VOLUME 9 ISSUE 12

APRIL 1ST-APRIL 6TH 2013

Website: www.suntci.com

VOLUME 9 - No. 12

Email: sun@suntci.com

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Fax: 649-941-3281

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CUBANS GET ASYLUM IN TCI

BY VIVIAN TYSON

T

hree of the five Cubans who have been holing out at the detention centre in Providenciales since late last year were granted asylum status in the Turks & Caicos Islands.

But Minister of Border Control and Labour Hon. Don-Hue Gardiner, who made the announcement, was quick to point out that the hunger strike incident on the weekend, which saw four of the Cubans sewing their lips shut, did not force the hand of government to grant such statuses.

He described as mere coincidence the timing of the strike by the Cubans and the reply from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), granting asylum to three while, while refusing the application of two. He said that a Columbian national who also applied was granted asylum as well.

Last Friday (March 22), four of the five Cubans that were housed at the detention centre along South Dock Road, used needles and thread to stitch their lips shut in a hunger strike statement, after complaining that they have been denied basic human rights, such as visitation and recreation.

In what onlookers said was a freak accident, this police vehicle flipped while driving through the yard of the Texaco gas station, Five Cays, on Saturday. At least one person had to be taken to the hospital as a result of the accident. (Photo by Kelano Howell) They said too, that the meal was often time prepared in a substandard fashion and that some members of staff treated them in subhuman manner. The four were taken to the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre for the threads to be cut from their lips, but they denied the offer, even after a psychologist a rendezvous with the hospital psychologist.

The SUN understands that it was after the Cubans were given some level of assurances that they decided to cut from their lips free. It was understood that one of the Cubans even opted to cut away the thread himself.

But speaking at a post cabinet news briefing at the Ministry of Health conference room on Thursday, March 28, Minister Gardiner told members of the media that the Turks & Caicos Islands Government would not flinch in wake of such action by the detainees.

“It should be noted however, that incidence of persons who would have been a part of the protest action ie those, who would have sewn their mouths closed and would have gone on a hunger strike; the report (from

the UNHCR) regarding them would not have been affected, in any way, by their protest action. The Turks & Caicos Islands Government does not lend itself to be swayed by those kinds of activities. We look to the facts that have been given, and we take the decision based on those facts.

“It is coincidental only, that the reports from the UNHCR were received on the same morning actually, of last Friday (March 22), before these actions (took place). And so, they (granting of refugee statuses) are in no way as a result of those actions. And I think we should make that clear, because we do not want it to be misunderstood that we would be deflected by those kinds of actions,” the Minister said.

He added: “As far as we are concerned, those issues are generally resolved. We have had an opportunity to receive the reports from the UNHCR, sometime early on Friday, in respect of three of three of the Cubans.

The report on the other two was received on Tuesday of this week. As a result of those reports, the Ministry of Border Control made a decision to grant asylum, following the UN-

HCR, to three of the Cubans. And we have those three together with a national of Columbia, who were granted asylum refugee status.

“And so, they were given leave to enter the TCI and, following the usual protocols that we have established over the last several years, those persons will, once they have obtained employment, be granted permission to work in the TCI. He noted also that the ones who were refused asylum, did not, in the view of the UNHCR, meet the criteria to be granted such a status.

“The reason would be that those persons would not have met the minimum requirements as set out in the various international (human rights) conventions. Those claims are usually classified, and I am not able to speak to them individually.

“As regards to the other two persons, that were refused asylum, we have permitted them, following the usual protocols again, to appeal the refusals within the next 15 days beginning as of yesterday (March 27).

And should they make appeals, those CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

By Albray Butterfield, Jr. 26thMarch 2013 Post By-Election Statement and Letter to: Hon Premier Ewing, Hon Cartwright-Robinson, Hon Amanda Missick, Mr Oral Selver

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irst and foremost, let me give thanks to our awesome God for granting us Turks and Caicos Islanders the courage andstaminato endure seven long months of a hard fought political campaign,a general election, endless Supreme Court battles of election challenges, a by-election, and several occurrence of external political interference by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (“FCO”) and Waterloo. True democracy was on display for the world to see, as we exercised our democratic franchise to self-governance. Today I am proud to say that we as a people are well on our way to one day achieving our national aspiration of political independence.

CONGRATULATIONS are in order to Honourable Amanda Missick for her successful unquestionable victory in the general election of 9th November 2012, and again in the by-election of 22nd March 2013, in the constituency of Cheshire Hall, Richmond Hills and Kew Township -electoral district 7 of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Hon. Amanda Missick’s margin of victory in the by-election spoke loud and clear that “We The People” of Cheshire Hall, Richmond Hills, Kew Township and by extension the Turks and Caicos Islands support and have full confidence in The Honourable Premier Dr Rufus Ewing, hisleadership and the direction he is taking the country. Hon Premier Ewing’s stellar management of his professional “Team PNP” and the long hard fought political campaigndemonstratedhismanagerial and leadership abilities necessary to navigate the Turks and Caicos Islands through this current tempestuous period in our history, which will eventually lead usintoa prosperous future.

Congratulations are also in order to Mr Oral Selverfor running a stand-up, clean and respectful

hard fought political campaign.He demonstrated true strength and courage, as wellas helping to usher in a new generation of honourable persons seeking to enter public office. I would encourage Mr Selverto stay the courseand continuing to support his community.

Honourable Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson, you have no reason to hang your head down as a result of the defeat of your political fraternity at the polls. You stood strong throughout the entire political campaign, and you gave the incumbent a real fight. In your concession speech/press statement to your political fraternity supporters, you showed the nation and the world what it is to possess political maturity by opening your speech with sincere congratulations to Hon. Premier Ewing on his victory and for also retaining the government of the day.Continue to represent the people,as you progress in your political endeavours.

Now that the issue of our political governance has been decided;the euphoria of victory among the victors has subsided; the shocking disappointment of defeat has finally settled in among the defeated; we should have by now returned to the realities of life, and realise that we have to reunite in order to fight for our economic prosperity, constitutional rights, and democratic and political freedoms. This cannot be achieved if we continue to allow ourselves to be divided on important issues that are in our national interest. The same way we united to fight the FCOand Waterloo against the implementation of Value Added Tax, we now have to do the same to fight for our socioeconomic prosperity and freedoms.

Hon. Premier Ewing, you have been given an unmistakable and clear mandate of what and how the electorate are expecting you to govern.

At the moment, you possess tremendous political capital, PLEASE SPEND IT WISELY AND DO NOT SQUANDER THIS ONCE IN A GENERATION OPPORTUNITY, OR YOU WILL BE A ONE TERM PREMIER.King Solomon gives some sound advice that if followed, will avoid various pitfalls while in office. King Solomon advised: “Where no (wise) counsel is, the people (nation) fall, but in the mul-

titude of counsellors there is safety.” - Proverbs 11:14 (KJV). Hon. Premier, it is recommended that you encompass yourself with wise counsellors from both sides of the political divide; blind partisan counsel will only lead you and your government down the same primrose path as your predecessors. You have been elected to govern this nation of all political persuasions, race, and creed.

The Lord instructed Habakkuk to: “… Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”- Habakkuk 2:23 (KJV).

The sort of“vision” the LordinstructedHabakkuk to inscribe plainlyupon tablets, you have outlined such a vision in your political manifesto titled “Going for the Gold: A Plan For Prosperity”. The Turks and Caicos Islands electorate have read your vision and elected to run with it; andon Friday 22nd March 2013,the appointed time has comefor you to commence implementing that vision, hence,the electorate have granted you forty-eight months to bring the vision to fruition. Your four months honeymoon, and the period of getting familiarised with your new appointment came to an end on 22nd March 2013.

Therefore, I plead of you to tarry no longer, time is of the essence, the electorate have been crying for strong, prudent leadership; the nation is now in your hands. Only your performance during your tenure as Premier will determine how kindly or harshly history will judge you, and whetherhistory will label youas an Armorbearerof the United Kingdom’s Pharaoh at the FCO, orour modern day Moses, or Joshua as outlined in the biblical canon books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy and Joshua.

We the people will continue to hold you up in prayer, as you continue to seek Gods guidance during your tenure as Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

“UNEASY LIES THE HEAD THAT WEARS A CROWN”; William Shakespeare; 1597.

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CUBANS GET ASYLUM IN TCI CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

appeals would then go in the usual course to the UNHCR, who would then advise us of their (decision), having further investigated the claims,” Minister Gardiner said.

Meantime, the story about the Cubans was featured in the Miami Herald which reported that authorities in the Turks and Caicos Islands have freed four illegal Cuban migrants who sewed their lips together to protest their sixmonth detentions in the British territory off Cuba’s eastern tip.

“We wanted political asylum here or to be free here. Or send us to a third country that will give us asylum. But what we want is that we will not be returned to Cuba,” Henry Olivera, 41, said Thursday after removing his stitches.

According to the Miami Herald, Clara Gardiner, in charge of the Ministry of Border Control and Labor in the British-run territory, confirmed the Cubans had been freed, with some granted asylum and others denied asylum but released on bond while they appeal.

Last Friday, four sewed their lips shut — a not uncommon practice by prison inmates in Cuba to highlight their protests — but they removed

the stitches after learning of the decision to free them, Olivera said.

He told El Nuevo Herald that Miami relatives of the four men and one woman paid $12,000 a head to smugglers to pick them up in eastern Cuba and deliver them to Florida. Instead, the twin-engine speed boat dropped them off in the Turks and Caicos on July 22.

Olivera said the five went into hiding but were discovered by authorities on Oct. 5. Olivera, Lazaro Hidalgo, 27, and Norlan Alonso and Pedro Chacón, both 39, were sent to a detention center while Hidalgo’s wife, Meybis Vasquez, 23, went to live with a family after she miscarried.

Their protest came three weeks after 16 other illegal Cuban migrants disappeared from the Turks and Caicos, apparently aboard a speed boat, after a judge freed them from the detention center to await word on their asylum request. Twelve of the 16 later turned up in Miami, including the mother of Oakland A’s outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.

The Turks and Caicos Islands, about 250 miles northeast of Cuba and north of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, have become a stopover on the path of illegal migrants and drugs heading west to Florida, local authorities say.

Olivera and the three other men received word of the government’s decision to free them around the time Wednesday evening that America TeVe Channel 41 in Miami was broadcasting a report on their protest that showed them sewing their lips.

“It had to be done, brother, to force them to make a decision,” Olivera said. “This has been the biggest nightmare of my life.”

Gardiner’s statement, emailed to El Nuevo Herald, said the five Cubans were “not released as a result of their protest, but rather their application for asylum and the assessment thereof has been completed.”

“Three of them were determined to be in need of protection while two of them do not,” the statement said. Olivera said he and Alonso were denied asylum, but were not told why. None of the five held important jobs in Cuba, he added.

Gardiner said the three will be granted work permits if they find jobs in the Turks and Caicos, an offshore banking and tourism center of 40,000 people. The two others were given 15 days to appeal and were freed on bond.

“Should they not be successful, efforts will be made for their return to their home country,” she added.

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LOCAL NEWS

Government bleeding from cruise ship port closure

BY VIVIAN TYSON

T

he indefinite suspension of calls at the Grand Turk Cruise Center has brought activities on that island to a virtual halt, according to some businesses operators and individuals who depend heavily on cruise tourism for their livelihoods.

Cruise ship docking at the port was suspended for more than two weeks now due to an outbreak of a mysterious but suspected viral illness, with which a number of locals have been affected.

Premier Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing told a news conference on Thursday, March 28, that the port was scheduled to open on Sunday, April 1. But at press time it was not clear if that had happened.

While private sector and other individuals on that island are singing the income blues, government has also joined in on the sad song because it is hemorrhaging vital revenue each day that there is no activity at the port.

With each passing day that the port remains closed government los-

es approximately $7,500, and by the end of this week could bleed up to $210,000. Approximately 3000 tourists come to port on a daily basis and pay a head tax of $2.50.

The shutting down of the cruise port appears to be déjà vu all over again for industry players, as it was only last year that tourism on Providenciales was almost crippled when some of that island’s top hotels, including Beaches Resort and Spa and Grace Bay Club were affected by Norovirus.

As a means of precaution, the affected resorts closed their doors and carried out a major sanitation exercises to rid their properties of the bacteria. The virus was partly blamed for the drop in visitor arrivals and the accompanying dip in government revenue, when the yearly assessment of the industry was made.

The tourism industry, as a result of the Grand Turk situation, is bracing for yet another decline in tourism this year and possibly another revenue decline. No indication has been given as to when the cruise

GUILTY VERDICTS IN THE TRIAL OF OLIVER AND SONJI WILLIAMS

A

ssistant Collector of Customs, Sonji Williams and her husband Oliver Williams were found guilty of corruption when they appeared in the Grand Turk Magistrates Court, on Wednesday March 27, 2013. Both defendants were fined $5,000 each and sentenced to a 12-month suspended sentence.

Both were also barred from government service for two years.

Mrs. Williams, a Senior Customs Officer at the time of the alleged offence, and her husband were arrested on November 8th 2012 in a joint Integrity Commission, Royal Turks and Caicos Island Police operation. They were both subsequently charged with corruption offences whilst in public office under the Integrity Commission Ordinance, in relation to the illegal importation of a horse on March 14, 2012.

Eugene Otuonye, Director of the Integrity Commission noted: “The

significance of this prosecution goes well beyond the illegal importation of a horse. The corrupt actions of these officials threatened to undermine the trust and confidence that the public place in their law enforcement officials to enforce restrictions which are designed to protect them.

“The restrictions placed on the importation of animals are designed to protect the economic well being and public health of the islands. We all have a duty to prevent the outbreak of animal disease which can wreck havoc on the tourist industry of the Islands.”

The Integrity Commission therefore welcomes the guilty verdicts, and uses this opportunity to thank the Royal TCI Police Force, the AG’s Chambers, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution and the Department of Agriculture for their collaborative efforts in the successful prosecution of this matter.

LOBSTER SEASON ENDS APRIL 14

T

he Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs is reminding all fishing interests, that the 2012-2013 Lobster Season will close at midnight on Sunday April 14, 2013. The Fisheries Protection Ordinance 2009 provides for a close season on lobster between April and July each year.

During the closed season, it is illegal for fishermen to land or trade in lobsters and for restaurants and hotels to serve lobsters. DEMA therefore urges all hotel and restaurant managers to ensure that thy have NO lobsters in their possession at the end of the season.

Fishers are also being reminded that in the remaining days of the season, berried lobsters, or lobsters with eggs, MUST be returned to the water.

DEMA anticipates the compliance of the stated laws and regulations by all citizens, residents and visitors in the Turks and Caicos Islands. For additional information regarding the closing of lobster call DEMA at 941-5122.

centre would reopen, even though government was hoping it could be this week.

During a news conference last week, Premier Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing said that samples have been collected from a number of areas, including the cruise port and had been sent off for testing. He said, too, that a number of consultants and technocrats from the Carnival Cruise Lines were on the ground also trying to identify the source of the problem and also checking the readiness of the facility.

“We are trying to look for possible source and, only after the source has been identified, then we can allow the ships to return. The Tourist Board said that talks with Carnival Cruise Line, which build the port, are continuing. In port right now, we have all of the carnival big wigs, engineers and specialists that are looking at the facility on a whole,” Dr. Ewing said.

Meanwhile, the Tourist Board said it is monitoring the problem closely and would inform the public of the latest developments.

“Discussions are ongoing with all the relevant local authorities and stakeholders, including the Public

Health Department and the Grand Turk Cruise Center. These groups are working in close partnership to identify and address the situation as rapidly as possible,” the release said.

Tourist Board Director Ralph Higgs said that his organization would keep a close watch at the situation and discussions with the various interests would continue until the matter is resolved.

“We are following the situation as it unfolds and are in active discussion with the most senior executives involved in the ports operation. We understand the severity of the impact of the center’s closure not only to the local business community of Grand Turk but to those guests who have selected to visit our shores via cruise line. We understand that the stakeholders are diligently moving toward identifying the issues and re-opening the center. As information becomes available, the Board will update the public accordingly,” Higgs said.

The cruise sector which accounts for a majority of visitors to the Turks & Caicos Islands is seen as a vital component in the tourism industry of the country in general and Grand Turk in particular.

TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMISSION

Public Statement Re: Accordia Insurance Brokers Limited – Revocation of License Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands, BWI – 28th March 2013 - The Turks and Caicos Islands Financial Services Commission (“The Commission”) considers it necessary to issue this public statement in order to protect the public interest, and the interests of any of the customers and creditors of the Accordia Insurance Brokers Limited (hereinafter referred to as ‘Accordia’), and further to make the general public aware that Accordia is no longer a licensee of the Commission.

