los Angeles Clippers have suspended forward Blake Griffin four games and will withhold his pay for an additional contest for punching an equipment manager last month, the NBA team said on Tuesday.

The Clippers said the Jan. 23 incident in Toronto, which left the fivetime All-Star with a broken hand and was expected to keep him sidelined four to six weeks, has no place in its organization.

“Blake is remorseful and has apologized for his actions,” the Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and head coach Doc Rivers said in a joint statement.

“He understands his actions have consequences, and is eager to get back to work with his teammates, the organization and

Clipper Nation which starts immediately with rehab, appearances and attendance at games.”

The Clippers, who revealed that the NBA assisted them in setting Griffin’s punishment, also said they will donate the salary from the five games Griffin will miss to charities focused on disadvantaged youth in Los Angeles.

At his request, the team also said Blake, who was selected by the Clippers with the first overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, requested to spend time with the charities.

Griffin, 26, is averaging 23.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game this season but has not played since Christmas Day because of a partially torn left quadriceps tendon.

Swiss food Nestle had a giant Nestle will end its partnership with the IAAF partnership with the Kids Athletics program.

International Association of “The IAAF is in Athletics Federations because discussion with Nestle of scandal surrounding the concerning the final year of sport, the company said on its five-year partnership with Wednesday.

IAAF Kids’ Athletics,” the

The IAAF is in IAAF said in a statement. turmoil following widespread “This has been a allegations of corruption and successful program with 15 bribery. million kids aged 7 to 12 years

“This decision was in 76 countries taking part taken in light of negative in fun team activities which publicity associated with promotes a healthy, active life allegations of corruption and style.” doping in sport made against An independent the IAAF,” Nestle said in a commission of the World statement.

Anti-Doping Agency has

“We believe this stated in a report that could negatively impact our “corruption was embedded” at reputation and image and the organization. will therefore terminate our The report said that existing agreement with the a clique run by former IAAF IAAF, established in 2012.” president Lamine Diack

covered up organized doping and blackmailed athletes while senior officials looked the other way.

Diack is under formal investigation in France on suspicion of corruption and money-laundering linked to concealing positive drug tests, in concert with Russian officials.

Sebastian Coe, the British former 1,500 meters Olympic champion, took over as IAAF President last year with the aim of cleaning up the organization, but the loss of the Nestle partnership is another major blow.

German sportswear company Adidas AG will also end its sponsorship deal with the IAAF almost four years early, the BBC reported last month.

Gasol out indefinitely with broken foot

A bad week for the Memphis Grizzlies got worse on Tuesday with the news that AllStar center Marc Gasol will be out “indefinitely” with a broken right foot.

It will be a blow to the Spanish national team as well six months before the Olympic Games.

The Grizzlies released a statement that Gasol’s “MRI revealed a fracture in his right foot”. The team did not say exactly how and when the injury occurred.

Gasol has averaged 16.6 points and seven rebounds in 52 games for Memphis this season.

The Spanish team is expected to be one of the strongest challengers to vie for the

gold medal with the United States at the Rio Olympics.

“God willing, next year I will be well, without injuries, and I’ll be able to help the national team,” Gasol said last July after missing the EuroBasket 2015, which Spain won without him.

More immediately, the Grizzlies will have to carry out without one of their lynchpins.

They have lost their past two games in overtime and are fifth in the powerful Western Conference with a 30-22 record.

Gasol, 31, is part of a famous basketball family. His brother Pau plays for the Chicago Bulls and is also an important part of the Spanish team.

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

FEBRUARY 13TH, 2016 – FEBRUARY 20TH, 2016

Published by SUN MEDIA GROUP, Turks and Caicos Islands | Tel:649 339 5879 | Fax: 649 941 3281