DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
Website: www.suntci.com
VOLUME 15 - NO. 49
Email: sun@suntci.com
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DIGICEL BILLIONS IN DEBT by Hayden Boyce Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
T
he Digicel Group is facing a billion dollar debt crisis and has recently been downgraded by two of the world’s top ratings agencies, Fitch and Moody’s, The SUN can confirm. According to international reports, the Denis O’Brien-owned Digicel Group, the parent company of Digicel TCI, faces “imminent refinancing risk” and will have to restructure a large part of its almost $7 billion debt pile in the next 18 months. Reports quoted, Fitch, a global leader in credit ratings and research, which pushed its view on Digicel’s creditworthiness deeper into what is termed junk status. Last month, Fitch lowered its ratings on Digicel by one level to CC, which implies a “default of some kind appears probable”, according to the firm’s own definition. The rating is eight rungs below what Fitch deems to be an investible grade. “The most immediate concern is [Digicel’s] $1.3 billion notes maturing in April 2021, which Fitch believes the company will struggle to refinance amid stagnant operating performance,” the agency said. “Fitch expects that Digicel will have to restructure debt at multiple levels in the next 12-18 months, due to the group’s unsustainable capital structure and imminent refinancing risk.” Digicel’s bonds have tumbled in value this year amid mounting concerns about how sustainable the group’s debt mountain is following earnings declines in recent years. The company, set up by O’Brien in 2001, operates in 32 markets across the Caribbean, Central America and Asia Pacific regions. It has spent more than $5 billion developing its networks and business, which has 14 million subscribers. It is reported that O’Brien took $1.1 billion of dividends out of the group between 2013 and 2015. In January 2019, creditors holding almost $3 billion of Digicel bonds agreed to postpone getting their money back by accepting longer-dated notes in exchange for their holdings. This was described by credit ratings
Jameka Williams of South Caicos is 2019 Chop Off Champion
J
ameka Lashawn Williams, owner of Chilli’s Takeout is 2019 Chop Off Champion. TCI Chop off Cook off Challenge under the umbrella of TCI Food and Culture Festival
firms as a distressed debt exchange or restructuring. A few months ago, Moody’s, the ratings agency, downgraded Digicel and changed its outlook for the company to negative. The agency said the decision to downgrade its rating of the group reflected its view that “the risk of Digicel making another distressed exchange or debt restructuring within the next 12-18 months has increased, considering the still weak operating results and liquidity of the group.” It said the company “has continued to report declining earnings, negative free cash flow and increasing leverage”.
took place on Friday December Sharlene Cartwright- Robinson, 6th, at Ports of Call Court Yard in Jameka Lashawn Williams, Nikita Providenciales and hundreds of ‘Chef Nik’ Skippings host of the persons came out to cheer on their event and Turks and Caicos Islands favourite Chefs. Culinary Ambassador and His Pictured is Premier Hon. Excellency Governor Nigel Dakin.
“A return to sustained revenue and earnings growth has not materialised and any improvement to the company’s financial profile will only be very gradual, resulting in Digicel still facing high refinancing risk,” it was stated. According to Moody’s, Digicel’s liquidity remains overall weak, although the group improved its cash balance and debt maturity profile when it issued $600 million of senior secured notes at Digicel International Finance Limited in March. “However, as long as free cash flow remains negative, liquidity will weaken again,” the agency said. Another report said Digicel’s earning dipped in the three months to the
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end of September. This, according to sources, was a due to a slump in the value of currencies in some of its main markets against the US dollar offset an underlying improvement in revenues. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) declined by 1 per cent in the quarter, Digicel’s second fiscal quarter, to $250 million (€227 million), compared with the same period last year, sources said. While underlying revenues rose 4 per cent, they fell 1 per cent on a reported basis to $554 million, dragged down by a $26 million currencies hit.
Continued on page 2
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TURKS & CAICOS SUN
DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
LOCAL NEWS
DIGICEL BILLIONS IN DEBT
continued from page 1
This was mainly as a result of a weakening of the Haitian gourde against the US dollar, the currency in which Digicel reports financials and in which most of its $7 billion debt pile is denominated. Digicel’s cash position declined,
however, to $180 million from $214 million earlier this year. Still, its net debt ratio declined to 6.9 times Ebitda from 7.3 quarter on quarter, according to the sources. The political, economic and social crises in some countries served
by Digicel also affect its performance. Haiti, one of Digicel’s most important markets, is currently experiencing social unrest over food and fuel shortages and widespread economic malaise. Over the past 12 months, the Haitian gourde, the country’s currency, has slumped 30pc
against the US dollar, in which Digicel’s debt is owed. The strength of the US dollar has made it difficult for the company to monetise its investments across its markets as the local currencies Digicel is paid in continue to plummet in value.
GK INSURANCE BROKERS LIMITED (TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS) VACANCY: OPERATIONS ASSOCIATE
GK Insurance Brokers Limited (GKIB) is seeking to recruit a highly motivated individual to fill the position of Operations Associate. The successful candidate will provide support to the team by providing administrative and accounting support, while proactively administering the insurance needs of clients through follow up and auxiliary services.
KEY RESPONSIBLITIES
Manage all Payables per GKIB service standards and procedures Ensures that statutory deductions including NHIB, NIB, FSC, Revenue Collection Agencies are paid on time Manage Insurer payments and reconciliation Ensures all documents and support are filed electronically Prepare the monthly reports for Insurers Promote all products and services available at GKIB. Manage client receivables and reconciliation per service standards Procure office supplies Assist in preparation of matters for audit Performs any other duties, as required.
QUALIFICATIONS
Must have knowledge of Great Plains or other accounting software First degree in Business Administration or Accounting from a recognized institution Working knowledge of all classes of Insurance 3 years working experience preferably in Insurance accounting
SKILLS AND COMPETENCY REQUIREMENTS Must be able to handle multiple and competing priorities. Excellent communication and well developed interpersonal skills. Excellent organizational and time management skills. Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite. Good working knowledge of Great Plains and QuickBooks accounting software. Salary range $2,000 - $2,500 dependent on qualification & experience
Position held by a Turks Islander. Interested persons are invited to submit applications online at hrsupport@gkco.com by December 31, 2019. Turks and Caicos Islanders are invited to also send application to the TCI Labor Board. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted
TCIG Press Office, Waterloo Plaza, Grand Turk
LISTING OF SPECIAL DAYS & PUBLIC HOLIDAYS FOR 2020 TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS
NEW YEAR’S DAY
JANUARY 1ST
WEDNESDAY
COMMONWEALTH DAY
MARCH 9
MONDAY
GOOD FRIDAY
TH
APRIL 10
TH
FRIDAY
EASTER MONDAY
APRIL 13
TH
MONDAY
JAG’S McCARTNEY DAY (Formerly National Heroes Day)
MAY 25
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN’S OFFICIAL BIRTHDAY
JUNE 8TH
MONDAY
EMANCIPATION DAY ***OBSERVED
AUGUST 1ST AUGUST 3RD
SATURDAY MONDAY
NATIONAL YOUTH DAY
SEPTEMBER 25TH
FRIDAY
NATIONAL HERITAGE DAY* (Formerly Columbus Day)
OCTOBER 12TH
MONDAY
NATIONAL DAY OF THANKSGIVING
NOVEMBER 27th
FRIDAY
CHRISTMAS DAY
DECEMBER 25th
FRIDAY
BOXING DAY ***OBSERVED
DECEMBER 26 DECEMBER 28TH
SATURDAY MONDAY
MONDAY
TH
th
NOTE THESE CHANGES* *AS OF 2014, OCTOBER WILL BE CELEBRATED AS NATIONAL HERITAGE MONTH Remembrance Day November 10 International Human Rights Day December 10 Please note that these are not public holidays.
DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
TURKS & CAICOS SUN
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TURKS & CAICOS SUN
DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
DRIVING DEALS! AFTERNOON RATES FROM $80
Group & Private Lessons Children 15 & under play free* 3, 5 day, weekly & monthly passes available
THE FEHERTY PACKAGE $220
18 holes, Titleist Club Rentals, 2 sleeves of balls and $20 F&B Voucher
FAIRWAYS BAR AND GRILL
Open for Breakfast, Lunch and Sunday Brunch
CHILDREN WELCOME
*Conditions
DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
TURKS & CAICOS SUN
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LOCAL NEWS
Airports Authority CEO job up for grabs The Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority Chief Executive Officer position, which is one of the highest paying jobs statutory jobs in the country, is up for grabs. The position which is presently held by John Smith and pays between US$14,000 and $15,000 per month with allowances, is being advertised throughout the Caribbean and beyond. Up to the time of this report, it could not be confirmed if Smith had resigned and gave notice, or if his contract was not renewed.
According to the vacancy notice, the CEO directs the marketing, airport development, planning and engineering, community and public relations, administrative, financial matters, procurement, budgeting and legal staff in fulfilling the mission of the Airport Authority. In addition to being the TCIAA primary representative to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA/Regulators), the Chief Executive Officer acts as the lead point of contact with the Government, Board, and Local officials. Such collaboration
is particularly critical in recognizing the airport’s impact on future economic development initiatives and long-term modernization and expansion of its facilities and services, the vacancy stated. The Chief Executive Officer oversees a workforce of over 350 employees engaged in the operational, security, fire services, air traffic control, administration, budgetary, maintenance, commercial and design and construction activities on-site at the Airports. The workforce may consist of both public and private sector employees. Airports Authority CEO John Smith
Road development continues The Office of the Deputy Premier, Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing, Planning and Development in collaboration with the Project Management Division within the Public Works Department, is pleased to announce the tender release of: ROAD DEVELOPMENT PHASE 5 PROVIDENCIALES which should comprise road works to the following named roads: Lot 1: Madeira Way, Blue Hills Lot 2: Rigby Hill Road, Five Cays Lot 3: Sand Bar Street, Five Cays Lot 4: Lantern Way/Snake Hill
Sub-Division, Blue Hills Lot 5: South Dock Road, Five Cays (From Roundabout to Five Cays Junction) “It is noteworthy that Lot 5 road was deemed a priority due to recent major deterioration from sustained rains. This resulted in scheduled road works for a number of community roads being cancelled to allow the Ministry to address this urgent need,” said Deputy Premier Hon. Sean Astwood. The Deputy Premier stated that this was a critical decision and these road works form a part of his Ministry’s longterm road development program for
Advertisement for Teachers Maranatha Academy (formerly Maranatha High School), a Seventh-day Adventist institution located at 287 Millennium Highway, P.O. Box 825, Povidenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, seeks suitable candidates to fill the following teaching vacancies for the school year 20192020: •Technical Vocation Teacher •English Language & English Literature Teacher Applicants should: •Possess a Bachelor of Arts Degree •Trained Teacher’s Certificate •Preferably possess SDA Certification •Be able to teach these subjects to students in Forms 1–5 •Be able to prepare students for C.S.E.C. external examinations •Technical Vocation teacher must possess a Technical Vocation Certificate Salary ranges from US$24,000-US$30,000.00 and is also based on qualification and years of experience Applications (cover letter and resume) should be addressed to: The Education Director, TCI Conference c/o The Principal Maranatha Academy 287 Millennium Highway Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands Applications can also be emailed to contact@maranathaacademy.tc
the improvement of all road networks throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands, thereby promoting the safety of all persons traversing them. The Deputy Premier expressed sincere thanks and appreciation to his Ministry staff, the Director and his team within the Public Works Department, The Premier and her team at the Ministry of Finance, the staff of the Procurement Office, and all those who played an instrumental part in bringing these projects to fruition. The Deputy Premier said he is committed to continuing to keep the Public abreast of all his Ministry’s initiatives and their progression.
Hon. Sean Astwood, Deputy Premier, Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing, Planning and Development
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TURKS & CAICOS SUN
DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
LOCAL NEWS
Jameka Williams of South Caicos is 2019 Chop Off Champion By Todeline Defralien Jameka Lashawn Williams, owner of Chilli’s Takeout is 2019 Chop Off Champion. TCI Chop off Cook off Challenge under the umbrella of TCI Food and Culture Festival took place on Friday December 6th, at Ports of Call Court Yard in Providenciales and hundreds of persons came out to cheer on their favourite Chefs. This event each year gives four local Chefs in the Turks and Caicos Islands the opportunity to showcase their talents and to show everyone what they are capable of and what they can bring to the table. Commenting on her win, Williams told The SUN that entering this competition she had a point to prove and that was to show everyone that South Caicos has great Chefs too. “South Caicos was represented each year in this competition and while they are all amazing chefs, they were all CHOPPED so the pressure on me to win was great considering Grand Turk held the title for two years straight. I am overjoyed and super proud to be crowned Chop Champion for 2019 not only to represent my island home but my country the Turks and Caicos Islands.” She added: “What I think made the judges choose me were not only the consistency of the dishes I prepared, but my support base and my personality when describing what was prepared. My dishes prepared were all named and described by highlighting South Caicos and its culture. For example, one of my dishes was called Conch Ground Bay and
that was a hit. The winning dish of that round.” Williams added that winning was expected for her because confidence wins and sells. She said, “From day one when I accepted the challenge I told myself that I was a winner. Each video or post circulating on media outlets I made it known that I will be the winner. I remained confident and consistent about me winning throughout the competition and it worked.” Williams stated that following her win she will be exploring new initiatives for her restaurant and catering business Chilli’s Takeout, but nationally she will work with others in the industry to push TCI’s local cuisine globally. “Although this competition was a cook off between islands I personally know that our country has great Chefs with their own uniqueness,” she added. Meantime, Nikita ‘Chef Nik’ Skippings, host of the event said, “Chop Off is always an emotional roller-coaster for me because although I know someone has to go home. It hurts. Preparing these Chefs for Chop Off months leading up to the event, they have all become family to me. Therefore, round after round, witnessing each of them get Chopped is heart wrenching but in the end, I am always very proud of them all, most especially the Champion.” Skippings stressed that this competition is not easy, and for them to even take on the challenge shows a huge sense of bravery. “I would like to recognize and congratulate our 2019 Chop Off Cook Off Champion Ms. Jameka Williams
TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMISSION EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES! The Financial Services Commission (FSC), the regulator of financial services business in the Turks and Caicos Islands, is seeking suitably qualified applicants to fill several vacancies.
APPLICATION DEADLINE 23 DECEMBER 2019 DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF FINANCE Department: Finance Location: Providenciales Annual Salary: $59,552.50 – $68,982.50 JOB SUMMARY The holder of this position will report to the Director of Finance. The successful candidate will be responsible for assisting with statutory financial compliance, compliance with international financial reporting standards and collecting, reviewing, analyzing and reporting of data from all departments. The post holder will be required to supervise staff. Details on the above vacancies can be found on the Commission’s website at https://tcifsc.tc/vacancies/ or by contacting the Commission at telephone numbers 649-946-2550 or 649-946-2791 ext. 4002 or 4021. Applications should be emailed to administration@tcifsc.tc no later than 23 December 2019. A copy of the application should be submitted to the Employment Services Department by emailing to CHbacchus@gov.tc and MCadams@gov.tc. Applications received after the application deadline may not be considered in this recruitment phase but may be placed on file for future reference. While we appreciate your response, please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
representing the island of South Caicos. I am certain she will represent her title well locally as well as internationally. We encourage local cooks throughout the Turks and Caicos to continue showcasing their culinary skills and promoting the culinary culture of these islands. By this we will decide who will be our next competitors for Chop Off Cook off Challenge 2020.” Skippings added that the talent displayed on each plate by the competitors was way more than he expected as it relates to use of ingredients, taste and presentation. He continued: “We were able to award both our Chop Off Champion and runner up with brand new vehicles to assist their businesses with food delivery etc. All sponsors played a vital role in awarding our Competitors and assisting with the expenses of this national event. We are overly grateful for their generous support which has been the rock that has kept TCI’s Chop Off Cook Off Challenge standing firm over the years. As the Culinary Ambassador of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Skippings noted that it is his primary objective to bring awareness to the indigenous Culinary Culture of these islands. “TCI Chop Off Cook Off Challenge has been growing in numbers each year. Surprisingly, this year we almost didn’t have enough space to accommodate the wide spread of attendees and supporters. What I love most is the diversity in our audience with locals, expats and tourist all spectating and enjoying this event.” In addition, Skippings thanked all of the event sponsors, adding that
Jameka Lashawn Williams pictured with her new car and winning trophy. the success of this event would not be possible without the community support of sponsors. The chefs who went head to head for the title of TCI chop off cook off challenge winner are, Gregory Lightbourne representing the island of Providenciales, Jenny Talbot representing North Caicos, Roneika Harvey representing South Caicos and Jago Moore representing Grand Turk. Judges were, His Excellency Mr. Nigel Dakin, Mr. Stan Hartling, Ms. Deandrea Hamilton, Ms. Cynclair Musgrove, head Judge Chef Eversley Rowe (2015 Chop Off Champion) and timekeeper Mr. Tod Foss. The event was hosted by Ms. Bianca Harvey, Mr. Obrien Forbes, ‘Super P’- Mr. Huntley Forbes Jr and an array of DJ’s and Live Entertainers.
DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
TURKS & CAICOS SUN
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LOCAL NEWS
Turks & Caicos Islands receives World Travel Awards 2020 nominations The World Travel Awards officially announced the Caribbean nominations for the 27th annual World Travel Awards and the Turks and Caicos Islands has secured eight (8) coveted nominations in the following categories: Ø Caribbean’s Leading Beach Destination 2020 Ø Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination 2020 Ø Caribbean’s Leading Destination 2020 Ø Caribbean’s Leading Dive Destination 2020 Ø Caribbean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination 2020 Ø Caribbean’s Leading Luxury Island Destination 2020 Ø Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board 2020 Ø Caribbean’s Most Romantic Destination 2020 The Turks & Caicos Islands, as a destination, has won the World Travel Award for Caribbean’s Leading Beach Destination every year since 2015. From 2012 to 2014 the award for Caribbean’s Leading Beach Destination was won by Grace Bay Beach specifically. The Turks and Caicos Islands also won the award for Caribbean’s Most Romantic Destination in 2019 for the first time. Additionally, the following nominations were received by Turks and Caicos Islands companies, resorts and hotels:
Ø Caribbean’s Leading Airline 2020 – interCaribbean Airways Ø Caribbean’s Leading Airline Brand 2020 – interCaribbean Airways Ø Caribbean’s Leading Airport Lounge 2020 - VIP Flyers Club at Providenciales International Airport Ø Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Port 2020 – Grand Turk Cruise Center Ø Caribbean’s Leading All Suite Hotel 2020 – Point Grace and The Palms Ø Caribbean’s Leading All Inclusive Family Resort 2020 – Beaches Turks & Caicos Ø Caribbean’s Leading Beach Resort 2020 - Amanyara Villas Ø Caribbean’s Leading Boutique Hotel 2020 – Point Grace Ø Caribbean’s Leading Boutique Resort 2020 – Beach House Ø Caribbean’s Leading Hotel 2020 – The Palms Ø Caribbean’s Leading Hotel Residences 2020 – The Estate at Grace Bay Club Ø Caribbean’s Leading Hotel Suite 2020 – Grace Bay Penthouse Suite at Grace Bay Club Ø Caribbean’s Leading Luxury Hotel Villa 2020 – Private Villa at Windsong Resort Ø Caribbean’s Leading Luxury Resort 2020 – Amanyara Villas, COMO Parrot Cay and Seven Stars Resort Ø Caribbean’s Leading Private Island Resort 2020 – The Meridian Club Ø Caribbean’s Leading Resort 2020 –
World Tech Telecomm
Resources Profiles Location: In Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands The ASP Field Resources must have the following skills: This profile will be validated prior by Ericsson base on resumes (CV’s) previously provided by Supplier. Technical Competences (RAN O&M) Proof of experience on installation, equipment configuration and troubleshooting, mandatory with experience on RBSs Ericsson. Years of experience in similar positions: • O&M Power/RAN Technicians and Riggers: More than 2 years. •Field Supervisor (if applicable): more than 5 years. Technical expertise in Telecommunications. Minimum technical degree on Electronics, Telecom, Electrical, System or Computer area. •Troubleshooting and solve skills for RBS & Tx Microwave alarms. •Knowledge in IP and SIU configuration (Expert Level for Supervisor and basic level for O&M RAN Technicians) •Good oral and written communication adaptable to different work groups and situations. Official language for this contract is English. •Have knowledge of loading configuration scripts, using interfaces such as CMD, CVs, OMT, Element Manager, Minilink Craft, Excel, Word, etc. •Trained in OSH and basic AC/DC Power RBS backup system: Gensets, DC Batteries, ATS. Technical Competences (Tower Riggers) •Positions: More than 2 years •Work in height certification •Trained in OSH •Good expertise in usage of Field Test Equipment required: Site Master, optical Power Meter, Millimeters. •Experience in repairing/replacing RF Jumpers/feeders, connectors and adjusting Antenna Tilt/Azimuth and Antennas replacement. •Experience in tower maintenance activities: tighten loose bolts/wires (lattice tower), tower painting, repair ground cabling/bars, check and repair lightening system, obstruction light replacement. Technical Competences (Power Field Technicians) •Years of experience in similar positions: More than 2 years •Trained in OSH •Good expertise in usage of Electrical Field Tests Equipment required: Millimeters, Current Clamp. •Experience in preventive and corrective maintenance of Diesel Power Generators (12-30 KVA), Batteries, Power Transfers and DC Rectifiers. •Previous experience in PCB-02/05 Cabinets and control units desirable. •Experience performing Batteries Discharge Tests and Midtronics or similar equipments. Technical competences (Auxiliar Technicians De-bushing) •Years of experience in similar positions: More than 1 years •Experience in grass cutting and de-busing services •Local Resources desirable Behavioral competences •Good personal presentation (example: not to wear shorts) •Quality and problem solving oriented •Maintains a constant communication flow with partners, colleagues and customers •Delivering Results & Meeting Customers Expectations •Analyzing •Applying expertise & technology •Following instructions & procedures •Actively contribute to continuous improvement •Cooperate and adapts quickly to teamwork •Give feedback of the work in timely manner and accept the feedback given to him/her •Show respect All of these positions are New Positions Please Contact: 231-8300 Please Email: worldtechtelecomm@gmail.com Applicants who are Turks and Caicos Islanders can send copies of their resume to the Immigration Board.
Seven Stars Resort Ø Caribbean’s Most Romantic Resort 2020 – Seven Stars Resort Ø Caribbean’s Leading Destination Management Company 2020 – Olympia Destination Management Company Minister of Tourism Hon. Ralph Higgs stated, “We are thrilled to be nominated in these distinguished categories by the World Travel Awards. To be nominated in eight categories among other exceptional fellow nominees is a testament to our commitment of continual success in the industry. My Ministry, my tourism team and partners in the industry are a dedicated team of professionals, who through an integrated approach to promote the strength of brand Turks and Caicos have once again shine through. We are grateful to our team, partners and all persons in the industry for the various roles they play in making our country a dream destination”. Chairman of the Turks and Caicos Tourist Board Mrs. Adelphine Higgs-Pitter commented, “On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Turks and Caicos Tourist Board, we are elated that our Beautiful by Nature destination has once again captured nominations in eight categories. The additional eighteen nominations received by our local industry partners also affirms the destination’s standing among the best of the best regionally. The Turks and Caicos Tourist Board will continue to do our part to maintain the consistency and
high standard of brand Turks and Caicos and will work to continuously upgrade our destination’s tourism product and offerings to remain a competitive tourism destination”. Acting Director of Tourism Ms. Mary Lightbourne responded to news of the World Travel Award nominations by stating, “We are proud of the nominations the Turks and Caicos Islands has received for the 2020 World Travel Awards. Over the years, we have amassed numerous nominations, awards and accolades from some of the world’s most renowned travel and tourism organizations and the World Travel Awards is no exception. Our 2020 World Travel Awards nominations cover a number of our niche markets including dive, romance and cruise and demonstrates the diligence of the Tourist Board and our industry partners’ efforts in marketing and positioning our destination as the premiere luxury destination in the Caribbean and indeed the world”. Voting for the Caribbean awards is now open and closes at midnight on 10th January 2020. The general public can visit https://www.worldtravelawards. com/vote to cast votes for the Turks and Caicos Islands in all of the above categories and assist the destination in winning additional accolades in travel excellence. The 27th annual World Travel Awards Caribbean Gala Ceremony will take place on January 20, 2020 at Sandals Royal Bahamian, Nassau, The Bahamas.
MCKNIGHTS INTERNATIONAL LAW FIRM 46 Salt Mills Plaza, Providenciales (649) 941 2330
PARALEGAL Multi lingual (English/ French/ Sinhalese), experienced, bright, committed candidate with strong organizational skills, research skills, public relations, project management, writing skills, designing, time management, and translation skills. Salaries commensurate with experience. CV’s by email only please to peter@mcknights. tc by 28 December 2019. No personal callers. This position is currently held by a work permit holder.
NOTICE Regulation 7 of the Physical Planning (Development Permission) Regulations, 1990 An Application REGISTERED PR 13936 by Nadine Borel Giese has been submitted to the Department of Planning for consideration of Development Permission on parcels 60810/136, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147 & 148, The Bight & Thomas Stubbs on Providenciales, which will be rezoned from Medium Density Residential (R4) to Commercial Related Development (C1). The subject planning application is for the regularization of an existing development, consisting in a Nursery and Storage buildings. Anyone wishing to make representation(s) may do so in writing to the Director of Planning, South Base, Grand Turk or through the Department of Planning, Emily House, Leeward Highway, Providenciales, within twentyeight (28) days of publication of this Notice. Dated Posted: __________________________________________
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TURKS & CAICOS SUN
DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
LOCAL NEWS
Sports Commission seeking over $3million for the development of Sports in TCI By Todeline Defralien The Turks and Caicos Islands Sports Commission is seeking $3million or more for the development of sports in the country. Minister of Sports Hon. Edwin Astwood said he is ready to take this fight to the Ministry of Finance and battle with the other ministries. He said, “The Sports Commission budget is some $3million and that is almost four or about five times the amount that is budget for the Department of Sports. We have about ten new positions that they are looking at also, so that will also increase the productivity of the department. We do believe that it is needed and I am sure that we can make a case for it and we see where sports are going in Turks and Caicos Islands and no one will say that sport is not needed.” He added: “In terms of sports I think that the sports budget last year was under
$1million but we’ve had $250,000 for sports development and a final $250,000 for couches. The previous year not too much of the federation took on that but I think that we need to get the message out to them that these funds are available. In government if you don’t use it, you lose it.” Astwood noted that with this new budget it will help to not only highlight the track and field athletes but also to shed light on the other federations in order for them to step forward on the world stage. “I am happy to take this fight to the Ministry of Finance and battle with the other ministries, why the sports department need over $3million increase to really develop our youth going into the future. We are looking at ten years down the road and we are looking at all those future games that we don’t only want to see our track and field athletes participating in but we want to see the
Turks and Caicos Sun
Suite#5, Airport Plaza Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands Tel: (649) 348-6838 Fax: (649) 941-3281 Email: sun@suntci.com Read us online at www.suntci.com Minister of Sports Hon. Edwin Astwood other federations stepping forward on the world stage. We are not saying that we are going to neglect our track and field athletes, they have been doing well and they have been representing us but also we’re not going to forget the rest of the children under the umbrella,” he explained.
Kino Williams is country’s latest murder Kino Williams, also known as Chucky, from The Bight, Providenciales, is the country’s latest murder victim. The 42-year-old was shot on Wednesday, December 11th, 2019 in a parking lot along Sibonne Road, in Grace Bay, Providenciales. Police press relations officer Takara Bain said that around 8:30 p.m., a man who received multiple gunshot wounds, tried to drive himself to hospital in a Honda CRV and was involved in a single vehicular accident in the vicinity of
Blue Mountain Road. A private car transported the injured man to the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre where he later died. Commissioner of Police, Trevor Botting said, “Deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the deceased, who became our 13th Murder for 2019. While our Officers are actively investigating this murder, we are asking the public for help with information they may have, no matter how small, we are asking you to call Crime Stoppers
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief: Hayden Boyce Graphic designer Information Technology and Production Manager: Kelano Howell Todeline Defralien Reporter
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.
Kino Williams anonymously on 1-800- 8477(TIPS).”