The details are: 1. Accordia (formerly Alford, Cruden & Gask Ltd) was issued a license (License No. 2082/97) pursuant to the Insurance Ordinance on 24 March 1997.

2. Accordia has made application to the Commission, pursuant to Section 34(1)(c) of the Financial Services Commission Ordinance, to have its license revoked.

3. The Commission accepted Accordia’s application and subsequently revoked its Insurance license on 31st March 2013.

This Public Statement was issued pursuant to Section 39 of the Financial Services Commission Ordinance J. Kevin Higgins Managing Director

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LOCAL NEWS

THE TANGLED WEB OF BRITISH DECEPTION IN THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS O stature. ne cannot help but be For example, Mr. Hague talks amused and bemused by about the British Government how these British operatives, the providing initial funding for the latest of them being Dr. Philip Providenciales International AirRushbrook, the director of stratport many years ago, but makes egy in the office of Governor Ric no mention of the fact that the Todd, are trying to continue spinnew $10million expansions are ning and their way out of the unbeing funded by the operations holy mess which they have creatof the airport and with no help ed in the Turks and Caicos Islands from the Brits. and about which they continue He also mentions the appointto be in absolute denial. ment of a Chief Financial OffiIt is rather disingenuous to say cer to assist with the finances of the least, that persons of the calthe TCI, but fails to tell CARICOM iber of Hon. William Hague and that they had to recall the said now Hon. Mark Simmonds would CFO Hugh McGarel-Groves beallow themselves to first, be miscause he was an under-performer led, and secondly to be blindly

BY HAYDEN BOYCE drawn into this silly debate about PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF and a spectacular failure.

His explanation about VAT what the Premier Dr. Rufus Ewand the reasons why it will not ing said to the recent CARICOM be introduced, was patently pathetic and failed to Heads of Government meeting in Haiti.

After reading and parsing the Premier’s speech, mention that nearly 100 percent of the business there can be no question whatsoever that what he community in TCI were opposed to it, along with reported to CARICOM was an accurate represen- the two political parties.

Mr. Hague also stated that former Premier Mitation of what happened, and indeed what conchael Misick is “resisting return” to TCI, but he did tinues to occur, in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

What is perhaps most unfortunate in the cir- not tell CARICOM that Misick has repeatedly said cumstances, is that none of Hon. Hague, Hon. Sim- he wants to return home voluntarily and that he monds or Mr. Rushbrook can point to any specific has written that he wants to waive extradition.

These are but some of the fundamental weakpart or parts of the Premier’s speech in which he “substantially misrepresented” the past and pres- nesses and flaws that are contained in Mr. Hague’s ent situation in the Turks and Caicos Islands. In- letter to CARICOM; but Mr. Hague is an honorable stead, and true to form, they have made a broad man.

It therefore is quite sad, to say the least, that and general characterisation to CARICOM and the rest of the world, which in and of itself, is a gross Mr. Hague, Mr. Simmonds and these other honorable men are seeking to assassinate the Premier’s misrepresentation of what the Premier stated.

For any correspondence coming from officials character and inflict a vicious assault on his crediin such high office to at least be taken serious- bility, and that they are seeking to do so in the Caly by CARICOM or anyone with common sense, ribbean political arena.

It is equally disturbing that by virtue of their it should be stacked with undisputable facts and the itemisation of those particular “misrepre- written words, they are behaving as though the sentations” which the Premier is alleged to have average resident of the Turks and Caicos Islands cannot read and understand, and that they cannot made.

In the absence of any such specifics of rebut- relate to the accuracy of the Premier’s statement tal, these honorable men are inviting reasonable which was pregnant with facts. Indeed, if the Preand sensible persons to arrive at the conclusion mier can be faulted for anything, it should be that that the Premier lied to CARICOM and, as they he did not give CARICOM leaders more details.

Analysts and observers may very well, and were at pains to add, to the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Nothing, on critical examina- rightly, come to the conclusion that the only reation of the facts Dr. Ewing pronounced, could be son this approach is being taken by these honorable British operatives is because the Premier further from the truth.

The letter from William Hague, who is an hon- struck a positive chord among his CARICOM colorable man, is uncharacteristically and disap- leagues who perhaps finally would have gotten a pointingly weak and skimpy for someone of his true sense and clear picture of what is really going

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

on in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

It can be argued that Premier Ewing may have embarrassed the Brits in the presence of Caribbean leaders by exposing their shenanigans. It can be also posited that as far as the real issues in the Turks and Caicos Islands are concerned, the Brits, who have been controlling the narrative regionally and internationally for far too long, may now feel that they are losing the public relations battle.

What, therefore, we are seeing being played out here with this CARICOM/Dr. Rufus Ewing issue, is a typical and classic example of how certain Brits are known to operate. They are past masters of spin. They have a tendency to paint all with the same brush and their approach to problem-solving is that one size fits all. They don’t like to be challenged. You must either put up or shut up.

Moreover, when they are, in Caribbean parlance “out to get you”, they seem to be guided by the following famous passage in Alice In Wonderland: “`Let the jury consider their verdict,’ the King said, for about the twentieth time that day. `No, no!’ said the Queen. `Sentence first--verdict afterwards.’ `Stuff and nonsense!’ said Alice loudly. `The idea of having the sentence first!’ `Hold your tongue!’ said the Queen, turning purple. `I won’t!’ said Alice. `Off with her head!’ the Queen shouted at the top of her voice. Nobody moved. `Who cares for you?’ said Alice, `You’re nothing but a pack of cards!’

While it may not be polite to call these British operatives a “pack of cards”, there is indeed much certainty in saying that they have employed the above tactic before on others here and in other British Overseas Territories and they are now seeking to repeat it with Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands Dr. Rufus Ewing. They are obviously on a mission to sentence him as a liar among his CARICOM colleagues, although there is no evidence to substantiate this.

There is, however, some consolation in the fact that the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the leaders of CARICOM know better than to believe everything, if anything, that certain British officials here and elsewhere have to say.

In the words of Sir Walter Scott: “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive!”

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LOCAL NEWS

Government to make 100 percent hotel rooms increase in next five years

BY VIVIAN TYSON

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he Dr. Rufus Ewing government plans to increase the number of hotel rooms in the Turks & Caicos Islands by 100 percent within the next five years, to meet the growing demands of the ever burgeoning sector.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the commencement of phase two of the Providenciales International Airport Terminal expansion, Minister of Finance Hon. Washington Misick, said that such milestone can be achieved once a comprehensive look is taken of the sector and the right mechanisms are put in place to foster such growth.

“As a matter of vision, we have over 3,000 (hotel) beds in Turks and Caicos; it is our intention to increase that within the next five year to at least 6,000 beds. That is going to require some significant look at what we’ve got now and where we need to take it,” Misick said.

He also stated that since aviation the world over is changing, the country should begin to take a more serious look at the possibility of the Turks & Caicos Islands becoming a hub for the region.

“We have a situation where American Eagle is about to discontinue its operation out of Puerto Rico. And so we have to be vigilant in all of these areas and look for new opportunities for the Turks & Caicos. The Turks & Caicos is strategically located between North and South (America),

and really, there is an opportunity for us to create a hub. Not everyone has a U.S. visa. “ If you are going to the United States and you are going to stop in Puerto Rico and, if you can’t make the connection the very same night or the very same booking hours, and you have to check into a hotel, if you don’t have a visa – it’s (Puerto Rico) an American territory - then you can’t stop.

He said that the expansion of the Providenciales International Airport could provide the country with the opportunity to create a hub for the region. For the creation of a regional aviation hub in the Turks and Caicos to take place, a closer look of the overall industry would have to be done.

“One of the things I believe that this extension may give us is an opportunity to focus more closely on the creation of a regional hub within the Turks & Caicos Islands. Under normal circumstances I would like to have had more time to take a closer look at the overall development plan for aviation in Turks & Caicos and particularly in the airport of Providenciales.

“We have been in office for a very short time, and to be very honest with you, we haven’t had the time necessary to take a long, hard, critical look at the long term demand for the service here on Providenciales. And so, that is something we still have to look at,” Misick asserted.

Misick said that his government would have

loved to take a more detailed look at the overall development plan for the Providenciales International Airport, given the number of complaints from guests and the tourism product offering at the moment, his government had no alternative but to go along with the current development plan.

“I think under those circumstances it was prudent to support the Airports Authority in making such decision to create this additional facility,” Misick said.

Funding for the $10 million phase two expansion of the Providenciales International Airport was made available through revenues generated by the facility.

Once completed, passengers will be able to enjoy expanded check in counter areas and self check in facilities, additional bathroom facilities, larger retail space for shops and restaurants, and improved medical amenities.

Phase two will be done in three stanzas. The first segment will include the construction of a new traffic circulation system, an extension to the existing west car park, and extension of the departure Lounge. The second part will continue with the extension on the international check in area, security check point as well as the arrivals hall. The third and final stage will include the domestic departures and arrivals area, completion of car park and aesthetics, including water features.

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LOCAL NEWS

“Too fat� kidney stone patient turned away from hospital

BY VIVIAN TYSON

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he husband of a poorly ill kidney stone patient is seeking answers as to why doctors at the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre in Providenciales refused his wife medical care, forcing her to y to the Dominica Republic for emergency surgery at the family’s expense.

Enel Dumonard told The Sun that doctors at the hospital told the National Health Insurance Plan (NHIP)-contributing coupled that they could not perform the operation because his wife was too fat and, that the procedure could only be done only if she dropped 100 pounds.

Dumonard explained that ying his wife to the Dominican Republic for the surgery had become a matter of life and death because her condition was rapidly deteriorating. He said they arrived in the Dominican Republic on a Monday and, after doctors there ran an analysis on her the Tuesday, recommended that she undergo surgery the next day, after viewing the results. He said that among other disorders, blood circulation had started to cut off from certain parts of her body.

Dumonard, who said he and his wife, Felicita

Dumonard Ramirez moved to the Turks and Caicos Islands from the Dominican Republic some 20 years ago, explained that about a year or so ago she began to feel a great deal of pain in her stomach, and after visiting the doctor, it was discovered that she had developed kidney stones.

He said doctors at the hospital told her that she had to lose some weight within a six-month period in order for an operation to be done, but did not say at the time what amount to shed. However, he said during that time her condition deteriorated, resulting in numerous trips to the doctor.

He said that his wife’s illness reached a stage where she could not keep down any food consumed, and, also could hardly get any sleep at nights because of the unbearable pain.

Dumonard said that she ďŹ nally received a date for the operation, but when she turned up two weeks ago for the appointment, doctors there said that the machine to perform the operation was broken and they could not tell when it would be back up. They then told her that she had to lose 100 pounds in order for them to perform a successful surgery.

Dumonard said they then told the hospital of

their intention to y her out for emergency medical care in the Dominican Republic, and asked for a reference letter, but the institution refused their request. “The doctor said she had to lose 100 pounds to make the operation – she is 240 pounds. So that would take her too long to lose, she could die by then. I think because she is so big, they are scared to operate on her. But as soon as she reached the Dominican Republic doctors did the operation and now she is recovering there. “What I think they would do is to give her a letter or something so that she could go over there and do the operation and, when she comes back and gives them her receipts, then they can give her a couple dollars back. If they don’t give you a letter to go over there, when you come back they don’t have to give you any money,â€? he continued.

Dumonard said that far he has spent almost $4,000 for his wife’s medical care in the Dominican Republic and, since they are both NHIP contributors, would like to know they are eligible for reimbursement. He said his wife returns to the Turks and Caicos Islands in the next two weeks.

HAB MANAGEMENT LIMITED HAB Management Limited is seeking suitably qualified individuals to fill the following opening. Only candidates who meet the minimum requirements will be considered.

HOUSEKEEPING MANAGER Essential Job Functions: t 1SPWJEF EJSFDUJPO BOE TVQQPSU UP UIF IPVTFLFFQJOH TUBGG FOTVSJOH UIBU UIF

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The salary for this position is $18,000 per annum, commensurate with experience, training and education.

Interested applicants should contact Veronica Rigby via email

by April 8, 2013 at ronnie@habgroup.com or by fax 649-946-5191. Suitable applicants will be contacted by email or telephone to schedule an interview.

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 9

APRIL 1ST-APRIL 6TH 2013

LOCAL NEWS

Governor’s Summary for the Cabinet meeting held on 27th March 2013 H

is Excellency Governor Ric Todd chaired the meeting of the Turks and Caicos Islands’ (TCI) Cabinet on Wednesday 27 March 2013 at the NJS Francis Building on Grand Turk. Before the meeting the Governor swore in Mrs Amanda Missick as a Minister and member of the House of Assembly.

At this meeting the Cabinet: - Discussed the issue of air transport links with South Caicos and considered the option of a subsidy. Cabinet asked for further legal and financial work to be done, including contributions from TCIAA and ATLA, and to have further details brought to the next Cabinet. It was agreed any subsidy for air services, if found to be appropriate, would have to be subjected to open competition through a fair and transparent tender process; - Heard a presentation from a visiting Delegation from the EU(European Union) External Action Service based in Jamaica about the 10th European Development Fund. The EU has offered TCI 11.85m Euros (approximately $15m) from the fund to be disbursed over three years from 2013/14 to 2015/16. The funding, once agreed, would support improvements across TCIG to make improvements to the private sector business environment.

The programme of work is still being prepared and should achieve faster and easier business services in areas such as e-government, investment incentives, planning, labour issues, work permits, licensing, monopolies, education and skills. Disbursal would depend on TCI meeting various conditions to be negotiated with the EU in the com-

ing months. These measurable achievements are likely to include creating a clear policy on the improvements needed to the business environment, demonstrating further improvements to public sector financial management, tackling identified delays and burdens in turning investment prospects into new developments open for business, business opportunities for smaller enterprises and continuing to demonstrate transparency and good control over public spending and revenues; - The Premier and Ministers recommended that the Governor make appointments to the following Boards - Public and Environmental Health, Health Practitioners, Higher Education, Community College, Scholarships, Physical Planning, Physical Planning Appeals, Prison Visitors, Parole, Fishery Advisory, TCIAA, CAA, and ATLA. The Governor agreed the recommendations. Details of those appointed will be made available by the sponsoring Ministries; - Discussed outline proposals for offices for the Premier and Ministers on Providenciales, to include offices for the Premier and the Governor on the first floor of the Hilly Ewing Building when the SIPT has moved to new accommodation. It was agreed to take a further and more detailed paper on this at a later meeting once related moves for other parts of Government are finalised; - Considered the water situation on Grand Turk, in particular the timing for the installation of the new reverse osmosis plant, future metering and cost recovery arrangements, and addressing the payment of existing arrears from domes-

tic consumers. Further technical information was requested on construction of the new building to house the water treatment plant and metering methods and it was agreed to consider the issue again at the next Cabinet meeting; - Agreed to amend the West Caicos Development Agreement to give the developer an additional three months until 30 September 2013 to produce a training plan and acknowledged the professional approach being taken by the developer to meet this important obligation; - Was updated by the Minister of Border Control and Labour about the situation relating to asylum applications by five Cuban and one Columbian nationals; - Discussed the latest draft FSPS and agreed that this was close to completion. When finalised and agreed it would be sent to the Secretary of State in London in accordance with the procedure to prepare for the Budget for the next financial year ; - Heard from the Minister of EHA that, acting on the advice of DEMA and with the support of the Minister, the Governor had given permission for the company Day Boats Seafood to conduct research on stock levels of migratory pelagic fish species in TCI territorial waters. The purpose of this research is to establish the viability of a pelagic fishing industry based in South Caicos. The research is being funded by the FCO and all fish caught will be landed and processed on TCI. The next Cabinet meeting will be on Grand Turk on 10th April 2013.

Page 10

APRIL 1ST-APRIL 6TH 2013

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

LOCAL NEWS

Oliver and Sonji Williams appeal for corruption advances I

n the first Integrity Commission prosecution in the Turks and Caicos Islands, the couple, Sonji and Oliver Williams were convicted on the 27th March, 2013, for a single act of corruption for illegally importing a horse. Both defendants appealed the decision on the 28th March. They were both sentenced to 12 months imprisonment suspended for 2 years as well as being required to pay a fine of $5,000 and being denied a government job for 2 years.

The Sun has been able to obtain the grounds of appeal and has ascertained that the case has national implications.

The Director of Public Prosecutions had specially recruited a Canadian Queen’s Counsel, Andre Berzins, to prosecute the case. Sonji Williams was represented by defence Attorney, Courtenay Barnett, and her husband, Oliver, was represented by Noel Skippings.

The defence raised within the trail a number of detailed legal arguments, inclusive of a challenge to the jurisdiction of the Integrity Commission. Legal arguments were put that the suspension of the Constitution and the fact of a single person, namely the Governor, being conferred the ability to make and amend laws was in the technical legal sense “repugnant”.

It was submitted and argued that since laws in an overseas dependent territory could primarily be made by a law-making body, namely Her Majesty in Council ( a law-making body) or an Act of the UK Parliament ( a law-making body) or a legislature of the territory ( a law-making body), then

since the Queen in her personal capacity could not in England make laws in lieu of Parliament, Her Majesty could not delegate a power to a colony ( by reason of the provisions of the Bill of Rights 1688; the Colonial Laws Validity Act 1865; and the George 40 Chapter 2 law which prohibits repugnant laws being applied in the Turks and Caicos Islands) a power that was removed from the Crown from 1688.

The lawyers further presented detailed legal arguments on the grounds of retrospectivity arguing that the Integrity Commission Ordinance upon a true interpretation was being applied retrospectively which was impermissible in point of law in a criminal trial. Additionally, and in quite detailed legal submissions the lawyers raised issues as to the limitation period and the six (6) month protection under the Public Authorities Protection Ordinance being applicable because the Williams were not charged until some eight months after the horse was imported into Grand Turk and cleared by Sonji Williams, a customs officer, for her husband Oliver Williams, the importer. The defence submitted a range of other legal submissions.

The prosecution charged the Williams under section 44 of the Integrity Commission Ordinance for the importation of the horse on the 14th March, 2012. The operative section 13 of the Ordinance to perform the functions of the Commission did not come into operation until the last quarter of 2012. This gave the defence a legal basis to submit their arguments in a no case

submission that the Crown was prosecuting this matter retrospectively, because the operative provisions under law were not in place on the 14th March, 2012, and by way of statutory interpretation, there were no express savings provisions as stipulated under the Interpretation Ordinance, to permit retrospective application of the law.

It was confirmed that the prosecution had alleged in the trial that the horse could have had rabies. However, the defence produced a veterinary certificate from the Dominican Republic and further challenged the prosecution to establish that thirty horses had been imported by Chukka from Jamaica and did not have the very pre-clearance permit that was said to be required for the Williams as a basis for their conviction of the importation of the single horse. Further, it was established that the TCI vet did not test the horse for any diseases, but elected to shoot the horse eight months after the horse’s importation.

The SUN up to press time was unable to contact either defence attorney, but has been able to ascertain through reliable sources that the lawyers appear dedicated to obtain justice for both their clients in what now assuredly is a major case. The case has far reaching implications and at present poses a challenge. It questions on appeal, the lawful functioning of the Integrity Commission, which by extension affects the SIPT prosecutions and the political cases presently being advanced.

FORD GLENN GROUP INC. STERLING CAPITAL CORPORATION AND EVELINE HOLDINGS INC. This Notice is placed in this newspaper pursuant to an Order of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Central Region, Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, dated March 25, 2013 in the matter of R. v. Kenneth James and Rosemary Cremer (the "Proceedings").

This Notice is directed to the senior officers or acting and directing minds of the following corporations registered in the Turks & Caicos Islands: (a) Ford Glenn Group Inc., (b) Sterling Capital Corporation and (c) Eveline Holdings Inc. (hereinafter, the "Corporations").

In the Proceedings, the Crown (prosecution) intends to bring an Application in the Superior Court of Justice for an Order unsealing and obtaining access to the contents of several documents and banking records associated to the Corporations which were seized under Search Warrants and a Production Order.

Those documents and banking records are presently under seal in the secure storage of the Superior Court of Justice.

On October 3, 2012, the Superior Court of Justice appointed Scott K. Fenton of the law firm of Fenton Smith, Barristers as a Referee to assist the Court in protecting the interests of any potential privilege holders who may have an interest in asserting solicitor-client privilege over the documents and bank records seized under the Search Warrants and Production Order which remain under seal in the custody of the Court. The contact information for Fenton Smith, Barristers is 445 King Street West, Suite 202, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5V1K5; (office) 416-955-1611 or 416-968-0526; (fax) 416-955-1237; (email) sfenton@fentonlaw.ca.

If you are a senior officer or acting and directing mind of any of the Corporations, and you wish to assert privilege on behalf of that Corporation over any of the documents or bank records currently under seal that will be the subject of the Crown's application to unseal, you or your legal counsel, or counsel for any of the Corporations, should contact the Referee without delay and, in any event, no later than fourteen (14) days from the date of this Notice.

If you or your counsel, or counsel to any of the Corporations, wish to assert a claim of privilege over any of the documents or banking records in question, please notify the Referee by calling (416) 955-1611 or 416-955-4551 or send an e-mail to sfenton@fentonlaw.ca. The Referee will ensure your wishes are conveyed to the Superior Court of Justice and can assist you in explaining the steps required for you or your counsel or counsel for any of the Corporations to participate in the Proceedings in order to assert a claim of privilege.

If you wish to obtain independent legal advice about the issues raised in this letter but do not know a lawyer in the Province of Ontario from whom to receive such advice, you may call the Referee at (416) 955-1611 or 416-955-4551 or send an e-mail to sfenton@fentonlaw.ca. The Referee can refer you to independent counsel qualified to practice law in the Province of Ontario.

If you fail to contact the Referee within fourteen (14) days of the publication of this Notice, the Referee and the Court may assume you and the Corporation(s) do not wish to make any claim of privilege over the documents and banking records that will be the subject of the Crown's application to unseal. In that instance, you should be aware that the documents and banking records of the Corporations may be unsealed by the Court and provided to the Crown for further disclosure and potential use in the Proceedings without further notice to you."

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 11

APRIL 1ST-APRIL 6TH 2013

LOCAL NEWS

Minister of Education clears the air in CXC controversy D

eputy Premier and Minister of Education Akierra Missick has dismissed reports in the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper which stated that around 200 Jamaican teachers will be dismissed because the Turks and Caicos Islands is shifting away from Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) examinations.

In a Government press release, the Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture Hon Akierra Missick would like to make the public aware that her government is and will continue to be committed to the Development of our Education System.

As that is the case, the Minister is appalled that the recent article published in the Jamaican Gleaner which sought to sensationalize what was touted to be an interview on the TCI educational system.

The Minister would like to inform the general public that cabinet recently agreed a stakeholder consultation to garner views , recommendations and comments on various aspects of TCIs educational system including: Curriculum Development, Assessments, Security issues and Ordinance and Policy issues : There will be several avenues for the public to participate in this consultation. It is from this initiative that the Ministry hopes to garner ideas that will help to steer the TCI toward the ultimate goal of the development of a graduate that is able to stand as a global citizen and make a mark in his/her country’s development.

“The Minister can confirm that there is no planned immediate initiative to jeopardize the education of the children of the TCI, by ‘sending home’ 200 teachers. Any action concerning the well being of the children of the TCI, will be carefully planned and in their best interest,” the press

release stated. “The Minister wants to re-iterate her mandate to develop local talent so in an effort to reduce the overall dependency on expatriate labor. The Minister is also keen on expanding opportunities and options for high school graduates to matriculate to the best universities and complete programs in the shortest time possible. This may mean introducing other types of assessments. The Ministry is therefore anxious to see and hear what the consultation will reveal and anticipate a high level of participation. The public will be informed of the dates and times of the consultation.”

An article in the Gleaner said that more than 200 Jamaican teachers who work in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) classrooms are in danger of losing their jobs as the Government of that country mulls a proposal to scrap the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) curriculum.

The report stated that if the plan gains traction in the court of public opinion, the Jamaicans, who account for approximately 70 per cent of the teachers in the TCI will be sent home.

The story quoted Missick as saying tha the TCI government will begin a 30-day consultation exercise next month to allow members of the public to share their views on the matter.

“It may be loss of jobs for any Caribbean teacher (and) not particularly Jamaican teachers. It may be the case where we go into the international baccalaureate programme (where) either we train Turks and Caicos residents in this programme or we have to import staff from around the world for it. Now, I understand that international baccalaureate is around the world so it may be the case that there are Jamaican teachers already in Jamaica teaching at the international baccalaureate

programme that they’d be interested in coming over here. There may be Swiss teachers, French teachers, who knows?” said the 29-year-old deputy premier who is a lawyer by profession.

According to Missick, she is not opposed to the number of Jamaicans teaching in the TCI, now that it is operating on the CXC system, but accepts that this would have to change.

“It can change because we are introducing a national consultation which will take place in April of this year where we are asking the public to buy into possibly doing away with the CXC programme and accepting either the international baccalaureate or the UK version of GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) A’ Level in order to have our students matriculate properly into United Kingdom schools,” the education minister said.

She argued that TCI students are having a hard time matriculating to Ivy League colleges or red brick universities with just CXC subjects.

Missick charged that the government of the TCI has to be paying for its students to do an additional “foundation” year at overseas universities because they are trying to enter with only CXC subjects.

The education minister added that Jamaican teachers, who are not qualified to teach the international baccalaureate, could retool if they want to remain in the TCI education system.

But one Jamaican teacher in the TCI told The Sunday Gleaner that they are qualified to continue teaching even if the system is changed.

“You have Jamaican trained teachers in the classrooms in the United States, Canada, England and other countries which do not use the CXC system,” said the school teacher, who asked that his name be withheld.

“This is the first I’m hearing about this proposal, but I’m not worried, because we can teach anywhere and for any system,” added the teacher who is in the second year of a three-year contract.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Sun Oil Limited is seeking the services of a dynamic team leader, with strong technical and business acumen for its office in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands to fill the role of:

COUNTRY MANAGER The successful candidate will be responsible for managing all aspects of the business including, but not limited to Operations, Sales, and Business Development with direct functional reporting relationships to the Head Office in The Bahamas. Exceptional leadership and management skills; the ability to work well within a team environment and strong work ethics are prerequisites for favorable consideration. Successful work experience in the petroleum industry would be an asset.

Core Responsibilities Safely manage the petroleum operations inclusive of the import, storage and distribution of petroleum products. The products include gasoline, diesel, jet al, propane (LPG) and packaged lubricants.

Manage all aspects of local business development and customer service.

Execute local marketing plans and initiatives with functional guidance from the corporate office Comply and maintain all accounting and internal control requirements.

Ensure company's compliance with all local laws and regulations.

Job Minimum Requirements

Must be a Turks and Caicos Islander with a right work within the country.

Bachelors degree in a technical or business field of study.

5 years minimum work experience in a similar management capacity.

Excellent computer skills with working knowledge of Microsoft Office Programs.

A strong appreciation for safety and compliance with procedures and regulations.

A strong mechanical aptitude with some experience with equipment maintenance and repairs.

Strong leadership skills with the ability to effectively lead the local team.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

The ability to work flexible hours, holidays and weekends.

Benefits include: Competitive salary and benefits package, commensurate with work experience and qualifications.

Interested persons should apply no later than April 19th, 2013 to: jobs@sunoilbahamas.com

The following employers / self employed persons in South Caicos are hereby requested to contact the NIB Office in South Caicos or Grand Turk in relation to their accounts before March 5, 2013.

ALBERTA GERTRUDE MOORE ALICE CECELIA LIGHTBOURNE BAYSIDE BALLERS CLUB BRAXTON VIRDEL FORBES CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH CALVARY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL EROUDE PIERRE HOLTON ALEXANDER WILLIAMS GILBERT JENNINGS JOSEPH RAYNOLD JACINTE KENNEDY McMILLAN LIGHTBOURNE

ALFREDO PEREZ FIGUERO ANITA DESSAIX LEWIS BRAXTON FORBES CHARLES DOREUS CONRAD KENNEDY DANIEL FORBES DAVID CLARE DIOMEDES PENA DORICO SMITH HAROLD WALKIN JOHN MORENCY KASEY PIERRE

JOHN JAMAEL MALCOLM LOFTON W THOMAS MERISIER PIERRE SIMON PIERRE PEARL PIERRE ROCNEY COX TANYA PAUL TAMAAL HAMILTON DARRELL FORBES SHERLOCK FORBES VICTOR MORRIS VICTORIANO PAREDES

WILLY JEAN BAPTISTE TERRENCE BAIN WESLY VOLMERA LUCNER ALEXANDRA MARIE PIERRE McALLESION SMITH MICHAEL OUTTEN ODULMA LOUIS RAYMOND FORBES RON HALL RUSSELL JENNINGS SERGO PIERRE

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APRIL 1ST-APRIL 6TH 2013

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

LOCAL NEWS

Provo Readers Club in dire need of materials

BY VIVIAN TYSON

The Providenciales Readers Club which is housed at the Provo Parish Library is in jeopardy of becoming defunct as a result of a chronic shortage of reading and handy craft materials for the children.

Dulcine Hall, Youth Officer with the Department of Youth Affairs and coordinator of the guild, told The SUN that the Readers Club is short on books, pencils, crayons, paints and art and craft supplies. She said that as a result of the club not having enough materials, participants are beginning to drop out because when they turn up they have little or no material to work with.

“We normally have about 50 children on a Saturday, but I don’t have anything to work with at the moment, and because of the lack of books and materials to work with, we prob-

ably have now about 15 children out of 50. The number is decreasing,” Hall lamented. She also said that the Readers Club is looking for volunteers to assist with the programme.

The Providenciales Readers Club entertains between the children ages five and 11, and Hall said that enough materials are there for the younger children, but the ones between seven and 11 years old do not have enough objects to work with. She said the club is also seeking the services of volunteers to assist with the programme.

Hall also said that the Providenciales Readers Club is seeking kind persons in the community to sponsor T-shirts with logo for the participating children, so that they can be identified as members of that fraternity. The Providenciales Readers Club is held on Saturdays between the hours of 10a.m. and 12noon.

Tubbz fitness Gym to work-out with G.T. Top Model contestants T

ubbz True Fitness Gym, the premier fitness center in the nation’s capital – is to provide the TCI Top Model Contestants on Grand Turk with complimentary fitness training in advance of the 2013 TCI Top Model Contest & Fashion Extravaganza.

The family-run fitness facility owned by Hon. Edwin Astwood, located in the heart of Palm Grove, is so named in honor of the family’s deceased brother and friend Lea Astwood Jr., nicknamed Tubbz.

Tubbz True Fitness Gym offers a variety of traditional and signature fitness group classes, personal training sessions, weight and exercise machines. With trainers on hand that are willing to give personal attention to clients, this ensures that their goals are met. This is great news for the Grand Turk TCI Top Model Contestants as they prepare

to vie for the most coveted prize, that being named the Face of the Turks & Caicos, 2013 TCI Top Model and Digicel TCI Brand Ambassador! What is more, with fees that are very reasonably priced, use of the facility is affordable to all.

For more information on Tubbz True Fitness Gym, call (649) 242-7061 or email them on TubbzTrueFitness@gmail.com.

The 2013 TCI Top Model Contest & Fashion Extravaganza takes place at The Williams Auditorium in Providenciales on Saturday, May 4th, 2013. Prior to that, on Saturday, March 30th – the contestants competing in the 2013 TCI Top Model Contest will make their official debut at Couture @ Regent Palms Resort Spa in Grace Bay, Providenciales.

Couture @ Regent Palms Resort Spa promises to be “a day where beauty is personified!” The event

will also see a parade of fashions offered at Regent Palms Resort’s Boutiques, a designer presentation: Bougainvillea by Stephanie D of The Flower Girl, along with other surprises.

For more information on the TCI Top Model Contest & Fashion Extravaganza, call 649.344.2502 or email: tcitopmodelcontest@gmail.com. Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/tcitopmodel or follow us on Twitter - @ tcistopmodel.

The 2013 TCI Top Model Contest & Fashion Extravaganza takes place at The Williams Auditorium in Providenciales on Saturday, May 4th, 2013. Tickets are currently available for purchase – VIP $75 and General Admission - $50.

Persons are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance of the Contest, as it will be an additional $10 more at the door.

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 13

APRIL 1ST-APRIL 6TH 2013

LOCAL NEWS

Flair, innovation now the hallmark of Miss TCI Universe W

ho says beauty queens are only expected to look good and smile demurely for the camera?

Certainly not the members of the Miss Turks and Caicos Universe Beauty Organization (MTCUBO)!

They promised to re-brand the pageant experience and so far, there is no denying the fact. They are exceeding all expectations!

The contestants are excited about the myriad experiences they are gaining - from training to socializing. Each event serves to prepare them to be the ambassador of their country. Sponsors are happy to have signed on and are proving this by taking an active role in each event, and supporters are enthusiastic to share in the selecting of their queen. This is shown by the votes cast for their favorite(s) in the online competition. They also show overwhelming support by attending the different events leading up to coronation night.