INTERISLAND AVIATION SERVICES GROUP SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES WHICH ARE:
Aircraft Mechanic: Certification from an accredited institution,with A&P License,2-3 years or more experience.Dependable,innovative,strong team player,can work independently. Salary $42,000 per year.
interCaribbean Airways, Provo Air Center, Flight Support Limited, Caribbean Aviation Maintenance Services has the following position(s) currently held by work permit holders available for immediate filling:
Ground Equipment Mechanic: 5 years or more experience with diesel engines and hydraulics.Wages $24,000 per year.
Airline Executive:Must have a working knowledge of UK Aviation Regulations for OffShore Territories(OTAR),ICAO AND IATA aviation practices and standards,US FAA Federal Aviation Regulations(FAR) and dangerous goods Regulations,Experience and knowledge of ramp and aircraft operations.Must speak,read,write and understand the English Language. Additional requirements include the ability to physically carry out the work scope involved. Providing managerial and administrative responsibility for the domestic and international based operations.Ability to make responsible,strategic and tactical decisions that might affect safety and /or security of ground handling and station operations.Ability to provide proper management of all station managers with respect to supplies,documents,manuals and other equipment that is required for proper station operation.Salary $3500 per month. Pilots for EMB 12O Fleet: 2-5 years experience,must be current on aircraft type with valid medical and must be able to obtain US crew visa.Salary $60,000 per year. Pilot for DH6: 2-5 years experience must be current on aircraft type with valid medical and must be able to obtain US crew visa. Salary $42,000 per year. Customer Service Agents: Must have 1-2 years experience in the aviation industry,computer literate,hardworking,reliable and trustworthy,reliable and trustworthy with a valid police record and passport.Willing and able to work weekends and holidays.Wages $9.00 per hour. Airport Host: Must have 1-2 years experience in the aviation industry,computer literate,hardworking,reliable and trustworthy,reliable and trustworthy with a valid police record and passport.Willing and able to work weekends and holidays.Wages $9.00 per hour. Security Officer: 1-2 years experience,excellent command of the English Language,both verbal and written.Must be reliable and trustworthy with a valid TCI drivers license,current police record and valid passport should also be computer literate. Wage $9.00
Upholsterer: 2-3 years experience and the ability to work independently and long hours. Salary $24,000 per year Driver: Must have a valid TCI drivers license,2-3 year experience in driving reliable,dependable,team player, be able to work long hours.Wages $8.00 per hour. Flight attendant: Great customer service skills, must have excellent command of English Language(oral and written).Willing to work weekends and holidays. Valid passport with US visa required.Wages $1600 per month. Cashier: Must have 1-2 years experience in the aviation industry,computer literate,hardworking,reliable and trustworthy,reliable and trustworthy with a valid police record and passport.Willing and able to work weekends and holidays.Wages $9.00 per hour. Concierge: Must have 1-2 years experience in the aviation industry,computer literate,hardworking,reliable and trustworthy,reliable and trustworthy with a valid police record and passport.Willing and able to work weekends and holidays.Wages $9.00 per hour. Ramp Agent/Attendant: Must have 3-4 years experience in ramp duties, with supporting certification in dangerous goods, weight and balance and security. Must be fluent in the English Language,computer literate, hard working, reliable and willing to work weekends and holidays. Wages $9.00 per hour Ramp Coordinator: Must have 3-4 years experience in ramp duties, with supporting certification in dangerous goods, weight and balance and security. Must be knowledgeable with ICAO and IATA aviation practices and Standards, fluent in the English Language,computer literate, hard working, reliable and willing to work weekends and holidays. Wages $11.00 per hour
Flight Dispatcher: 2 years experience,dispatchers license,computer literate, strong work ethic,must be willing to work weekends and holidays. Salary $30,000 per year.
Store Clerk: Must have 3-4 years experience in the purchasing of aviation parts, be knowledgeable with different parts for aircraft types,fluent in English Language,computer literate, hardworking,reliable and willing to work weekends and holidays. Wages $10.00 per hour.
Ramp Agent/Attendant: Must have 3-4 years experience in ramp duties, with supporting certification in dangerous goods,weight and balance and security.Must be fluent in the English Language,computer literate ,hardworking,reliable and willing to work weekends and holidays.Wages $9.00 per hour.
Heavy Duty Driver: Must have a valid TCI drivers license 2-3 years experience in driving heavy duty truck, reliable, dependable, team player, be able to work long hours.Wages $11.00 per hour.
Labourer: Must be willing to perform manual tasks,hard working, reliable and willing to work weekends and holidays. Wages $7.00 per hour.
Concierge: Must have 1-2 years experience in the aviation industry,computer literate,hardworking,reliable and trustworthy,reliable and trustworthy with a valid police record and passport.Willing and able to work weekends and holidays.Wages $9.00 per hour.
Baggage Handlers: Must be to lift over 50 lbs,hard working, reliable and willing to work weekends and holidays.Wages $7.00 per hour. Ramp Supervisor: Must have 3-4 years experience in ramp duties,with supporting certification in dangerous goods,airline security and weight and balance.Proven leadership abilities, computer literate can manager and discipline a team. Wages $11 Aircraft Cleaners/Domestic Worker: Must be a thorough cleaner, fluent in the English Language,computer literate,hard working,reliable and willing to work weekends and holidays. Wages $7.00 per hour.
Welder: 2-3 years experience,knowledge of using multiple welding machine to repair and maintain equipment and structures of various sizes.Must be willing to work weekends and holidays.Wages $9.00 per hour. Gardener: 2-3 years experience knowledge and experience to maintain the beauty of plants,outdoor grounds and trees,must be able to perform a range of general maintenance tasks.Wages $7.00 per hour. Interested persons please send resume to HR@interCaribbean.com. Belongers and PRC holders need only apply
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TCHTA Maskanoo is set for Boxing Day! The 9th annual Turks & Caicos Cox also admits that while the Hotel and Tourism Associations (TCHTA) annual extravaganza will take place, the Maskanoo Extravaganza is set to be organization has seen a sharp decline in one of the biggest celebrations of the financial support and sponsorship. As year with vibrant colors and cultural such,she is extending an invitation to performances attracting a record crowd all members of the private and public to the Grace Bay Strip on Providenciales. sectors to join forces with the Association Come December 26th, 2019 – to make this iconic cultural event even Boxing Day, the street will come alive bigger in 2020. with heart-pounding drums, whistles, “Maskanoo is ours, it’s for our horns, and cowbells as the country revels culture and our country, but it requires in its iconic cultural celebration. support and sponsorship to put on a Launched by cultural enthusiast show of this caliber.” She said, “We David Bowen in 2010 and supported humbly encourage everyone to look for by the TCHTA, the annual cultural ways to sustain and grow this festival for celebration has consistently drawn a next year and the years to come.” large crowd from all over the island to David Bowen also expressed enjoy the festive street parade featuring his sentiments for support and said that local music, food, performances and fun the festival has grown and has become for all ages. the fiber of the Turks and Caicos Islands. “Maskanoo has become a “The key here is to get the community and holiday tradition as well as a cultural stakeholders more involved. Maskanoo is icon for our residents and tourists alike,” expanding, it’s getting bigger and bigger said Stacy Cox, CEO of the Turks & each year and there is still a lot that the Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association, community can do to support the event “and this year, thanks to the generous and it requires support and commitment support from the Ministry of Tourism, through sponsorships,” he said. the Tourist Board, VIP Flyers Club and “This year we promise to IGA Supermarkets, we are able to bring deliver a great event, we have great the annual celebration back for a 9th entertainment for the lineup, and it will year.” be an amazing show.”
The show kicks off at 3:00 pm on Grace Bay Road with the TCI’s hottest DJ, Pro Vision, Q-Band Lynks featuring Tess, Raj the Entertainer, Karl Lewis, the Ripsaw All-Stars and more rocking the crowd. In addition to the headline entertainment, there will be cultural displays, dancing, native craft vendors, children’s treats, food vendors, food trucks, including the popular Turks Head truck, and giveaways galore! Cox stressed that the security of both residents and visitors is a priority and encourages persons to come and celebrate without worry. “One of the things that we take most seriously is security. As usual, the Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Force will be out in full effect along with officers of the Dove security firm. We are also adding additional manpower to our security team for this year’s event.” The TCHTA CEO reminds residents that the Grace Bay Road between Salt Mills and the Seven Stars Resort will be closed off from 11:00 am to facilitate setup for the event. Sponsors for this year’s TCHTA Maskanoo celebration include All TCHTA member hotels, The Ministry of Tourism and Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist
Stacy Cox, CEO of the Turks & Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association Board along with several businesses on the Grace Bay Strip. For more information or to register as a Maskanoo 2020 Sponsor, please contact the TCHTA Office at #52 Salt Mills Plaza in Grace Bay at 339-5787.
Premier attends soft opening of Iris Stubbs Primary School The Premier, Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson attended the soft opening of the newly built Iris Stubbs Primary School in South Caicos, on Friday, 6 December 2019. The school which was destroyed after Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 led to the displacement of the students to a temporary location for more than a year. Due to the damage sustained post hurricanes and the wear and tear over the years, the building had to be completely demolished and rebuilt. The new facility was constructed with resiliency in mind and once completed will be able to withstand hurricaneforce winds and flooding and will serve as a hurricane shelter due to this Government’s open floor/collapsible walls policy. The Premier and Minister for Finance, Investment and Trade, during remarks at the opening expressed that five (5) months after the Hurricanes, TCI Government directed funds to the reconstruction and rehabilitation
of Government Schools and critical Government offices. TCIG received further gift funding from the European Union and these monies were directed towards this Project. Commenting on the rebuild the Premier stated, “I am elated that the Iris Stubbs Primary School now has a brand new and more resilient facility. These teachers and students have had to endure the traumatic experience of two major hurricanes then endured further disruption to normalcy when they were displaced from their classrooms. This new building signifies how much we have been able to achieve since 2017 and how fortunate we are that we were able to bring Turks and Caicos back from devastation without debt. These students deserve permanent housing for their education, one that is built to the best standards. Education is key to our country’s development and my Government will continue to invest in the best institutions, curricula and programmes for our children.”
Minister for Health, Agriculture, Sport and Human Services, Hon. Edwin Astwood; His Excellency the Governor, Nigel Dakin; Minister for Education, Youth, Culture, Social and Library Services, Hon. Karen Malcolm; Son and Daughter of the late Iris Stubbs: Annie Stubbs & (Former Chief Minister) Hon. Norman Saunders; Minister of Home Affairs, Public Utilities and Transportation, Hon. Goldray Ewing; and Minister for Tourism, Environment, Heritage, Maritime, Gaming and Disaster Management.
(Row 1: left to right): Minister for Health, Agriculture, Sport and Human Services, Hon. Edwin Astwood; Son and Daughter of the late Iris Stubbs: Annie Stubbs & (Former Chief Minister) Hon. Norman Saunders; Minister for Home Affairs, Public Utilities and Transportation, Hon. Goldray Ewing; Minister for Tourism, Environment, Heritage, Maritime, Gaming and Disaster Management, Hon. Ralph Higgs. (Row 2: left to right): The Premier Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson; Minister for Education, Youth, Culture, Social and Library Services; His Excellency the Governor, Nigel Dakin; Former Principals of the Iris Stubbs Primary: Kathleen Durham & Bishop George Fulford.
(left to right): Minister for Health, Agriculture, Sport and Human Services, Hon. Edwin Astwood; Deputy Principal – Iris Stubbs Primary, Beverley Malcolm; Curriculum Development Officer, Rhonda Blackman-Smith; Principal, Iris Subbs Primary School, Earlene Elliot; The Premier Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson; Minister for Tourism, Environment, Heritage, Maritime, Gaming and Disaster Management, Hon. Ralph Higgs; Minister for Education, Youth, Culture, Social and Library Services; and Minister for Home Affairs, Public Utilities and Transportation, Hon. Goldray Ewing.
DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
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Tamara Hylton graduates with distinction at UWI Open Campus `TCI’s very own Tamara Hylton made history as the very first graduate to attend an Open Campus Graduation from the Turks and Caicos Islands. On October 12, 2019, Hylton attended the University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus Graduation held in Antigua and graduated with Distinction. In an interview with The SUN Hylton explained some of the hardships and obstacles that got in her way during her time of studies. “In August 2016 I started a Master of Science in Management and Educational Leadership with University of the West Indies, Open Campus and completed in December 2018. In 2017 strategy struck when the house I was living in was totally destroyed by hurricane Irma,” she said. “I lost most of my things and was able to salvage a few things that were tied in plastic bags from the rubble. With no home, I had to send my son to stay in Jamaica with my mother while I stayed with friends until I was able to get another apartment. With no power, no internet, I continued with my studies. I had to go to places the library, Flow or Digicel that was providing open
wifi at nights, sit outside in my car to work on assignments. Sometimes there for hours until the early hours of the morning.” Hylton noted that she obtained straight A’s with only one B+ throughout her course of studies. In addition, the local recording artist represented Open Campus at the Post Graduate Debates for 2 years in St. Vincent and Barbados. She added, “My thesis examined “Factors influencing parental involvement in a selected secondary school in the Turks and Caicos Islands”. Though parental involvement is not a new phenomenon in education, the study produced new knowledge and findings. The findings revealed that parents and teachers had different perceptions of parental involvement but there were common expectations.” She continued: “The themes emerging included job related issues, cultural and language barriers, parents efficacy, family structures, level of parental interest, lack of opportunities to volunteer and invitation to participate, management style and communication. It was discovered that
parents had a strong desire to participate and in schools that lacked parental involvement, the school needed to play an enabling role and provide opportunities for parental involvement”. Hylton said she developed and recommended the “Triple E Attitude” to improve parental Involvement which is an “Engaging, Empowering and Enabling Attitude” “I also recommended that “schools provide more opportunities for parents to be involved, use a variety of media to provide pertinent information to parents, implement programmes to cater to different cultural groups and develop support communities for parents and students to improve learning for children and to help parents develop appropriate parenting skills.” Hylton told The SUN she was awarded an “A” for her study and she plans to do further work based on the study here in the Turks and Caicos Islands on parental involvement. “I’ve always strived for excellence as I also hold a BSc in Human EcologyConsumer Science with first class honours
Tamara Alecia Hylton receiving official UWI pin from Dr. Phyllis Banks, Manager of Open Campus Turks and Caicos Islands from UWI, St. Augustine. One of my guiding philosophy is “education is the only escape from poverty,” she said.
RBC announces sale of Eastern Caribbean banking operations Royal Bank of Canada on Thursday December 12th, 2019 announced it has entered into definitive agreements to sell all banking operations in the Eastern Caribbean to a consortium of indigenous banks within the region. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions, and is expected to be finalized in the coming months. Rob Johnston, Head,RBC Caribbean Banking, stated: “Consistent with our strategy of being a competitive leader in the markets where we operate, RBC is always evaluating opportunities for our business. Earlier this year, we were approached by a consortium of indigenous banks with their proposal to acquire all RBC Eastern Caribbean operations. After a review of our operations and strategy, we determined this
opportunity was a good decision for the long-term future success of RBC Caribbean, and also, that it aligned with our vision to help our clients thrive and communities prosper.” The sale encompasses the branches of Royal Bank of Canada in Antigua, Dominica, Montserrat, St. Lucia, and St. Kitts and Nevis, as well as regional businesses operating under RBC Royal Bank Holdings (EC) Limitedin Nevis, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Collectively, these operations are referred to as “RBC Eastern Caribbean”. The consortium of five financial entities purchasing includes: 1st National Bank of St. Lucia, Antigua Commercial Bank Ltd., National Bank of Dominica Ltd., the Bank of Montserrat and Bank of Nevis Ltd. Johnathan Johannes, Managing
Director, 1st National Bank of St. Lucia, stated, “We formed the consortium for the express purpose of expanding the scale of the locally owned financial entities in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union. This transaction gives us the size and scale to play a more active role in the development of our respective countries. We see this transaction as the first step in achieving even greater synergies, efficiencies and cross-territory marketing opportunities.” “RBC has operated in the Caribbean for more 100 years – longer than we have been in many parts of Canada. We remain committed to the future of the Caribbean and to a vision of digital innovation that transcends traditional services,” said Johnson. “This transaction will allow us to realign and focus our strategy on Caribbean markets where we can achieve that vision
most successfully.” “Self-determination is the highest level of empowerment – and the indigenous banks acquiring this business will now have an increased opportunity to influence the development of their communities,” said Johnston. Johannes added, “And speaking on behalf of the local banks, we embrace and eagerly anticipate that opportunity.” The consortium was advised by PwC (JA), led by Wilfred Baghaloo, who added “this transaction demonstrates that Caribbean countries and businesses have the capacity and capability to come together when the circumstances are right.” Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. RBC will release its first quarter 2020 results and host an earnings conference call on February 21, 2020.
BUTLER TRAINER(*)
BUTLER As a Butler for The Shore Club Resort, you will be responsible for ensuring butler service provided for guests is delivered promptly, courteously and expertly in accordance with all resort and brand standards. The Butler’s primary goal is to create an ambiance of superior luxury by anticipating each individual guest’s needs. This is accomplished through moments of surprise and delight that our guest would never have experienced before. Also ensure guest familiarities to frequent guests visiting the hotel. Roles and Responsibilities: •Minimum of 3 years’ experience in food and beverage fine dining as a personal Butler •Must possess excellent communication skills, both verbal and written •Strong knowledge of a variety of cuisines and wines/beverages •Must possess local knowledge in order to respond to all inquiries from guest, such as restaurants information •Must possess basic computational ability •Must possess basic computer skills •Must be able to follow through all the guest requests and communicate them to the appropriate departments and management in an efficient manner •Must be able to stand and exert well-paced mobility for up to 8 hours in length •Must be able to exert well-paced, ability to reach other departments and locations in a timely manner •Must be able to exert well-paced ability in limited space •Must be able to bend, stoop, squat and stretch to fulfill cleaning tasks. •Must be able to bend and squat and lift up to 25 lbs •Must be able to push and pull equipment weighing up to 75 lbs •Requires grasping, writing, standing, sitting, walking, walking, repetitive motions. •Bending, climbing, listening and hearing ability and visual acuity. •Must be able and willing to work all days and shifts Starting salary at $8.00- $9.00 per hour not including service charge.
As a Butler Trainer for The Shore Club Resort, you will be responsible for providing the highest of penthouse service to our guest. The Butler Trainer’s primary goal is to ensure all Butlers are trained in line with core standards within The Shore Club. You will also be responsible for ensuring that the Team of Butlers create an ambiance of superior luxury by anticipating each individual guess’s needs. This is accomplished through moments of surprise and delight that our guest would never have experience before. Roles and Responsibilities: •Minimum of 5 years’ experience in food and beverage fine dining as a personal Butler/Butler Trainer. •Must possess excellent communication skills, both verbal and written •Develop, implement, coordinate and present butler and personal concierges training programs in accordance with The Shore Club standards and requirements •Track, audit and maintain individual training records for all staff at Front Office. •Conduct regular meetings with Front Office and Hotel Manager regarding training progress for staff. •Must possess basic computational ability. •Must possess basic computer skills. •Must be able to follow through all the guest requests and communicate them to the appropriate departments and management in an efficient manner. •Must have attention to details second to none ability, superior interpersonal skills and desire to provide exceptional service to our guest. •Must be able and willing to work all days and shifts Starting salary at $27,500.00 per annum not including service charge. POSITIONS MARKED WITH (*) ARE CURRENTLY HELD BY A WORK PERMIT HOLDER. Interested applicants should apply to The Shore Club,Human Resources Department, Monday through Friday, and bring along an updated resume, or by emailing your resume Attention to Danitra Clare or Karresa Gardiner, Asst.Human Resource Managers at careers@theshoreclubtc.com, no later than end of day Friday December 20th, 2019.Resumes canalso be submitted to the Labour Department directly. The Shore Club HR Office can be contacted at (649)-339-8000
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LOCAL NEWS
Travel agents recognized at Sandals Resorts’ annual S.T.A.R. Awards
Sandals Resorts International (SRI) celebrated and honored the top travel agents at the18th annual Sandals Travel Agency Recognition (S.T.A.R.) Awards held at the beautiful Beaches Turks & Caicos on December 9, 2019.
Some 560 travel advisors and companions from the United States, Canada, Latin America and the United Kingdom attended the event in Providenciales to be recognized for their hard work and commitment to the Sandals brand. Many notable figures from the Turks and Caicos community attended the awards ceremony, including the Governor of Turks and Caicos Islands, His Excellency Nigel John Dakin; Deputy Governor, Her Excellency Anya Williams; The Minister of Tourism, Hon. Ralph Higgs; Consul General for Jamaica, Allan Hutchinson and Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Labor and Employment Services, Hon. Vaden Williams. Established in 2002, Sandals® Resorts created (Top Club Sandals USA Recipients from Northeast Region – Everlasting Memories Vacations, Southeast Region – Pixie Vacations, Mid-Atlantic the S.T.A.R. Awards to recognize top travel agents and Region – V.I.P. Vacations Inc., Midwest Region – Royal Travel and Western Region – Uniglobe Travel Center pictured with James McAnally, General their agencies, while also showcasing the latest and Manager at Beaches Turks & Caicos.) greatest resort products and on-island attractions for •Tracy McGaughey - A-Aarons All Inclusive Travel •Bethany Travel guests. •Trudy Lagerman - Liberty Travel •Island Getaways The full list of distinguished winners who were •The Travel Agent Next Door Canada awarded in the 2019 S.T.A.R. Awards is as follows: Hall of Fame Award: •Travel Professionals International Canada •Michelle Fee-Cruise Planners, An American Express Worldwide Contribution to the Sandals Foundation: Travel Representative This year, the Stewart Family introduced a new •Georgiann Jaworskyj - Custom Travel Services, Inc. award: The Stewart Family Philanthropic Award, which Outstanding Sales Achievement: Top Retail Travel Agency Chain Worldwide: serves to recognize executives, partners and individuals •Nancy Finn - Island Getaways •Liberty Travel whose exceptional leadership and patronage to the Outstanding Achievement-Social Media: philanthropic sector has strengthened and inspired •Toni Goss - Absolute Vacations, Inc. Top Host Travel Agency: the Caribbean communities. Heidi Clarke, Executive Top Island Routes Travel Agency: •Cruise Planners, An American Express Travel Director of the Sandals Foundation, was honored as the •Nancy Finn - Island Getaways Representative first ever recipient of this tremendous accolade for her CEO Award of Excellence: decade-long service and dedication to the Caribbean •USA: Mandy Litterini -Litterini Travel Top Ten Travel Agencies: community and to the Foundation since its inception. •Canada: Sandy Willett - Vision Travel Solutions •WeddingVibe To learn more about how to become a star agent Chairman’s Award •Classic Travel Connection of Sandals® Resorts through the exclusive Certified •Jennifer Doncsecz - V.I.P. Vacations •Royal Travel Sandals Specialist (CSS) program, contact your local Lifetime Achievement Award: •Pixie Vacations Sandals Business Development Manager or visit https:// •Kim Caudill - Nexion Inc. •V.I.P. Vacations Inc. taportal.sandals.com for additional details. •Jean Gaultiere - Active Travel •Magical Moments Vacations
DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
BIG BANG MECA-10 NICKY JAM CERAMIC
The Regent Village, Grace Bay Road Phone: 649-941-4324 www.jais.tc
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LOCAL NEWS
2019 Chop Off Championship highlights T
urks and Caicos Islands Chop off Cook off Challenge under the umbrella of TCI Food and Culture Festival” was the place to be last weekend. This year the event is proud to name Jameka Lashawn Williams, owner of Chilli’s Takeout and representative of South Caicos, as their 2019 Chop Off Champion.
The event took place on Friday December 6th, at Ports of Call Court yard in Providenciales and hundreds of persons came out to cheer on their favourite chefs. This event each year gives four local chefs in the Turks and Caicos Islands the opportunity to showcase their talents and to show everyone what they are capable of and
what they can bring to the table. The chefs who went head to head for the title of TCI Chop Off Cook Off Challenge winner are, MS. Jameka Williams of South Caicos, Ms. Olivia Smith of Grand Turk, Mr. Livingston “Winky” Lightbourne of Providenciales and Mr. Gordon Wilson of Salt Cay.
DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
LOCAL NEWS
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Keeping the weight off during the Christmas season training. Make the date for drinks an hour later so that you can go for a run We are quickly going through or hit the gym right after work and then the month of December and right into head home to prepare for a night on the the swing of the Christmas season. town. This means staff parties, work ` If you work out in the morning, functions, outings with friends and don’t stay out late every night. Get in family and of course large dinner parties early sometimes so that you will be with a plethora of goodies and alcohol for rested for your morning workout. Not our indulgence. It seems as if overeating only will exercise help you burn those and gaining weight is an imperative extra calories you have been consuming, during this season. but it will also help you stay focused on And in fact, a study by a your health and your healthy lifestyle, nutritional supplement company found making you less likely to binge on that that only 3% of people don’t overdo it mac and cheese or pastry you love so at all between Christmas and New Year, much. while 18% let themselves indulge only on the big days like Christmas day and Make healthy food choices at New Year’s Day. routine meals That means that over 75% of us go mad for the whole festive season, Because we know that you will gaining weight we desperately try to lose face unhealthy food options at social to in the New Year. Although weight gain events, when eating regularly, it is may seem inevitable during the season, important to make the right food choices. there are a few things you can adopt to Feed on low fat, high protein balance the tilting scale. options like baked chicken breast, turkey and grilled fish. Limit your sugary treats Keep up the exercise and pastries and stock up on vegetables especially the green, leafy ones which Exercise is many times neglected will help you feel full. Try to avoid during the season as we have events alcohol throughout the day and have to attend in the evenings, or need to water when possible with your meals meet friends and family visiting for the instead of sodas, fruit juices or alcohol. Christmas for drinks or a quick bite. Tackle dinner parties like a pro But this is the time that sticking to some kind of exercise plan is necessary. The aim of these events is to Even if you can’t maintain your regular schedule, find ways to get in your have fun with colleagues, friends and family. It is not to eat or drink yourself
By Dr. Marsha Barnett
BIANCA SANDS, PROVIDENCIALES D103 REGENT STREET, REGENT VILLAGE, GRACE BAY, PROVIDENCIALES STAFF REQUIRED GUEST SERVICES SUPERVISOR Minimum Requirements: • 10 years good quality experience in the Hospitality Industry • Experience in supervising Housekeeping, Pool & Beach, Front Desk & Concierge activities • Experience in Meeting and Greeting paying guests and meeting their high expectations • Good people management skills • Being well organized • Good verbal and written communication skills • Experience of budgeting and controlling expenses • Self-starter who requires minimum supervision • High Integrity Responsibilities: • Supervision of all guest related activities for the Bianca Sands resort • In particular, supervising staff with the responsibility for housekeeping, laundry, pool & beach, front desk and concierge activities • Arrange to “Meet & Greet” all guests as well as manage their guest experience at the resort • Monitor and respond to online comments • Develop a budget for approval by the Board of Directors, including staffing, supplies, guest amenities, linen replenishment, and laundry services etc. • Manage the staff efficiently and control expenses within the agreed budget. • Requirement to work or be available during traditional holidays and other peak guest times Remuneration compatible with experience. How to apply:admin@biancasandsresort.com This position is new Applicants who are Turks & Caicos Islanders should also copies of their application to the Labour Board
into a state where you need to attempt to undo the effects of the event the morning after or lose additional pounds in 2018. If you are going to a dinner, have your breakfast and lunch that day as you usually would. There is a tendency to starve oneself on the day of a big party because we want to “save our calories” so that we can eat all we want at the event thinking it will all balance out and we won’t gain weight. However, when you go to an event ravishingly hungry, you are much more likely to overeat and make unhealthy food choices. This is partly because your blood sugar, and even hormones that affect your mood will fall when you have been starving yourself and you will opt for fatty, and sugary treats to quickly get your sugars back into equilibrium. Remember, all things in moderation when you hit that buffet wines, wine spritzers, vodka tonic and or dinner table. Have the treats you like so on and only order your sweet mixed but have small servings of the less the drinks if you must. healthy options. Remember if you slip up on Of course, parties are also about occasion, all is not lost, get back on track. the booze. Starting off with water or Balance is the name of the game. Enjoy club soda is a good way of hydrating the friends, family, fun and frolicking first. Another thing to do is to alternate that comes with the season. between alcoholic beverages and water. You can even ask for it to be *Dr. Marsha Barnett is a general served in a liquor glass if that will make practitioner who also specialises you more comfortable. Remember too, in dermatology. For questions or that alcohol is packed with calories and comments, please contact her at when mixed with sugary drinks, the drmarshabarnett@gmail.com or at calorie count can rival your meal. So, Associated Medical Practices - 946keep it simple when ordering. Stick with 4242.