MTCUBO is dedicated to making this year’s pageant one that will resonate with all walks of life.

Events run the gamut from cultural to spiritual. There’s something in it for one and all! Just four weeks away from the coronation night, everyone is caught up in the

r Rec

uit

ing

Y MA

Miss Turks and Caicos Universe contestants participate in a book drive recently Photo file…MISS TCI Universe book drive excitement – who will be crowned Miss Turks and Caicos Universe 2013?

Provided by Jai’s, the Miss Turks and Caicos Universe 2013 crown is truly spectacular to behold. This year’s crown boast a 14kt Gold frame and over 400 Aurora Borealis Crystal Stones, that shine bright in colors of pink, turquoise, canary yellow and purple. A crown that is unique and encapsulates the true

the for w No ake

3 201

int

100% Flexible – 100% Online – 100% Relevant

MBA MBM (MSc Business Management)

MBA and MBM Specialisations: • • • •

Banking Events Management Finance Hospitality & Tourism • HRM • Marketing & Sales Management

H Delivered and supported 100% by the University H Unbeatable value - earn a world-class UK Masters degree for under US$10,000 H Can be completed in 18 months H Seven innovative modules plus project

Call 1 239 444 4399 and explore this opportunity in Turks & Caicos

www.seidegrees.com Regional Office: Southpoint Education International, 27499 Riverview Center Blvd., Suite 223, Bonita Springs, Florida 34134, USA • Tel 1 239 444 4399 • Fax 1 239 444 4398

info@seidegrees.com

beauty of the Turks and Caicos Islands and fit for a Queen!

Tickets are now on sale for the Miss Turks and Caicos Universe 2013 Pageant Preliminary Competitions and Grand Finale Events, April 26th and 27th. For Tickets Call: 649.243.2985 | 649.241.5777 | 649.243.3000.

To date, the Miss Turks and Caicos Universe 2013 Pageant sponsors include: the Turks and Caicos Tour-

ist Board, Beaches TCI Resort Villages and Spa, Saint George Fashion House (SGFH), Tremm Jocale, WIV Cable, Digicel TCI, Caribbean Property Management and Realty, Kazz Forbes Photography, Meta Mindsets, Blakout Entertainment, 4C’s Dental Clinic, Paradise Smiles, Gilley’s Enterprises Ltd., Business Solutions, The Regent Palms Resort, Miniature Golf, Acres of Diamonds, Tropical Shipping Ltd., Cargo Express, TCI Ferries, Caribbean Crusin’, FOTTAC, Jai’s, Caicos Express Airways, Rock it Hot Fitness, Villa Del Mar, Kayjo’s Restaurant, Digicel TCI Cinemas, Floral Couture Lounge, People’ Television (PTV), Grace Bay Club Resort, Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association, Power 92.5FM, 102.5 KISS FM, 88.7 FM, FamilyCare Medical Services, Mrs. Wilamae Deveaux, Fetish TCI, Smile TCI, Le Vele Resort, Graceway IGA Supermarket, AVON by Shirely Hentutler, BowTie VIP Service, LIME, Williams’ Auditorium, Islandcom Wirless, Karam & Missick, Miss Moonies Restaurant, Mary Kay by Melanie Smith, Yoshi’s Japanese Restaurant, The Pentecost Bookstore, Priton Development, Air and Sea Agency and Air Turks and Caicos.

Page 14

APRIL 1ST-APRIL 6TH 2013

HOUSEKEEPER CARETAKER

Sher Elegance Beauty Salon seeks

for a residential property in PROVIDENCIALES.

One Locktician willing to work weekends and holidays

$6.50/hr

y

salar

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

LOCAL NEWS CNN REPORT SAYS FISH FRY BRIDGES TOURISTLOCAL GAP ON TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS

BY SAVITA IYER-AHRESTANI, FOR CNN

Belongers only need apply.

o

per h

Please send applications to Savory & Co.

Fax

tel# 332-5098

946 4848

Email reception@savory-co.com

WANTED 1 BABYSITTER

Applicant must be honest, reliable, gentle & hardworking Salary $5.50 per hour Contact 241-8719

HOUSEKEEPER CARETAKER for a residential property in PROVIDENCIALES.

LOCAL PARTY Launched in January, the island’s Thursday night Fish Fry is a weekly party that aims to get tourists mingling with locals. It takes place in a part of Providenciales (often called “Provo”) that most tourists don’t readily frequent.

Island specialties such as jerk chicken, conch fritters, just-caught fish and an array of fresh seafood are cooked on the spot by the types of smaller vendors most tourists wouldn’t typically come across. The rum punch, too, is mixed in a way locals swear can’t be replicated by any hotel bar.

A steel band punctuates the rhythm of a Junkanoo, a Bahamian-style dance and music parade.

$6.50/hr

Belongers only need apply.

Please send applications to Savory & Co.

Fax

946 4848

Email reception@savory-co.com

WANTED 1 BABYSITTER

Applicant must be honest, reliable, gentle & hardworking Salary $5.50 per hour Contact 241-8719

LYNDON GARDINER is seeking One Labourer Must be able to work shifts Must be able to lift heavy items Must be able to read and write English Belongers only need apply. $5.50 per hour

NEEDLES & PINS UPHOLSTERY SERVICES HAS A VACANCY FOR

UPHOLSTERER 10 years + experience Send resume to Fax 946-4040 or email HR@flyairtc.com

(CNN) -- Some of the best food on the Turks and Caicos island of Providenciales is served up by small, local vendors -- Froggies on Da Beach, Blue Hills Native Cuisine, Uncle Dough’s, Hole in the Wall and Middle Caicos Café are popular options.

Visitors to the Caribbean vacation island, however, tend to stay close to resorts, preferring to nurse poolside glasses of rum punch during their stays.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that -resorts around the famed white sands of central Grace Bay are terrific.

It’s just that many visitors leave the island having missed out on a gathering of the best local tastes in town, just a short cab ride away.

Applications to: needlesandpins@express.tc or P.O. Box 364, Providenciales

WORLD’S 50 BEST BEACH BARS “Our goal is to get people out of their Grace Bay resorts and get them to experience our local food, culture and music,” says local tourist board representative David Fenimore, the brains behind the Fish Fry.

REACHING ACROSS THE DIVIDE Turks and Caicos is known for white sand beaches, turquoise waters, spectacular snor-

keling and diving, and a heavy tilt toward highend travelers. There’s a distinct separation here between locals and tourists, who tend to stick on or close to their resorts.

So it’s important, Fenimore says, to try and tip the scales the other way, “since the trickle down doesn’t necessarily happen the way it should.”

Longtime Providenciales resident Hazel Greenwood recalls a time when Grace Bay was nothing more than a raw stretch of beach, when expats (many of whom never left the island and became Turks and Caicos residents) and locals all knew each other and would often hang out together.

“Tourists are not really aware of where we have come from to get to where we are, and it has been hard, but I’d say that what’s important here is that everyone does things together and we like to keep it that way,” says Greenwood, whose engineer husband put in the lights for the runway at Providenciales’ airport in 1983 and later wired up Club Med, the first luxury resort on Provo.

COLORFUL CHARACTERS At the Thursday fish fry, visitors can meet Provo personalities such as Melbourne Smith, creator of Henry the Conch, a Turks and Caicos mascot whose goal is to raise awareness of the cultural and ecological importance of conch to island.

Another regular is the charismatic Alicia Wilson, who goes by the nickname “Beautiful” and is the creator of potent cocktails.

Judging by the crowds lining up at stands like Blue Hills Native Cuisine, where owner Bertha Mae Forbes busily fries up vast quantities of fresh snapper, the word may be spreading faster than Fenimore expects.

“We’re just using lime, some salt and a little bit of pepper,” says Forbes’ daughter, Marjorie Dorsett of her mother’s fish as it sizzles in hot oil.

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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LOCAL NEWS

My Experience in TCI Politics

BY ZHAVARGO JOLLY

I

f you take into consideration how far we have come in the Turks & Caicos Islands since the birth of local politics through a democratic process, you’ll see that we have made huge leaps and bounds as a nation.

From the days of the shakers and movers who were not afraid to not only propose but to follow through with the promise of civil disobedience, if it meant that the voices of the people would be heard, to even the smooth talking charismatic diplomats whose goals were to diversify our resources and establish our country as a major player not just regionally but globally. We’ve come a long way.

In TCI, Great men and women have contributed through politics and civil service. Having attempted myself, I’ve learned that it’s not an easy choice or an easy path, but if you’re truly committed to the task the rewards canbeneďŹ t a nation. A growing and developing nation, in need of innovative ideas and out of the box thinking, not re-inventing the wheel but observing what other countries are doing and what mistakes they’ve made and reconďŹ guring it to make our country better.

A lot of people see being a part of a new party as a handicap; I think those people are wrong. I will forever be indebted to the members of

ZHAVARGO JOLLY the PPP and our supporters, the individuals in District 10 Wheeland that gave me their vote. The cre-

ation of the PPP has beneďŹ ted the Turks &Caicos Islands as well as it beneďŹ tted me. Never in the histo-

ry of our country has a third party had such a signiďŹ cant impact on an election process. Our participation in the ďŹ rst ever National Debate and National Conversation was seen as a momentum changer. By sticking to the issues and proposing realistic yet innovative solutions, we were able to take part in the elevation of politics in our country. I was given an opportunity to share much of my vision for the Turks & Caicos Islands with it citizens, my people. A chance to show, that if given an opportunity to contribute I plan to not only perform but to excel, this is my dream.

An opportunity to show young men and women of our country that there are opportunities for us to be heard and to show our more senior population, that we have many talents to contribute.

Ultimately, the hardest part is the taste of defeat. But like my father told me “You learn more from losing, than you do from winningâ€?. So, with a Turks &Caicos Islands in need of every bit of it resources, after going through a long awaited election, a bi-election and then a small sample of what working together can do,being displayed in the ďŹ ght against VAT. There will never be a greater calling for us all to work together, use our God Given talents and gifts and work in unison for the greater good of our country. The question is how do you plan to contribute?

CLAUDETTE GIBSON SEEKS ONE DOMESTIC HELP Should be able to Lift heavy objects, clean, iron & wash.

Persons must be able to work weekends and holidays.

salary $5.00 per hour ONE LABOURER to keep ground and attend to manual yard task.

Persons must be able to work weekends and holidays.

Salary $5.00 per hour.

Applicants must be able to write and understand English

Tel#

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347-9069

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

LOCAL NEWS

What Are These Longlines Doing to the Sea Turtles?

BY FRANK MORGAN

M

any species of sea turtles fall victim to the deadly hooks of the longliners.

20,000 loggerhead turtles are captured every year by the Spanish longline fishery in the Mediterranean Sea, and 4,000 of them are believed to die because they are returned to the sea with the hook still embedded in their throats.

Sea Shepherd crew have recorded dozens of turtle carcasses along the Pacific coast of Cen-

tral America. When examined, all the dead turtles were found to have hooks embedded in their throats.

According to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), 75% of the loggerhead turtles and 40% of the leatherback turtles taken by United States-based pelagic longliners in the Atlantic are caught on the Grand Banks in the North Atlantic .

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that 40,000 sea turtles

are killed annually in the global longline fisheries.

Leatherback turtles, the largest turtles in the world, will be extinct within a few decades if current fishing practices continue. That is the conclusion of marine researchers speaking at the 2002 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Denver. “We’ve done specific analysis on beaches where we’ve got a lot of data and we expect them to disappear in 10 to 30 years,” said Larry Crowder, from Duke University, North Carolina.

InterHealth staff donate more than 100 books to Provo Branch Library

BY VIVIAN TYSON

S

taff of the InterHealth Canada-run Cheshire Medical Centre in Providenciales donated more than 100 used books to the Provo Branch Library on Tuesday, March 13, as part of the entity’s community outreach initiative. The books include fiction and nonfiction.

Kay Vanes-Williams, assistant to the CEO of InterHealth Canada TCI, explained that many members of staff at the institution are avid readers and, after covering a lot of books and sharing them with each other, decided to donate them to the library instead of disposing of them.

“Lots of members of staff at the hospital read and, rather than just

Kay Vanes-Williams (left), assistant to the CEO of InterHealth Canada TCI is photographed with Assistant Librarian Margaret Forbes (right) during the presentation of books to the Provo Branch Library.

Sharing in the moment at centre is Yvonne O’Connor Savoury of the hospital. Photo: Vivian Tyson

wasting the books, we pass them between each other and we decided to now donate all the books that we all read together, to the library, so that everybody else can enjoy them as well.

I would like to think that there could be more than a hundred books (that have been donated),” Williams said.

Margaret Forbes, Assistant Library for Provo Branch Library was thankful for the monographs, telling members of the media and the donors that the kind gesture would expand the reading choices at the institution.

“I hope that those who come in to look at the books, they would find good reading in them. And I would say again, thanks very much,” Forbes said.

The Alexandra Resort & Spa is inviting applications for the following positions: CHIEF ENGINEER

NIGHT AUDITOR

ROOM ATTENDANTS

Responsibilities: • Overseeing the functions of all Engineering and maintenance staff to ensure that all required maintenance and up-keep of property is carried out; • Accountability for all Engineering inventories i.e. equipment and supplies inventories; • Be responsible for hiring of Engineering staff; • Also to ensure that all staff are trained and coached on all aspects of their job • Promoting an atmosphere of teamwork and professionalism within the department; • You must be able to maintain as well as offer new avenues on all electrical and mechanical systems

Responsibilities • Ensuring that all charges and credits are posted accurately to guest accounts; that the telephone call accounting system reporting has been completed and system is functional • Balancing all credit card charges to cashiers reports and hard and soft copies are balanced with credit card folios • Organizing the night audit work in an orderly manner for distribution to the accounts department • Closing out of accounts and resetting the system for the next days operation • Conducts analytical review of all daily Front Office and Room transactions reports and to rectify and discrepancies.

• Acting as Manager on Duty and maintain an open line of communication between guests, team members and management.

• Performing Front Office duties, processing express checkouts and assisting guests as needed during the shift

To ensure the cleanliness and orderliness of the assigned guestroom, work areas and equipment. Must be able to push and pull carts weighing up to 150lbs and be able to climb flights of stairs several times daily.

Previous experience in this area is a must. Salary range for the above listed position is $5.00 - $7.00 per hour.

Job Requirements • Must have 6 or more years previous experience as a Night Auditor in a resort or condominium environment • Proficient in Microsoft office and Visual one is a MUST • Clear communications skills (written and oral) • Must be able to work nights, weekends and holidays Salary payable for the positions listed above are in the range of $25,000.00 - $66,000.00 per annum.

To assist in, maintaining the grounds of the resort.

Duties to include: removal of trash, weeding, mowing, planting, pruning, watering and application of chemicals. Must be of good character. Be able to lift 50lbs., bend and stand for long periods of time. Must be able to speak English and understand instructions. Previous experience is a must. Must be in excellent health.

Salary range for the above listed position is $5.00 $7.00 per hour.

Requirements; • At least 5 years experience with at least 3 or more those years in a four star resort property • Must have a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree.

• A proven track record in managing an efficient diversified workforce is a MUST • The ability to focus on preventative maintenance of the resort’s engineering, grounds, pools, public areas, guestrooms • Must be highly organized and have excellent communication skills written and oral • Must be knowledgeable of all Engineering/maintenance functions • Must have the ability to manage department’s budget • Knowledge of visual one IS A MUST

LABOURERS To assist in maintaining the buildings of the resort. Must be able to lift 50lbs, bend, stand for long periods of time and must be able to push and pull carts weighing up to 250lbs. Be able to lift 50lbs., bend and stand for long periods of time. Must be able to speak English and understand instructions. Must be in excellent health.

Salary range for the above listed position is $5.00 $7.00 per hour.

GARDENERS

OPEN APPLICATION HOURS: Tuesdays 9:30-11:30am and Thursdays 1:30-3:30pm Any person interested in applying may do so by submitting their Resumes to the Labour Board and directly via fax to 941-4240 or via email to hr@alexandraresort.com Persons selected for an interview will be notified and at that time a full job description and compensation package will be discussed.

Submissions for these positions to be received no later than April 6th, 2013

Only qualified Turks and Caicos Islanders need apply. Applicants who require a work permit will not be considered

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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LOCAL NEWS

Robyn Hinds debuts Gospel CD album

BY VIVIAN TYSON

A

fter more than a year of working in the studios, “This Could Be It”, the freshman album from TCI Gospel Best winner Robyn Hinds has finally hit the streets.

The songstress staged the Providenciales leg of the album promotion on Monday, March 11, at the Jericho Baptist Church, where she outlined her joy of having the CD completed and her plans for the future. The first launch of the album took place in Grand Turk a week earlier.

The recording of the album was courtesy of Hinds emerging as winner of the TCI Gospel talent show two years ago, when it was first held. Hinds told the media that she was elated at the completion of the project.

The female vocalist, who describes herself as someone that loves the Lord, having started singing at age 3, said that being a recording artiste was something that she always wanted but never had the financial backing to achieve that goal.

“It is a collaborative effort with the TCI Gospel Best Committee and myself. We have contributions from United Recording – Mr. Tito Missick as well as from Pastor Chad Archibald – that contributed all nine songs – all (eight) original songs. One is a cover, “he Lord is my shepherd”, which is dedicated

to my mother – that is her favourite song. Hinds said her mother, who is also a singer, remains her inspiration.

“I am so elated that is it finally complete. It is an overwhelming feeling; words can’t explain my feelings. The music, everything was done in the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is an exceptional blessing from God for all persons involved.

I just hope that everyone would go out and purchase it,” Hinds said.

She said 1,000 CDs were produced, and more than 100 have been sold so far. Hinds told journalists that she does not envision seeing herself recording or performing outside of the gospel realm, since such genre is all she knows.

“I started out singing at the Salem Baptist Church. Continue singing in churches - that is where I am well-known; concerts, funerals, weddings – any type of civic events.

Everyone identifies me with gospel, and being a Christian and loving the things of God, I cannot see myself doing anything else. This is what I am supposed to do,” Hinds said.

CDs are available for purchase at DJ’s Variety Bakery and Any Occasion Florist in Grand, while the Unicorn Book Store and the Pentecost Book Store are the spots on Providenciales that one can get the CDs to buy. She said also that the CD is available on the internet for

purchasing.

She also plans to make the album available on the other islands through the Baptist Union.

“For the other islands, I am thinking about going visiting each Baptist Union’s church on a Sunday; sing a few songs and then sell the CDs afterwards, because I want all the islands to experience a live version of the CDs,” she said.

In the meantime, Hinds said that she has been receiving a number of offers to make overseas tours, “And I am just going to allow God to work in my life.” She is also getting a great deal of rotation on the airwaves and countless reviews, which she hopes would push the success of the album.

In the meantime, Hilton McCarthy, an executive member of the TCI Gospel Best, has described the achievement of Hinds’ first album as a great accomplishment. He said although they knew that recording the album would be a challenge, they never lost sight of the objective of the venture which he said is to promote gospel music in the TCC. Pastor Pedro Williams of the Jericho Baptist, and also a member of the Gospel Best Committee, described the event is a local gospel soloist competition with the purpose of identifying persons who can sing and push them towards a career.

SOUTH CAICOS H.O.P.E ON SIGHT MISSION

S

outh Caicos H.O.P.E has embarked on a drive to have especially children on that island have better visions with the launch of “Mission Sight”, which is a programme of free eye exams.

Students at the Iris Stubbs Primary School became the first recipients. The programme was initiated through the partnership of South Caicos H.O.P.E. and the Rotary Club.

This members of the club said that this was the first time that the programme was administered to the students of the Iris Stubbs Primary School. It said more than 30 students received comprehensive eye examination under the programme.

And of the 30 students tested, nine were identified to receive corrective lenses.

The President of South Caicos H.O.P.E. Mr. Alvin Parker Jr. stated, “school years are a very important time in every child’s life. All parents want to see their children succeed.

But too often one important learning tool is overlooked - a child’s vision”.

On behalf of South Caicos H.O.P.E, Iris Stubbs and the community of South Caicos I would like to think the Rotary club for partnering with South Caicos H.O.P.E and extending their program to the students of Iris Stubbs Primary.

IMMEDIATE OPENINGS

Kitchen Laundry Mechanic

Requirements: ŏ Minimum 3 years experience of experience. ŏ Post secondary degree or equivalent qualification by experience. ŏ Knowledge and experience in repair and maintenance including preventative maintenance of property systems and equipment. ŏ To be an independent kitchen laundry mechanic, able to analyze problems, to read technical data sheets and diagrams for mechanical and electrical equipment and to formulate plans to get work done quickly, including procurement of materials, parts, etc., and necessary scheduling arrangements with a high degree of quality. ŏ Ability to speak effectively with customers and associates read and write and interpret documents and technical wiring diagram information sheets as well as safety rules (lockout tagout), safety awareness information (MSDS) operating and maintenance and instructions manuals.

Duties include: ŏ Maintain proper preventative maintenance to laundry equipment and boilers. ŏ Maintain proper amount of chemical injection on boiler feed tank and proper conductivity at boilers. ŏ Preventative maintenance to steam traps and steam lines Starting salary $7.00 per hour not including service charge.

AC Technician Requirements: ŏ Minimum experience of 3 years experience ŏ Post secondary degree or equivalent qualification by experience. ŏ Knowledge and experience in repair and maintenance including preventative maintenance of property systems and equipment.

Duties include: ŏ Maintain proper preventative maintenance to laundry equipment and boilers ŏ Inspect, repair and maintain HVAC, quality counter and refrigeration equipment. ŏ Maintain proper inventory on designated parts to avoid down time ŏ Maintain proper amount of chemical injection on boiler feed tank and proper conductivity at boilers. ŏ Preventative maintenance to steam traps and steam lines Starting salary $7.00 per hour not including service charge.

All interested applicants should apply to Regent Palms, and bring along an updated resume, or by emailing marjorie.dorsett@regenthotels.com, no later than 5pm, Friday, April 12, 2013.

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Bruno Mars

“When I Was Your Man” Same bed but it feels just a little bit bigger now Our song on the radio but it don’t sound the same When our friends talk about you, all it does is just tear me down Cause my heart breaks a little when I hear your name It all just sounds like oooooh…

Mmm, too young, too dumb to realize That I should have bought you flowers And held your hand Should have gave you all my hours When I had the chance Take you to every party Cause all you wanted to do was dance Now my baby’s dancing But she’s dancing with another man My pride, my ego, my needs, and my selfish ways Caused a good strong woman like you to walk out my life Now I never, never get to clean up the mess I made, ohh…

And it haunts me every time I close my eyes It all just sounds like oooooh…

Mmm, too young, too dumb to realize That I should have bought you flowers

And held your hand Should have gave you all my hours When I had the chance Take you to every party Cause all you wanted to do was dance Now my baby’s dancing But she’s dancing with another man Although it hurts I’ll be the first to say that I was wrong Oh, I know I’m probably much too late To try and apologize for my mistakes But I just want you to know I hope he buys you flowers I hope he holds your hand Give you all his hours When he has the chance Take you to every party Cause I remember how much you loved to dance Do all the things I should have done When I was your man Do all the things I should have done When I was your man

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ENTERTAINMENT CONTESTANTS NAMED FOR THE MOST COVETED TITLE IN THE TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS,

TCI TOP MODEL 2013!

O

ut of twenty-eight, only ten will compete for the most coveted title in the Turks & Caicos Islands, TCI Top Model 2013! The young ladies hail from Grand Turk, South Caicos, North Caicos and Providenciales, encompassing the length, breath and beauty that is indicative of the Turks & Caicos Islands. The talented ten all compete to be named the Face of the Turks & Caicos, TCI Top Model 2013 & Digicel Brand Ambassador 2013!

The names of the young ladies vying for this country’s most coveted title are as follows: Ariel Cox, Stacie-Ann Thomas, Felicia Williams, Iberly Abreau, Jessica Johnson, Sarantina Philantrope, Ethline Wilner, Samentha Etienne, Dwina Ariza and Carlisa Williams On Saturday, March 30th - the ten Contestants will make their official debut at Couture @ Regent Palms Resort Spa, taking place at The Regent Palms Resort, Providenciales at 3PM. The ‘reflecting pool’ area will come alive with couture fashion, music and all things fabulous as the Contestants make their first appearance to the media, proud partners and specially invited guests! The event will also see a parade of fashions offered at the Regent Palms Resort boutiques, a designer presentation: Bougainvillea by Stephanie D. of The Flower Girl along with other

icos Islands interested in careers in the fashion and creative industry an opportunity and the platform to debut, and showcase their talent, with the hope that this will be a springboard to a career locally or abroad.

Following on from the launch, event organizers play host to Before Couture: An afternoon on Regent Street, an event that is open to the public. Regent Village is proud to be known as the quintessential destination for high-end shopping, fine wine and dining – where that level of sophistication cannot be found elsewhere on Provo, let alone the Turks & Caicos. With that in mind, where else would you expect TCI’s equivalent to “Fashion’s Night Out” in the late afternoon, but on Regent Street – the uber sexy address on world famous Grace Bay! Commencing at4pm, there will be appearances by the 2013 TCI Top Model Contestants, a fashion show featuring area retailers, live entertainment, challenges, fabulous cuisine, amazing music and importantly - the most magnificent pre-event party of patrons lives!

The actual 2013 TCI Top Model Contest, themed Royele Couture: LUXE will be held at the Williams Auditorium in Providenciales on Saturday, May 4th - seeing to the catwalk competition, performances

by Barbara Johnson, Julian Garland,

aged to purchase tickets in advance of the Contest, as it will be an additional $10 more at the door.

This heavily anticipated extravaganza is expected to outdo those that came before. There will be thousands of dollars in cash and prizes going to the 2013 TCI Top Model Winner, with press and publicity being immeasurable. The most desirable prize for the Contest winner is being named Digicel TCI Brand Ambassador for a year. The TCI Top Model will appear in all local television, print and billboard advertising campaigns, as well as making appearances at Digicel TCI events throughout her reign.

Additionally, to jump start her modeling career - the 2013 TCI Top Model winner will also be a cover model and appear in an editorial spread of the 2013 Summer Times of the Islands magazine and have a profile page in their sister publication – Destination: Turks & Caicos 2014, this, along with appearing in the 2014 Discover: Turks & Caicos Islands magazine, among many other national and international publications event organizers have associations with.

There will also a be a bevy of cash prizes and awards for Contestants that place First and Second Runner’s Up, along with consolation prizes for: Industry Readiness, Best

TCI Top Model Contest & Fashion Extravaganza Events Poster For more information or to purchase tickets - call 649.344.2502, visit www.tcitopmodel.com or email: tcitopmodelcontest@gmail.com.

Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/tcitopmodel or follow us on Twitter - @tcistopmodel. PHOTO SHOOTS CREDITS - PROVIDENCIALES: Creative Director: Courtney S Robinson, Photography: Renau Destine, Double RR Media, Hair & Makeup: Melissa Johnson, Fashion Assistant: Dadre Fulford, Location: The Tuscany, Grace Bay GRAND TURK: Creative Director:

Ariel Cox

Stacie-Ann Thomas

Felicia Williams

Iberly Abreau

Jessica Johnson

Sarantina Philantrophe

Ethline Wilner

Samentha Etienne

Dwina Ariza

Carlisa Williams

surprises.

The annual TCI Top Model Contest & Fashion Extravaganza is an event that is designed to give those persons residing in the Turks and Ca-

Carl Lewis, Jarvon Laporteamong a host of other high end entertainers. Tickets are currently available for purchase – VIP $75 and General Admission - $50. Persons are encour-

Runway Walk, Best Body, Model’s Portfolio Folder, Fashion Forward, Radio Turks & Caicos (RTC) Viewers Choice Award and theFacebook ‘Like’ Award.

Courtney S Robinson, Photography: Renau Destine, Double RR Media, Hair & Make-up: Kerreita Simpson, Location: The Osprey Beach Hotel, Duke Street

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FUN&GAMES

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News CARIBBEAN

The Bahamas worried at influx on illegal Cubans

N

ASSAU, The Bahamas – Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell says the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) had detained 17 Cubans at Cay Lobos on Sunday and that the Perry Christie administration is seeking to repatriate them swiftly to Havana.

“We have advised the Cuban government that they are in the centre and we want them repatriated swiftly to Cuba in accordance with the provisions of our agreement with Cuba,” Mitchell said, adding that the Cubans, whom he did not give much information about, had been brought to the capital.

“I want to say generally that we are watching this situation with regard to the incursion of Cubans into our waters. I have been in touch personally with the U.S. charge and the Cuban Ambassador with a view to determining what, if any special factors are driving this.”

Mitchell said that the government has been informed “there is to be a demonstration against The Bahamas in Florida at the site of our consulate” on Monday and that the administration here is also “aware for example that 16 people allegedly escaped from the Turks and Caicos Island and ended up in the United States of America within the last week.

“The matter of Cuban migration therefore remains under review,”: he said, commenting also on the “so-called” hunger strike by four Cuban

Foreign Minister of The Bahamas Fred Mitchell women at the detention centre here.

He said that on March 14, the four women were placed in the detention centre after they were picked up in an immigration check for overstaying their time in the country.

He said on March 16, the women began wearing shirts with reference to political asylum.

“On the same day the individuals displayed banners on the Detention Centre’s fence; these banners were subsequently removed by officers at the Center,” he said, noting that while the women had been refusing food from the centre “it was confirmed that the four women have been consuming food received from visitors, who are

Cayman jobs for Caymanians law passed G

EORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands – The Caymanian government will soon be taking a Cabinet decision on what key jobs will be reserved for Cayman Island nationals.

The government pushed through an amendment to Caymanian immigration legislation this week that will allow Cabinet to designate certain positions, jobs, types of work or business areas as being solely for Caymanians.

Deputy Governor Franz Manderson, who has responsibility for immigration, said the provision was very flexible and allowed for exceptional circumstances where the chief immigration officer or the boards could still grant temporary work permits in certain reserve occupations. It also provided for a transitional period so that staff currently on permits in what could become reserve jobs, once they are selected, would not just be fired.

It also allows anyone who already has key employee to stay in the post, even if their job joins the list of Caymanian-only posts that will be decided by the next Cabinet. The decision would not remain behind closed doors, Manderson said, but would have to be ratified by the Legislative Assembly.

Although no type of work has been designated in the law, Manderson pointed to potential examples such as concierge posts in hotels, as Caymanians are an obvious and ideal choice to tell visitors about Cayman, as well as Human Resource positions.

Anticipating objections, he said the boards do follow the law. He said 4,352 permits had been refused over the last two years, 672 of which were declined because there were Caymanians to fill the jobs.

allowed to bring food to detainees.

“Therefore, while the women have not been eating the food provided, they are in possession of food and have been eating, as food was found in their dorms during routine room checks. As a consequence, to categorize their actions as a hunger strike is misleading.”

Mitchell said that the women were examined by a doctor and are all good health.

“The women have all been thoroughly interviewed by trained officers by the United Nations High Commission For Refugees and it has been determined that they do not fit the criteria to qualify for political asylum.”

He said the women have informed authorities that they do not wish to be repatriated and that ““every effort is taken by the Government to improve the efficiency of detention, interview and repatriation exercises as it relates to illegal migrants found in The Bahamas.

“Compliance with international standards is of major importance to the Government, and it can be assured that appropriate guidelines as it relates to the asylum process are followed.

“The Government respects the rights of detainees to express themselves in the form of peaceful protest; however, when these actions have the potential to affect the wellbeing of detainees it becomes of great concern to the Government.”

Construction of gas pipeline between Trinidad and Barbados to begin next year P

ORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad –Construction of the long-anticipated Eastern Caribbean Gas Pipeline is slated to begin in 2014 from the Cove Eco Business and Industrial Park in south-western Tobago.

This announcement has come following a meeting between Tobago Chief Secretary Orville London, Beowful Energy Principal Andy Lindholm and Clyde Williams, technical coordinator for the Eastern Caribbean Gas Pipeline Company (ECGPC).

According to the company, the first phase of the US$300 million project will end in Barbados with natural gas expected to be pumped into Barbados in 2016 from the BHP Billiton field east of Trinidad to the Cove, which is a US$1 billion processing plant.

In Phase I of the project, ECGPC will construct and operate a 300km

natural gas pipeline from the Cove Point Estate in Tobago to Barbados.

Phase II of the project will involve extending the pipeline from Barbados to other Eastern Caribbean islands.

Beowulf Energy of New York and First Reserve Energy Infrastructure Fund with offices in Greenwich, Houston, Hong Kong and London, have acquired a majority interest in ECGPC. According to Greg Rich, the company’s chief executive officer: “The extensive energy infrastructure experience and substantial financial resources of Beowulf and FREIF will accelerate the implementation of this regionally important project thereby creating long term value for the company’s investors while delivering tangible financial and environmental benefits to the islands served by the pipeline.”

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CARIBBEAN NEWS

Departing UN Official Blasts Haiti’s Rights Record T

he former United Nations human rights monitor in Haiti is taking a swipe at the Caribbean nation’s legal system as he leaves his post.