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Communicate effectively. A sixth recipe for success. By Drexwell Seymour When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Acts 2:1 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Acts 2:6 Introduction One of the main reasons why some of us failed is due primarily to ineffective communication. Ineffective communication results from assumptions, keeping mum about things and not saying exactly what is required, what you need and what you have done. Too many times we assume that other individuals know what we want to be done. Sometimes we do not communicate at all but yet we expect the outcome to be successful. Leaders have failed because they did not communicate effectively even though they may have done a lot.
effectively is that we need to be together in one place. Most times, we communicate, we are not together and so the messages do not reach the appropriate and relevant individuals. The messages get lost and sometimes when it reaches others, the messages is change. With the advancement of technology, it is easy to reach everyone at the same time especially through social media. One message can be delivered at the same time to everyone so that everyone receives the message at the same time. The advantage about being everyone being together is that if the message is not communicated clearly, individuals have an opportunity to pose questions for clarity. Therefore it is important for families to have family meetings, businesses to have staff and management meetings and churches to have board and business meetings. There is so much misunderstanding and hearsay but when you get together
came, the Jews from every nation heard their own language being spoken and so they understood the messages. Too many times when we communicate, our messages are not clearly understood by the recipients. Some of the messages are above our heads and so the messages are not communicate effectively because the intended recipients do not comprehend it even though they hear the message. Therefore we need to ensure that the messages are not just heard but also understood. Keep the messages simple. There is no need to overuse big words. You do not need to prove to anyone that you are educated. You are not being an effective communicator if you are using words and phrases that individuals do not understand. While you may succeed in making a lasting impression on someone, however, you walk away without communicating your message effectively.
Hearing and understanding the same language
Communicating effectively can save a relationship. Communicating effectively can allow you to win an election. Communicate effectively will
Together in one open place
One of the keys to communicate
When the day of Pentecost
Conclusion
make you a successful leader. C o m m u n i c a t i n g effectively therefore will eliminate misunderstandings, reduce confusion and foster unity in the work force, the church, the country and the home. Do not take anyone for granted. Communicate effectively with the recipients even if it means using social media. Encourage feedback so that you are sure that the message is communicated correctly.
“Youth Standing Up for Human Rights” Human Rights Day is observed every year on December 10th — the day the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR): a milestone document proclaiming the inalienable rights which everyone is inherently entitled to as a human being. After a year marked by the 30th anniversary celebrations of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which culminated on November 20th , 2019 the UN plan is to capitalise on the current momentum and spotlight the leadership role of youth in collective movements as a source of inspiration for a better future. Children are the most important group within our society, they are also the most vulnerable. It is our children that will become the leaders and entrepreneurs of tomorrow, it is they that hold the future in their hands. As such, it is critical to the future of our society that they are taught about the relationship between healthy societies and a respect for human rights. This is one of the functions that the Turks and Caicos Islands Human Rights Commission performs. Since 2008 when the Commission was first established the organisation has been visiting schools and giving talks to children about the respect for human rights and why it is so important. Over the last 12 months the Director of the Commission, the Education Officer and the Investigator have all been involved in giving talks to children in our local schools, it is one of the functions that everyone working in the Turks and Caicos Human Rights Commission values. However, teaching children, or adults, about human rights is not sufficient to embed a respect for human rights in their lives. It is also critical that we respect their rights. A person whose rights have been abused is much more likely to abuse the rights of another than a person who has had their rights protected and respected. It is critical that we respect the rights of our children and help them to become the adults that we desire them to be. To this end, one of the largest projects that the Human Rights Commission has completed in the last year is a review of
public school infrastructure in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Education is one of the most important aspects of childhood development, in cooperation with parents and the community it is where the moral and intellectual development of the young children and emerging adults takes place. It is in school that children learn where they fit into the world and what their strengths and weaknesses are, it is here more than anywhere else that they learn about cooperation and teamwork. It is critical to the future of the Turks and Caicos Islands that children are given every opportunity to succeed. The Commission is very pleased that many of the schools that were visited are good learning environments and most of the schools that the Commission criticised had some redeeming features. However, the Commission was disappointed to find that two years after the storms of 2017 there were many students still learning in very poor environments. Across the world there are young people taking a stand against authoritarian governments and climate change inactivity. The Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg has taken on world leaders in her efforts to advocate for the environment. Malala Yousafzai became the youngest Nobel laureate in history for her work fighting for women and girls to receive an education in the Middle East. Five American teenagers, David Hogg, Jaclyn Corin, Emma González, Cameron Kasky, and Alex Wind responded to being involved in the Parkland School shooting by advocating for change to the firearm laws in the United States. Mari Copeny was only 8 years old when she began advocating for the right to clean water, bringing US President Barack Obama to Flint, Michigan, to highlight the plight of local people. In the Turks and Caicos Islands we have our very own Jessica Corvil who was the winner of the Youth Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2018 and has worked to promote the rights of girls in North Caicos and throughout the country. In just under a week the 2019 Humanitarian of the Year will
be announced at the Gala Event in the Shore Club and the nation will celebrate the activism of another young Turks and Caicos resident. This only serves to highlight the power that young people possess to both influence and change our societies, it is the responsibility of all of us to support ‘Youth Standing Up for Human Rights’.
Jessica Corvill
Funtastic Tours, Funtastic Bus Tours and Funtastic Water Sports Company Limited areseeking to fill the following posts: Assistant Manager / Gateway and Shorex Tour Guides Life Guards Dispatchers Sales Persons Mechanics&Assistant Mechanics Automotive Electricians&Assistant Automotive Electricians Boat Captains Deckhands Bus Drivers with Public Service Licenses Maintenance Officers / Labourers Maids / Cleaners All candidates must have a minimum of at least five (5) years experience in their specialist area in the tourism industry. o Must have a valid driver’s license with a minimum of five (5) years driving experience. Bus Drivers must have a Public Service License. o Tour Guides must have sufficient knowledge to troubleshoot vehicles on tours. o Boat Captains and Tour Guides in the aqua field must have a Captain’s License, CPR and PADI certification or equivalent. Persons must be well versed in the natural habitat of various sea creatures. o Deckhands are responsible for ensuring safety on the boat and in cleaning and maintaining the boat. o Mechanics must be well versed in their specialized areas of repairing All-Terrain Vehicles, Electric Vehicles, Boats and Buses. Mechanics in their specialist field must have five (5) years experience. Assistant Mechanics must have (3) years experience in their specialized field. The company has a fleet of over seventy vehicles and climbing and requires several persons in the various mechanical areas. o Sales persons must have at least five (5) years experience handling online and direct sales. o Dispatchers must be able to effectively communicate with Shorex and persons of varying nationalities as well as produce sales reports and projections. o Maintenance Officers / Labourers must be able to maintain various trails, clean the Workshop and assist the Tour Guides where necessary. o Sales persons must have a positive and disciplined attitude towards work in a customer service environment. o Proven and unblemished employment record. o Have a good command of English and excellent communication skills. o Must be able to work flexible hours and extended overtime schedules, including weekends and public holidays to meet the demands of the industry. o Able to undergo intensive training to meet the requirements of the industry. Remuneration package would be discussed at the interview process. All applicants should submit their resumes to Funtastic Tours Company Ltd atfuntastic.tours@yahoo. com. All applicants are required to submit a Police Record, three reference (3) letters (one from their last employer) and undergo a medical once successful at the interview process. Belongers will be given first preference.
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Our landfill, an issue or a crisis? By Ed Forbes I suppose it depends on who you ask. We cannot solve a crisis without treating it as a crisis. “By Greta Thunberg” As I interact and converse with more and more people on the island, it became clear to me that we all share similar concerns for the good of the nation and are all obligated to illuminate the things that unite us as humans without fear or favor. Let me explain, and one can come to their own conclusion. We all live in the most beautiful country in the world, these Turks and Caicos Islands. Now, I may be a bit biased as I’m a son of the soil. Nevertheless, it needs to be addressed as it’s a matter of sickness or health. Once these beautiful by nature islands became exposed to the outside world, development began to expand rapidly and so did the population of course. I don’t believe anyone envisioned sanitation control being an issue. At the time, the public dumps were considered some distances away from public dwelling. Since then, a number of communities have emerged around the dumps. Figuratively speaking, some homes in Grand Turk, are located literally in rock throwing distance from the public dump. We have got to
recognize this as more than an issue my fellow Turks Islanders. Usually, the most powerful stories are those that are driven by violence and destruction. However, I felt compelled to shine the light on this particular matter because of the long lasting negative impact it could have on humanity. It should not be minimized and needs to be addressed with a sense of urgency. Case in point: Whether it’s the work of an arsonist or spontaneous combustion of materials, in less than four years, the dump in Grand Turk has been on fire a number of times. Each time, billows of smoke permeated the air all over this tiny island. The smoke and the smell at times are unbearable and the fires would be smoldering for weeks on end. Now just imagine the families with small children and babies living in close proximity of this. It’s nothing less than a matter of sickness or health. I’m not a medical doctor, but common sense would tell you if toxic fumes are inhaled over a long period of time, just like cigarettes, this could result in acute respiratory issues and other illness. In most developing countries, solid waste is regulated in five categories, generation, collection, processing, transporting and disposal of waste. It’s pretty clear to us as to
which companies and or facilities are generating the most waste, and the question remains, are they doing enough to support the country as a whole in this area. Proper management of the other four categories has been a challenge to our country for years. Particularly in Grand Turk, we have had our share of less than satisfactory services of garbage collection. We now have large quantities of medical drugs, human and chemical waste being disposed of in the public dump. Some of these are intrinsically hazardous to our health. The potential health effects of both waste itself and the consequences of not managing it properly continue to plague us. Human waste: In the bygone days, “out houses”, was the primary way to contain human waste. At least it was concentrated in one area with limited infiltration into our water waterways. The way it’s being disposed off now, it is in close proximity of our ponds and waterways. It will have a negative impact to the surrounding natural resources, pollutes the environment and presents a serious human health hazard. Most developed countries use gravity to usher waste from homes and businesses to neighborhood lift stations, where it is stored and pumped
into pressurized mains, which take the sewage to the treatment plant. This process helps to remove contaminants and produce treated wastewater that is safe enough for release into the environment. Unfortunately, we don’t have that luxury. Therefore, having a proper dump station is of paramount importance. These concerns were addressed with Hon. Edwin Astwood, who advised that he shares some of the same sentiments. The Ministry further stated that a tender is currently being put out for management of the dumpsites and they are requiring the most environmentally friendly option. One of the options could possibly eliminate the municipal waste at the sites, with no emissions into the atmosphere, which should also include recycling. If this is of any consultation, time will tell. Nevertheless, we should not remain silent or complacent until it comes to fruition. There’s an extreme need to have a comprehensive and holistic discussion on a way forward. We realize it’s a monumental task, but something has to be done as time is running out. I passionately embraced Mahatma Gandhi’s idea: “ We must be the Change we wish to see in the world” In this case, in our beloved Turks and Caicos Islands.
Royan Deux Ltd is seeking to hire a Project Director The Project Director will oversee a hotel development on Grace Bay, Providenciales and will have primary focus for delivering the project on time, while minimizing costs and managing risks. Responsibilities will include:
Milano Diamond Gallery is interested in hiring persons to fill the position of Sales person Salesperson The successful candidates will be responsible for providing customer service and selling high end jewelry Candidates for Sales Person requirements: •At least 4 passes at CXC including Maths and English •Good Communication skills •Friendly and able to work in a team •Sales experience would be an asset All candidates must be willing to work with an irregular cruise ship schedule. Candidates must be friendly and able to work with a team and also speak excellent English, while proficiency in other languages will be considered a plus Applications can be submitted to Milano Diamond Gallery, Grand Turk Cruise Center 946-2276 Please also submit a copy of your application to TCI work permit board
•Lead Team from a strategic and operational perspective, to ensure the project meets the high quality and distinctive architectural standards and is executed within Time, Quality, and Cost/ Budget targets and in compliance with all regulatory and contractual obligations •Train and deepen the team’s expertise in Project Management, andguide the team in representing the Company professionally in all dealings including consultants, suppliers, authorities and other parties •Work in close consultation and establish strong relationships with internal departments of the Developer (including Property Management, Marketing, Legal, Finance) and also external parties, e.g. Hotel operator, consultants, suppliers and authorities, to ensure a comprehensive review of all user requirements and proper completion of all contractual and other legal documentation prior to work commencement •Formulate the project overview strategy and formalize the project’s detailed execution process •Oversee all project budgets, and seek continuous improvements through value engineering and other methods, and identify synergistic opportunities within the organization •Manage post-construction asset transitionand warranty issues •Draft and review Consultant Service Agreements and Scope of Services/ Fee analysis •Work with QS to prepare tender packages and bid documents. Review, analyze and evaluate tender proposals •Review Construction contracts, contract administration and construction site programme •Act as the Client’s direct interface/ point of contact at site •Provides coordination between site team, Developer, Contractors, Design Teams •Attends and chairs meetings with the Hotel operator, consultants, contractors and other relevant third parties •Keep track of the overall progress of the project works and address delay mitigation strategies •Establish the Project’s Document Control •Lead all procurement and tender meetings and tender negotiations •Enforce ethics and compliance policy including Third Party payment, Sub-consultancy engagement process Qualifications: •15 years prior experience in Project Management within the real-estate and/or hospitality sector delivering large-scale projects on time and budget. Minimum of 5 years as a Project Director level. •Degree in Engineering, Project Management, Construction Management or other relevant field •Experienced in leading teams of main contractors, consultants, and setting up of project team and project office •Fully conversant with various Contract Forms and internationally used contract procurement instruments •Understanding Hotel operations and confident in dealing with Hotel operator •Demonstrable capability to define, direct and coordinate teams of construction personnel •Handled at least 2 projects of the similar complexity, size and budget, e.g. luxury hospitality, complex environment. •Recognized as a team leader within a project environment •International experience in handling multiple projects globally Remuneration based on experience, commencing at US$8,000.00 per month All suitably qualified applicants are requested to submit resumes/portfolios by email toinfo. royandeux@gmail.com Prospective TC Islander applicants are also free to lodge a copy of their applications with the Labour Department
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IT MANAGER Responsibilities Key responsibilities of an IT Manager include: •Providing support for computer and mobile end-users. Particular emphasis is on supporting computers in a Windows Active Directory domain. Does this through the use and management of IT ticket tracking system. Prioritizes all tickets in response to priorities established by Executive Management Team. Offers help in a way that further educates the enduser, elevates overall technology acumen and leads to a less “help desk reliant” workforce. • Working with various departments to ensure smooth delivery of technology resources for all on-property events. • Researching new technologies, working with the property leadership team and Evolution IT team to recommend, design and implement innovative, cost effective technology solutions. • Coordinating 3rd party vendors to include working with various vendors including telecommunications providers, and software, hardware and other technology vendors to respond to IT needs of property as determined by Evolution IT Team and the on-property Leadership Team. • Working with the Leadership Team to ensure that IT operations are aligned with business needs. Adjust IT department priorities as necessary in response to direction. • Work may include: racking and stacking network and server equipment, toning and terminating cabling, creating new use accounts, joining computers to domains, training, etc. Job Requirements •Active Directory and Exchange knowledge including Windows authentication to AD, Windows file and print sharing required •Printer / peripheral device troubleshooting skills •Networking experience with TCP/IP, DNS and DHCP •Experience with wireless peripherals/devices especially mobile devices
ROYAL WEST INDIES RESORT ROYAL WEST INDIES RESORT, is looking for motivated proactive individuals to join its ‘Resort Team’ and contribute to this growing Condominium Resort. Candidates MUST want to actively participate in creating an excellent and professional guest experience. •MAINTENANCE •MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN Requirements: •MUST speak English and the ability to write and read English •Ability to maintain pools and hot tub chemicals and maintenance issues related to same •Fit and able for heavy lifting •Personality suited for the hotel industry •Must be customer friendly •Willing to work split shifts, holidays and weekends. •Knowledge of waste water treatment plants •Knowledge of Commercial Laundry Equipment including propane systems •Air Conditioning systems, Fire Alarm systems, Domestic Water systems including Water Heaters Salary: $24,000-$27,000 Per Annum POOL & BEACH ATTENDANT •Arrange pool loungers and tables on pool deck •Clean area of any debris, dirty plates, cups and glasses •Pool/Beach towels to be arranged on loungers for guests •Check landscaped areas around the pool for litter and debris •Unload, clean and place lounge chairs on beach •Rake area, pick up debris and trash & place umbrellas in sand near lounge chairs. •Keep stock of towels up to par during the day •Maintain pool and spa water chemistry by conducting water chemical tests in compliance with health department standards. •On a daily basis ensure highest water quality, sanitary conditions, optimum pool performance and record all test results and adjustments in a detailed log. •Must be able to work split shifts, weekends and public holidays Salary: $18,000 Per Annum These positions are currently held by work permit holders Prospective & qualified applicants who are Islanders can send copies of their applications and resumes to the email address noted below or to the Labour Board. All resumes and applications must be forwarded to: Royal West Indies Resort P.O. Box 482, Providenciales Turks & Caicos Islands Fax#: (649)946-5008
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•The candidate should be a self-motivated and detail oriented with the ability to manage technical events from open through closure •Critical thinking and problem solving/troubleshooting skills a must •Excellent communication skills Ability to read, write, and speak English to comprehend and communicate job functions. •Ability to work with others and help them understand things from a “non-technical” point of view. •Ability to meet varying schedules due to nature of the hospitality industry. This may include working extended hours, weekends and holidays. •Ability to stand, walk, and/or sit continuously perform essential functions for an extended period of time. Education Preferred & Required Experience: •AA or equivalent experience •A, Network , and Microsoft certifications preferred Experience •3-5 years progressive experience in the IT industry, working on and supporting end users in a windows domain environment. •2-3 years of supervision experience. •Experience in supporting multi-branch locations •Knowledge of the hospitality industry a definite asset. Salary Scale: $36,000.00 per hour. Belongers only need apply. Interested persons may contact out Corporate HR department office or by submitting your resume with qualifications and experience to: hr@wihl.com Please also submit a copy of your completed application to our labour department. Closing date Dec. 21st, 2019
KEYSTONE LTD. We are looking for a professional housekeeper able to operate and maintain a villa in Providenciales. The successful candidate will need to be able to perform a variety of cleaning activities such as sweeping, mopping, dusting and polishing. Ensure that all rooms are cared for and inspected according to standards. Protect equipment and make sure they are operational. Notify owners of any damages, deficits and disturbances. Deal with reasonable complaints and requests with professionalism and patience. Check stocking levels of all consumables and replace when appropriate. Adhere strictly to rules regarding health and safety and be aware of any company-related practices. Qualifications •At least five (5) years experience with managing and maintaining vacation villas •Ability to work with little supervision •Customer-oriented and friendly •Prioritization and time management skills. Salary: $5,833.34 monthly Contact: Joshua Hersey- (717) 321 5607 This position is currently held by a work permit holder. Prospective TC Islander applicants are also free to lodge a copy of their applications with the Labour Board.
Bohio Dive Resort
Location: Grand Turk Turks & Caicos Islands, BWI BARTENDER *minimum 3 years experience in a full service bar *fluent in English - verbal and written - Spanish is an asset *pleasant personality a must *excellent mathematical skills *ability to mix Bohio specialty cocktails *ability to open and serve bottle of wine *cleaning and organization of all areas of bar *re-stocking of fridges and inventory bar daily *must be able to open bottles of wine *ensure proper cash handling - open and closing duties *working hours Monday - Sunday including holidays, based on scheduled shift *must be available to start at 6 am , hours based on weekly schedule Wage: $6.25 per hour This position is currently held by a work permit holder Bohio Dive Resort Grand Turk Turks & Caicos Islands, BWI T: (649) 946 2135 F: (649) 946 1536 E: info@bohioresort.com W: www.bohioresort.com
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Come and join our winning team at Seven Star Resort & Spa The following positions are currently available Chef de Partie/ Demi Chef de Partie The Chef de Partie is responsible for running a specific section of the kitchen. The chef manages a small team of workers, which are responsible for keeping organized so that meals go out on time and the work area remains clean and orderly. Requirements: •5 to 15 culinary experiences in a five star hotel/resort •Knowledgeable in international cuisine such as Japanese and other Asian dishes •HACCP knowledge, self-motivated and passion for hospitality and cooking •Excellent palate and attention to detail Duties and Responsibilities: •To work and lead the kitchen team •Execute cooking to the expected high standard quickly and efficiently •To maintain the required level of hygiene standards/HACCP as laid down both legally and by the standards manual •To be responsible for the day to day training of the team Salary range: USD18,000 to USD21,000. Position currently held by a work permit holder Retail and Spa Manager The Spa Manager will be responsible for overseeing the entire Spa function. This includes retail, a full-service gym as well as massage therapy. The primary role of the Spa Manager are; •To ensure optimum guest and employee satisfaction. •Plan or direct spa services and programs •Train staff in the use or sale of products, programs, or activities •Assess employee performance and suggest ways to improve work •Check spa equipment to ensure proper functioning •Coordinate facility schedules to maximize usage and efficiency •Develop staff service or retail goals and guide staff in goal achievement •Establish spa budgets and financial goals •Inventory products and order new supplies Skills and Qualifications: Customer Focus, Tracking Budget Expenses, Pricing, Vendor Relationships, Market Knowledge, Staffing, Results Driven, Yoga/ Pilates knowledge, Strategic Planning, Strong Management Proficiency, Client Relationships, Verbal Communication and able to work long hours. Must have international spa and retail experience. Salary range: USD45,000 to USD50,00 per annum and is based on experience and qualification. Crystallization Specialist: This individual will be responsible for grinding and leveling of floors with the required machinery. Responsible for all of the following: Travertine Cleaning , Marble Polishing, Marble Cleaning, Granite Polishing, Etch Removal, Stain Removal, Limestone Cleaning, Lippage Removal, Crack & Chip Repair and Marble Floor Maintenance Requirements: •Knowledge of working with chemicals used for floor restoration, polishing, buffing or crystallization on different stone floor types – Limestone/granite/ marble •Some math and measuring skills along with an eye for detail •Also requires a great deal of lifting, bending and squatting, so a reasonable level of physical fitness is needed. Salary range: USD15,500 to USD16,500 per annum. Position currently held by a work permit holder Beach Butler Trainer TheBeach Butler Trainer oversees all aspects of the beach butler department, including training and ensuring that the highly personalized service that the team provides to VIP guests is flawless. They are responsible for ensuring the Beach operations and are ran smoother and employee’s skills are up to resort standard. Must be willing to work long hours in the The Beach Butler Trainerhas the skills that can help turn problems into opportunities, and bring any aggrieved guest back to a state of satisfaction. Salary $10 per hour. Security Officer/guard 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. Duties and Requirements: •A minimum of 5 years’ experience •Able to work flexible hours, holidays and weekends. •Willing to walk/run through dark bushy areas to carryout checks. •Highly trained in security procedures and martial arts. •First Aid training is preferable •Ability to communicate effectively •Physical ability to run, walk, jump and bend. •Willing to work long Shifts (up to 14hrs) and split shift during the night. •Willing to work in all weather conditions. •Ability to respond to patron problems effectively. Salary range: USD14,000 to USD15,000 per annum and is based on experience and qualification. Position currently held by a work permit holder.
Housekeeping/Labourers Turndown Attendant / Houseman/Attendants Clean, stock, and provide turndown service for guest rooms to ensure cleanliness and guest satisfaction while caring enough to do it well by adhering to the Resort Commitments. Specific Duties and Responsibilities •Provide turndown service by partially removing and storing bedspread, replenishing amenities, linens, and supplies and filling ice bucket as requested by guest •Sign for room keys and restock cart •Visually inspect room for cleanliness and appearance of room •Strip and make beds, change linens and dust all furniture thoroughly •Replenish amenities, linens, and supplies in guest room •Vacuum entire room and empty trash •All lost and found articles must be turned in to supervisor or the Director of Housekeeping •Clocking in and out accurately is required as per company policies •Respond in a timely manner to guest requests for items and/or other information Job knowledge/Skills/Abilities •Ability to work conscientiously, meets deadlines, follows instruction and directions, with minimal supervision and detailed oriented •Ability to stand, sit, kneel constantly to handle specific details or demands of quality and speedy guest services •Ability to work with cleaning agents by extending arms over head, bending and stooping •Ability and desire to handle the heat as the layout of the resort’s rooms dictate •Ability to push, lift and/or pull equipment up to or more than 100 lbs •Ability to scrub and scour surfaces, extend arms over head to perform cleaning tasks, and work in confined spaces •Additional language abilities preferred Salary range: USD14,500 per annum Line Cook: We are looking for a professional line cook to prepare food to the exact chef’s specifications and to set up stations for menu. The successful candidate will play a key role in contributing to our customer satisfaction and acquisition goals. Requirement •Proven cooking experience •Excellent understanding of various cooking methods, ingredients, equipment and procedures •Accuracy and speed in executing assigned tasks •Familiar with industry’s best practices Salary: USD6.25 per hour. Position currently held by a work permit holder LEAD SERVER Candidate will lead their section team and at times be responsible for opening or closing the restaurant including responsibility for end of day procedures. •Suitable candidates must have a minimum of 4 years’ experience working in a lead position at a five-star resort or fine dining restaurant in a lead position •High energy with excellent interpersonal skills •Excellent command of English language (writing/reading/speaking) •Experience with point-of-service system, prior cashier or banking experience preferred Wages: $7.60 per hour and position currently held by a work permit holder Restaurant Manager: The Restaurant Manager’s main responsibility is to manage the entire restaurant and the staff in the restaurant and ensures all daily duties are done in order to serve our guests efficiently and professionally •Oversee the implementation of service and brand standards in the restaurant •Ensure all staff is trained on the company standards and acts in compliance to the standards •Monitor food & beverage cost in the restaurant and ensure minimum waste occurs •Monitor the POS system and ensure all transactions are properly recorded and settled according to company rules •Ensure daily opening and closing procedures are performed according to standards •Ensure the restaurant is in compliance with the current health and safety standards at all times •Directly responsible for meeting financial, service and guest satisfaction targets for assigned outlet Skills and Qualifications: •Previous five star restaurant management experience •Previous experience working with multi-cultural/multi-ethnic groups •Ability to build, train and maintain teams Salary range: USD45,000 to USD 50,500 per annum. OTHER POSITIONS •Public Area Cleaner •Houseman Salary range: USD12,000 to $17,000 per annum and is based on experience and qualification. Some position currently held by a work permit holder. ONLY CANDIDATES MEETING ABOVE REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS WILL BE CONTACTED. Candidates should apply to Seven Stars Resort & Spa, Grace Bay Road, Providenciales via e-mail at hr@ sevenstarsgracebay.com for consideration or should leave CV’s at the security building for the attention of HR. Prospective applicants who are Islanders kindly send copies of your application to the board. Application deadline: Dec 15, 2019
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Travel Agents shine bright at Sandals Resorts Annual S.T.A.R. Awards
andals Resorts International (SRI) celebrated and honored the top travel agents at the18th annual Sandals Travel Agency Recognition (S.T.A.R.) Awards held at the beautiful Beaches Turks & Caicos on December 9th, 2019. 560 travel advisors and companions from the United States,
Canada, Latin America and the United Kingdom attended the event in Providenciales to be recognized for their hard work and commitment to the Sandals brand. Attending the awards ceremony, included the Governor of Turks and Caicos Islands, His
Excellency Nigel John Dakin; Deputy Governor, Her Excellency Anya Williams; The Minister of Tourism, Hon. Ralph Higgs; Consul General for Jamaica, Allen Hutchinson and MHA Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Labor and Employment Services, Hon. Vaden Williams.