In an open letter that was sent to the Haitian press and obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday, Michel Forst criticized the government for the continuation of arbitrary and illegal arrests, its interference in the justice system and for threatening journalists.

“When I leave my office, I do not want to hide my concerns and disappointment in the developments in the field of rule of law and human rights,” Forst wrote.

There was no immediate response from the government of President Michel Martelly.

In his list of concerns, Forst describes how arbitrary and illegal arrests continue throughout the country. They appear in weekly reports submitted to the U.N.’s human rights section.

The letter also expresses concerns over polit-

ical intervention in the legal system, citing the case of Calixte Valentin, a presidential adviser who was locked up on charges of killing a young farmer. Valentin was let go six months later “by a judge specially appointed for this purpose by the current Minister of Justice,” Forst wrote.

And he points to threats that were made by the Minister of Communication against journalists along with reports that journalists would not be allowed to participate in official events because their publications are suspected of supporting the opposition.

Based in Geneva, Forst stepped down last week as the U.N.’s independent expert on the situation of human rights in Haiti, a post that he had held since June 2008.

Since Forst announced his resignation, reports appeared on the Internet that he left because of a disagreement with Secretary General Ban Kimoon. The U.N. in February dismissed a com-

plaint seeking compensation on behalf of people who’ve contracted cholera, a disease whose introduction to Haiti has been attributed to U.N. troops in scientific studies.

Forst said his resignation had “nothing to do with” the U.N.’s decision or because of problems with Haitian authorities as had also been reported. He left, he said, because he was “called to other duties.”

A successor will be named in June and is due to visit Haiti before year’s end.

The letter did not focus exclusively on shortcomings.

He welcomed an earlier effort to overhaul Haiti’s penal code and the appointment of a minister for human rights and the fight against extreme poverty. He also applauded the February testimony of Jean-Claude Duvalier, a former dictator who answered questions on alleged human rights abuses committed under his 15-year rule.

Major cocaine bust, three arrested S

AN JUAN, Puerto Rico – United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) agency says the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force (CCSF) arrested three individuals and seized 1,300 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated street value of US $30 million.

“This is one of the largest amounts of cocaine that US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with the assistance of our CCSF partners, has been able to seize in Puerto Rico this year,” said Angel Melendez, acting special agent in charge of HSI San Juan, on Saturday.

“These seizures and related arrests are clear proof that HSI, along with our state and federal partners, are vigilant and will not tolerate the importation of illegal drugs into the United States through Puerto Rico,” he added.

Melendez said the task force had detected a suspicious vehicle carrying several tanks of gasoline similar to those normally used during the sea transfer of narcotics in the Caribbean Sea. “Upon inspection of the shoreline near Santa Isabel, the officers detected and intercepted a vessel

carrying the 1,300 kilograms of contraband and arrested the crew of three Dominican nationals,” he said.

Melendez said Simeon Peña-Hernandez, 52, Paulino Almonte, 46, and Ramon Medina-Laureano, 39, were arrested in conjunction with the seizure.

He said they had their initial hearing before US Magistrate Marcos Lopez Wednesday and were transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Guaynabo awaiting the outcome of their case.

The CCSF is an initiative of the US Attorney’s Office “created to disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations operating in the Caribbean.”

The organisation is part of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) that investigate “South American-based drug trafficking organizations responsible for the movement of multi-kilogram quantities of narcotics using the Caribbean as a transshipment point for further distribution to the United States.”

New US data shows Caribbean immigrants held in solitary confinement W

ASHINGTON – Caribbean nationals are among a number of people held in solitary confinement at detention centres across the United States on a daily basis, according to new federal government data released here.

The figures show that most of the detainees, overseen by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, are held for 15 days or more. Psychiatrists say that is the point where mental harm could result.

According to the data, about 300 immigrants are held in isolation in at least 50 large detention centers, and that roughly 35 are held for 75 or more days.

ICE officials said the 50 detention centers reviewed over a five-month period hold about 85 percent of the daily population of 34,000 detainees.

In defending ICE’s action, spokeswoman Ernestine Fobbs said besides immigrants who are separated from the general population for disciplinary reasons, detainees are isolated only “as a final resort, when other options are not available to ad-

dress the specifics of the situation”.

Last week, ICE, acknowledged that it had taken 28 Caribbean and other immigrants into custody “after either violating the terms of their supervision or after the agency discovered information not available during an initial review of their case”.

An adviser who helped ICE review the data told reporters here that about two-thirds of the immigrants in solitary confinement were put there for disciplinary reasons, such as breaking rules, talking back to guards or getting into fights.

The advisor, who preferred to remain anonymous, said the immigrants in isolation were viewed as a threat to other detainees or personnel or for protective purposes when the immigrant was gay or mentally ill.

Immigration lawyers, who interviewed some detainees and reviewed their records, said detainees in solitary confinement are routinely kept alone for 22 to 23 hours daily, sometimes in windowless 6-foot-by-13-foot cells.

GRENADA TO STAGE REFERENDUM ON CCJ

S

T. GEORGE’S, Grenada – Grenada will hold a referendum in two years to decide on the island’s relationship with the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Governor General Sir Carlyle Glean said Wednesday.

Addressing the ceremonial opening of the new Parliament since the February 19 general elections, Sir Carlyle said that the Constitution Reform Committee would be reconstituted and given a two year mandate, with the CCJ among its top priorities.

“My government is committed to constitutional reform. Within the first two years of this Administration, the Review Commission will be reconstituted and a referendum will be held. The areas of focus will include Grenada’s accession to the Caribbean Court of Justice as Grenada’s final appellate court.”

The CCJ was established in 2001 to replace the London-based Privy Council, and also serves as an international tribunal interpreting the revised Treaty of Chaguaramas that governs the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping.

While all member states have signed on to the original Jurisdiction of the CCJ, only Barbados, Guyana and Belize are signatories to the appellate jurisdiction.

In his address, Sir Carlyle said the government would also move to implement the Integrity in Public Life law which was enacted in 2007 and came into force on July 01, 2008.

“Regrettably, almost five years later, the Integrity Commission has not yet commenced operations. My government will move swiftly to activate the Integrity Commission. As a first step, all members of my government will declare their assets, liabilities and income.

My government fully expects all other members of Parliament to follow this example.”

The head of state said that in order to minimize further delays in the functioning of the Integrity Commission, the government will invite the Commission to consider a phased approach to its operations such that having addressed members of government and Parliament, it would move to address senior managers in the public service; revenue collection agencies and chairmen and members of statutory bodies before addressing other covered persons in the legislation

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CARIBBEAN NEWS

Bermuda Parliament to debate legalizing of marijuana H

AMILTON, Bermuda – The Bermuda parliament will “soon” debate a motion to decide whether or not to legalise the use of marijuana in this British Overseas Territory.

“We will bring to the House of Assembly a ‘take note’ motion so we can have a public debate on the issue. I don’t advocate one way or the other, but it’s something we should have a debate on,” Attorney General and Justice Minister, Mark Pettingill, told the Bermuda Sun newspaper.

Pettingill said that the United States, the United Kingdom and other European countries had

opted for decriminalization or watering down the legislation regarding the possession of the illegal drug.

“There are many Bermudians who indulge in the use of marijuana in one form or another. Anybody can be effectively criminalized for that use because of the law as it currently stands,” Pettingill said, following his appearance on a local radio station.

“It was part of the continuing discussion that we need to talk about legalization of marijuana or decriminalization in some form,” he said, not-

ing that the majority of callers to the show appear to support a relaxation of the law on marijuana.

“I got the feeling that there were a lot of older people who called in who were in support of a change — it’s been the elephant in the room for a long period of time. Everybody who was calling in was very pro-legalisation.

“That doesn’t surprise me at all. I think that, across the board, across the island and across the political divide, that’s certainly the type response I have had,” he said, reiterating that he is neither for nor against the measure.

Jamaica to host conference on small islands developing states K

INGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica will host the Caribbean Regional Preparatory Meeting ahead of the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), to be held in Samoa next year.

The Jamaica meeting is scheduled for July 2 – 4 and according to Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister A.J. Nicholson, it is one of three regional meetings to be held this year as groundwork for the Samoa conference.

The meeting here is intended to provide a forum for Caribbean countries to formulate their response in

relation to commitments made under the 1994 Barbados Programme of Action (BPOA) and the 2005 Mauritius Strategy of Implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action.

Discussions will also focus on the steps to be taken to address the many challenges faced by SIDS. These issues will be raised at the Conference in Samoa, which is expected to provide an opportunity for increased attention to the concerns of Caribbean nations.

“More importantly, the opportunity will be presented to advocate

for more concrete actions to be taken in relation to these states,” Nicholson said, adding that due to the small size and geographic location of a number of SIDS, including Jamaica, these countries face severe developmental challenges characterised by an increased vulnerability to the effects of external economic and other global shocks, susceptibility to natural disasters as well as the effects of climate change.

The year 2014 has been declared the International Year for Small Island Developing States and as such, increased focus will be placed on

addressing their vulnerabilities and challenges.

Among the measures to be addressed are: ways to build resilience to natural disasters and adaptation to climate change; ways to bolster the countries’ small and open economies through equitable trading arrangements and a strategic approach to trade in services; ways to build on issues of critical relevance to SIDS – energy, education, and health; and ways to place on the international agenda the problems faced by SIDS in accessing financing for developmental purposes.

Man from Dominican Republic who lives in New Jersey wins $338million Powerball lottery A

New Jersey convenience store owner has stepped forward to claim the winning ticket in the $338 million Powerball lottery, several media reported on Monday.

Pedro Quezada, 44, walked into a Passaic, New Jersey, liquor store where the winning ticket was sold and handed a ticket over to be validated late Monday afternoon, The Bergen Record newspaper reported.

The owner of the store scanned Quezada’s ticket and a message of “Jackpot!” appeared, NBC 4 New York reported. “I’m very happy,” Quezada, who is originally from the Dominican Republic, told reporters in Spanish. He said he is a father of five.

Earlier on Monday, the New Jersey Lottery said the winning ticket had been validated at the New Jersey store but said it didn’t know the winner’s name.

The winning ticket could be claimed as a lump sum payment of $211 million. Lottery officials said the $338 million pot was the fourth largest in Powerball history.

The winning ticket was sold on

Powerball winner owes thousands in child support Saturday at Passaic’s Eagle Liquor store. Manager Ram Yadav said the store sells a half dozen or so winners each year and last year had a $159,000 winner.

“The neighborhood says this store is a lucky store all the time,” Yadav said. “I feel good that I made

somebody lucky.”

Eagle Liquor gets $10,000 as the seller of the winning ticket.

Passaic is struggling economically. Nearly one in three of its nearly 70,000 residents lives in poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The record jackpot for Power-

ball nationally was $587.5 million in 2012, lottery officials said.

Meantime, Quezada is wanted on charges of unpaid child support, according to the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office.

An arrest warrant was issued for Pedro Quezada in 2009, the sheriff’s office said. He has five children ages 5-23 and owes a total of $29,000 in back child support, spokesman William Maer said. It is not clear which children the payments are for.

Quezada’s son, Casiano, said his father has hired an attorney and is “working through it.”

A child support warrant usually results in payment, an installment plan or arrest, Maer said. He declined to comment on the Quezada case because the investigation is ongoing.

Every person who wins more than $600 in the New Jersey Lottery is checked for outstanding taxes, liens, child support payments and the like, lottery spokeswoman Judith Drucker said. The funds owed are deducted from the winner’s final payment, she said.

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News W

RLD

North Korea readies rockets after US show of force

N

orth Korea put its missile units on standby on Friday to attack U.S. military bases in South Korea and the Pacific, after the United States flew two nuclear-capable stealth bombers over the Korean peninsula in a rare show of force.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed off on the order at a midnight meeting of top generals and “judged the time has come to settle accounts with the U.S. imperialists in view of the prevailing situation”, the official KCNA news agency said.

KCNA said North Korea and the United States could only settle their differences by “physical means”. The North has an arsenal of Soviet-era short-range Scud missiles that can hit South Korea but its longer-range Nodong and Musudan missiles, which could in theory hit U.S. Pacific bases, are untested.

China, the North’s sole major ally, repeated its calls for restraint on the Korean peninsula at a regular Foreign Ministry briefing and made no criticism of the U.S. flights.

“We hope that relevant parties will work together in pushing for a turnaround of the tense situation,” ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters.

Tension has been high since North Korea conducted a third nuclear weapons test in February in breach of U.N. sanctions and despite warnings from China for it not to do so.

Russia’s foreign minister implicitly criticized the U.S. bomber flights.

“We are concerned that alongside the adequate, collective reaction of the U.N. Security

Council, unilateral action is being taken around North Korea that is increasing military activity,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

“The situation could simply get out of control, it is slipping toward the spiral of a vicious cycle,” Lavrov told reporters in Moscow when asked about the situation.

He called for efforts to get stalled six-party talks on North Korea going again. The talks have involved the two Koreas, the United States, Russia, China and Japan.

THREATS On Thursday, the United States flew two radar-evading B-2 Spirit bombers on practice runs over South Korea, responding to a series of North Korean threats. They flew from the United States and back in what appeared to be the first exercise of its kind, designed to show America’s ability to conduct long-range, precision strikes “quickly and at will”, the U.S. military said.

The news of Kim’s response was unusually swift.

“He finally signed the plan on technical preparations of strategic rockets of the KPA (Korean People’s Army), ordering them to be on standby for fire so that they may strike any time the U.S. mainland, its military bases in the operational theatres in the Pacific, including Hawaii and Guam, and those in South Korea,” KCNA said.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported there had been additional troop and vehicle movements at the North’s mid- and long-range

missile sites, indicating they may be ready to fire.

The North has launched a daily barrage of threats since early this month when the United States and the South, allies in the 1950-53 Korean War, began regular military drills.

The South and the United States have said the drills are purely defensive and that no incident has taken place in the decades they have been conducted in various forms.

The United States also flew B-52 bombers over South Korea earlier this week.

The North has put its military on highest readiness to fight what it says are hostile forces conducting war drills. Its young leader has previously given “final orders” for its military to wage revolutionary war with the South.

Despite the hostile rhetoric from the North, it has kept open a joint economic zone with the South which generates $2 billion a year in trade money the impoverished state can ill-afford to lose.

The U.S. military said that its B-2 bombers had flown more than 6,500 miles to stage a trial bombing raid from their bases in Missouri as part of the Foal Eagle war drills being held with South Korea.

The bombers dropped inert munitions on the Jik Do Range, in South Korea, and then returned to the continental United States in a single, continuous mission, the military said.

It was the first time B-2s flew round-trip from the mainland United States over South Korea and dropped inert munitions, a Pentagon spokeswoman said.

New York City appeals soda ban ruling N

EW YORK—City officials are asking an appeals court judge to reinstate a ban on the sale of large sugary drinks, arguing it is crucial to stopping a “serious health crisis” linked to obesity.

The ban, championed by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, was struck down March 11—less than 24 hours before it was set to take effect—by state Supreme Court Justice Milton Tingling, who argued that the new regulation was undermined by loopholes. Tingling noted, among other things, an exemption that would have allowed state-regulated stores like 7-11 to continue selling large sodas.

Tingling also argued that Bloomberg and the city’s Board of Health had overstepped their authority by not first putting the ban to a vote in the New York City Council.

But Michael Cardozo, an attorney for the Bloomberg administration, rejected those points in the appeal the city filed Monday. Echoing arguments that have been made by

Bloomberg in recent weeks, Cardozo said the Health department has a long track record of implementing “substantive rules and standards” aimed at protecting the health of city residents. Among other things, he cited a city requirement that fast food restaurants post the calorie counts of their menu items as well as municipal restrictions on the use of lead paint.

Under the law, the so-called “soda ban” would have limited the sale of sugary drinks to just 16 ounces per serving at establishments regulated by the city, including bars, restaurants, bodegas and movie theaters.

But there were several exceptions to the rule, including sweetened drinks that were more than 50 percent milk. Ahead of the ban’s implementation, Starbucks said it would not comply amid confusion about how the law would be enforced.

Responding to Tingling’s criticism that the ban was riddled with loopholes, Cardozo argued in the appeal that the law is less about a sweeping ban and more about try-

ing to encourage residents to make better choices about their diet—another point that has been emphasized by Bloomberg in recent weeks.

“The rule is designed to make consumption of large amounts of sugary drinks a conscious and in-

formed choice by the consumer,” the city’s appeal read. “Thus, although a consumer is free to consume more than 16 ounces by ordering a second drink, getting a refill, or going to another store, he or she will be making an informed choice.”

REGISTERED LAND ORDINANCE CAP 72 NOTICE LOST LAND CERTIFICATE TITLE NUMBER 40104/16

SECTION WEST

ISLAND MIDDLE CAICOS

Whereas, ANNIE LOLETA TAYLOR as Personal Representative of Henry George Taylor (deceased)of Middle Caicos, has declared that the Land Certificate for the above mentioned title number(s) registered in his/her/their name was inadvertently mislaid and cannot be found.

Take notice that I, Paul Madgwick Registrar of Lands, shall issue a new land certificate for the said title within six weeks of the date of the first publication otihfo Notice in a local newspaper and the Gazette.

Dated this 21 day y of MARCH 2013 Signed............................................................... ........................................

Registrar ooff Lands

Witnessed........................................................ ...........................

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WORLD NEWS

Invoking Newtown, Obama presses Congress on guns P

resident Barack Obama on Thursday sternly rebuked opponents of pending gun control measures, accusing them of “running out the clock” and hoping that the nation forgets last year’s Newtown school shooting in order to keep popular reforms from passing into law.

“The entire country was shocked, and the entire country pledged we would do something about it and that that this time would be different,” the president said of the gun massacre that killed 20 children and six adults. “Shame on us if we’ve forgotten.”

Flanked by Vice President Joe Biden and a group of mothers who have lost their children to gun violence, Obama accused gun rights groups of rooting for amnesia.

The reason we’re talking about it here today is because it’s not done until it’s done,” he said.

“And there are some powerful voices on the other side that are interested in running out the clock or changing the subject or drowning out the majority of the American people to prevent any of these reforms from happening at all. They’re doing everything they can to make all our progress collapse under the weight of fear and frustration or their assumption is that people will just forget about it.”

Obama’s remarks came on the same day that authorities released new information about Newtown shooter Adam Lanza, including the list of guns and ammunition that he stockpiled for the attack. Lanza fired 154 bullets from a Bushmaster .223 caliber model XM15 rifle, the documents said.

Citing poll numbers that show broad support – as high as 90 percent in some polls -- for universal background checks, the president urged voters to “make yourself unmistakenly heard” to members of Congress in the days before the Senate

BARAK OBAMA takes up gun legislation next month.

“I ask every American to find out where your member of Congress stands on these ideas,” he said. “If they’re not part of that 90% who agree that we should make it harder for a criminal or somebody with a severe mental illness to buy a gun, then you should ask them why not.”

The legislation working its way through the Senate has hit numerous snags, with the threat of a filibuster now looming from lawmakers who say the president’s framework would restrict Second Amendment rights.

“The proposals the president is calling for Congress to pass would primarily serve to reduce the constitutionally protected rights of law-abiding citizens while having little or no effect on violent crime,” said Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, one of the Republicans who has pledged to block the legislation. “It is deeply unfortunate that he continues to use the tragedy at Newtown as a backdrop for pushing legislation that would have done nothing to prevent that horrible crime.”

Recommended: Democrats hit McConnell in radio ad A federal assault weapons ban has already been dropped from the overall gun package that Senate lawmakers plan to introduce after the Easter recess, although advocates are pushing for a separate vote on the measure. (Obama did not specifically mention the ban in his remarks Thursday, focusing instead on the more politically palatable planks of the effort.)

And negotiators are still tussling over compromise language to require all gun buyers to complete a background check – a measure that need take significant Republican support to overcome the threat of a filibuster.

In recent weeks, Vice President Joe Biden has been the administration’s public point man on the gun issue, appearing with victims of violence and alongside gun control advocate new York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to appeal for “courage” from Congress.

On a conference call with gun control supporters yesterday, Biden said the coming efforts are “just the beginning” of a public outcry to reduce gun violence.

“I think we’re on the verge of getting a serious, thorough universal background check system in place and it will — emphasize, it will — it will save lives,” Biden said.

Bloomberg has led the money charge, pledging to spend millions of his considerable fortune to pressure wavering lawmakers into supporting gun control proposals.

“If 90 percent of the public want something, and their representatives vote against that, common sense says, they are going to have a price to pay for that,” the New York City mayor said during an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press last weekend

Chris Cuomo Joins CNN and replaces Soledad Obrien in New Morning Show Effort A

fter foundering recently in the morning-news arena, CNN appears to have hit on what it thinks is a winning formula: Be more like the leader in the field, ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

CNN said Thursday that former “GMA” news anchor Chris Cuomo, ABC News veteran Matt Frucci and former “GMA” executive producer Jim Murphy would be among those tasked with making the Time Warner property more of a contender in the important morning-show wars.

Beginning this spring, Cuomo will be joined on screen by CNN veteran Kate Bolduan, one of the network’s congressional correspondents, and Michaela Pereira, a longtime co-host of the morning-news program at KTLA, a Los Angeles CW affiliate owned by Tribune Co. The morning-show changes represent the most recent in a seemingly unending series of programming maneuvers put in place since former NBCUniveral chief execu-

CHIRS CUOMO

SOLEDAD OBRIEN

tive Jeff Zucker took the reins of the venerable cable-news outlet at the start of the year. Zucker has also installed former ABC News correspondent Jake Tapper in a late-afternoon program and toyed with other hallmark CNN programs.

CNN may see more opportunity than it has in the past. While ABC’s “Good Morning America” has taken the lead in the ratings, owing perhaps to inclusion of some softer topics and a “halo effect” ac-

corded the program during host Robin Roberts’ illness, NBC’s “Today” has experienced some backlash since the departure of co-host Ann Curry. Meantime, CBS has retooled its “CBS This Morning” while other shows including Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and HLN’s “Morning Express With Robin Meade,” have staked out turf. Business-news outlets like CNBC and Bloomberg also have devoted audiences

Zucker is a veteran of AM-news to-and-fro, and is recognized by many for his skills in edging out competitors with booking stunts and other techniques.

The CNN announcement has long been expected and will put an end to the network’s current morning show, “Starting Point,” anchored by Soledad O’Brien. The network has already announced that O’Brien will form a production company and contribute documentaries to CNN’s schedule.

CNN executives no doubt hope the new morning show will end its breakfast-TV woes. CNN for nearly a decade aired “American Morning,” initially hosted by Paula Zahn and Anderson Cooper, but in recent years began to cycle through hosts.

Bill Hemmer replaced Cooper in 2002, and then O’Brien and Miles O’Brien anchored the program from 2003 to 2007. Kieran Chetry and John Roberts replaced them, but left several months before the program was canceled in 2011.

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WORLD NEWS

Newtown shooter Adam Lanza had more than 1700 rounds of ammunition in his house A

dam Lanza lived in a gun lover’s house. He was a gamer, a loner, an enigma. He relied on his mother for everything until the moment he shot her in the forehead.

That hazy, disordered portrait, which emerged after Lanza killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December, was filled out Thursday when the contents of his interior life were divulged in unsealed search warrants that revealed a home brimming with weaponry, electronics and grim photos.

But the revelations spurred only more mystery.

Investigators found journals but didn’t say what was written inside. They found rifles and a trove of ammunition but didn’t (or couldn’t) explain why the arsenal was apparently unsecured.

They found books on Asperger syndrome and autism, as well as a book titled “Train Your Brain to Get Happy.” They found a busted hard drive, but what was on it? They found samurai swords, knives, a bayonet, video-game consoles, pictures of a bloody dead body and a news clipping about another school killing.

They found clues — lots of clues — but if there is context to the clues in the form of motive, authorities either don’t know or aren’t saying. Three months after Lanza shattered a small town, setting off a renewed gun control debate, there still is no answer to the question of why he targeted so many schoolchildren in Newtown, Conn.

“This is an active, ongoing investigation,” Danbury State’s Attorney Stephen J. Sedensky III said in a statement. “No conclusions have been reached, and no final determinations have been made.”

The new details about Lanza came a day after authorities in Arizona released a trove of records about Jared Lee Loughner, the disturbed young man who tried to kill then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) in 2011. In that case, Loughner’s parents had recognized red flags but did not act on recommendations to have their son mentally evaluated.

If Lanza’s mother, Nancy, had recognized that her son was an imminent threat, the search warrants released Thursday don’t offer any evidence

ADAM LANZA of that. Printed e-mails were found in the living room of their two-story colonial home, but the contents — again — are unknown. Nancy had gone on a getaway to New Hampshire in the days before her son’s attacks, according to previous reports.

Although the clues in the Lanza case aren’t yet adding up to the why, investigators have nailed down the how. In his statement, Sedensky painted a chilling picture of the attack, saying the shooting, in which Lanza fired at least 154 rounds, lasted less than five minutes. The carnage ended only when Lanza killed himself with a Glock 10mm handgun He shot all of the victims with a Bushmaster .223-caliber XM-15 rifle loaded with a 30-round-capacity magazine. Lanza had other handguns and three still fully loaded 30-round magazines on him, Sedensky said. Empty and near-empty magazines were found nearby.

Police found a 12-gauge shotgun in the passenger area of his car, which was parked outside the school. Authorities said that the guns used in the attack “were apparently all purchased by the shooter’s mother” and that a gun locker at his home was “unlocked and there was no indication that it had been broken into.”

Lanza and his mother often went to shooting ranges together. He killed her in bed with a .22-caliber rifle before heading to the school, authorities said.

Federal, state and local authorities have been tight-lipped about their investigation. Several

media organizations, including The Washington Post, had filed motions seeking the five search warrants disclosed Thursday, and they were released only after a 90-day seal requested by prosecutors ended this week.

Friends of Nancy Lanza have said Asperger syndrome had been diagnosed in Adam. Asperger is on the autism spectrum and isn’t associated with violence. In his home, police found a book titled “Look Me in the Eye: My Life With Asperger’s,” computers and video-game consoles, Lanza’s report card from Sandy Hook and a holiday card his mother gave him containing a check for the purchase of a firearm. More than 1,700 rounds of ammunition were discovered in shoe boxes, closet shelves, cabinets and an unlocked safe. There were two rifles, a BB gun and a starter pistol. Adam’s room had a gun safe.

According to the unsealed documents, a witness told authorities that Lanza was a “shut in” and “avid gamer” who played “Call of Duty” — descriptions largely in line with what acquaintances of the family told the media after shooting. The witness also said the school where the killings took place was his “life.” That description doesn’t mesh with published reports indicating that Lanza, although brilliant, bounced in and out of Newtown schools.

There was no evidence confirming or denying reports that Lanza had a sensory integration disorder, and there was no reference to the briefcase that he often carried to school. There were documents related to Lanza’s PSAT tests. Lanza had taken classes at a nearby college, and his mother was said to be looking at colleges for him.

The search warrants indicated that authorities found certificates from the National Rifle Association in Adam and Nancy’s names. A book titled “NRA Guide to the Basics of Pistol Shooting” was also found.

The NRA sharply disputed any connection between the Lanzas and the gun rights organization. It said in a statement, “There is no record of a member relationship between Newtown killer Adam Lanza, nor between Nancy Lanza, A. Lanza or N. Lanza with the National Rifle Association.”

Little hope seen for millions priced out of US health overhaul M

illions of Americans will be priced out of health insurance under President Barack Obama’shealthcare overhaul because of a glitch in the law that adversely affects people with modest incomes who cannot afford family coverage offered by their employers, a leading healthcare advocacy group said on Tuesday.

Tax credits are a key component of the law and the White House has said the credits, averaging about $4,000 apiece, will help about 18 million individuals and families pay for health insurance once the Affordable Care Act takes full effect, beginning in January 2014.

The tax credits are geared toward low and middle-income Americans who do not have access to af-

fordable health insurance coverage through an employer. The law specifies that employer-sponsored insurance is affordable so long as a worker’s share of the premium does not exceed 9.5 percent of the worker’s household income.

In its rule making, or final interpretation of the law, the IRS said affordability should be based strictly on individual coverage costs, however.

That means that, even if family coverage through an employer-based plan far exceeds the 9.5 percent cutoff, workers would not be eligible for the tax credits to help buy insurance for children or non-working dependents.

“It’s an issue. It needs to be fixed,” Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, an influential healthcare advocacy group said on Tues-

day, referring to what he called “the family glitch problem.”

He spoke on a teleconference calling attention to a report, released by his organization on Tuesday, that said more than 1.7 million Floridians will be eligible for the new premium tax credits next year.

‘TEA PARTY INFUSION’ “The tax credit subsidies are a game changer. They will help make health coverage affordable for huge numbers of uninsured families in Florida who would have been priced out of the health coverage and care they need,” Pollack said.

He had no estimate for the number of people in Florida affected by the affordability question and IRS policy.

But he said there was little hope for a legislative fix in Congress, where the

House is controlled by Republicans still bent on repealing Obamacare.

The problem comes on top of another more contentious healthcare issue in Florida, where the state legislature has opposed Republican Governor Rick Scott’s endorsement of an expansion of Medicaid. Without the expansion, envisioned under Obama’s 2010 reforms, Pollack said about 1.8 million Floridians would be left without healthcare coverage.

“It would mean that the poorest of the poor really would be left out in the cold,” he said.

Pollack was joined on the teleconference by Florida Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a congressional champion of healthcare reform who also chairs the Democratic National Committee.

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WORLD NEWS

Julian Pierson appointed first female head of Secret Service W

ASHINGTON — President Obama named Julia Pierson, a longtime U.S. Secret Service agent, on Tuesday as the first female director of the agency, a pick that could mark a cultural shift for an agency that’s reputation was tarnished by last year’s prostitution scandal.

The selection of Pierson, 53, who has been the service’s chief of staff for more than four years, was lauded by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano as “historic.” Obama called Pierson an agent who has”consistently exemplified the spirit and dedication the men and women of the service demonstrate every day.”

“Julia is eminently qualified to lead the agency that not only safeguards Americans at major events and secures our financial system, but also protects our leaders and our first families, including my own,” Obama said in a statement. “Julia has had an exemplary career, and I know these experiences will guide her as she takes on this new challenge to lead the impressive men and women of this important agency.”

Pierson’s appointment comes nearly a year after the agency — charged with protecting the president and top administration officials and visiting dignitaries — was rocked by a prostitution scandal. Several agents, who traveled to Cartagena, Colombia, to do advance work for Obama’s visit last April, brought prostitutes back to their hotel rooms. Twelve agents were either disciplined or forced out of the agency as a result of the scandal.

“During the Colombia prostitution scandal,

Julia Pierson first female head of the secret service the Secret Service lost the trust of many Americans, and failed to live up to the high expectations placed on it.” said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. “Ms. Pierson has a lot of work ahead of her to create a culture that respects the important job the agency is tasked with. I hope she succeeds in restoring lost credibility in the Secret Service.”

With the pick, Obama is trying to send a clear message to the Secret Service rank-and-file, said Jeffrey Robinson, the co-author of Standing Next to History: An Agent’s Life Inside the

Secret Service.

“The boys will be boys excuse will never work again--not as long as she is there,” Robinson said.

“All that crap that went down in Cartagena, that won’t ever happen again.”

Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent that worked with Pierson, said the new director is “tough but not overwhelming” and is well-respected in the agency. He added that Pierson will be a good pick to help the agency move past Cartagena.

“The men and women of the service…are looking to leave this behind them,” said former Secret Service Agent Dan Bongino. “This is going to be a page turner for the Secret Service. I think she’s a great pick—she is reform minded and she’s seen it, not just done it.”

Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan announced his retirement last month after a nearly three-decade career and seven years as head of the agency.

In testimony before Congress last year, Sullivan apologized for the conduct of Secret Service personnel in Colombia.

Pierson was appointed to the position of chief of staff on Aug. 3, 2008. Prior to her appointment, she served as the Secret Service’s assistant director of the Office of Human Resources and Training, a position she held since June 2006.

She is a native of Orlando and began her career with the agency in 1983 as a special agent assigned to the Miami Field Office, after having served three years as a police officer in Orlando.

Arnette Heintze, a retired Secret Service agent who worked extensively with Pierson, said the career agent has “solid credentials that nobody can question.’’

Pope wants to stay in simple residence for now V

ATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis wants to stay for the time being in a simple Vatican residence instead of moving into the spacious and regal papal apartments, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

The former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina is still living in the Domus Santa Martha, a modern hotel-style residence inside the Vatican City where he stayed during the conclave that elected him on March 13.

Although the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace - which consist of more than a dozen rooms as well as quarters for staff and a terrace - are available, he shows no desire to move in any time soon, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said.

In the past few days Francis has moved out of a single room in the residence, which has some 130 rooms, into a suite so he could have more space to work and to receive people, Lombardi said.

Francis has set a more austere

tone for the papacy than his predecessor Benedict XVI, who gained a reputation for sumptuous costumes. Lombardi says the new pope enjoys the residence’s community atmosphere where he lives alongside other clergy.