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WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO POWER OUR GROWING ECONOMY? . FortisTCI’s newest generation plant . 8.75 Megawatts of generation capacity, enough to supply the growing commercial and residential energy needs in Provo, North and Middle Caicos based on development projection through 2021 . State-of-the-art, Greenfield project costing $18.6 million . Will provide the country with electricity for the next 25-30 years
Forward thinking and strategic investments. Like our latest state-of-the-art generation expansion project built to meet your energy needs over the next 30 years. At FortisTCI, we make strategic investments, deliver innovative solutions and build prudently to meet your energy needs. Today and tomorrow.
2017 Winner
Allied Member of the Year
BCMS 681102
www.fortistci.com | 649-946-4313 |
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LOCAL NEWS
Hundreds attend Kiwanis Club Christmas Tree Lighting T
he annual Kiwanis Club Christmas Tree Lighting and Treat took place on Sunday (December 8th, 2019), Down Town Providenciales. Hundreds of children and their parents turned out for the event. Prior to the arrival of Santa Claus, whose entry in a fire truck has been a perennial spectacle, patrons
were treated to a concert featuring the likes of Oseta Jolly Primary School, The Shining Stars Preparatory School, the Enid Capron Primary, the Ianthe Pratt Primary and more. Photo Credit: Todeline Defralien
DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
TURKS & CAICOS SUN
LOCAL NEWS
United Way Turks and Caicos hosts Reading Fair U
nited Way Turks and Caicos wrapped up 2019 with a Reading Fair on Tuesday, December 4th. Kids all around Providenciales flocked Downtown Ballpark as they were treated to fun and games, music and also had the opportunity to read stories along with volunteers.
United Way Turks and Caicos executive, Ms. Claudine Ewing, told The SUN it is their mission to empower and inspire little girls and boys at an early age to reach their potential through reading. “It has been an active 2019 for the United Way Turks and Caicos and we are looking forward
to continuing our efforts to touch every child. We have had great commitment from volunteers and financials sponsors since the gala event and we are encouraging others to be a part of this amazing journey. I am also grateful to have amazing support from all of our partners and sponsors and volunteers; we credit our success to each of you,” she said.
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TURKS & CAICOS SUN
DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
ENTERTAINMENT
Miss South Africa crowned 2019 Miss Universe Miss South Africa rules all. Zozibini Tunzi was crowned Miss Universe Sunday night after excelling through rounds of swimsuit and evening gown struts, questions on social issues and one final chance to explain why she was the right choice. “I grew up in a world where a woman who looks like me — with my kind of skin and my kind of hair — was never considered to be beautiful,” she said in her last response. “I think it is time that that stops today. I want children to look at me and see my face and I want them to see their faces reflected in mine.” The two runners-up for the Zozibini Tunzi crown were Miss Mexico and Miss listens to a stubborn heart.” And if you’re wondering, Puerto Rico. “If you do not use your yes, there was another mix-up and beauty for your life’s mission, it’s Steve Harvey was involved in it. But just an empty ornament,” Sofía it was nothing like the 2015 disaster Aragón, representing Mexico, said when he called out the wrong winner. earlier in the competition. Harvey hosted the pageant Madison Anderson for the fifth time sporting a represented Puerto Rico. “Being on the Miss Universe bedazzled green and gold suit jacket. He was commenting on stage is not just a dream” Anderson said. “I believe that I found my a costume from earlier in week mission. It’s a representation and said Miss Philippines won the of dedication, resilience and National Costume Contest. He was perseverance. I do believe my right, but the woman who came out mission is to show the world that on stage said she was Miss Malaysia. magic happens when we refuse to “Y’all got to quit doing this to me,” give up because the universe always he said.
Guns N’ Roses, Maroon 5, Khaled part of pre-Super Bowl shows Guns N’ Roses, Maroon 5, DJ Khaled and DaBaby will bring the heat to Super Bowl week in Miami. On Location Experiences announced the lineup for its second Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest, to take place Jan. 30 through Feb. 1 at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami. DJ Khaled, who has collaborated with everyone from Jay-Z to Justin Bieber, will headline the EA SPORTS BOWL on Jan. 30. Khaled’s performance will include some of his famous
Late R&B singer and actress Aaliyah and R Kelly
Federal prosecutors are accusing singer R. Kelly of scheming with others to pay for a fake ID for an unnamed female a day before he married R&B singer Aaliyah, then 15 years old, in a secret ceremony in 1994. The revised indictment, filed Thursday in New The massive competition York, accuses Kelly of paying a bribe in exchange for was hosted at Tyler Perry Studios in a “fraudulent identification document” for someone Atlanta. identified only as “Jane Doe” on Aug. 30, 1994. It has already made history A day later, Kelly, then 27, married Aaliyah in with Miss Myanmar, Swe Zin Htet, a secret ceremony he arranged at a hotel in Chicago. who says she’s the first openly gay The marriage was annulled months later because of contestant. her age. Aaliyah died in a plane crash in 2001 at age 22. Last year’s winner, Catriona The U.S. attorney’s office declined to Gray from the Philippines spoke comment about whom the fake ID was meant for, and during Sunday’s pageant, saying the the indictment didn’t mention the wedding, but a past year has been “unforgettable, person familiar with the investigation confirmed the life-changing and purposeful.” “Jane Doe” was Aaliyah. The person wasn’t authorized “We’re getting this amazing to discuss details of the new charge and spoke on platform to voice the things we’re condition of anonymity. passionate about, the things we care The new charges mark the first time that about,” she said in a video. “I always Kelly’s brief marriage to Aaliyah has been connected had a voice, but Miss Universe to any of the criminal cases against Kelly. allowed me to amplify it.” Kelly’s attorney, Douglas Anton, called the latest charge against his client “ridiculous and absurd.” The Brooklyn prosecutors had already charged R. Kelly with racketeering, kidnapping, forced labor and sexual exploitation. They alleged he and his employees and assistants picked out women and girls Through his two characters, at concerts and groomed them for sexual abuse. Spinney gained huge fame that The 52-year-old singer, who is being held brought international tours, books, without bond, is scheduled to stand trial in federal record albums, movie roles, and court in Chicago in April on child pornography and visits to the White House. obstruction of justice charges before facing trial in “Caroll was an artistic Brooklyn. Kelly, whose given name is Robert Sylvester genius whose kind and loving view Kelly, was acquitted in 2008 on charges of videotaping of the world helped shape and Caroll Spinney himself having sex with a girl who prosecutors allege define Sesame Street from its earliest was as young as 13. days in 1969 through five decades, “I like being miserable. That makes Kelly’s attorneys have long maintained that and his legacy here at Sesame me happy,” Oscar often said. “But he was unaware of Aaliyah’s age when they married. Workshop and in the cultural I don’t like being happy, so that The Illinois marriage license used for the wedding said firmament will be unending,” the makes me miserable.” she was 18. Sesame Workshop said. To colleagues there was no The indictment didn’t identify the person But he never became a question which character the kindly who was paid the bribe in order to get the fake ID, household name. Spinney resembled. except to say that the person was a public employee. “I may be the most Sesame Street co-founder Aaliyah, whose full name was Aaliyah unknown famous person in Joan Ganz Cooney said Sunday that Dana Haughton, worked with Kelly, who wrote and America,” Spinney said in his 2003 Spinney, her longtime colleague produced her 1994 debut album, “Age Ain’t Nothing memoir. “It’s the bird that’s famous.” and friend, “not only gave us Big But A Number.” Spinney gave “Sesame Street” its Bird and Oscar the Grouch, he gave Kelly was arrested in February on 10 counts emotional yin and yang, infusing so much of himself as well.” in Illinois of sexually abusing three girls and a woman. the 8-foot-2 Big Bird with a childlike “We at Sesame Workshop He has pleaded not guilty to those charges. sweetness often used to handle sad mourn his passing and feel an Then on May 30, Cook County prosecutors subjects, and giving the trash can- immense gratitude for all he has in Illinois added 11 more sex-related counts involving dwelling Oscar — whose voice given to Sesame Street and to one of the women who accused him of sexually Spinney based on a New York cabbie children around the world,” she abusing her when she was underage. — a streetwise cynicism that masked said. Then in July, in federal court in Chicago, a tender core. the R&B singer was indicted on charges of child pornography and obstruction of justice, with prosecutors accusing him of paying off potential witnesses in his 2008 trial to get them to change their story. At the same time, Kelly was indicted in New York with exploiting five victims, identified only as “Jane Does.” According to court papers, they include friends. DaBaby, who had a huge to the broad demographic of one he met while she was a radio station intern hit this year with “Suge,” will Super Bowl weekend and book around 2004 and another at one of his concerts in also perform at the show. Other different genres nightly — this 2015. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to the original New performers will be announced year, we have hip-hop for EA York charges. later. Sports Bowl on Thursday, classic Prosecutors allege Kelly sometimes arranged Guns N’ Roses will rock on Friday, and global pop for some victims to meet him on the road for illegal headline on Jan. 31, while on Saturday,” Amit Dhawan, cosex. He had one victim travel in 2017 to a show on Maroon 5 and a special guest will executive producer of the Bud Long Island in New York, where he had unprotected Light Super Bowl Music Fest, said perform at the Feb. 1. sex with her without telling her “he had contracted an “The Super Bowl is America’s in a statement. infectious venereal disease,” in violation of New York biggest cultural moment, so it Tickets for the three-day law, they say. attracts people from a variety festival go on sale Monday. A defense filing said Kelly’s alleged victims of different worlds — it also is Super Bowl 54 will take were regulars at his shows who made it known they a mix of local, national, and place on Feb. 2 at Hard Rock “were dying to be with him.” They only started accusing international guests. We plan Stadium in Miami Gardens, him of abuse years later when public sentiment shifted Super Bowl Music Fest to appeal Florida. in the #MeToo era, his lawyers said.
‘Sesame Street’ Puppeteer Caroll Spinney Dies at Age 85 Caroll Spinney, who gave Big Bird his warmth and Oscar the Grouch his growl for nearly 50 years on “Sesame Street,” died Sunday at the age of 85 at his home in Connecticut, according to the Sesame Workshop. The legendary puppeteer lived for some time with dystonia, which causes involuntary muscle contractions, the Sesame Workshop said in a statement. Spinney voiced and operated the two major Muppets from their inception in 1969 when he was 36, and performed them almost exclusively into his 80s on the PBS kids’ television show that later moved to HBO. His death comes on the same day that “Sesame Street” is being honored for lifetime achievements in the arts as a Kennedy Center Honors recipient. “Before I came to ‘Sesame Street,’ I didn’t feel like what I was doing was very important,” Spinney said when he announced his retirement in 2018. “Big Bird helped me find my purpose.”
R. Kelly charged with paying bribe before marrying Aaliyah
DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
TURKS & CAICOS SUN
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HEALTHY
LIFESTYLE Weight-loss surgery between pregnancies tied to better outcomes
Preemies face higher risk of diabetes as children and young adults
Babies who are born too Obese women who have weight-loss surgery early may be more likely to develop between pregnancies may be less likely to experience diabetes as children and young complications like high blood pressure and preterm adults than full-term infants, a new births in their second pregnancy, a recent study study suggests. suggests. In a study of children up to Researchers examined hospital records from age 18, those born before 37 weeks’ 2002 to 2014 for more than 1.6 million women 15 to gestation were 21% more likely that 45 years old in New South Wales, Australia. The study those born at full term to develop focused on 326 women who had bariatric surgery type 1 diabetes, the less common between their first and second pregnancies and form of the disease that typically 461,917 women who had two pregnancies without a appears in childhood or young weight-loss operation in between. adulthood. Kids born prematurely The study found that for obese women were also 26% more likely to develop who had the surgery between pregnancies, the risk type 2 diabetes in childhood. of complications dropped markedly from the first And preemies were 24% pregnancy to the second, although it didn’t reach the more likely to develop type 1 level seen in the general population of women. diabetes and 49% more likely to “The odds of adverse pregnancy outcomes develop type 2 diabetes by the time among women who have bariatric surgery do they were 43 years old. not decrease to the level observed in the general “Preterm birth interrupts birthing population; however, there was substantial normal development of multiple improvement,” lead study author Dr. I Ibiebele of organ systems, including the Royal North Shore Hospital in New South Wales and pancreas where insulin-producing colleagues write in BJOG. cells are formed, which may “Although body mass index (BMI) was potentially contribute to later not directly assessed in this study, bariatric surgery development of diabetes,” said lead performed for the management of obesity, in study author Dr. Casey Crump of accordance with current clinical criteria, is likely to the Icahn School of Medicine at result in improved pregnancy outcomes in women Mount Sinai in New York City. who have a subsequent pregnancy,” Ibiebele and Pregnancy normally lasts colleagues write. During the study period, there was a 13- about 40 weeks, and babies born after 37 weeks of gestation are fold increase in hospitalizations for women having considered full-term. Babies born bariatric surgery for the first time, the analysis found. prematurely - earlier than 37 weeks Compared with women in the general population, those who had bariatric surgery had - often have difficulty breathing and digesting food in the weeks after higher rates of high blood pressure, diabetes and birth. Preemies can also encounter preterm deliveries overall. longer-term challenges such as But women who had bariatric surgery between impaired vision, hearing and their first and second pregnancies were 61% less likely cognitive skills, as well as social and to experience high blood pressure, 37% less likely to have infants that were large for their gestational age, 63% less likely to have a preemie and 36% less likely to have their baby sent to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) than in their first pregnancies. Women who had surgery and those in the general population were around the same age when they had their first pregnancy. But the women who had bariatric surgery waited an average of two years Bones may age faster in longer to have their second child, the study found. older women who get too little The women who had bariatric surgeries sleep, a U.S. study suggests. between pregnancies were also more likely to use Based on data from assistive reproductive technology (ART) to conceive nearly 11,000 participants in and to have multiples. a long-term study, researchers Even though diabetes and high blood pressure found that postmenopausal rates were higher for women who had bariatric women who slept less than five surgery between pregnancies, these women did have hours a night were more likely a bigger drop in the risk of these complications from to have low bone mass than one pregnancy to the next compared to the general those who averaged seven hours population. sleep. Short sleepers were also After bariatric surgery, women’s risk of high up to twice as likely to have blood pressure in the second pregnancy fell by 67%, osteoporosis of the hip and spine, compared with a 49% reduction for women who according to the report in the didn’t have the weight loss procedures. Journal of Bone and Mineral And the risk of gestational diabetes, a form Research. of diabetes that develops during pregnancy, dropped The bone mass by 39% in second pregnancies for women who had differences between the short bariatric surgery, compared with a 24% decline for sleepers and those who logged women who didn’t have surgery. This difference, seven hours were small, but however, was too small to rule out the possibility that roughly equivalent to about one it was due to chance. year of aging, the study team Although preterm birth rates were higher notes. in the bariatric group in first pregnancies, in second “We were building on pregnancies there was a 63% reduction in the odds of our previous work, which showed preterm birth in the bariatric surgery group compared women who slept too little with a 20% reduction for women who didn’t have had higher fracture risk,” said surgery. epidemiologist Dr. Heather Ochs For women who had bariatric surgery between Balcom of the school of public pregnancies, the odds of having an infant large for its health at the State University of gestational age were higher in the first pregnancy. But New York, Buffalo, who led the the risk of this outcome decreased 37% in the second study. pregnancy, compared with a 74% increase among “Here, we examined a women who didn’t have bariatric surgery. measure of bone mineral density, The study wasn’t designed to prove whether to see if that could explain the or how weight loss surgery might directly impact previous finding,” she told pregnancy outcomes. Reuters Health in an email.
behavioral problems. Some previous research suggests that preemies have an increased risk of developing socalled insulin resistance, a failure to respond normally to the hormone insulin. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas can’t produce insulin. In the type 2 form of the disease, which is often linked to obesity and aging, the body can’t properly use or make enough insulin to convert blood sugar into energy. For the current study, researchers examined data on almost 4.2 million babies born in Sweden from 1973 to 2014. Most were followed until they were at least 22 years old. Overall, 0.7% of the babies in the study population went on to develop type 1 diabetes and just 0.1% developed type 2 diabetes, the researchers report in Diabetologia. “Parents should know that most children who were born preterm will have good health in childhood and adulthood,” Crump said by email. “However, they also have modestly increased risks of diabetes that persist into adulthood.” Overall, the risk tended to be higher for preemie girls. Boys who arrived early were about 20% more likely to develop type 1 diabetes during the study, while girls had about a 30% greater likelihood. With type 2 diabetes, female preemies were 60% more likely to develop this disease during
childhood than full-term babies, while preemie males didn’t have an increased risk. For young adults in the study, women who were preemies had a 75% increased risk of type 2 diabetes and men who were preterm had a 28% increased risk. Many people in the study had siblings included in the analysis. Shared genetics and family circumstances appeared to explain some, but not all, of the increased risk of diabetes for preemies. The study wasn’t designed to prove whether preterm birth influences susceptibility to diabetes. Even so, the results underscore that preemies need to take steps to prevent diabetes later in life, said Ciaran Phibbs of the VA Palo Alto Health Care System and Stanford University School of Medicine in California. “The home environment is an important factor, especially for type 2 diabetes,” Phibbs, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email. This includes things like diet and exercise habits, which can impact the risk of obesity, which is higher for preemies than for fullterm babies and is a risk factor for diabetes, he said. “Individuals who were born preterm can help prevent diabetes by following a healthy lifestyle across the life course, including a healthy diet, regular physical activity, and maintaining a normal weight,” Crump advised.
Short sleep after menopause linked to weaker bones Ochs-Balcom and her colleagues analyzed data from the Women’s Health Initiative Study, which originally enrolled 161,808 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 at 40 clinical centers and followed them over time. For the current study, the researchers focused on 11,084 women who had undergone full body scans to assess bone density and had answered sleep questionnaires. This group was 78% non-Hispanic white, with an average age of 63, and nearly one in 10 reported sleeping five hours or less per night. One in three also met criteria for insomnia. Using seven hours of sleep as the reference point, researchers found that women who slept only five hours or less had lower bone mass in whole-body, hip, neck and spine measurements. They were also twice as likely to have osteoporosis in the whole-body measurement, 63% more likely to have it at the hip and 28% more likely to have osteoporosis in the spine. Women sleeping six hours a night had slightly increased risk of spine and whole-body osteoporosis as well, the analysis found. The researchers note that the sleep and bone-density
assessments reflect a single point in time, so the study cannot determine whether short sleep causes changes in bone health. It is important, they write, to consider the possibility that lower bone mineral density could also be tied to factors that affect sleep. A number of things contribute to skeletal health, said Dr. Alana Serota of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, who wasn’t involved in the study. “I feel all our sins are written on our skeletons,” she said in a phone interview. Serota noted that there is no clear answer on the ideal amount of sleep for postmenopausal women, but it is important to wake up feeling rested. “We know poor sleep has an impact on cardiovascular health, leads to diabetes, poor sugar control and hypertension. It stands to reason these things can also impact the skeleton,” she added. “The most important thing is to stay active,” Serota said. “Even if one hasn’t exercised before, it is a good time to start. The diagnosis of any chronic condition, or a transition in any point of life, is a good time for a health reset.”
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FUN & GAMES
TURKS & CAICOS SUN
DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
TURKS & CAICOS SUN
A REWARDING CAREER WITH COMO HOTELS and RESORTS STARTS TODAY!! At COMO, we create experiences worth re-living, experiences that inspire guests to travel and live differently. COMO Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos Islands
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All applicants will be required to successfully obtain a clear background and drug test and for non-Turks and Caicos nationals will require a work permit. Experience in a similar or relevant position is a prerequisite; relevant educational and/or professional qualification is also a plus. To be considered, please visit our career page to apply for our current open positions https://comohotelsparrotcay-careers.silkroad.com Any other questions, you may also contact Human Resources below: careers.parrotcay@comohotels.com
Key Requirements for all Positions Understand and support the COMO Vision and Values (passion, creativity and style). Commitment to high level of guest service excellence. Show continuous unyielding care for our guest and employees, by focusing on the COMO Experience – Cuisine, Activities and Wellness, underpinned by Service. Create a supportive and respectful environment within your department and lead by example so that your employees have a role model. Capable to read, write and speak English and the ability to interact within a diverse team environment. Must be able to organize/prioritize tasks with detail All Applicants, who are Islanders, are to send a copy of their application to the TCI Labour Board Culinary Team Commis Chef, Demi-Chef and Chef de Partie • Maintaining high standards of hygiene • Two to five years’ experience in a luxury hotel/restaurant setting • Preparing the ingredients for a more senior chef • Measuring dish ingredients and portion sizes accurately • Supporting deliveries and stock rotation • Oversee a section of the kitchen, be it pastry, butchery, fish, sauces, Vegetable • Proven work experience in this position • Hands-on experience with various kitchen equipment (e.g. grillers and pasta makers) • Advanced knowledge of culinary, baking and pastry techniques • Ability to remain calm and undertake various tasks and excellent time management abilities • Up-to-date knowledge of cooking techniques and recipes • Familiarity with sanitation regulations • Culinary school diploma preferred Kitchen Steward and Kitchen Helper • Ensure the kitchen is clean, well maintained and organised at all times. • Ensure floors are dry and clean at all times. • Operate pot-washing machinery and maintain a hygienic working environment in accordance with hygiene regulations and company standards. • Adhere to all sanitation guidelines. • Assist the Cooks and Servers as and when necessary. • Collects and removes trash from all areas of the operation following established procedures. • The right candidate should have a positive attitude, Communicates effectively, work under pressure and Priorities and works efficiently with limited supervision. • Previous experience in similar role and Knowledge of Basic Food Hygiene. Food and Beverage Team Food and Beverage Server and Bartender • Solid food and beverage acumen with a passion in luxury hotel hospitality. • Menu and wine knowledge, an asset • Cleaning tables and dining area, setting tables • Supporting special events • Being able to stand and walk for long periods of time • Having the capacity to lift heavy items on occasion • Providing excellent guest service • Obtaining appropriate food and beverage licenses • Possessing general math skills • Having some sales ability Butler Team Butler • Meet guests when they arrive and getting them settled in their rooms, villas, homes. And also when checking out. • Anticipate guests’ needs by learning their preferences, allergies, dislikes, etc. • Have a strong Housekeeping Department acumen and arrange amenities for guests • Have a thorough understanding of all spirits and specialty foods in stock. Run errands for guests when necessary • Keep up-to-date on all hotel policies on safety and hygiene • Perform all duties with discretion, professionalism and a pleasant demeanor • Five Years experience as a Butler or similar role in the hospitality industry. • Ability to handle sensitive matters with efficiency and discretion • Knowledge of food and wine pairings is a plus. Associate’s or bachelor’s degree in hotel management Boating Team Boat Crew • Assisting with the operation and navigation of the vessel as directed by the Captain by reading the compass, navigational charts and other Marine instruments. • Ensuring the vessels are kept clean and seaworthy. • Verifying the accuracy of information received by telephone/radio for transmission. • Standing on gangway watches to prevent unauthorized persons from boarding ships while they are in port. • Inspecting vessels to ensure efficient and safe operation of vessels and equipment, and conformance to regulations. • Maintaining a record of vessel activities and other require data in the ship log, • Lowering and manning lifeboats when emergencies occur.Carrying out maintenance and repairs around the vessels daily. • Loading or unloading luggage and materials in and out vessels. Being an extra eye for Security. Passion for the sea. Loss and Prevention Team Security Officer (must reside in North Caicos) • Follow all protocols as prepared and presented in the Policies and Procedures Manual. • Adequately prepare security related incident reports, log book entries, gas logs, and other required paperwork. • Protect and preserve the safety and security of all guests, visitors, and employees of COMO Parrot Cay • Take “good faith” actions as it relates directly to the safety and security of all guests, visitors, and employees • Conduct patrol of assigned Parrot Cay property by stationary patrol, roving patrol, foot patrol, by other means deemed necessary by Security Manager. • Conduct patrols assigned areas on foot, checking for fires, vandalism, suspicious activity or persons or safety/fire hazards. • Investigates and/or reports hazards, unusual or suspicious circumstances to Security Supervisor. • Checks of gates, doors and windows of buildings, and other related areas to ensure they are tightly closed and locked, according to security policies and directives. • Observes activity and traffic in assigned area to enforce Parrot Cay rules/regulations. Able to work various shifts • Previous security team experience required, in a luxury resort an asset. Housekeeping Team Turndown Attendant • Consistently offer professional, friendly and engaging service • Consistently prepare each guest room for turndown service and ensure service standards are followed • Refresh towels, water and other amenities as required • Ensure the guest’s bed is turn downed properly for their return. Take accurate room status reports at the end of the shift • Follow departmental policies and procedures and Report necessary maintenance items. Follow all safety and sanitation policies • Previous housekeeping experience an asset • Excellent communication and organizational skills. Strong interpersonal and problem solving abilities • Highly responsible and reliable (able to work split shifts as needed) • Physical Aspects of Position (include but are not limited to): Constant standing and walking throughout shift. Occasional lifting and carrying up to 30 lbs. Frequent kneeling, pushing, pulling, lifting. Occasional ascending or descending ladders, stairs/ramps Guest Services Leeward Manager (must reside in Provo) Guest Relations Officer • Review arrival lists to welcome guests. Provide information about amenities, area and venues and promote services • Attend to special guests (e.g. VIPs) and answer their inquiries • Help prepare welcome folders with collateral (e.g. room service menus, area descriptions) • Anticipate guest needs and build rapport with customers • Offer assistance with certain tasks (e.g. confirming travel arrangements, taking messages) • Address customer complaints and escalate to Guest Relations Manager when needed • Record information in the logbook daily and Ensure compliance with health and quality standards • Proven experience as a Guest Relations Officer. Familiarity with luxury hospitality industry standards • Proficiency in English; knowledge of additional languages is a plus • Excellent organizational and time-management skills • Diploma or BSc/BA in Hospitality Management is preferred Engineering Team Kitchen and Laundry Technician • Maintain proper preventative maintenance to laundry and equipment and boilers • Maintain proper amount of chemical injection on boiler feed tank and proper conductivity at boilers • Preventative maintenance to steam traps and steam lines • Must have an excellent working knowledge of the kitchens, equipment, food productions, sanitation, hygiene and safety • Ensure the maintenance of a clean, sanitary kitchen by assisting the Stewarding Team • Must be able and willing to work all days and shifts. • Minimum three years’ experience. MSDS awareness an asset • Knowledge and experience in repair and maintenance including preventative maintenance of property systems and equipment Salaries range: US$13K to US$26K per annum. Salary is negotiable and based on experience and qualification.
Conservation Manager • Develop (aquatic/marine-terrestrial) initiatives with internal and external partners. • Provide strategic oversight, measurement and evaluation of (aquatic/marine-terrestrial) conservation projects. • Chair the COMO Approach committee and action local and group-wide sustainability initiatives. • Partner with Recreation, Excursion and Play by COMO teams to create and improve activities while focusing on exceptional guest experience. • Incorporate methodologies for upcycling programs • Make sure hotel guests and colleagues can depend on you when challenges arise or when decisions are needed. • Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in Environmental Science or related field. • Experience working in environmental sustainability, conservation or corporate social responsibility along with aquatic/marine and/or terrestrial collections and international conservation groups. Guest Services Team Duty Manager • Maintain visible image of management at all times. Assist employees and guests by handling guest feedback, both written and verbal and include investigations into guest complaints. • Ensure documentation of all guest related issues. Assist with any collateral assignments • Meet, greet and room VIPs and making courtesy calls to guests • Conduct daily briefings presenting business issues, hotel information and coach and train colleagues on guest handling skills. Conduct investigations when Front Desk colleagues are unable to balance their cashiering ledger and/or cash float. • Coach and train colleagues and carry out disciplinary actions when necessary. • Minimum Diploma in related field or University degree. Minimum 3years of luxury experience • Sound Computer Knowledge, i.e. well versed with windows, internet explorer and word • Knowledge of Opera would be of advantage • Read, write, speak English fluently, second language an asset. Food and Beverage Team Servers • Plan event from start to finish according to requirements, target audience and objectives • Come up with suggestions to enhance the event’s success. Prepare budgets and ensure adherence • Source and negotiate with vendors and suppliers • Be in charge of hiring personnel. Coordinate all operations • Lead promotional activities for the eventSupervise all staff (event coordinators, caterers etc.) • Approve all aspects before the day of the event • Ensure event is completed smoothly and step up to resolve any problems that might occur • Analyze the event’s success and prepare reports • Proven experience as event manager and skilled in project management Spa Team Spa Attendant • Clean treatment rooms, locker rooms and studios, including shower cubicles, toilets, bathtubs, glass doors and windows. • Clean spa back of house areas, office and guest’s public areas, including glass doors and windows • Clear waste bins from all areas • Ensure health and safety standards are maintained at all times and also ensure staff levels are sufficient and appropriate to promote smooth flow of daily operation. (Approve monthly roster) • Be able to work split shift while maintaining service standards excellence • Ensure the spa areas and facilities are properly maintained and well organized in order to provide an optimal environment to guests and employee. Finance Team Accounts Payable Clerk • Maintain petty cash accounts and log all outgoing disbursements • Monitor all vendor payment agreements to find discounts that can be used to reduce invoice amounts • Responsible for paying all sales tax on appropriate invoices and making a note of each tax payment made • Keep track of credits owed to the company and ensure all credits are properly applied to vendor payments • Reconcile payable reports each month to confirm that all amounts paid were accurate • Managing, developing and motivating the stockroom team, making sure they understand the importance of stockroom processes and safety Cost Controller • Review the daily intake of products into the hotel and ensure accurate pricing and quantity of goods received • Control the stores by ensuring accuracy of inventory and stock control and the pricing of good received • Alert Cost Controller of slow-moving goods and goods nearing expiry dates to reduce waste and alter product purchasing to accommodate • Manage cost reporting on a weekly basis and Attend finance meetings, as required • Maintain good communication and working relationships with all hotel areas • Act in accordance with fire, health and safety regulations and follow the correct procedures when required • Previous experience in a high-volume cost control function within a hotel environment • Computer literate, with good MS Excel skills • Strong organisational skills • Ability to develop strong working relationships with internal and external customers • Previous experience in a high-volume cost control function within a hotel environment • Computer literate, with good MS Excel skills • Strong organisational skills • Ability to develop strong working relationships with internal and external customers Assistant Financial Controller • Oversee the day to day operation of the accounting department. • Review the work of the Night Audit Staff, Payroll, General Cashier, Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable.Verify the coding of accounts payable invoices • Review status of accounts receivables on a regular basis. • On a regular basis review the payroll and daily deposits for accuracy. • Communicate with other department heads to resolve any concerns or issues that may come up from time to time. Prepare all journal entries for closing each accounting period. Reconcile bank accounts and Credit Card accounts on a daily basis to ensure that we received all monies owed. • Assist in inventory counts each month and quarter as needed. • Prepare and file all taxes as required by state, county and local laws and regulations. Prepare monthly account reconciliation of all balance sheet accounts. • Needs to play the role of the Controller in his absence and run an efficient and organized accounting department. Assist the controller in any audits conducted by internal, external or government auditors. • Respond to and monitor of credit charge-back disputes. Assist HR with processing payroll • Perform any and all other jobs assigned by Controller and the Management staff of the Hotel. • luxury hospitality environment. IT Assistant Manager • Monitor the operation and security of all computer hardware and ensure that it is operating properly • Maintain accurate inventory and record of all hardware, software and manuals purchased by the hotel • Ensure that all software runs with no output errors, no response time problems and functioning according to specifications • Assist with the preparation of a monthly report regarding the systems and issues related to smooth operation of application software • Assist in the creation and maintain the documentation of the telephone system configuration • Understand all the department working procedures and perform the related tasks as described • Carry out the repairs and maintenance of all PCs, printers, telephones, interactive system, key, etc. • Maintain all users access request and authorizations (Windows, E-mail, Opera, Micros, Cisco, Mitel) Salaries range: US$28,000 to US$38,000 per annum. Salary is negotiable and based on experience and qualification
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3 Amigos
Location: Unit #210 Whitby, North Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands Seeks two (2) labours - $6.50 an hour Duties: Cleaning and preparing a job site, loading and delivering materials, and using a variety of tools and machines Seeking two (2) Mason - $6.50 an hour Duties:include texturing and polishing blocks of stone, installing dressed stone, mixing cement and mortar, and restoring old and damaged masonry works. For both Must be: - willing to work 6 days per week - Hardworking and reliable 1 positions is renewal 3 positions are new Contact 245-3066 Belongers are encouraged to send applications and resumes to the Labour Board
Kelano Howell
Port Atlantic Construction Location: #42, Opposite The Office, Five Cays, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands Is seeking one (1) Labourer Salary is $6.50 per hour Duties of a general labour vary They may include cleaning and preparing a job site, loading and delivering materials, and using a variety of tools and machines such as forklifts, levels, lifts, power drills, grinders, saws, pressure washers, and water spraying equipment To work 6 days as week Please Contact: 332-6622 This position is currently held by a work permit holder Interested Turks and Caicos Islanders are encouraged to send a copy of their application to the Labour Board
#603739
Mahala Wynns
TURKS & CAICOS SUN
DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
SUNSHINE VARIETY
Location: La Vista Azul, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands Is seeking a Housekeeper The successful applicant will be responsible for the general cleaning such duties as dusting, sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, restroom cleaning etc To work 5 days per week Salary is $6.25 per hour This position is new Please Contact or email Contact is: kenya@ sensongroup.co Interested Turks and Caicos Islanders are encouraged to send a copy of their application to the Labour Board
UFly Parasailing
STORE CLERK WANTED In Grand Turk Duties: Responsible for obtaining or receiving merchandise, totaling bills, accepting payments and making change for customers in retail store Applicant must be honest Reliable and hard working Salary $6.25 per hour To work 5 days per week Please Contact: 946-1061 This position is currently held by a Non-Belonger Applicants who are Turks & Caicos Islanders should also copies of their application to the Labour Board
Location: Walking Marina, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands Is seeking a Parasailing Boat Captain Duties: -Must have a valid Captain’s License. -Current CPR and First Aid certified. -Physically Fit – This job is very physically demanding. -Must be available to work weekends as needed. Salary is $8.50 per hour To work 6 days a week Please Contact: 332-8359 This position is currently held by a Work Permit Holder Belongers are encouraged to send a copy of their resume to the Labour Board #603745
The Landing
MBA Construction
Therapy TCI
Kenya Forbes-Jagger
Location: Grace Bay after Danny Buoys, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands Is seeking a Cook Duties: Setting up workstations with all needed ingredients and cooking equipment. Preparing ingredients to use in cooking, chopping and peeling vegetables, cutting meat etc. Cooking food with various utensils and grillers To work 6 days a week Salary is $300.00 per week Please Contact: 341-5856 This position is currently held by a Work Permit Holder Belongers are encouraged to send a copy of their resume to the Labour Board
Location: #58 Tumpa Ave, Blue Hills, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands Is seeking One (1) Helper Duties: Assist construction craft workers with various tasks; clean and prepare sites, machinery and equipment. Salary is $7.00 per hour Must be able to work 6 days per week Please Contact: 242-3450 These position is currently held by work permit holder Applicants who are Turks & Caicos Islanders should also copies of their application to the Labour Board 603737
Location: 83c Leeside Avenue, Long Bay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands Is seeking a Nanny Hours: 8:30 am - 5 pm Working Days Monday - Saturday Duties Baby Sit Children Must be able to assist with housekeeping duties Must be honest and trustworthy Salary $6.25 per hour Contact - 344-0052 This position is New Interest Turks and Caicos Islander applicants must send a copy of resume to Labour Board
Domestic Worker Wanted in Grand Turk Duties: Must be able to do general household cleaning To work 3 days a week Salary $6.25 per hour Please contact 231-7188 This position is currently held by a Work Permit Holder Interested Turks and Caicos Islanders are encouraged to apply directly and submit a copy of their application to the Labour Board
Pink Gold Pub
Kostco Super Savors
Rex Swann
Location: #53A Airport Road, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands Is seeking three (3) Store Supervisors - $11.50 per hour Duties: This can involve advising staff, providing regular performance reviews, training new staff members, and scheduling shifts. Is seeking four (4) Domestic Workers - $6.50 per hour Duties include general cleaning; person must be honest and hardworking Is seeking three (3) Labourers - $8.00 per hour To work 6 days per week These positions are currently held by Work Permit Holders Please Contact: 232-1199 Applicants who are Turks and Caicos Islanders should also send copies of their application to the Labour Board and Kostco Super Savors office on Airport Road
TC Industrial Services
Location: Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands Is seeking one (1) Labourer Duties: They may include cleaning and preparing a job site, loading and delivering materials, and using a variety of tools and machines To work 6 days a week Salary is $6.50 per hour Please Contact: 232-4329 This position is new Interested Turks and Caicos Islanders must send a copy of their resume to the Labour Board
Location: #32 Industrial Park, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands Is seeking a Welder With four position welding skills (Horizontal, vertical, overhead, flat) with certified welding qualifications & experience. Wages is $10.00 per hour All positions require a flexible schedule (to include holidays and weekends) and extended hours on occasions. Applicants are required to submit applications to Joseph Simms of Tc Industrial Services Via email tcisimms@yahoo.com or contact 941-4051 and the Immigration Boards Zone 1 This position is new Closing date for application is December 31st, 2019.
Paradise Scooter ltd
Makie Therese Carolie Leonne Forbes
Location: Church Folly, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands Is looking for three (3) Barmaids Duties: Duties include preparing alcoholic or nonalcoholic beverages for bar and patrons. Interacting with customers, taking orders and serving and drinks To work 5 days a week, Salary is $250.00 per week Please Contact: 246-0623 These positions are currently held by Work Permit Holder Interested Turks and Caicos Islanders must send a copy of their resume to the Labour Board
Kissia Thomas Cornwall Location: Apartment #8, Turtle Creek Drive, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands Is seeking a Babysitter Duties: To care of a child, clean after the child (clothing, bottles etc) To work 5 days a week Salary is $6.50 per hour Please Contact: 331-5919 This position is currently held by a Work Permit Holder Applicants who are Turks and Caicos Islanders should also send copies of their application to the Labour Board
#603738
Located at #9 grace bay Plaza Grace bay Road Is seeking a Fulltime Mechanic Duties Include: inspecting and repairing vehicles, machinery, and light trucks. Also known as Service Technicians, these professionals oversee maintenance inspections, monitor inventory, assemble mechanical components, and perform repairs. To work 6 days per week Must be able to show Qualifications Starting Salary - $9.00 per hour Please contact 331-4175 This position is a new position Interested Turks and Caicos Islanders are encouraged to send a copy of their application to the Labour Board.
#603749
#603751
Harvest Reapers International Ministries
Location: #7 Five Cays, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands Seeks to employ a Domestic Worker Duties: Must be able to do general household cleaning and cooking. Salary: $6.25 per hour Contact: 241-7913 This position is a renewal Interested Turks and Caicos Islanders are encouraged to send a copy of their application to the Labour Board
Location: Caribean Place, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands Needs 2 (two) fulltime musician, An experience bass player that can assist with directing rehearsals and praise and worship team, Must be a Christian. A Drummer - that can assist with directing rehearsals and praise and worship team, Must be a Christian. Starting wage is $120.00 week These position are held by work permit holders. Applicants who are Turks and Caicos Islanders must send their applications/resume with a copy to the Labour Board
Coconut Grove
Kirkley Parker
Location: Aviation Drive, Olympic Plaza, Providenciales, Turk & Caicos Islands Is seeking A Cook Duties: Setting up workstations with all needed ingredients and cooking equipment Preparing ingredients to use in cooking, chopping and peeling vegetables, cutting meat etc. Cooking food with various utensils and grillers Salary $7.50 an hour To work 6 days a week Please Contact: 241-2550 This position is a new position Interested Turks and Caicos Islanders are encouraged to send a copy of their application to the Labour Board
Location: Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands Is seeking Two (2) Helpers Duties includes packaging and cleaning fish and conch after catch Salary is $6.50 per hour Please Contact: 246-2661 These positions are new Applicants who are Turks & Caicos Islanders should also copies of their application to the Labour Board
Location: Leeward, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands Seeking: Aide for child with Autism Duties: Caring for child with Autism Salary: $10 per hour Email: therapytci@gmail. com Interested Turks and Caicos Islanders must send a copy of their resume to the Labour Board PROVO ENTERTAINMENT CENTER Location: #18 Old Airport Road, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands Seeks to employ a Domestic Worker At a rate of $6.25 per hour during 6-day week including holidays and weekends Hours will need to be flexible in order to flex for evening service when required Applicants must have previous experience as a domestic work For the above position, applicants must have a willing, positive and personable attitude as well as they should also enjoy working with people and be willing to learn Minimum experience in the areas of interest required For more information call 244-0564 This position is a new position Interested Turks and Caicos Islanders are encouraged to send a copy of their application to the Labour Board
For All you advertising needs contact TCISUN at 348-6838 Or email – sun@suntci.com Snake Hill Bar & Lounge Location: 54C, Snake Hill Ave, Blue Hills, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands Is seeking Two (2) Bar Maids Duties include preparing alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages for bar and patrons. Interacting with customers, taking orders and serving and drinks Salary is $6.50 per hour To work 6 days a week, MON-SAT These positions are new Please Contact: 941-5489 Interested Turks and Caicos Islanders must send a copy of their resume to the Labour Board #603755
DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
CARIBBEAN WORLD
TURKS & CAICOS SUN
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CARIBBEAN NEWS
NEWS NEWS
Dominican Republic becomes latest country to close its doors to Venezuelan migrants
The Dominican Republic has become the latest country to try to stem the flow of Venezuelans amid an unprecedented migratory crisis. Starting Dec. 16, Venezuelans traveling to the Caribbean nation will need to apply for a visa — an imposition that experts say will hurt those trying to flee the economic and humanitarian crisis. With the move, the Dominican Republic follows Ecuador, Chile and Peru, which have all imposed new travel restrictions on Venezuelans in 2019. The United Nations estimates that more than 4.6 million Venezuelans have left the country in recent years and have warned that the number could exceed 6.5 million by the end of 2020. While most of the migrants travel overland through Colombia, almost every nation in the region has
been affected. The Dominican Republic is thought to be home to about 30,000 Venezuelans, a fraction of its 11 million population. David Smolanky, the head of the Organization of American States’ task force on Venezuelan migration, has argued that open borders are crucial for Venezuelans trying to escape the crisis. “Migratory restrictions, like the one announced by the Dominican Republic, demanding tourist visas, do not solve the problem,” he wrote on Twitter. “Venezuelans are not economic or willing migrants, they’re refugees fleeing a criminal state.” He also pointed out that almost 40,000 Dominicans migrated to Venezuela from the 1930s through the 1950s fleeing the Rafael Trujillo dictatorship. The new Dominican rules carve
out exceptions for those traveling on diplomatic passports and those who already have U.S., Canadian, British or Schengen Area (22 countries of the European Union) visas. Venezuela boasts the world’s largest oil reserves but has been mired in a deep economic, social and political crisis for almost a decade. Amid hunger and gasoline and power shortages, thousands leave every day. Venezuela’s neighbors — particularly Colombia, Ecuador and Peru — have been asking the international community for more support. A report by the Brookings Institute released this week found that while the international community spent $7.4 billion on the Syrian refugee crisis during the first four years, it has spent about $580 million on the Venezuelan crisis. “On a per capita basis, this
Caribbean officials linked to diplomatic passport sale Politicians in the Caribbean are said to be involved in a corrupt trade of diplomatic posts in exchange for money, an Al Jazeera investigation has revealed. In Diplomats for Sale, Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit exposes politicians in Dominica and Grenada willing to accept secret campaign contributions from wealthy foreign businessmen in exchange for diplomatic passports. In Dominica, members of both main political parties appear willing to receive money in return for a political post, allegations they strongly deny. Undercover filming reveals how former Dominican Prime Minister Oliver Seraphin offered to broker a secret deal to hand out an ambassadorship in Asia for fees totalling $470,000. The revelation came days ahead of a general election in Dominica on December 6, which Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit won by an increased majority. Al Jazeera’s investigation also reveals Skerrit allegedly took hundreds of thousands of dollars for his 2014 election campaign from an Iranian businessman named Alireza Monfared in exchange for an ambassadorship for Dominica to Malaysia. Besides money, Monfared also allegedly provided Skerrit with
T-shirts and other paraphernalia for his 2014 campaign. “Ali received his diplomatic passport through the hands of the prime minister personally when he came to Kuala Lumpur,” according to businessman Manoj Bullah, who was a witness to the deal. “Without that money, Ali would not have gotten his diplomatic passport,” says Bullah. One of the reasons Monfared wanted the passport, alleges Bullah, is that it would provide the Iranian with diplomatic immunity and prevent him from having to worry about the Iranian authorities. Monfared was eventually arrested by his own government and in early November 2019 sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for stealing over a billion dollars in oil revenues. Oliver Seraphin later denied ever discussing the proposal to purchase a diplomatic passport with Skerrit, claiming he was speaking without authority and name-dropping to impress. Prime Minister Skerrit strongly denies speaking to Oliver Seraphin about an ambassadorship, calling his comments totally false. Grenada investment scheme
The investigation reveals
another money for passports scheme in Grenada, where an investment scheme is linked to the offer of an ambassadorship. According to US businessman Leo Ford, one of his partners in the scheme was offered a diplomatic role in return for kickbacks on future government projects. This is denied by the Grenadian government and former business partner, who says he is the subject of a personal vendetta by Ford. The case echoes the scandal of Eric Resteiner, a US conman, who claimed he handed half a million dollars in cash to Grenada’s Prime Minister Keith Mitchell as part payment for being appointed Ambassador at Large. Mitchell says he only received $15,000 for travel expenses. The 18-month investigation also looks at how dozens of wealthy international businessmen have been made ambassadors by several Caribbean states to represent them in countries around the world and at the United Nations. Although there is no evidence of wrongdoing on their part or payment for their positions, the ambassadorships do not conform to the United Nations’ own convention on who should be a diplomat.
Venezuelans carry merchandise from Colombia to Venezuela on June 9, 2019, at the Paraguachon border crossin translates into $1,500 per Syrian refugee and $125 per Venezuelan refugee,” the report found.
Hilton Continues Caribbean Expansion With First Resort in Anguilla
Zemi Beach House Hilton has officially opened its first-ever resort on the Caribbean island of Anguilla. Hilton’s LXR Hotels and Resorts collection has launched at the Zemi Beach House in Anguilla. It’s Hilton’s first Anguilla property and the first-ever LXR Hotels and Resorts-branded resort in the Americas region. The 76-key hotel continues to be owned and operated by the Goldstein family of New York. LXR is what Hilton calls its “premier collection brand,” focused on properties in “the world’s most alluring locations,” according to a company description. There are just two other LXR resorts in the world: the Habtoor Palace in Dubai, and the Biltmore Mayfair in London. “Zemi Beach House is the ideal property and Anguilla is the perfect destination to debut LXR within the Americas,” said Feisal Jaffer, global head, LXR Hotels and Resorts. “We are thrilled to collaborate with Zemi Beach House in creating truly extraordinary and authentic experiences for all of our guests.” Zemi Beach House, which first made its debut in early 2016, is set on Anguilla’s spectacular Shoal Bay East beach. Its amenities include two eateries: Stone, a “seato-table” eatery; 20 Knots, the resort’s beach bar; and three bars and lounges: the barefoot-chic Shoal Bay Zemi Beach Club, the Bohio Bar and Lounge cocktial bar and the Rhum Room, which focuses on small-batch, single-estate rums from around the Caribbean. That’s along with three pools, a grass tennis court and perhaps the resort’s signature amenity: the 15,000-square-foot Thai House, a 300-year-old authentic Thai building with a spa, outdoor showers and a pool. “We are excited to join LXR’s growing collection of luxury hotels from top destinations around the world,” said Paulo Paias, General Manager at Zemi. “We look forward to sharing Zemi Beach House with Hilton’s global travelers and continuing to provide unforgettable experiences to our guests.” It’s yet another expansion in the Caribbean for Hilton, which has been adding new resorts around the region at a breakneck pace in the last several years, from new all-inclusive resorts in the Dominican Republic and Mexico to a new planned resort in the Cayman Islands.
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TURKS & CAICOS SUN
DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
CARIBBEAN NEWS
Dominica’s election result showed the “will of the people”
Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit At least three teams observing the general election in Dominica in which the ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP) was returned to power with a greater majority said the results reflected the will of voters who cast ballots in the election. The observer teams from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OAS), the Commonwealth and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in separate news conferences said while there had been concerns about pre-election violence, it did not prevent people from peacefully casting their ballots on Friday in support of either the DLP or the main opposition United Workers Party (UWP). Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit won 18 of the Caribbean nation’s 21 legislative seats, giving his party an unprecedented fifth term in power. Voting was held under heightened security following weeks of protests and legal challenges seeking electoral reform. Security forces from neighboring islands where brought in to maintain the peace on Dominica, a former French and British colony of about 75,000 people. The opposition United Workers’ Party lost three of its six seats. One of those was won by Melissa Skerrit, the prime minister’s wife. Preliminary results released by the Electoral Commission gave the DLP victory in 17 of the 21 constituencies, while the remainder went to the UWP. “The initial assessment of Election Day activities by the CEOM (CARICOM Election Observation Mission (CEOM) is that the voters were able to cast their ballots without intimidation or fear, and that the results of the December 6, 2019 General Elections reflect the will of the people of the Commonwealth of Dominica,” said Belizean Josephine Tami, who headed the 11-member CARICOM mission. “It is, however, the pre-election day activities which caused some amount of concern to the election process. The level of disruption and violence as acknowledged by the general populace, escalated just days prior to the general election. “Roads were blocked which limited access to movement of persons. However, by election day, the blockage to areas was discontinued and persons were able to move freely to conduct business and to access the polling stations to cast their vote,” she added. The Commonwealth Observer team, led by the former Sierra Leone foreign minister, Zainab Hawa Bangura, said the results reflected “the collective will of the people who voted and that the election was conducted in accordance with the laws of Dominica. “We commend and congratulate all Dominicans who participated peacefully in an important civic exercise,” she said, adding that the Commonwealth team was “particularly impressed by the large number of women and youth who participated in the electoral process, not only as candidates and voters, but also as polling staff, party agents and witnesses and observers”. Former Bahamas prime minister Hubert Ingraham, who led the 20-member observer team from the OAS, said while they were concerned by the “strong rhetoric and the deterioration in the tone of the campaign in the weeks prior to the elections, the mission noted the results reflected “the will of the people”. The team made a number of observations ranging from electoral reform electoral technologies, electoral registries, electoral justice as well as campaign financing.
Dorian ‘caused murder spike’ in The Bahamas With the 2019 murder count having surpassed that of 2018, The Bahamas’ Commissioner of Police Anthony Ferguson said that the increase in murders toward the end of the year was a result of police force resources being stretched thin in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. Ferguson said that while there was a spike following Hurricane Dorian in September and October, November and the first few days of December have represented a marked improvement. “None of us can plan for national disasters, and all of us are quite aware of the devastation in Abaco and Grand Bahama,” he said. “Up to September 1, there were about 61 homicides. Once that devastation took place, it simply meant that the whole policing strategy, the whole country, changed. “Specifically in law enforcement, that changed also, and we had to make some changes to our plan in order to accommodate something that nobody could have foreseen. During the period, there will always be evil people in the world. We met them here and we will leave them here. “And, so, while we were attending to the devastation in Abaco and Grand Bahama, and you found that there were persons
who had no real concern for what was going on in Abaco, they were wreaking havoc here on New Providence. “They continued with criminal activities and, hence, for September and October, we saw a spike in homicides. That’s a fact. The numbers are there.” Ferguson said police are back on track now, and said there is a greater level of comfort now than there was in the weeks following Dorian. He said they are working hard to prevent the uptick in homicides that the country experienced in December 2018. “I am extremely pleased with the level of comfort that we have since then,” he said. “The men and women are back on track and they have been doing great work. A whole lot of firearms have been taken off the street. A whole lot of criminals have been arrested and put before the court, and we are doing extremely well leading into the end of the year and Bahamians can expect to see a continued and more renewed [heightened police presence] on the streets and we will continue to do that straight into the end of the year. “You remember last year there was a serious spike in homicides around the early part of December. We recognized that, and so we have made serious
Commissioner of Police Anthony Ferguson adjustments, and that is why you have seen this level of reduction here. “Are we going to be able to stop every single thing? Absolutely not. We never said that there will be no homicides. We never said that there would be no armed robberies. “What we committed to is the fact that we will do our best in making sure that the Bahamian people are safe. That’s still our commitment, and I believe that any person with the right thinking can see that the police are actually doing what they are mandated to do, what they said they will do.” Last year’s murder tally was 91, the lowest count in nine years. There have been 92 murders so far this year.
Jamaican cops convicted of killing schoolgirl granted $2.5 million bail The three cops found guilty of manslaughter in relation to the death of 16-year-old schoolgirl Vanessa Kirkland in March 2012 have each been granted $2.5 million bail. Constables Ardewain Smith, 35, Durvin Hayles, 33, and AnnaKay Bailey, 27, were ordered by Justice Carol Edwards to surrender their travel documents and to report three times weekly to the Office of the Commissioner of Police. Stop orders were also
placed on all three. The bail applications were made in chambers by attorney Peter Champagnie, who is representing Smith, Kemar Robinson, who is representing Hayles, and Oswest Senior-Smith, who is representing Bailey. The cops have filed an appeal challenging their February convictions. The three were on February 8 found guilty of manslaughter by a seven-member jury in the
Home Circuit Court in downtown Kingston. During the trial, the court heard that Bailey, Hayles, and Smith drove on to Norman Lane in Kingston sometime after 9 o’ clock on March 20, 2012, and opened fire on a blue Suzuki Swift motorcar which was parked along the left side of the road. Kirkland and six other occupants inside the car were shot. She subsequently died from her injuries.
Canada says it’s easier for Caribbean people to apply for resident status Building on a government commitment made earlier this year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says it is now easier for foreign nationals, including Caribbean immigrants to apply for temporary and permanent resident status within Canada. On Tuesday, the immigration agency said foreign nationals applying from within Canada for temporary or permanent residence, or to extend or renew their visitor visa or work or study permit, will need to have their fingerprints and photo taken and can do so at any of the 58 designated Service Canada locations across the country. “This means individuals will now save time and money by being able to give their biometrics within Canada,” it said in a statement.
It said Canada has collected biometrics (fingerprints and photos) on most foreign nationals applying for temporary or permanent residence since December 31, 2018. “Having biometrics helps immigration officers verify people’s identity, which makes processing applications easier and simplifies entry for legitimate travellers,” IRCC said. “It also makes it easier for officers to stop individuals who pose a risk to the safety and security of Canadians.” IRCC said people can apply online or by paper as they have always done. Applicants who receive a biometrics instruction letter will be able to give their fingerprints and photo at designated Service Canada locations across the country by appointment. IRCC said the appointment
must be made in advance through an easy online booking tool at canada.ca/biometrics. It said applicants, including those in Canada who will be travelling outside the country, can also give their biometrics at a visa application centre (VAC) in any country that they are legally allowed to enter. IRCC said Canada has one of the most extensive networks of VACs worldwide, with 160 locations in 108 countries. “Fingerprints and photo collection are recognised as one of the most reliable ways to identify people and are used by more than 70 countries worldwide. We will enhance the efficiency and integrity of the immigration system in Canada,” said Marco E L Mendicino, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.
DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
TURKS & CAICOS SUN
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CARIBBEAN NEWS
Haitian protesters decry US backing for embattled President Hundreds of protesters marched from downtown Port-auPrince, Haiti’s capital, to the U.S. Embassy on Friday to demand the Trump administration stop supporting President Jovenel Moise, who is named in the latest corruption report issued by Haiti’s Superior Court of Account and Administrative Disputes. Protests were also held in the northern city of Cap-Haitien. “America is a country of institutions, America is a country of laws, so Americans should understand that Haiti is facing a crisis — they should stop giving us handouts and teach us instead, accompany us and help us organize so we can lift ourselves out of this situation,” one protester told VOA’s Creole Service. The march came as two senior U.S. State Department officials visited the country. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Cynthia Kierscht arrived Thursday to meet with government officials and business leaders. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale arrived Friday for a meeting with Moise and Foreign Minister Bocchit Edmond to discuss Haiti’s need for an inclusive national dialogue and a functioning
government capable of restoring order, maintaining rule of law, expanding the economy, and serving the Haitian people, according to a U.S. Embassy statement. Hale was to meet with members of the Haitian opposition on Friday, and with members of the civil society and the private sector. “We heard that American envoy David Hale arrived in the country today to negotiate with us to keep Jovenel Moise in power,” a female protester told VOA. “But we, the people, are ready to march today to let the Americans know we are not interested in negotiating with them. We are asking for Jovenel Moise’s resignation, arrest and judgment for his crimes against the people.” Speaking in Haiti’s northern city of Gonaives, opposition Senator Nenel Cassy told VOA that government opponents will continue to press the U.S. to stop supporting Moise. “We consider Jovenel (Moise) to have fallen already, but the Americans are propping him up. They are our friends, so we will talk to them and say it’s time to let Jovenel go,” he told VOA on Thursday. “As long as Jovenel is in power, we’ll keep protesting.” U.S. Ambassador Michele
Sison last week urged national dialogue to resolve Haiti’s political crisis. She also affirmed support for peaceful protests and the people’s right to air their frustrations. “We thought the United States was a friend of Haiti, but today they have shown us they are our biggest enemy,” a protester told VOA Creole. “We are asking the United States, France and Canada — everyone knows they took (former president) Jean Bertrand Aristide (off our hands) in 2004, so what we want to know is, when you look at the situation today, is it better than how it was in 2004? That’s what we want to know.” Ongoing protests
Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise speaks with Reuters, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Nov. 15, 2019
Haiti has been roiled by protests, initially sparked by a fuel price hike, for more than a year. Outrage grew after an anti-corruption report accused the current and former presidents and members of their governments of misusing oil revenue earned under the PetroCaribe accord that Haiti signed with Venezuela in 2006. Since then, protests have turned into larger anti-government and anti-corruption movements sweeping the country’s major cities.
Protesters, opposition leaders and anti-corruption activists say they have no faith in Moise’s ability to fix the country’s woes. Although protests waned in November, they returned this week and are now targeting the United States and France. Protesters reject calls for a national dialogue and insist the only conversation they are willing to have is about Moise’s departure. They vow to keep protesting in front of the U.S. Embassy until their demands are met.
Jamaican sex worker in Barbados pleads guilty to manslaughter Jamaican woman Tedesha AnnJuliet Hayles has admitted to killing fellow countryman Shockaya Boyd telling a Barbados High Court she was not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. According to a report in Barbados Today, the two sex workers were not on friendly terms as they worked along Bay Street, St Michael on April 28, 2017, Principal Crown Counsel Alliston Seale said as he outlined the facts of the crime in the Supreme Court after accepting the plea. On that Friday, three years ago, a man in a white car, drove up to 26-year-old Hayles along the roadway and requested she accompany him home along with 34-year-old Boyd. Jamaican woman Tedesha AnnJuliet Hayles Hayles said ‘no’ as she and Boyd were not on speaking “Chin was troubling me and calling terms. The client went to Boyd me names and I went and report and spoke to her before leaving. her to the police station. They went Moments later Boyd walked over and look for her but did not see her. to Hayles quarrelling and a fight But we had talk over the matter . . . started. Hayles pulled a knife and and I thought the whole thing had stabbed Boyd several times causing stop.” her to fall to the ground. People She told police she did not intervened and rendered assistance know the man in the car by name while Hayles walked away from but referred to him as Glasses. The the scene onto Jemmotts Lane man, she explained, stopped by where she threw the knife onto the the stoplights “for both of us” but compound of the old hospital. Boyd because they were not speaking to was taken to the Queen Elizabeth each other ‘I said I am not coming Hospital where she succumbed to and he must go’. The man, she said, her injuries. drove on to the corner to the bus Hayles was later detained stop where he called Boyd and the and told police: “Miss, she come two had a conversation. up in my face and I had to defend “After she finished talking myself.” with him she start cursing me She twice declined to and calling me names and come contact an attorney-at-law when up in my face,” she wrote in the told of her rights, saying: “I really statement adding that Boyd pushed can’t deal with that now, let me her and she pushed back before a talk to you miss,” speaking to third woman came and separated lead investigator Sergeant Heather them. Pinder. “I don’t want a lawyer now “She pulled out of Tash miss.” hand and run around Tash and In her statement to police, went in her bag for a knife, where which the sex worker opted to I pulled my scissors. She poke at write herself, she revealed that she me and skipping and I hold her and the deceased were friends at hand where the knife was . . . and one point but had a falling out due I managed to get the knife from to a row involving another woman her and poke her three times. Then named Chin. Tash hold me by my hair and arms
and told me to go.” Hayles said she left the scene with the knife and subsequently threw it away. She boarded a taxi for home but was stopped by police and taken to the police station. The convicted woman, who is represented by attorneyat-law Sian Lange, held her head down as the prosecutor gave the details of what occurred that night. She however lifted her head and watched as the prosecutor showed photographs of the scene and again when she addressed Justice Worrell. “Sir I would like to apologise to the court, to Shockaya’s family. I would like also apologise to my family. I would like to apologise for coming in this country and getting in this type of problem and I am asking please if you can find it in your heart to be lenient and have mercy on me because I have never been in trouble such as this type so far, never. I have never even get an arrest in my country and I come into somebody else country and get lock up,” a tearful and very emotional Hayles told Justice Worrell today. “I am sorry . . . I really am sorry for my actions cause I didn’t just hurt one, I hurt all. But please know that I am not a violent person. I am not a violent person and I am sorry for my actions, I really am sorry for my actions. I would also like to apologise to my son and to my grandmother.” The confessed killer, from St Elizabeth, Jamaica was first remanded to Dodds prison charged with causing serious bodily harm following an altercation with Boyd. The charge was later upgraded to murder based on the outcome of an autopsy. That postmortem found that the deceased sustained 14 injuries. Death was due to hemorrhage from a stab wound to the neck. The convicted woman will reappear in court on January 31, 2020 for sentencing.
Offshore oil exploration
Guyana to earn billions from oil
London-based global information provider, IHS Markit Ltd, says Guyana’s consistent exploration success will be a plus even in a challenging oil price environment. An article on the company’s website said more discoveries outside of the Stabroek block were essential for the country, proving that its potential stretched way beyond one field. “The Guyana basin is successfully positioning itself as one of the most exciting emerging, deep-water exploration basins around the world,” IHS Markit stated. Since 2015, ExxonMobil and its partners have made 14 discoveries, totalling more than six billion recoverable barrels of oil equivalent. The Liza field, the first discovered by ExxonMobil, is expected to start producing by year-end. More recent discoveries include those by Tullow Oil and its partners in the Orinduik block. According to IHS Markit, these are expected to have a significant impact on the lives of Guyanese. Minister of Natural Resources, the Raphael Trotman shared similar sentiments during a recent local radio interview. Quoting an RYSTAD Energy report, the minister said Guyana’s projection was exceptional. “RYSTAD Energy has updated its projections of Guyana’s earnings of $120 billion … $120 billion, that’s the Guyana government take, and by Guyana government, the people of Guyana,” Trotman noted. His comment was in response to a question about the Guyana/ExxonMobil deal and how much the country stood to benefit. “The maximum is 70 and the minimum is 45 and Guyana finds itself taking in 59 per cent ” the minister further explained. Quoting RYSTAD again, he explained that even at a lower oil price, the country would still benefit. “At a low price of oil, GY$10 000per barrel, Guyana will still earn approximately US$51 billion,” Trotman said.
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Israel to hold 3rd straight election, prolonging stalemate Israel’s deadlocked parliament on Wednesday failed to meet a midnight deadline to form a coalition government, triggering an unprecedented third election in a 12-month period while giving scandal-plagued Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a welcome break as he fights to save his political career. The move prolongs a year-long political stalemate that has paralyzed the government and undermined public trust in the government. The country now enters what once again is sure to be a bitter three-month political campaign that is expected to deliver very similar results. “Keep your children away from the television,” said Yair Lapid, a leader of the opposition Blue and White party, saying the campaign will be a “festival of hate, violence and disgust.” “What used to be a celebration of democracy has become a moment of shame for this building,” he added. “There are only three reasons for this election — bribery, fraud and breach of trust,” he said, referring to the criminal charges filed against Netanyahu last month. Following the Sept. 17 vote, Netanyahu’s Likud party and the rival Blue and White, led by former military commander Benny Gantz, both failed to cobble together a governing coalition. Then, during a final three-week window that ended Wednesday, they were unable to agree on a power-sharing agreement or find an alternative leader. Both men had insisted they
Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz, left, Esther Hayut, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Israel, center, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attend a memorial service for former President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem. want to avoid another costly election campaign. And together, their parties control a solid majority in the 120-seat Knesset. But neither was willing to compromise on their core demands for a unity government. Netanyahu insisted on serving as prime minister, where he is best positioned to fight his corruption charges. Gantz has refused to serve under a prime minister with such serious legal problems and called on Likud to choose a different leader. Hours before the deadline, parliament took an initial step to dissolve itself on its own. But as speeches and committee work stretched into the night, the lawmakers managed to pass only one of three required readings
of the bill on time by a 91-0 margin. Even after the deadline automatically dissolved parliament, lawmakers worked throughout the night to finalize the March 2 election date. Given the divisions in Israeli society, and the deep mistrust between the opposing camps, there appears to be little hope that another vote will break the loop of elections and instability that has rocked the country for the past year. The recent campaigns have been characterized by mudslinging and accusations that Netanyahu has incited against the country’s Arab minority. The upcoming campaign is expected to cost the economy hundreds of millions of dollars and continue the paralysis until the middle of next
year. With limited authority, a string of caretaker governments over the past year have frozen major legislation, key appointments, long-term planning and budgets for the military and important government ministries. But for Netanyahu, the country’s longest-ever serving leader, a new campaign offers a much-needed lifeline. Netanyahu is desperately clinging to power to wage his legal battle from the favorable perch of prime minister. Israeli law does not require a sitting prime minister to resign if charged with a crime. Netanyahu can now use his office in the coming months as a bully pulpit to continue his attacks on prosecutors and police investigators, whom he has accused of staging an “attempted coup” against him. Without a functioning parliament in place, Netanyahu can also put on hold his expected request for immunity from prosecution. The outgoing parliament did not have a majority in favor of granting him immunity. Netanyahu can now hope that the next election delivers him a more favorable result. Netanyahu’s trial is on hold until the immunity issue is resolved, a process that is expected to take months. After the March election, he also could use coalition negotiations as leverage to push potential partners to support his immunity request.
16-year-old Greta Thunberg Time’s Person Of The Year For 2019 Greta Thunberg, the activist who has quickly become a leading voice on climate change, is Time’s Person of the Year for 2019. At 16, she is the youngest person to earn the title in the magazine’s 92-year history. Thunberg burst onto the world stage in the past year, organizing school strikes and protest marches to call attention to a climate crisis that she says older generations are not taking seriously enough. She has famously called out world leaders for debating scientific facts and failing to stop a global warming trend that will affect the world’s children more than it affects anyone who’s currently in power. Reacting to the honor, Thunberg said she is “a bit surprised” to be chosen, according to The Associated Press, which adds that Thunberg
dedicated her recognition to other young activists. Thunberg is currently in Madrid, where she delivered a speech at a U.N. climate conference Wednesday morning. “Well, I am telling you there is hope. I have seen it,” she told the audience. “But it does not come from the governments or corporations. It comes from the people.” Thunberg has drawn the support of millions of people, including demonstrators who coordinated an international protest day in September when she was visiting Washington and other U.S. cities. The Swedish teenager has spoken with the pope, the U.N. secretary general and other influential figures. But Thunberg has also been mocked or criticized by climate skeptics — and
by powerful leaders such as President Trump, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. She has shrugged off those attacks, saying she won’t be silenced. “We need a balance of optimism and outrage” in the environmental movement, Thunberg said in Madrid. She added, “We need optimism to keep going and to not give up ... and we need outrage to be able to step outside our comfort zones.” Time says the award is based on the idea that powerful individuals shape the world. It chose Thunberg, the magazine says, for raising the alarm on climate change and “showing us all what it might look like when a new generation leads.” In the past, Thunberg has spoken about how her generation is being burdened both with climate
change’s effects and the task of educating people about it. And if the rise in average temperatures goes unchecked, she says, the effects will be cataclysmic. “For about a year, I have been constantly talking about our rapidly declining carbon budgets — over and over again,” Thunberg said on Wednesday. She added, “But since that is still being ignored, I will just keep repeating it.” Because of the clarity and energy she has brought to the discussion over climate change, Thunberg has been named as a contender for a number of international honors, including the Nobel Peace Prize. But she recently rejected an environmental prize and cash award from the Nordic Council, saying, “It is a huge honor. But the climate movement does not need any more awards.”
Aviation students from Saudi Arabia grounded in USA WASHINGTON - More than 300 Saudi Arabian military aviation students have been grounded as part of a “safety stand-down” after a Saudi Air Force lieutenant shot and killed three people last week at a U.S. Navy base in Florida, U.S. officials said. The FBI has said U.S. investigators believe Saudi Air Force Second Lieutenant Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, 21, acted alone when he attacked a U.S. Navy base in Pensacola, Florida, on Friday, before he was fatally shot by a deputy sheriff. The shootings have again raised questions about the U.S. military relationship with Saudi Arabia, which
has come under heightened scrutiny in Congress over the war in Yemen and Saudi Arabia’s killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi last year. Still, U.S. military leaders have sought to portray this as a localized issue which would not affect the overall U.S.-Saudi relationship. “A safety stand-down and operational pause commenced Monday for Saudi Arabian aviation students,” said Lieutenant Andriana Genualdi, a Navy spokeswoman. Another Navy official said the grounding was to help Saudi students prepare to eventually restart their
training and similar procedures would have been taken if such an incident took place in a U.S. military squadron. An Air Force spokeswoman said an undisclosed number of additional Saudi students have also stopped flying. “Given the traumatic events, we feel it is best to keep the Royal Saudi Air Force students off the flying schedule for a short time,” the spokeswoman said. “We are ensuring our Saudi students have access to available resources to help them deal with these circumstances. The safety and wellbeing of all our aircrew is a top priority.” The Navy’s Genualdi said the
grounding included three different military facilities: Naval Air Station Pensacola, Naval Air Station Whiting Field and Naval Air Station Mayport, all in Florida. The Air Force action applied to additional U.S. bases. Genualdi added that while it was unclear when the Saudi students would be allowed to fly again, their classroom training was expected to resume soon. She added that aviation training had resumed for students from other countries. There are currently about 850 Saudi students in the United States for military training.
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Suu Kyi denies Myanmar genocide allegations at top UN court Myanmar’s former pro- under house arrest for about 15 years. She democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi on was awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize Wednesday denied that her country’s in absentia for championing democracy armed forces committed genocide and rights under Myanmar’s then-ruling against the Rohingya minority, telling junta. A small group of her supporters the U.N.’s top court that the exodus of gathered Wednesday outside The Haguehundreds of thousands of Muslims was based court. Suu Kyi told the court that the the unfortunate result of a battle with insurgents. African nation of Gambia, which brought In a measured tone, Suu the legal action against Myanmar on Kyi calmly refuted allegations that behalf of the 57-country Organization the army had killed civilians, raped of Islamic Cooperation, had provided women and torched houses in 2017 in “an incomplete and misleading factual what Myanmar’s accusers describe as a picture” of what happened in Myanmar’s deliberate campaign of ethnic cleansing northern Rakhine state in August 2017. Gambia alleges that genocide and genocide that saw more than 700,00 Rohingya flee to neighboring Bangladesh. was committed and is still ongoing. It She said the allegations stem has asked the world court to take action from “an internal armed conflict started to stop the violence, including “all by coordinated and comprehensive measures within its power to prevent all armed attacks ... to which Myanmar’s acts that amount to or contribute to the defense services responded. Tragically, crime of genocide” in Myanmar. this armed conflict led to the exodus of But Suu Kyi said developments in one of several hundred thousand Muslims.” Myanmar’s poorest regions are “complex Her appearance at the and not easy to fathom.” She detailed International Court of Justice was how the army responded on Aug. 25, striking in that Suu Kyi was defending 2017, to attacks by insurgents trained by the very armed forces that had kept her Afghan and Pakistan extremists.
Increased activity on New Zealand volcano affects recovery
Two satellite images taken May 12, 2019, left, and Dec. 11, 2019, right, by Maxar Technologies steam rises from the volcano on White Island off the coast of Whakatane, New Zealand Experts said geothermal activity on a New Zealand volcanic island increased significantly on Wednesday, dealing a blow to relatives waiting for crews to recover the bodies that remain there following a deadly eruption two days earlier. Volcanic tremors rose in the morning, accompanied by an increase in the amount of steam and mud being released at White Island, the GeoNet seismic monitoring agency said. “We interpret these signals as evidence of continued high gas pressures within the volcano,” the agency said. “The situation remains highly uncertain as to future activity. Eruptions in the next 24 hours are still likely to occur.” Six deaths were confirmed after Monday’s eruption. Five people died at the time of the blast or soon after, while a sixth person died Tuesday night at an Auckland hospital. Another eight people are believed to have died, with their bodies remaining on the ash-covered island for now. And 30 people remain hospitalized, including 25 in critical condition. Many of the injured suffered severe burns. Bruce Bird, an acting assistant police commissioner, said they were monitoring the situation hour by hour. “Safety for our staff is a huge priority for us,” Bird said. “And we’ve got to get this right.” Bird said they had deployed a drone over the island to measure gas levels after strong winds had thwarted those attempts on Tuesday. But helicopter pilot Mark Law said the delay was hard to understand and that if he was making the decision, he would leave immediately. “It would take 20 minutes to get out there. We know where they are,” he said, referring to the bodies. “Then we could bring them home.” Survivors from the Monday eruption ran into the sea to escape the scalding steam and ash and emerged covered in burns, said those who first helped them. The tragedy will have an ongoing effect on the town of Whakatane, which road signs tout as the gateway to White Island. As well as being an important tourist draw for the 20,000 people who live here, the volcano has an almost mystical significance, its regular puffing a feature of the landscape.
Addressing the court in her capacity as Myanmar’s foreign minister, Suu Kyi insisted that the country’s armed forces had tried “to reduce collateral damage” during fighting in 12 locations. While conceding that excessive force might have been used and that one helicopter may have killed “non-combatants,” Suu Kyi said a Myanmar investigation is looking into what happened and should be allowed to finish its work. “Can there be genocidal intent on the part of a state that actively investigates, prosecutes and punishes soldiers and officers who are accused of wrongdoing?” she asked the court. Suu Kyi and Myanmar’s legal team argued that the genocide convention does not apply to Myanmar. They invoked Croatia during the Balkans wars in the 1990s, saying that no genocide was deemed there when thousands of people were forced from their homes by fighting. On Tuesday, Justice Minister Aboubacarr Tambadou urged the International Court of Justice to “tell
Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi addresses judges of the International Court of Justice for the second day of three days of hearings in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019 Myanmar to stop these senseless killings, to stop these acts of barbarity that continue to shock our collective conscience, to stop this genocide of its own people.”
Democrats’ impeachment charges say Trump betrayed the nation House Democrats announced two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, declaring he “betrayed the nation” with his actions toward Ukraine as they pushed toward historic proceedings that are certain to help define his presidency and shape the 2020 election. The specific charges aimed at removing the 45th president of the United States: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, flanked by the chairmen of impeachment inquiry committees at the U.S. Capitol, said they were upholding their solemn oath to defend the Constitution. Trump responded angrily on Twitter: “WITCH HUNT!” Voting is expected in a matter of days by the Judiciary Committee, which begins deliberations Wednesday, and by Christmas in the full House. The charges, if approved, would then be sent to the Senate, where the Republican majority would be unlikely to convict Trump, but not without a potentially bitter trial just as voters in Iowa and other early presidential primary states begin making their choices. In the formal articles announced Tuesday, the Democrats said Trump enlisted a foreign power in “corrupting” the U.S. election process and endangered national security by asking Ukraine to investigate his political rivals, including Democrat Joe Biden, while withholding U.S. military aid as leverage. That benefited Russia over the U.S. as America’s ally fought Russian aggression, the Democrats said. Trump then obstructed Congress by ordering current and former officials to defy House subpoenas for testimony and by blocking access to documents, the charges say. By his conduct, Trump “demonstrated he will remain a threat to national security and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, ” the nine-page impeachment resolution says. “If we did not hold him
From left House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee Maxine Waters, D-Calif., Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., Chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal and Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Adam Schiff, D-Calif., unveil articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019 accountable, he would continue portrait of George Washington. to undermine our election,” Pelosi Chairman Adam Schiff of said later at a forum sponsored the Intelligence Committee said, by Politico. “Nothing less is at “We stand here today because the stake than the central point of our president’s abuse of power leaves us democracy - a free and fair election.’’ with no choice.” Trump tweeted that to Democratic leaders say impeach a president “who has done Trump put his political interests NOTHING wrong, is sheer Political above those of the nation when he Madness.” asked Ukraine President Volodymyr The outcome appears Zelenskiy in a July phone call to increasingly set as the House presses investigate his rivals, including ahead toward impeachment as it has Democrat Joe Biden, and then only three times in history against withheld $400 million in military U.S. presidents, a test of the nation’s aid as the U.S. ally faced an aggressive system of checks and balances. Russia. They say he then obstructed Democrats said they Congress by stonewalling the House had a duty to act in what is now investigation. a strictly partisan undertaking, The articles say Trump as Republicans stand with the “used the powers of the presidency president, because Trump has in a manner that compromised shown a pattern of behavior that, the national security of the United if left unchecked, poses risks to the States and undermined the integrity democratic process. of the United States democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., process.” the Judiciary chairman, said the The first article, on abuse president “holds the ultimate public of power, says Trump “corruptly” trust. When he betrays that trust solicited Ukraine to investigate his and puts himself before country, political rivals. he endangers the Constitution; The second article, he endangers our democracy; he obstruction of Congress, says that endangers our national security.” Trump directed defiance of the “No one, not even the House’s ability to conduct its legal president, is above the law,” he said, oversight like no other president ”in announcing the charges before a the history of the republic.”
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Trump a ‘heedless and erratic old man,’ North Korea says North Korea took aim at President Trump on Monday, dubbing him a “heedless and erratic old man,” after he tweeted leader Kim Jong Un wouldn’t want to “void his special relationship” with him or the U.S. by interfering in the 2020 election by acting “in a hostile way.” The country won’t cave to U.S. pressure because it has nothing to lose, Kim Yong Chol, a senior North Korean official and former nuclear negotiator, said in a statement. The North accused Trump of trying to buy time ahead of an end-of-year deadline set by Kim Jong Un for Washington to salvage nuclear talks. Trump tweeted Sunday that Kim was “too smart and has far too much to lose, everything actually, if he acts in a hostile way. He signed a strong Denuclearization Agreement with me in Singapore.” “He does not want to void his special relationship with the President of the United States or interfere with the U.S. Presidential Election in November. North Korea, under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, has tremendous economic potential, but it must denuclearize as
come,” the North Korean official said. “Trump has too many things that he does not know about (North Korea). We have nothing more to lose. Though the U.S. may take away anything more from us, it can never remove the strong sense of self-respect, might and resentment against the U.S. from us.” Nuclear negotiations between the North and the U.S. paused after a February meeting between Trump and Kim in Vietnam broke down when the U.S. side rejected North Korean demands for broad sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of its nuclear capabilities. Kim has said North Korea will seek a “new way” if the U.S. maintains its sanctions and pressure, and issued the deadline for the Trump administration North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump to offer mutually acceptable terms for a promised,” he added. “NATO, China, Korean Peninsula without describing deal. Russia, Japan, and the entire world is when or how it would occur. Trump and Kim met for a third unified on this issue!” Trump’s tweets, according to time in June at the border between the The Denuclearization Kim Yong Chol, show he’s an angry old two Koreas and agreed to resume talks. Agreement referenced was a vague man “bereft of patience.” But an October working-level meeting in statement issued by Trump and Kim “As (Trump) is such a heedless Sweden broke down over what the North during their first summit in Singapore in and erratic old man, the time when we Koreans described as the Americans’ “old June 2018 that called for a nuclear-free cannot but call him a ‘dotard’ again may stance and attitude.”
U.S. judge blocks $3.6 billion transfer to Mexican border wall A federal judge on Tuesday issued a permanent injunction barring President Donald Trump’s attempt to transfer $3.6 billion in military construction funds to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Judge David Briones, of U.S. District Court in El Paso, Texas, issued the injunction in a 21-page ruling. The ruling is a setback for Trump, whose administration has vowed to build at least 450 miles of wall along the border by November 2020, when the U.S. presidential election will take place. Trump has argued the wall will deter illegal border crossings, a major focus of his presidency. A Justice Department spokesman said the administration would appeal the ruling. Trump declared a national emergency last February in order to transfer funds from the Pentagon to build the wall after Congress refused to provide the level of funding he sought. Top Democrats in Congress have criticized the project as wasteful and ineffective. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs, El Paso County and the Border Network for Human Rights, an El Paso-based immigration reform group, argued that Trump exceeded his authority when he declared the emergency and sought to redirect the funds. Kristy Parker, counsel for Protect Democracy, an organization that represented plaintiffs in the case, said in a statement that the order “affirms that the president is not a king and that our courts are willing to check him when he oversteps his bounds.” Briones ruled in October that the proclamation was unlawful and then asked the plaintiffs to file a proposed preliminary injunction. He said in that ruling that the transfer of the military funds was unlawful because it went against the intent outlined by Congress in the spending bill it passed in January 2019. Trump had pressed Congress in December 2018 for $5.7 billion in funds to build a border wall, which led to 35-day partial shutdown of the federal government when Congress. When lawmakers provided only a quarter of that amount, Trump declared immigration a national emergency as part of a plan to use a similar amount from the Defense Department and Treasury Department for wall construction. The Supreme Court ruled in July that the Trump administration could access a separate pot of $2.5 billion from a Pentagon counter-narcotics fund to pay for wall construction pending a related appeal - a major victory for Trump. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said at news conference in El Paso last month that 83 miles of border wall had been built under Trump and that another 153 miles of border wall was under construction. “President Trump has been clear,” Wolf said. “We will build the wall, and he is following through on his promise.”
California considers calling THC in pot a risk to moms-to-be More than three years after California voters broadly legalized marijuana, a state panel is considering if its potent, highinducing chemical — THC — should be declared a risk to pregnant women and require warnings. Studies have indicated that a rising number of mothers-to-be have turned to marijuana products for relief from morning sickness and headaches, though it’s effectiveness has not been backed by science. Cannabis industry officials say too little sound research is available on THC to support such a move and warn that it could make marijuana companies a target for lawsuits with unverified claims of injuries from pot use during pregnancy. “That seems like an openended checkbook. How do we defend ourselves?” said Los Angeles dispensary owner Jerred Kiloh, who heads the United Cannabis Business Association, an industry group. Lawyers looking for a quick buck will say “give us $10,000 or we are going to take you into a long court case,” he added. The California Cannabis Industry Association echoed that fear, noting that pot’s standing as an illegal drug at the federal level has choked off research by government agencies. Those studies are needed to determine if THC poses health risks for pregnant women. “Good policy and consumer protections are based on facts and data,” spokesman Josh Drayton said. An affirmative finding would make THC one of hundreds of chemicals judged to cause cancer or birth defects that the state requires to carry warning labels, such as arsenic and lead.
Keira Sumimoto plays with her daughter, in Irvine, Calif. Sumimoto, who used marijuana briefly for medical reasons while pregnant and breastfeeding The review is being carried out under the umbrella of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, better known as Proposition 65. It requires warning labels for chemicals judged as dangerous and allows residents, advocacy groups and attorneys to sue on behalf of the state and collect a portion of civil penalties for failure to provide warnings. The 1986 law has been credited with weeding out cancercausing chemicals from products but also faulted for setting the stage for legal shakedowns. Since 2009, the state has listed marijuana smoke as being known to cause cancer, similar to tobacco smoke. “The expansion of Proposition 65 as it relates to cannabis is premature and lacks both the facts and the data that would justify this move,” Drayton said. The U.S. surgeon general
warned in August that smoking marijuana is dangerous for pregnant women and their developing babies. Mainstream medicine advises against pot use in pregnancy because of studies suggesting it might cause premature birth, low birth weight or other health problems, but many of those studies were in animals or had findings that were open to dispute. If the California panel declares pot a risk for pregnant women, it’s not clear what the immediate impact would be on the state’s legal pot industry. Presumably, packaging would need to be changed over time to carry warning labels for pregnant women. But such requirements would likely take additional steps by agencies that oversee marijuana regulation and packaging. Even products containing CBD, a trendy ingredient extracted from marijuana or hemp, can contain trace amounts of THC.
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Performance artist eats banana duct-taped to wall that sold for $120,000 A performance artist on Saturday ate a banana duct-taped to a wall — the most talked-about artwork at Miami’s Art Basel — that sold earlier this week for $120,000. New York-based performance artist David Datuna ate the banana around 1:45 p.m. on Saturday in front of a convention full of art lovers, the gallery told the Miami Herald. Perrotin Gallery spokesman Lucien Terras told the Herald that Datuna did not “destroy” the artwork because “the banana is the idea.” The controversial piece, called “The Comedian,” was created by Maurizio Cattelan, an Italian artist who had also entertained art lovers from around the globe in 2017 with his “America” 18-carat-gold toilet. The $6-million
throne was stolen from England’s Blenheim Palace over the summer. Emmanuel Perrotin, the gallery founder, told CBS News that Maurizio’s work is not just about objects, but about how objects move through the world. “Whether affixed to the wall of an art fair booth or displayed on the cover of the New York Post, his work forces us to question how value is placed on material goods,” he said. He added that “the spectacle is as much a part of the work as the banana.” Perrotin was about to head to the airport when he heard about the banana being eaten and rushed back, according to the Herald. An attendee tried to cheer him up by handing him a
4-year-old twins free selves, climb to safety after crash Washington state authorities say 4-year-old twins freed themselves from their car seats and climbed an embankment seeking help following a car crash that killed their father. KING-TV reported 47-year-old Corey Simmons of Langley died when the vehicle with his daughters in the backseat crashed on Whidbey Island around 6 p.m. Friday. Family members say the girls climbed about 200 feet (61
meters) up to the road after the accident 34 miles (55 kilometers) north of Seattle. Authorities say Simmons was not wearing a seatbelt when the car crashed into trees and went down the embankment. Police say the girls were transported to a hospital with minor injuries after an unidentified woman passing in her car went back to help and called 911. Authorities say the accident is under investigation.
Reporter speaks out after man slaps her butt live on air — and the internet hunts down his identity
A spotty banana duct-taped to a wall by artist Maurizio Cattelan, at the Art Basel exhibition in Miami Beach, Fla. The work sold for $120,000 banana. A borrowed replacement banana was eventually re-adhered to the wall. Some critics argue this piece is a perfect representation of what the art
world has become with its gaping wealth inequalities. Others, however, chose not to go as deep and appreciate the simplicity of the art piece. The artist first came up with the idea a year ago. He “was thinking of a sculpture that was shaped like a banana,” according to a press statement from Perrotin. “Every time he traveled, he brought a banana with him and hung it in his hotel room to find inspiration. He made several models: first in resin, then in bronze and in painted bronze (before) finally coming back to the initial idea of a real banana.” The artist reported no clear instructions for buyers on whether the bananas start to decompose.
At 34, Finland’s Sanna Marin is world’s youngest sitting prime minister Finland’s parliament chose Sanna Marin as the country’s new prime minister Tuesday, making the 34-year-old the world’s youngest sitting head of government. Marin is heading a five-party, centre-left coalition. The four other parties in the coalition are headed by women — three of whom are in their early 30s. The Nordic country’s Parliament, the 200-seat Eduskunta approved Marin in a 99-70 vote. The government has a comfortable majority of 117 seats. Having emerged as Finland’s largest party in the April election, the Social Democrats were able to appoint one of their own to the post of prime minister in the Nordic nation of 5.5 million people. The coalition of the Social Democrats, the Center Party and three junior partners has said they are committed to the government program agreed upon after the April election and will continue in Marin’s new Cabinet. Marin was nominated Sunday by her Social Democratic party after its leader, Antti Rinne, stepped down after losing the confidence among his coalition government over his handling of a postal strike. Marin, a former transport and communications minister, will be the country’s third-ever female prime minister, according to NPR’s Rob Schmitz. However, she told reporters the focus shouldn’t be on her identity. “She brushed away questions about her age and gender, saying she has never thought about either,” Schmitz says. “Instead, she told
Sanna Marin celebrates after winning her party’s prime minister nomination on Sunday reporters, she thinks about the reasons she got into politics and the things for which her party has won the trust of the electorate.” As prime minister, Marin would maintain an alliance between the Social Democrats and four other center-left parties — all of which have women in leading ministerial positions. Among the five leaders, four, including Marin, are under 35. Once sworn in, Marin will be Finland’s youngest-ever head of state. However, she is not the youngest in world history. Conservative British politician William Pitt, for example, became prime minister at the age of 24 in 1783. Finland currently holds the European Union’s rotating presidency, and members of parliament are likely to approve the new government ahead of an EU summit in Brussels Thursday.
Patron angered by ketchup pulls gun at McDonald’s Reporter Alex Bozarjian A reporter spoke out after a man slapped her on the butt during an on air report, and the internet responded by finding the identity of the man. “To the man who smacked my butt on live TV this morning: You violated, objectified, and embarrassed me,” said WSAV-3 reporter Alex Bozarjian in a tweet with a video of the altercation. Bozarjian was reporting live from the sideline of a 5-kilometer run in Savannah, Georgia, when a male runner raced by and slapped her behind. The video shows the shocked and angry reaction from the 23-yearold reporter. “No woman should EVER have to put up with this at work or
anywhere!! Do better,” she added. Online sleuths looked for other photos from the race in order to help them identify the man, who is 43 years old. He has been banned from running in future races of the event according to a statement from organizers. “We will not tolerate behavior like this at a Savannah Sports Council event,” the statement read. “We have made the decision to ban this individual from registering for all Savannah Sports Council owned races.” Police have reportedly spoken with the man, who works as a youth church minister at his church, and is a Boy Scouts leader. They say that they will proceed according to the wishes of Bozarjian.
Authorities in Tennessee say an irate woman pointed a gun at fast food workers because they gave her ketchup instead of jelly. Asia Vester, 20, was arrested Tuesday and charged with aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a weapon, news outlets are reporting. According to a Memphis police affidavit, Vester was in the drive-thru line of a McDonald’s last week when she received her food and realized her request for jelly was either
forgotten or unheeded. She instead received ketchup. Words were exchanged with several employees. Vester was accused of pulling out a gun and pointing it at employees, the affidavit says. Surveillance video led police to Vester. Since Vester is under 21, it is illegal for her to possess a weapon. Vester is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday. It’s unclear whether she has an attorney to speak for her.
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TECHNOLOGY
Uber reports more than 3,000 sexual assaults on 2018 rides
Uber, as part of a long anticipated safety report, revealed that more than 3,000 sexual assaults were reported during its U.S. rides in 2018. That figure includes 235 rapes across the company’s 1.3 billion rides last year. The ride-hailing company noted that drivers and riders were both attacked and that some assaults occurred between riders. The Thursday report, which the company hailed as the first of its kind, provides a rare look into the traffic deaths, murders and reported sexual assaults that took place during billions of rides arranged in the U.S. using Uber’s service. It is part of the company’s effort to be more transparent after years of criticism over its safety record. In 2017, the company counted 2,936 reported sexual assaults — including 229 rapes — during 1 billion U.S. trips. Uber bases its numbers on reports from riders and drivers, meaning the actual numbers could be much higher. Sexual assaults commonly go unreported. “I suspect many people will be surprised at how rare these incidents are; others will understandably think they’re still too common,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi tweeted about the report. “Some people will appreciate how much we’ve done on safety; others will say we have more work to do. They will all be right.”
Uber’s share price dropped more Mike Bomberger, a lawyer than 1% in after-hours trading. representing more than 100 victims of Uber and competitor Lyft have sexual assault in lawsuits against Uber faced harsh criticism for not doing and Lyft, applauded Uber for releasing enough to protect the safety of their the numbers. “One of the problems with riders and drivers. Dozens of women are both of these companies is that they suing Lyft, claiming the company should have hidden and have tried to conceal have done more to protect them from the number of sexual assaults that occur driver assaults. A Connecticut woman in their vehicles,” he said. sued Uber last month, claiming she was In response, an Uber sexually assaulted by her driver. spokesperson pointed to the just-released London refused to renew Uber’s report. Lyft called Bomberger’s charge license to operate in the city in November “baseless.” after the company was plagued with Bomberger said he believes 80% safety issues including concerns about to 90% of the assaults in the Uber report impostor drivers. Uber said it will appeal could have been prevented by measures the decision. such as cameras in the cars recording The companies have both rides and the companies reporting every formed partnerships with sexual assault assault they learn of to the police. prevention networks and other safety The Rape, Abuse & Incest groups, and have touted their background National Network said it appreciated check policies for drivers. But many say Uber’s transparency. they haven’t gone far enough to protect “This is an issue that affects passengers and drivers, who are contract every institution in America,” RAINN workers for the companies. press secretary Erinn Robinson said in a “Keeping this information in statement. She added that organizations the dark doesn’t make anyone safer,” in every industry, including education, Uber said in a statement announcing the should “make a similar effort to track report. It plans to release its safety report and analyze sexual misconduct within every two years going forward. their communities.” Lyft said last year it would The report stated that Uber rides also release a safety report. A company were involved in 97 reported crashes in spokeswoman confirmed Thursday that 2017 and 2018, resulting in 107 deaths. it “remained committed” to releasing a The company said the figure represents report, but did not say when it would be about half of the national rate for fatal released. crashes.
The Foldable Galaxy S11 Will Change Entire Samsung Lineup It’s starting to look very likely that Samsung will launch its next foldable phone alongside the Galaxy S11 in February 2020. A few leaks - and Samsung’s own messaging - have pointed to a Motorola Razr-style clamshell style device on the horizon, which, if accurate may change the entire Galaxy S11 lineup. Why? Because the sheer number of flagship devices Samsung is launching next year means something will have to change to accommodate them all. Let’s take the rumoured clamshell foldable device for example. Samsung is apparently launching it alongside the Galaxy S11 range (it could be branded a Galaxy S11 variant itself, which would be a big deal) for a significantly cheaper price than 2019’s Galaxy Fold. Sources speaking to the Korea Herald claimed that Samsung is looking at a $840 price tag for the new foldable phone. Whilst I think that’s unlikely largely because it’s cheaper than the current generation S10 - Samsung’s next foldable will be cheaper than the $2000 Galaxy Fold. If Samsung wants this technology to be adopted en masse, it has to be. What that means is an affordable new Samsung foldable phone - presumably competitively priced with the $1500 Motorola Razr - will force the prices of current generation models down too. The alternative is Samsung’s next generation technology costing the same - or close to the same - as the topend of current generation tech, which may end up cannibalising the sales of one or both devices. I don’t think that’s
The updated Samsung Galaxy Fold, which is going on-sale in the UK on September 18 Samsung’s plan. A cheaper-priced Galaxy S11, with new camera tech and a huge 5000mAh battery becomes an irresistible prospect. Alongside a more reasonably priced and better designed - foldable phone (with the same camera tech) then Samsung will comfortably have the best smartphone lineup of the year. The other interesting result of the rumoured clamshell device possibly forcing prices down is what it means for the Samsung’s mid-range phones. It already has an impressive ‘E’ variant and there are rumours about an S10 Lite in the works, but what happens to those devices when the flagship current generation tech becomes a lot more affordable? What I think we’re seeing is a slow redefinition of mid-range smartphones. Chinese brands like Xaomi, OnePlus and Oppo have been stretching the definition for a few years, but companies like Samsung and Google (the Pixel 3A is better value for money than the Pixel 3) finally getting on-board is how wide-scale industry change happens.
The building that houses the headquarters of Uber, in San Francisco Sexual assault in the report is defined broadly into categories including non-consensual kissing of a non-sexual body part, attempted non-consensual sexual penetration, non-consensual touching of a sexual body part, nonconsensual kissing of a sexual body part and non-consensual sexual penetration. The company also said Uber rides were involved in nine murders during 2018, and 10 during 2017. Uber noted that the vast majority — 99.9% — of its rides had no reported safety issues.
24 states asking for better online protections for children Two dozen state attorneys general are asking a federal agency to implement better online protections for children. The bipartisan coalition submitted a letter to the Federal Trade Commission on Monday asking the agency to strengthen the rules surrounding the collection of personal information from children under the age of 13. The letter also asked for enhanced prohibitions on using that information to track children on the internet. “Without modification to the current rule, companies will continue to build profiles on children based on
collected data,” Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III said in a statement. “Those profiles will be used to target them for many decades to come.” The letter says that websites and mobile applications often collect personal information from users, ranging from search histories to geological information. The attorneys general are requesting the FTC “clamp down” on collecting information on children behavioral advertising and examine how federal rules apply to school-issued laptops that are free as long as companies can collect information.
iPhone 12 Could Get Another Battery Boost Due To This Important Hardware Upgrade When Apple releases its iPhone 12 series next year, there is a chance the next-generation phones could come with a significant bump in battery life. The same goes for Samsung’s Galaxy S11 family. That’s because both Apple and Samsung are sourcing smaller battery protection modules from the same company, ITM Semiconductor, with smaller circuitry to potentially pave the wave for bigger capacity batteries. For reference, Apple claims “all-day battery” life on its iPhone 11, which equates to up to 17 hours of video playback (or 10 hours of streamed video), and up to 65 hours of audio playback (with the ability to generate a 50 percent charge in 30 minutes via fast-charge). Likewise, Samsung claims “all day intelligent battery” life on its Galaxy S10.
To improve things even further, ITM Semiconductor has developed a battery protection circuit module (PCM) that is nearly 50 percent smaller. This is the circuitry that protects hardware from over charging and over discharging. The module also combines the protection circuit with a MOSFET and PCB, which negates the need for a chassis for all this stuff. While this may not seem like a huge deal, as smartphones become thinner and more sophisticated, space is at a premium. This overall reduction means Apple and Samsung could potentially use larger battery packs inside their next-generation smartphones. It’s not a given that either will actually do that, but if so, we could be looking at even longer battery life next round.
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Apple may release six different iPhone 12 models in 2020 Purchasing a new iPhone is far more complicated than it used to be. Back in the day, Apple would release a single new model and users simply had to decide what color they liked and how much storage they wanted. Over time, though, the number of iPhone options to choose from has ballooned. This year, for example, Apple released three new iPhone models with the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Max. Looking ahead to next year, Apple’s iPhone 12 lineup may be the most expansive we’ve seen yet. According to a new research report from Rosenblatt analyst Jun Zhang (via AppleInsider), Apple next year might release six distinct iPhone 12 models. Zhang’s report is at odds with previous iPhone 12 rumors we’ve seen, but seeing as we’re still a good nine months away
from the official iPhone 12 release, it’s too early to make a call in either direction. As to why Apple would release six iPhone 12 models next year, it all comes down to 5G. According to Zhang, most iPhone 12 models will come in two variants — one with 4G and one with 5G. It sounds a bit far fetched at first glance, but might actually make sense given that 5G coverage still isn’t anywhere close to being all-encompassing. Sprint’s 5G coverage, for example, only includes 9 U.S. cities at the moment. Suffice it to say, many consumers will not be happy about paying a premium for 5G when they can’t take advantage of it. That said, Zhang anticipates that Apple’s new iPhone 12 lineup will look like this:
•iPhone 12 4G with a 6.1-inch LCD screen and dual rear cameras •iPhone 12 Pro 4G with a 5.4-inch OLED screen and dual rear cameras •iPhone 12 Pro 5G with a 5.4-inch OLED display and dual rear cameras •iPhone 12 Pro Plus 4G with a 6.1-inch OLED display and a triple rear camera with Time-of-Flight 3D sensing capabilities •iPhone 12 Pro Plus 5G using a 6.1inch OLED screen, triple camera setup, and ToF features •iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G with a 6.1inch OLED panel, the triple camera setup, and ToF. This is beyond confusing, and it’s hard to imagine Apple’s iPhone 12 release schedule actually mirroring
what’s listed above. Still, there is reason to believe that Apple’s iPhone lineup will be more wide-ranging than ever before. Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo last week issued a research note claiming that Apple will release four distinct iPhone 12 models. In contrast to Zhang, however, Kuo notes that all iPhone 12 models will boast support for 5G. All in all, it’s starting to look like Apple’s iPhone lineup next year will be its most ambitious yet. In addition to as many as 5 or 6 new iPhone 12 models, there’s a strong possibility Apple will release a successor to the iPhone SE this March, though the device will reportedly be called the iPhone 9. Incidentally, the rumored iPhone 9 — as a budget-positioned device — will only offer support for 4G.
HSBC Swiss unit to pay $192 million in latest U.S. tax evasion deal The Swiss private banking unit of HSBC Holdings Plc will pay $192.4 million to resolve a U.S. probe of its role in helping wealthy Americans evade taxes by using undeclared Swiss bank accounts, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Tuesday. The DoJ’s deal with HSBC Private Bank (Suisse) SA is the latest in which numerous Swiss-based banks, including UBS and Credit Suisse Group, have paid billions of dollars in settlements and penalties for conspiring to help rich Americans dodge taxes. [tinyurl.com/vmeuabw] The hard line taken by U.S. authorities over the last decade has helped pressure Switzerland to end banking secrecy that long allowed
offshore clients to stash money in accounts in the republic. The Swiss government has deals with many countries to exchange information about accounts held by foreigners. [tinyurl.com/y445cx7p] In this latest case, the DoJ filed a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States against HSBC Private Bank (Suisse) but agreed to drop it in three years if the bank abides by the deal’s terms, court documents show. The charge relates to HSBC Private Bank (Suisse)’s conduct between 2000 and 2010, when the DoJ said the Geneva-based bank assisted U.S. clients in hiding offshore assets and income. Its bankers traveled to cities, including Miami, to scout for clients,
the department said. Even as the DoJ began investigating Swiss banks, including UBS, around 2008 for tax-dodging schemes, prosecutors said some HSBC Private Bank bankers continued the cross-border business with U.S. residents. “Some HSBC Switzerland bankers assisted clients in closing their accounts in a manner that continued to conceal their offshore assets,” U.S. prosecutors said in a statement. UBS agreed to pay $780 million in fines, penalties, interest and restitution in 2009 for helping Americans hide their assets from U.S. tax authorities. In 2014, Credit Suisse paid $2.6 billion. Many other Swiss banks have
followed suit, including HSBC Private Bank, which said it cooperated with U.S. authorities, swapped out bankers and changed how it does business. “Today the Swiss subsidiary operates under new management,” Chief Executive Alex Classen said in a statement. “We have strengthened our compliance function, enhanced our control framework and put in place a comprehensive client tax transparency policy.” In 2017, HSBC paid 300 million euros ($330.6 million)to settle a separate investigation on tax evasion by French citizens via its Swiss private bank after an ex-employee leaked client data that spawned investigations in several countries.
U.S., Canada and Mexico sign agreement - again - to replace NAFTA Top officials from Canada, Mexico and the United States signed a fresh overhaul of a quarter-centuryold trade pact on Tuesday that aims to improve enforcement of worker rights and hold down prices for biologic drugs by eliminating a patent provision. The signing ceremony in Mexico City launched what may be the final approval effort for U.S. President Donald Trump’s three-year quest to revamp the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), a deal he has blamed for the loss of millions of U.S. manufacturing jobs. The event at the National Palace was attended by Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, and U.S. White House adviser Jared Kushner. The result of a rare show of bipartisan and cross-border cooperation in the Trump era of global trade conflicts, the deal was inked the same day as he became the fourth U.S. president in history to face formal impeachment. “They approved it today of all days,” Trump told reporters at the White House, calling it the “silver lining” of impeachment. The pact quickly got bogged down in more party division, however, as U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would likely wait for a vote on the deal until after the impeachment trial - likely kicking ratification into next year. Friction also emerged over how intrusive foreign enforcement of labor rules would be in Mexico. Nonetheless, Lighthizer called it “a miracle” that unions, businesses and actors from across the political spectrum had come together, saying it was a testament to the benefits of the deal. Lopez Obrador credited Trump
months of uncertainty. Seade himself said some of the changes were reasonable but not necessarily “good for Mexico.” NEW WRINKLE
Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland looks on while Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador shakes hands with Mexico’s Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, during a meeting at the Presidential Palace, in Mexico City, Mexico December 10, 2019 for working with him, while Freeland celebrated a win for multilateralism. “We have accomplished this together at a moment when, around the world, it is increasingly difficult to get trade deals done,” she said. The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was signed more than a year ago to replace NAFTA, but Democrats controlling the U.S. House of Representatives insisted on major changes to labor and environmental enforcement before bringing it to a vote. The delay at times threatened to scuttle the deal, creating investment uncertainty in all three countries and worrying U.S. farmers already suffering tariffs stemming from Trump’s trade war with China. Intense negotiations over the past week among Democrats, the Trump administration, and Mexico produced more stringent rules on labor rights aimed at reducing Mexico’s low-wage advantage. Both Canada and the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee said the deal included a mechanism for verification of compliance of union
rights at the factory level in Mexico by independent labor experts. “It is infinitely better than what was initially proposed by the administration,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told a news conference, adding that USMCA was now ready for a House vote. Both the U.S. United Steelworkers union and the AFL-CIO labor unions endorsed the revised deal. However, Mexico’s chief negotiator Deputy Foreign Minister Jesus Seade said all disputes would be resolved through panels, and denied there would be anything like foreign labor inspectors in Mexico. There was no immediate sign of the agreement being made public. Some Mexican business groups fear that Lopez Obrador and Seade have ceded too much. Gustavo Hoyos, president of employers federation Coparmex and a vocal Lopez Obrador critic, called the government “a bad negotiator.” Other business groups focused on the positive and welcomed the looming end to
Republican and Democratic U.S. lawmakers say there is broad support for revising the pact, which backers say encompasses $1.2 trillion in annual trade across the continent and supports 12 million U.S. jobs and a third of American agricultural exports. Canada’s parliament and Mexico’s congress are expected to ratify the deal without major complications. U.S. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, a Democrat, said sections of the text would be reviewed by lawmakers, but he saw no reason for “unnecessary delays” in bringing it to a vote on the House floor. However, in a new wrinkle to swift ratification in the United States, McConnell said the Republicancontrolled Senate would not take up the deal before congressional recess, potentially pushing the vote into next year. That seemed to put him at odds with Trump spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham, who said the White House would “push hard” to get the implementing bill passed before year end. Pelosi spokesman Henry Connelly said McConnell had “no excuse” not to bring up USMCA, pointing to fast approvals of previous trade pacts. Trump launched a renegotiation of NAFTA in his first year in office, intent on delivering on his 2016 campaign promise to replace what he has derided as the “worst deal ever.” Canadian and Mexican leaders reluctantly agreed to join the negotiations with their largest trading partner.
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The Sands is now accepting applications/résumé for the following positions. Only highly self-driven & motivated, personable and professional individuals, whom have the desire to serve others, need apply: MANAGERIAL, SUPERVISORY & SKILLED POSITIONS SENIOR MAINTENANCE PROPERTY MANAGER •Maintain hotel guest rooms and public areas by performing routine maintenance jobs and repairs. •Troubleshoot and perform minor repairs on heating, cooling and ventilation systems. •Troubleshoot and perform minor repairs on plumbing systems, electrical systems and appliances. •Maintain the hot tub by ensuring a safe chemical balance through frequent testing. •Organize, implement and track all maintenance projects for guestrooms and public areas. •Monitor and revise as needed, departmental health & safety tools including training programs, policies and practices. •Ensure a safe work environment is maintained at all times and that all colleagues are committed to working safely. •Partner with Front Office Manager to ensure safe guest evacuation during emergencies (i.e. Fire Alarm). •Motivate, train and lead maintenance personnel by personal example with a philosophy of work conduct, enthusiasm and personal development that leads to maximum performance and job satisfaction. •Effective scheduling, vacation planning and department productivity to budget. •Effective and timely interaction with all Hotel & Restaurant departments and positively impact guest experience by effectively and efficiently resolving maintenance concerns. •Effective and timely interaction with HR regarding payroll (i.e. set up new hires, etc.). •Occasional maintenance to staff residence as required. •A positive contributor to the leadership team of the hotel. Requirements •Prior Maintenance Management and/or supervisory experience within an operation equal in size and facilities. •Strong communication skills, both written and verbal. Proven ability to motivate and lead employees in a busy, high quality environment. •Background in electrical and or plumbing are essential. •Good English communication skills (both written & oral). •Ability to respond quickly in a dynamic and changing environment. Ability to handle multiple requests in a fast-paced environment. •Good training, coaching and mentoring skills are essential. •Proven experience with budgets and payroll process is essential. •Completion of high school and technical training required. •Majority of work shift requires standing or walking 90% of the workday •Many tasks require sitting, bending, stooping, kneeling, and/or positioning to accomplish tasks •Able to lift and carry up to 50+ lbs. is common and up to 150lbs with assistance •Reaching is required at all levels throughout the work period •Climbing of stairs is required and may require up to 50% of the time •Previous hotel maintenance experience preferred •Able to work efficiently under time constraints •Able to work independently and with others Salary start at $48,000.00 commensurate with qualifications and experience EXECUTIVE HOUSEKEEPING MANAGER Responsibilities: Uphold and update established Housekeeping and Laundry operating procedures and standards. Develop, implement and coordinate new Housekeeping and Laundry procedures. Plan and coordinate housekeeping staff job duties, responsibilities, and activities including that of housekeeping managers and supervisors. Coordinate and complete inspections of assigned areas for quality checks and cleanliness controls in accordance to standards. Coordinate administer and complete administrative tasks as required. Requirements: Education: Bachelor’s Degree preferred. Experience: Minimum of five years as an Executive Housekeeper is required. The individual must possess Housekeeping and Laundry Department management working knowledge, and experience, skills and abilities. Must be able to explain, demonstrate and perform all related job duties, functions, and responsibilities of Housekeeping and Laundry department operations. Qualification Standards: Education High school or equivalent education required. Bachelor’s Degree preferred. Experience Minimum of 5 years’ experience in a managerial position in the Housekeeping & Laundry Department. Licenses or Certificates Executive Housekeeper Certification or time on the job equivalent as stated above required. Essential Functions 1.Plans, organizes, directs and controls all housekeeping and laundry activities, maintains the high levels of cleanliness standards, orderly and attractive conditions on guest floors, public/common and employee areas. Oversees, and implements working rules with proper execution to meet those standards. 2.Monitors and maintains a healthy and safe environment for owners, guests, employees, suppliers and vendors. 3.Conducts and keep records of goods received, housekeeping and laundry staff, inventories, cleaning projects, housekeeping checklists, and room inspections for guest rooms and public areas. 4.Familiarizes him /herself and carries out policies and procedures established by the Sands at Grace Bay. 5.Initiates and aides in effective communication within the department and other departments. 6.Carries out the following routine assignments as required. (This list is not exhaustive) Salary start at $42, 000.00 per annum commensurate with qualifications and experience IT MANAGER Provides end user support for guests, management and employees: •Responds quickly and effectively to diagnose and resolve hardware and software problems for all systems (including computers, networks, telephones, office equipment, point of sale equipment cctv and fiber optic music systems). Documents, tracks and reports on deficiencies, progress and follow-up.
DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
Provides routine maintenance of hardware, software and systems: •Installs/configures new computers/telephones and point of sales equipment. •Installs/maintains/repairs cctv system •Repairs/upgrades hardware and software. •Troubleshoots printers/scanners/copiers. •Maintains inventory of equipment and supplies. •Maintains server room(s) and ensures proper security for such. •Completes system backups according to required schedule. Provides infrastructure support: •Installs cabling •Researches, learns and evaluates new software and hardware •Documents and maintains recordkeeping for all systems Creates The Sands Resort Experience through performance that demonstrates the standards of: •Ownership – Takes personal responsibility and shows initiative in work planning and problem-solving. •Personalized Service – Shows personal attention to guests’ unique needs, interests and expectations. •Expertise – Keeps informed and demonstrates job knowledge, following all job and service standards. •Natural Approach – Provides genuine service through actions that display selfconfidence, grace and courtesy to guests and colleagues. Salary start at $44,000.00 commensurate with qualifications and experience FRONT OFFICE MANAGER The individual must possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities and be able to explain and demonstrate that he or she can perform the essential functions of the job, using some other combination of knowledge, skills, and abilities. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES •Must be able to speak, read, write and understand the primary language(s) used in the workplace to facilitate the communication process. •Requires excellent communication skills, both verbal and written. •Must possess above average computational ability. •Must have previously held position as AFOM in at least 2 other hotel or resort. •Bachelor Degree or equivalent Hotel Lodging experience required. •Required certificate of successful completion of FOM AHLA Educational Institute Courseline. •Experienced on PMS systems and is MICROSOFT PC literate. •Second language a plus. •PMS Systems Manager knowledge and certification a plus. •Must possess a high level of hospitality skills including highly effective body language. •Has effective written and oral communication skills to communicate with guests, owners, VIP’s, employees, and senior management. QUALIFICATION STANDARDS/PREREQUISITES: Education Completion of High School or equivalent education. Bachelor Degree or equivalent Hotel Lodging experience required. Required certificate of successful completion of FOM AHLA Educational Institute Courseline. Experience A minimum of 5-8 years previous front office management experience. Must have been in the role and job title of Front Office Manager at least one time prior, and for at least 3 or more years at the same resort. Grooming Must maintain a neat, clean and well-groomed appearance per The Sands at Grace Bay standards. Physical Demands •Most work tasks are performed indoors. Temperature is moderate and controlled by hotel environmental systems. •Must be able to stand and exert well-paced mobility for up to 3 hours in length. •Must be able to lift up to 30 lbs. on a regular and continuing basis. •Must be able to push and pull equipment weighing up to 30 lbs. •Must be able to exert well-paced ability in limited space. •Must be able to bend, stoop, squat and stretch to fulfill tasks. •Requires grasping, writing, standing, sitting, walking, repetitive motions, bending, climbing, listening and hearing ability and visual acuity. •Talking and hearing occur continuously in the process of communicating with guests, supervisors and other employees. •Vision occurs continuously with the most common visual functions being those of near vision and depth perception. •Requires manual dexterity to use and operate all necessary equipment. Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience SENIOR HOUSEKEEPING SUPERVISOR* Position Purpose Assists the Executive and Assistant Executive Housekeeper with the day to day operations of Housekeeping department. Daily Communications •Reports directly to and communicates to Executive and Assistant Executive Housekeeper on all pertinent housekeeping matters. •Interacts with various businesses outside the hotel including suppliers and contractors. •Supervises personnel with matters regarding Housekeeping operations. •Coordinates and works closely with Front office, Engineering and other departments as required. Essential Functions •Provides supervision in maintaining the established standards of cleanliness, the orderly and attractive conditions on guest floors, public and employee areas. •Executes the Housekeeping Department’s working rules and regulations set forth by the Executive and Assistant Executive Housekeeper. •Helps monitor and maintain a healthy and safe environment for both guests and employees. •Conducts and keeps records of goods received, staff schedules, inventories and cleaning projects for guest rooms and public areas. •Familiarizes him /herself and carries out policies and procedures established by the Sands at Grace Bay. •Carries out the following routine assignments: SPECIFIC JOB KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES The individual must possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities and be able to explain and demonstrate that he or she can perform the essential functions of the job, using some other combination of knowledge, skills, and abilities. •Must be able to speak, read, write and understand the primary language used in the workplace to facilitate the communication process. •Must be able to read and write to facilitate the communication process. •Requires good communication skills, both verbal and written. •Must possess basic computational ability. Physical Demands •Most work tasks are performed indoors. Temperature is moderate and controlled by hotel environmental systems. •Must be able to sit at a desk for up to 4 hours per day. Walking and standing are required
Turks Island citizen’s only need to apply in person to Kitchandra McDonald, Assistant Human Resources Manager at The Sands Resort located on Grace Bay Road, Providenciales, the Turks and Caicos Labour Department, or e-mail: careers@thesandstc.comcontact number 649-946-5199 ext. 30147. Resumes/CV’s must be in by August 05th, 2019
DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
the rest of the working day. Length of time of these tasks may vary from day to day and task to task. •Must be able to exert well-paced ability to reach other departments of the hotel on a timely basis. •Must be able to lift up to 25 lbs. occasionally. •Must be able to lift items weighing in excess of 40 lbs. rarely. •Must be able to push and pull carts and equipment weighing up to 200 lbs. occasionally. •Must be able to bend, stoop, squat and stretch to fulfill cleaning and inspection tasks. •Requires grasping, writing, standing, sitting, walking, repetitive motions, bending, climbing, listening and hearing ability and visual acuity. •Talking and hearing occur continuously in the process of communicating with guests, supervisors and subordinates. •Vision occurs continuously with the most common visual functions being those of near vision and depth perception. •Requires manual dexterity to use and operate all necessary equipment. •Must have finger dexterity to be able to operate office equipment such as computers, printers, 10-key adding machine, electric typewriter, multi-line touch tone phone, filing cabinets, FAX machines, photocopiers, dolly and other office equipment as needed. QUALIFICATION STANDARDS Education High school or equivalent education required. Bachelor’s Degree preferred. Experience Three to five years’ experience in a supervisor or managerial position in Housekeeping or Rooms Division. Licenses or Certificates Driver’s License not mandatory but preferred. Grooming All employees must maintain a neat, clean and well-groomed appearance per standards. This job description is not an exclusive or exhaustive list of all job functions that an employee in this position may be asked to perform from time to time. Salary starts at $10.00 per hour HVAC\MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN Responsibilities: •To skillfully and professionally perform all scheduled maintenance related jobs. •Account for time spent on individual work requests/orders and actively seek further tasks when assigned tasks are completed. •To advise the Engineering Administrator when parts or supplies need to be reordered. •Perform weekly and monthly physical counts of all inventory stock and tooling and requirements. •Any other duties assigned and/or as deemed necessary by the Engineering Administrator. •Reassembling and testing equipment following repairs
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•Repairing and replacing defective equipment, components in addition to wiring •Laying out and connecting electrical wiring between controls and equipment •Obtaining and maintaining required certifications •Maintain machinery, equipment, and tools •Upkeep, installation, and maintenance of hydraulic, pneumatic, electronic, mechanical and electrical systems on all production machines •Performs preventive maintenance and makes repairs to heating, ventilating, air conditioning equipment according to instructions such as replacing belts on motors, changing filters, bearings, etc. •Lays out, assembles, installs, and maintains pipe systems and related hydraulic and pneumatic equipment, and repairs and replaces gauges, valves, pressure regulators, and related equipment Requirements: •As a HVAC Technician, you must comply with all applicable standards, policies and procedures, including safety procedures and the maintenance of a clean work area. We are seeking a detail-oriented mechanic with experience in both commercial and residential installation and services. •Refrigeration experience. •Must meet minimum professional qualification/certification in Plumbing/Electrical/ Mechanical and A/C related trades. •Follows proper safety practices and procedures as required of the position. •Must have minimum of two years hands-on experience working on minor electrical, painting, plumbing and A/C. •Must speak, read, write and understand the primary language (English) used in the workplace. •Must work weekends and holidays. •Must work AM and PM shifts as business demands according to the operations policy. •Must have reliable transportation to get to and from work. Salary $8.00 per hour commensurate with qualifications and experience DOMESTIC/WORKER* Applicants must have previous experience as a domestic work and cook. Must be comfortable and experienced around the care and walking of larger breed dogs and be willing to work 6 days a week including holidays and weekends. Hours will need to be flexible in order to flex for evening service when required. Nutritional food experience also an asset. Must have a willing, positive and personable attitude. LINE POSITIONS HOUSEKEEPING ROOM ATTENDANT* HOUSEMAN* LABOURER* GROUNDSMEN* COMMON AREA ATTENDANT BEACH SECURITY RESERVATION AGENTS SECURITYSUPERVISOR FRONT DESK AGENTS Positions marked by asterisks are currently held by work permit persons. For the above line staff positions, Caribbean resort experience is an asset but not a requirement. Applicants must have a willing, positive and personable attitude, must be willing to work holidays and weekends as standard in the hospitality industry. Salary will commensurate with experience. Turks Island citizen’s only need to apply in person to Kitchandra McDonald, Assistant Human Resources Manager at The Sands Resort located on Grace Bay Road, Providenciales, the Turks and Caicos Labour Department, or e-mail: careers@ thesandstc.comcontact number 649-946-5199 ext. 30147. Resumes/CV’s must be in by August 05th, 2019
•Engaging in peer review •Maintaining clinical competence •Writing grant proposals
TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE (TCICC) EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AT THE TCICC Applications are invited from suitably qualified and experienced persons for the following full-time positions at the TCICC for the Spring semester commencing Monday, January 6, 2020. 1.MATHEMATICS/COMPUTER SCIENCE LECTURER Lecturers are required to teach across different academic levels from the G.C.E. Advanced level, Caribbean Advanced Proficiency and up to the Associate and Bachelor Degree levels. Multi-disciplinary candidates are particularly encouraged to apply for these positions. The ideal candidate must have knowledge and skills obtained through collegiate preparation resulting in a Master’s degree (Doctorate preferred) which must include eighteen (18) graduate semester hours in the area being applied for, from an accredited and recognized institution plus a Teaching Diploma or Postgraduate Diploma and no less than three years post qualification teaching experience. A Bachelor’s Degree with a minimum of a second class honors or other postgraduate qualifications, teaching certificate/Diploma and experience in teaching at Tertiary level may be considered. 2.Nurse Educator TCICC needs a Nurse Educator who will help prepare the next generation of nurses in classroom settings. The ideal person should be able to provide guidance and mentoring to nursing students, showing them how to deliver the best healthcare possible. He/she will combine clinical abilities with responsibilities related to: •Designing curricula, courses and programs of study that reflect contemporary healthcare trends, •Creating healthcare environment in classroom, laboratory, and clinical settings that will facilitate student learning and the achievement of desired cognitive, affective, and psychomotor outcomes. •Teaching classroom and clinical courses •Advising and guiding students •Using a variety of strategies to asses and evaluate student learning in classroom, laboratory and clinical settings, •Documenting the outcomes of the educational process. •Advising students •Engaging in scholarly work •Participating in professional associations •Contributing to the academic community through leadership roles
The ideal person will: •Have excellent communication skills •Be creative, and have a solid clinical background •Be flexible and possess excellent critical thinking skills. •Have a substantive knowledge base in his/her area of instruction and the skills to convey that knowledge in a variety of ways to student nurses. •Have a strong knowledge base in theories of teaching, learning and evaluation •Be able to design curricula and programs that reflect sound educational principles •Be able to assess learner needs •Be innovative; and enjoy teaching. •Adapt curriculum and teaching methods in response to innovations in nursing science and ongoing changes in the practice environment. •Have advisement and counseling skills, research and other scholarly skills, and an ability to collaborate with other disciplines to plan and deliver a sound educational program. At a minimum, the ideal person should have a graduate-level degree, such as a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a specialization in Nursing Education; and should be a Registered Nurse (RN) with advanced clinical training in a healthcare specialty. Salary is in the scale: Level II: US$40,210 - $43,488.40 per annum. Entry point will depend on qualifications and experience. In the case of staff recruited from overseas, appointment is on contractual terms for an initial period of two years. A gratuity is payable at the end of satisfactory contractual service at the rate of 10% of salary drawn during the period of service. A housing allowance is payable at existing rates. The Application Process: Applications with copies of qualifications (including official transcripts), CV, two character references, a police record and a recent testimonial from current place of employment should reach: THE PRESIDENT, TCI COMMUNITY COLLEGE, P.O. BOX 236, GRAND TURK, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS not later than Friday, December 27, 2019. Where possible applicants should e-mail or fax their applications. FAX 649 946 1661 TELE 649 946 1163 EMAIL tcicomc@tciway.tc or president@tcicc.edu.tc or dean@tcicc.edu.tc We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only persons selected for interview will be contacted.
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DECEMBER 13TH, 2019 – DECEMBER 20TH, 2019
LOCAL SPORTS
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Premier wins 2019 Premier Cup Golf Tournament Charity Games!
The 8th Annual Premier’s Cup Charity Golf Scramble was held on December 7th and 8th 2019. The Premier Hon Sharlene CartwrightRobinson was elated to attend this year’s charity games in support of three youth-centered non-profit organizations: The Turks and Caicos Islands Cadet Corp, The Turks and Caicos Drug Prevention Foundation and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Programme. The event kicked off with a cocktail reception at the Provo Golf Club on 7 December with attendance by His Excellency the Governor Nigel Dakin and wife Amanda Dakin, Deputy Premier Hon. Sean Astwood, Cabinet
Ministers, professional golfer, PGA Tour Champion and Canadian Gold Hallof-Famer, Stephen Ames and special guest Mr. Michael Steele, former Lt. Governor in Maryland, USA and former Chairman of the Republican Party. The tournament followed on December 8th with 80 golfers. 20 teams in total competed to win the title as 2019 Premier’s Cup Champion. 1st place was awarded to the Premier’s team, members included: Premier Robinson, Stephen Ames, Premier’s Cup Committee President, Mervin Cox and Arthur Lightbourne. 2nd place awarded to the Deputy Premier’s team – members included: The Deputy Premier, Hon.
Sean Astwood, Leslie Watts, John Donatien and Marcus Samuel. 3rd place was awarded to Premier Cup Committee Vice President, Mark Fulford’s team – members included: Mark Fulford, Fraser Dods, Rhone Kelly and Stephanie Fitzgerald. Commenting on the event, Premier Robinson stated, “I am ecstatic to receive such dedicated support every year for the Premier’s Cup Charity Golf Scramble. It has been a fun weekend and a privilege to learn some expert tips from golf Champion and Hall-ofFamer, Stephen Ames. These charities, TCI Cadet Corp, Turks and Caicos Drug Prevention Foundation and the soon
to be launched Duke of Edinburgh Programme, indeed do deserve and need your continued support. Our youth need productive outlets not only to keep them away from negative activities, but also programmes that help to develop transferable skills that they can take with them through life. A huge thanks our sponsors, everyone that participated and of course a big thank you to the committee who each year volunteer their efforts for the success of this event. Well done for another successful year and I’m already looking forward to next year!” All proceeds from the event will be split evenly between the three charities.
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‘I was born in the wrong time’ - Blake reflects on impact of Bolt shadow
Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake believes he has suffered from competing in the same era as compatriot and athletics great Usain Bolt. The 29-year-old Blake has recorded some stunning achievements of his own on the track, in a career that has also been hampered by injury. His best times over the 100m (9.69) and 200m (19.26) are the second-fastest ever recorded over the distances. Bolt still holds both world records. In addition, Blake claimed the gold medal at the 2011 Daegu World Championship and silver medals in both the 100m and 200m at the 2012 London Olympic Games. On both occasions, the sprinter finished behind his illustrious teammate Bolt. Once thought as the natural successor to the athletics sprint throne, Blake then suffered major hamstring injuries in both the 2013 and 2014 seasons. While insisting that he is satisfied with what he has achieved in the sport to date, Blake believes things could have been different had he been born in another era. “It would be hard to top Usain because it was his time and it was hard to compete against him. The first time I beat him in Kingston, I had to work day and night to do it.” Heading into the 2012 Olympics Blake defeated Bolt over both the 100m and 200m at the Jamaica National trials but never managed to repeat the feat.
NBA denies Rockets’ protest The NBA denied the protest the Houston Rockets filed in regard to their 135-133 doubleovertime loss to the San Antonio Spurs last Tuesday night. The Rockets held a 102-89 lead in the fourth quarter when star guard James Harden scored on a dunk. The force of the slam caused the ball to go back through the net and over the rim, and the officiating crew ruled that Harden missed the dunk. Houston’s appeal said that the rules were misapplied by the crew when it failed to grant the club a requested coach’s challenge to have the play reviewed. The NBA agreed with the Rockets’ contention, but commissioner Adam Silver determined that the Rockets had “sufficient time to overcome the error during the remainder of the fourth quarter and two subsequent overtime periods and thus the extraordinary remedy of granting a game protest was not warranted.” The NBA said the officials — crew chief James Capers, Kevin Scott and John Butler — were disciplined for misapplying the challenge rule. The league didn’t disclose the nature of the punishments. Capers told a pool reporter that the crew watched replays of the dunk after the game and that it should have been ruled a “successful field goal.” He said there was a 30-second period for which the Rockets could request a review and that the period passed while Houston was contesting the call. The NBA also said it will work the competition committee to develop procedures that will prevent a situation like Harden’s from occurring again.
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Rapinoe wins Sports Illustrated’s top prize to cap stellar year Megan Rapinoe collected another accolade in a stellar year by claiming Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year honor on Monday for her performance on the U.S. women’s World Cupwinning soccer team and for her campaigning off the field. Rapinoe rocketed to household fame this year, taking home the Golden Boot and Golden Ball from the World Cup as top scorer and best player, as the U.S. retained the trophy and on the way became advocates for gender pay equity in sport. The midfielder also picked up the prestigious Ballon d’Or award for the world’s best female player. “Choosing Megan as the Sportsperson of the Year was an easy decision,” Sports Illustrated’s coeditor in chief Steve Cannella said in a statement. “She is a force of nature on and off the field, a trailblazing soccer player who also proves every day how large and loud a voice a socially conscious athlete can have in 2019.” The 34-year-old Californian
U.S. soccer player Megan Rapinoe poses as she arrives for the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Awards in New York City, New York, U.S. December 9, 2019 and her team mates sued the U.S. soccer governing body in March for gender discrimination, arguing they had been paid less than the men’s squad and were provided inferior working conditions. Mediation between the two parties fell apart in August, leaving a cloud over the team’s Olympic preparations with a trial date in looming in May. They face qualifying
matches for the 2020 Tokyo Games beginning next month, in a fight for redemption after a disappointing showing at the Rio Games. Sports Illustrated previously gave the Sportsperson of the Year prize to the 1999 U.S. women’s national team, who won the World Cup, but Rapinoe is the first individual soccer player to receive the honor since the award was first given out in 1954.
Russia banned from next Olympics and World Cup soccer Russia was banned from the world’s top sporting events for four years on Monday, including the next summer and winter Olympics and the 2022 soccer World Cup, for tampering with doping tests. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) executive committee acted after concluding that Moscow had planted fake evidence and deleted files linked to positive doping tests in laboratory data that could have helped identify drug cheats. The decision was a huge blow to the pride of a nation that has traditionally been a powerhouse in many sports but whose reputation has been tarnished by a series of doping scandals. “For too long, Russian doping has detracted from clean sport,” WADA President Craig Reedie said after a meeting of WADA’s executive committee in the Swiss city of Lausanne. He said in a statement Russia’s actions had demanded a robust response and added: “That is exactly what has been delivered today.” WADA confirmed the Russian national team could not take part in the 2022 World Cup soccer in Qatar under the Russian flag and could participate only as neutrals. It was not clear how competing as neutrals at the World Cup might work in practice. FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, said it was in contact with WADA to clarify the extent of the decision. The ban also means Russian sportsmen and sportswomen will not be able to perform at the Olympics in Tokyo next year under their own flag and national anthem. The International Olympic
WADA Director, Intelligence and Investigations, Gunter Younger, WADA President-Elect, Witold Banka, WADA President, Sir Craig Reedie, WADA Director General, Olivier Niggli and Chair of the CRC, Jonathan Taylor QC attend a news conference after World Anti-Doping Agency’s extraordinary Executive Committee (ExCo) meeting that has banned Russian athletes from all major sporting events in the next four years, in Lausanne, Switzerland, December 9, 2019 Committee (IOC), which has come under attack for not taking a harder line on Russian doping, said it fully backed the ruling by the Swissbased WADA. The 2020 Tokyo Olympic organising committee said it would welcome all athletes as long as they were clean and work with other organizations to fully implement anti-doping measures, Tokyo 2020 spokesman Masa Takaya said. YEARS OF DOPING SCANDALS Russia has been embroiled in doping scandals since a 2015 report commissioned by WADA found evidence of mass doping in Russian athletics. Many of Russia’s athletes were sidelined from the past two Olympics and Russia was stripped of its flag altogether at last year’s Pyeongchang Winter Games as punishment for state-sponsored doping cover-ups at the 2014 Sochi Games.
Monday’s sanctions, which also include a four-year ban on Russia hosting major sporting events, were recommended by WADA’s compliance review committee in response to the doctored laboratory data provided by Moscow this year. One of the conditions for the reinstatement of Russian antidoping agency RUSADA, suspended in 2015 but reinstated last year, had been that Moscow provide an authentic copy of the laboratory data. The sanctions in effect strip the agency of its accreditation. The punishment leaves the door open for clean Russian athletes to compete at big international events without their flag or anthem for the next four years, something they did at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. Some Russian officials have tried to cast WADA’s behavior as part of what they say is a broader Western attempt to hold back Moscow.
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WORLD SPORTS
Andreescu named Canada’s athlete of the year after breakout season Bianca Andreescu was awarded the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s athlete of the year on Monday, capping a remarkable year in which the teenager became the country’s first tennis Grand Slam singles champion with her U.S. Open triumph. Andreescu, an unknown quantity to most in Canada a year ago, was a unanimous pick after a breakout season in which she upset Serena Williams in the U.S. Open final and reached a career-high fourth in the world rankings. “Wow, I’m so thankful for this award. I was not expecting it and to be the first tennis player to win is even more surreal,” the 19-year-old Andreescu said in a statement issued by Tennis Canada. “None of my success this year would have been possible without the support from all of Canada.” Andreescu, who at the end of 2018 was ranked 178th but who finished this season at number five, began to gain attention in January when she beat former world
number ones Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams on her way to the Auckland final. In March, as a wildcard, she won the Indian Wells title but a shoulder injury forced her to retire from a last-16 match at the following event in Miami and caused her to miss most of the clay and grasscourt seasons. Andreescu, the daughter of Romanian immigrants to Canada, then won her hometown tournament in Toronto before going on to make history in New York where she denied Williams from earning a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title. The Canadian lost just four completed matches during the season, which she finished with a 48-7 record including injury retirements. The other finalists for the award, which is named after a former Toronto Star sports editor, were sprinter Andre De Grasse, golfer Brooke Henderson, NHL goalie Jordan Binnington and MLB pitcher Mike Soroka.
Canadian tennis player Bianca Andreescu speaks with the news media about her win at the U.S. Open, after arriving in Toronto, Ontario, Canada September 11, 2019 “Canadian sports crushed it this year so there are definitely many other athletes who deserve a piece of this award as well — we all motivate each other to be better,” said Andreescu. “I can’t wait for what 2020 will bring and am always proud to represent Canada at the highest level.”
LeBron James Forgot To Dribble, But The NBA Was Cool With It LeBron James went for a casual stroll in Utah on Wednesday night. It’s garnered a lot of attention because he did so with the basketball in his hand, and wasn’t called for travel. The travel-that-wasn’t happened in the first quarter of Wednesday night’s Lakers win over the Jazz. James was bringing the ball up the floor as he has done a billion times before, but shortly after he crossed midcourt, he picked up his dribble. He then proceeded to take a step. Then another. Then another. And then a half step, before putting the ball on the floor again. That’s a travel in any rule book. But no travel was called, much to the chagrin of Utah’s Bojan Bogdanovic, who begged with the official to blow their whistle after LeBron’s steps. That request was not granted. Woof. In the official’s
defense, they weren’t look at James game. “It was the worst thing, at the time of the travel, because chances are nothing is going to probably one of the worst things happen when one of the best players I’ve ever done in my career. I didn’t in the game is casually bringing the realize I did it until halftime. One ball up the floor. Bogdanovic wasn’t of my coaches showed me,” he said. “I feel bad for the refs on that one even defending him at the time. Plus, there was something because they’ll probably get a writeelse going on down the floor. James up on that or something. That was said after the game that he was pretty bad.” James didn’t really gain distracted by a collision between Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and an advantage on the play, and the Donovan Mitchell, causing him to Lakers ended up winning the game forget to dribble the ball. Maybe by 25 points. James poured in 20 that’s what caught the official’s points and 12 assists, and knows that he was lucky to only have one eyes too. “I think I was ready to pass turnover in his final line. But in a year dominated the ball, and my brain just kind of just, I had a malfunction. I really by missed calls and useless replay had a malfunction,” said James, via reviews, it’s pretty rib-tickling to ESPN.com. see one as egregious as Wednesday Utah fans peppered James night’s travel go in favor of a guy throughout the game, which he like LeBron James. If you thought seemed to enjoy, and he even had NFL officiating was bad, the NBA some fun with the play after the has taken it to a whole new level.
McIlroy joins Woods in ruling out playing in Saudi Arabia
Rory McIlroy Rory McIlroy has ruled out playing in Saudi Arabia next month, saying he has no interest in contesting the Jan. 30-Feb. 2 tournament that has offered lavish appearance fees to attract many of the world’s top players. A week after Tiger Woods revealed he had turned down the Saudi International, a European Tour event, McIlroy did likewise. But unlike Woods, who studiously avoided commenting on the politics of the country while explaining his reasons not to play, McIlroy was less reticent to address the complicated intersection of sport and politics. “It’s just not something that would excite me,” McIlroy said in a studio interview on Golf Channel on Monday, not denying a report that he had been offered a $2.5 million appearance fee to play in the Middle East event. “One hundred percent, there’s a morality to it as well... “You could say that about so many countries, not just Saudi Arabia, but a lot of countries that we play in that there’s a reason not to go, but for me, I just don’t want to go.” Amnesty International describes the Saudi regime’s human rights records as “heinous” and McIlroy acknowledged he had readily watched the world title boxing match between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr. which took place in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night. “I had no problem watching that and cheering on A.J,” he said. World number one Brooks Koepka, defending champion Dustin Johnson and five-time major champion Phil Mickelson are among the big names who have signed up for the event. McIlroy and Woods instead will focus their playing schedules on PGA Tour events on the U.S. West Coast at that time of the year. “I think the atmosphere looks better at the events on the West Coast and I’d much rather play in front of big golf fans and play in a tournament that really excites me,” McIlroy said.
Joshua says had health issue before first Ruiz fight Briton Anthony Joshua, who reclaimed his world heavyweight titles with a clinical victory over Andy Ruiz Jr on Sunday, says a health issue had left him tired and drained before his shock defeat to the Mexican-American in their first fight in June. Joshua regained the IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO titles with a unanimous points victory in Saudi Arabia, six months after he was sensationally dethroned by Ruiz at Madison Square Gardens in one of boxing’s biggest upsets. “I had some issue with my health which I was going through for a long time,” said Joshua after judges scored the ‘Clash on the Dunes’ 118-110, 118-110 and 119-109 on Sunday. “I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I felt so tired and drained and thought it must be down to training. “In the changing room before the fight (in New York) I got a bucket of ice and was putting my head in it thinking ‘why do I feel so tired?’ “Even in this camp I had an
operation done but as I’d started training in June I had no issues.” Joshua did not elaborate on the nature of the operation. For the first title defense of his second stint as world champion the 30-year-old is likely to face either unbeaten Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk, the WBO’s mandatory challenger, or Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev — the mandatory challenger for the IBF. Joshua said he wanted his next fight to be held in London, with his promoter Eddie Hearn suggesting Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium as a likely venue. “Wembley doesn’t look great, date-wise,” Hearn said. “Tottenham Hotspur is a nice new stadium for a UK fight. We’ve got to look at it. “We spoke to Spurs about hosting this fight, which they were keen to do, but unfortunately the dates didn’t work out. They would be keen to do it and it would be a nice stadium to do it in London.”
Anthony Joshua poses with the belts
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For real estate sales inquiries, call 1.649.946.4474 | 1.649.231.0707 email info@rockhouseresort.com or visit us online at RockHouseResort.com Published by SUN MEDIA GROUP, Turks and Caicos Islands | Tel:649 348 6838 | Fax: 649 941 3281