The pope says Mass in its chapel every morning and invites Vatican workers and other guests to attend.

“I can’t make long-term predictions, but for now it seems he is experimenting with this type of simple co-habitation,” Lombardi said.

“It is still a period of getting used to things, of experimentation.

Certainly in this phase he has expressed the desire to stay where he is,” he said.

Lombardi said the pope will be using the offices in the Apostolic Palace and its grand, frescoed reception rooms to meet heads of state and delegations, and will continue to appear each Sunday to deliver a blessing from the window of the papal apartments overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

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BlackBerry posts surprise profit, but subscribers slip

B

lackBerry reported a surprise quarterly profit on Thursday after shipping 1 million new Z10 smartphones, but the Canadian company still fell short of convincing markets that its turnaround plan is already a runaway success.

BlackBerry shares were up 2.3 percent at midday on the Nasdaq, down from their 10 percent gain immediately after the results came out.

Expressing lingering doubts, some analysts focused on a decline in the company’s subscriber base, a potential threat to its long-term growth prospects and turnaround plans. Others, however, zeroed in on strong sales of the new touchscreen Z10 device, which BlackBerry started rolling out at the end of January.

“I think the one million units is a nice start,” said Morningstar analyst Brian Colello. “I think the encouraging thing is that BlackBerry was still able to sell a good portion of older models and generate solid service revenue during the transition. I think that will be important in terms of cash balance and profitability.”

The well-reviewed Z10 smartphone is the first in a line of devices that will be powered by the new BlackBerry 10 operating system. It is a key plank in the company’s attempt to regain rele-

vance and win back market share in the smartphone arena it once dominated.

In a positive sign, BlackBerry said roughly 55 percent of the buyers of the Z10 were coming from other platforms - news that should allay fears that BlackBerry would be unable to attract users who have never used one of the company’s devices, or who have abandoned BlackBerry in favor of Apple’s iPhone and smartphones using Google’s Android software, or other platforms.

The results offered solace to both bulls and bears on BlackBerry, which virtually invented onyour-hip email before ceding ground to rivals.

Some analysts noted that the company’s quarterly revenue missed expectations and fretted about the decline in subscriber numbers to 76 million from 79 million during the fourth quarter.

But others focused on the unexpected profit and on the Z10 sales. The stock was up 2.3 percent at $14.89 on Nasdaq. Its Toronto-listed shares were 2 percent higher at C$15.10 at 1230 EDT (1630 GMT). The stock was the most actively traded issue on the Nasdaq on volume of more than 65 million shares.

“All in all, I’m happy because I think the

TWITTER’S AD REVENUE TO DOUBLE THIS YEAR

S

AN FRANCISCO — Twitter’s ad revenue is believed to be on pace to double this year as the online messaging service delivers more marketing pitches to mobile devices in preparation for a highly anticipated initial public offering of stock.

For now, Twitter remains a privately held company that staunchly refuses to disclose its financial results. That leaves it to research firms tracking Twitter to try to divine how well the 7-year-old company is doing. The estimates are based on a variety of sources, including market trends, ad agencies and other industry data. Emarketer made its latest educated guess in a Wednesday report that predicted Twitter’s worldwide ad revenue will total $583 million this year, up from an estimated $288 million last year. By next year, Twitter will be reeling in nearly $1 billion from ad sales, according to the forecast. The figures don’t include the revenue that Twitter gets from licensing agreements that give other companies better access to its database of messages, or tweets.

Although not everyone agrees with eMarketer’s calculations, analysts generally concur with the thesis that Twitter’s revenue is accelerating at an impressive pace.

“Twitter is becoming a cash machine,” said Sam Hamadeh, CEO of PrivCo, a firm that follows privately held companies.

“Their growth trajectory is tremendous.”

PrivCo predicts Twitter’s revenue will total about $520 million this year, up from $245 million last year. Hamadeh said the

2012 figure has been confirmed by reliable sources that he wouldn’t name.

The timing of Twitter’s IPO is probably of even greater intrigue than the company’s financial performance.

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo has repeatedly said that the company isn’t under any pressure to go public because it has raised ample financing from investors, including a $400 million injection from venture capitalists in July 2011.

Nevertheless, an IPO is looking more likely during the next year, based on the company’s recent efforts to show more advertising into the flow of messages, or tweets, appearing in its users’ feeds. Most of the ads are limited to 140-characters, just like non-commercial messages, and are denoted with a “promoted tweet” disclosure.

Twitter’s more aggressive pursuit of revenue could be a sign that management is trying to produce financial results more likely to excite prospective investors and drive up the IPO price of its stock. Hamadeh expects Twitter to file its IPO papers late this year, setting up the company to make its stock market debut early next year.

So far, Twitter seems to be prospering from the increasing popularity of mobile devices.

Smartphones and tablets will account for more than half, or $309 million, of Twitter’s ad revenue this year, according to eMarketer. By 2015, the research firm expects 60 percent of Twitter’s ad revenue to be coming from mobile devices.

majority seemed to be expecting the world to cave in on them, and that did not happen,” said Eric Jackson, founder and managing partner of Ironfire Capital LLC, which owns BlackBerry shares.

BREAK-EVEN FORECAST BlackBerry said its fiscal fourth-quarter net income was $98 million, or 19 cents a share, compared with a year-earlier loss of $125 million, or 24 cents a share. The swing to profit largely reflected a provision for income tax recoveries.

Excluding one-time items, the company reported a profit of 22 cents a share. Analysts had expected a loss.

BlackBerry surprised some investors by saying it believes it will approach break-even in its first quarter, based on a lower cost base, a more efficient supply chain and improved hardware margins.

The Z10 device is currently available in more than 25 countries, and the company’s new Q10 device, equipped with the physical keyboard that BlackBerry aficionados love, is expected to start being rolled out in April.

BlackBerry said it will step up investment on marketing the new phones in the current quarter.

GOOGLE GLASS TO BE MADE IN CALIFORNIA, REPORT SAYS

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lass, Google’s highly anticipated smart device, will reportedly be manufactured in Santa Clara, Calif.

The Financial Times on Wednesday reported that the “futuristic digital eyewear” will be put together at a U.S. facility run by Foxconn, the Taiwanese manufacturer best known for assembling iPhones, iPads and other Apple devices. The report cites unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

In recent years, U.S. tech companies have been turning to Asia to assemble their hardware, but President Obama has been pushing for them to reconsider manufacturing their devices in the U.S. Late last year, Apple was the first major U.S. company to take the proposition seriously when it announced that it would start building one line of its Mac computers in the U.S. starting in 2013.

Google isn’t commenting on the story, so the report could end up being wrong. But if Google does indeed decide to manufacture Glass in California, it will be a big boost for the return of U.S. electronics manufacturing.

Glass is one of the most high-profile pieces of upcoming tech as companies begin looking to wearable devices as the next battleground market after smartphones and tablets.

The Silicon Valley introduced Glass in a YouTube video last year, and in February, Google held a contest to select about 8,000 people in the U.S. who would be invited to purchase an early version of the device. Google began contacting winners Tuesday and plans to contact all the winners over the next few days.

At a later point in time, the winners will be able to attend events in either San Francisco, Los Angeles or New York to purchase the early version of Glass for $1,500. Google has not said when those events will take place. The company has made it clear it hopes to release Glass to the general public before the end of the year.

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BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY

Cyprus says threat contained, no plan to leave euro T

he president of Cyprus said on Friday the risk of bankruptcy had been contained and the country had no intention of leaving the euro, in a speech laden with criticism of Europe’s currency union for “experimenting” with the island’s fate.

Conservative leader Nicos Anastasiades spoke a day after banks reopened following an almost two-week shutdown to avert a run on deposits by worried Cypriots and wealthy foreign depositors as the country raced to clinch a rescue package from the European Union.

Anastasiades said restrictions imposed on bank transactions in Cyprus - unprecedented in the currency bloc since euro coins and banknotes entered circulation in 2002 - would be gradually lifted. But he gave no time frame.

Cyprus’s difficulties have sent jitters around the fragile single European currency zone, and the imposition of capital controls has led economists to warn that a second-class “Cyprus euro” could emerge, with funds trapped on the island worth less than euros that can be freely spent abroad.

In a speech to civil servants in the capital, Nicosia, Anastasiades hit out at banking authorities in Cyprus and Europe for pouring money into a crippled Cypriot bank that now faces closure under the terms of the 10 billion euro ($13 billion) bailout plan that averted the immediate risk of financial meltdown.

“How serious were those authorities that permitted the financing of a bankrupt bank to the highest possible amount?” Anastasiades said.

“I don’t want to say more,” he added. “Now is not the time to say who bears more or less of the blame.”

Anastasiades clinched the last-ditch bailout in Brussels five days ago, but has faced a backlash from Cypriots angry at the price that came with it

President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades - the winding down of the island’s second-largest bank, Cyprus Popular Bank or Laiki, and an unprecedented raid on deposits over 100,000 euros that could spell the end of Cyprus as a hub for offshore finance.

The country faces steep job losses and a prolonged and deep recession.

“EXPERIMENT” The president, barely a month in the job and wrestling with Cyprus’s worst crisis since a 1974 war split the island in two, accused the 17-nation euro currency bloc of making “unprecedented demands that forced Cyprus to become an experiment”.

But he added: “We have no intention of leaving the euro. In no way will we experiment with the future of our country.”

European leaders have insisted the raid on big bank deposits in Cyprus is a one-off in their handling of a debt crisis that refuses to be contained.

But policymakers are divided, and the waters were muddied a day after the deal was inked when the Dutch chair of the euro zone’s finance ministers, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, said it would serve as a model for the handling of future crises.

Faced with a market backlash, Dijsselbloem

IMF SAYS IT HAS CONFIDENCE IN CHRISTINE LAGARDE

T

he International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said it continues to have “confidence” in its managing director Christine Lagarde.

An IMF spokesman said the fund’s board backed Ms Lagarde despite a French inquiry into alleged abuses of power.

The probe relates to her time as French finance minister and her involvement in the payment of compensation to businessman Bernard Tapie.

Ms Lagarde, who took over as IMF chief in 2011, denies any wrongdoing.

Her Paris apartment was searched by police investigators last week.

“The executive board has been briefed on this matter, including recently, and continues to express its confidence in the managing director’s ability to effectively carry out her duties,” said IMF spokesman Gerry Rice at a press conference on Thursday.

Ms Lagarde was involved in a dispute between French businessman Bernard Tapie and the bank Credit Lyonnais in 2007.

She referred the case to an arbitration panel, after which Mr Tapie switched his support to Nicholas Sarkozy, then leader of Ms Lagarde’s UMP party, in the presidential election campaign.

Mr Tapie was later awarded 400m euros (£340m) in damages by that panel - a decision approved by Ms Lagarde.

Ms Lagarde has yet to be placed under formal investigation in the case and has denied any wrongdoing.

However, the case comes at a difficult time for the IMF. Ms Lagarde replaced its disgraced former chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn less than two years ago.

The organisation is also deeply involved in managing the continuing eurozone crisis, including the bailout of Cyprus.

rowed back. But on Friday, European Central Bank Governing Council member Klaas Knot, a fellow Dutchman, said there was “little wrong” with his assessment.

“The content of his remarks comes down to an approach which has been on the table for a longer time in Europe,” Knot was quoted as saying

by Dutch daily Het Financieele Dagblad. “This approach will be part of the European liquidation policy,” he said, in comments a spokesman said were accurately reported.

The Cyprus rescue differs from those in other euro zone countries because, for the first time, bank depositors have had to take a hit.

Warnings of a stampede at Cypriot banks when they reopened on Thursday proved unfounded.

For almost two weeks, Cypriots were on a ration of limited withdrawals from bank cash machines. Even with banks now open, they face a regime of strict restrictions designed to halt a flight of capital from the island.

Anastasiades said the capital controls would be “gradually eased until we can return to normal.”

The immediate threat of national bankruptcy had been averted, he said. “The situation, despite the tragedy of it all, is contained.”

The government initially said the controls would stay in place for seven days, but Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said on Thursday they could last “about a month”.

Economists warn it could be much longer before confidence in the Cypriot economy bounces back enough to lift the restrictions.

Cypriot authorities said on Friday that checks could be used to make payments to government agencies up to a limit of 5,000 euros, easing an original blanket ban on check payments. Anything more than 5,000 euros would require Central Bank approval.

T-MOBILE USA EYES GROWTH FROM IPHONE, MARKETING CHANGES

T

-Mobile USA said on Tuesday that it will start selling Apple Inc’s iPhone on April 12, making it the last of the big national U.S. operators to sell the popular smartphone.

The No. 4 U.S. mobile provider, which is seeking to merge with smaller rival MetroPCS Communications, is hoping the device can help stem customer losses. The launch follows a marketing overhaul that eliminates device subsidies and two-year service contracts favored by its bigger rivals.

T-Mobile, a unit of Deutsche Telekom AG, hopes its new approach will differentiate it from bigger rivals that already sell the iPhone: Sprint Nextel, AT&T Inc and Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group Plc. The company, which struggles with customer defections, hopes to attract cost-conscious consumers through an aggressive marketing campaign that focuses on its lack of service contracts and clearly outlines the monthly cost to consumers to own devices such as the iPhone.

U.S. operators have traditionally subsidized phones in exchange for tying customers into contracts but do not disclose how much of their monthly charges covers the device, a practice that T-Mobile USA criticized as lacking transparency.

“The industry’s broken,” T-Mobile

Chief Executive John Legere said at a press event to announce the iPhone launch and discuss the service plans, which he promised late last year.

In particular, T-Mobile USA is taking aim at No. 2 U.S. operator AT&T because the two companies use the same network technology, making it easier for consumers to bring their AT&T phones to T-Mobile’s network.

Legere estimated that T-Mobile customers would pay about $1,000 less over two years than they would for roughly comparable services at AT&T. T-Mobile’s website also directly compares its pricing to AT&T’s service fees.

However, AT&T appeared unfazed by the campaign. Spokesman Mark Siegel’s response was: “Whatever.”

Legere said that the iPhone and the new marketing plans will help the company stem its losses of bill-paying customers this year and create growth in this segment in 2014. The company, which ended 2012 with 33.4 million customers, lost 515,000 contract customers in the fourth quarter.

“You’ll see discernable progress each quarter,” the executive told Reuters, promising significant improvement in first quarter from the fourth quarter and second quarter numbers that are significantly better than the first quarter.

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Sports LOCAL

Ianthe Pratt, Wesley Methodist, Collegiate are soccer champions

T

he TCIFA Junior School Competition came to an exciting climax last week as four divisional titles were confirmed. The popular event saw almost forty teams competing over two weeks in the following categories: U11 Boys; U 11 Girls; U13 Boys; and U13 Girls. The respective teams were divided into several group from which team progressed to quarter and semi-finals before last Friday’s finals day.

The U11 Girls category was the first to be decided when Ianthe Pratt defeated Precious Treasures 2-0.

Both teams had early chances but it was Ianthe Pratt who took the lead when team captain and competition MVP Erica jean Guy scored from the penalty spot.

Precious Treasures then had a great chance to equalize as they were awarded a penalty early in the second half but Jaida Walker’s kick hit the post. Ianthe Pratt sealed the win when Michanna Harvey lobbed the goalkeeper to complete a 2-0 win.

Ianthe Pratt were, perhaps the favourite for the U11 Boys competition, as many of their players are involved in the TCIFA U12 Center of Excellence. However, they had to come from behind to beat a spirited Enid Capron team 5-1. Junior Paul, who was the tournament’s MVP, scored a hat-trick in the final and Shadown Sainjour added two more goals.

The U13 Girls final saw Wesley Methodist beating Enid Capron 5-1.

Wesley Methodist received a scare earlier in the tournament when they lost 2-1 to Enid Capron and only narrowly managed to make it out of the group stage. However, they made amends running out comfortable winners after Enid capron appeared to be on the comeback trail after falling behind 2-0.

Guerline Hall did her best to rally her troops but it was enough as Capron’s goal by Andrisse Fenelon was out matched by two goals from Makayla Ellis and Monae Gooden and one from Juhnee Dickenson.

MVP for the U13 Girls was Trincy Reid of Wesley Methodist who led her team well from defence.

The final game of the day saw the

CARIFTA TEAM: Twenty of the 24-strong Carifta Track and Field Championships athletes, chosen to represent the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Bahamas, held a news conference at the Gustarvus Lightbourne Sports Complex before their departure. They also took time for a photo op. Photos the full delegation.

Collegiate taking on Enid Capron beating Enid Capron 3-0. The game was an exciting affair with lots of skill, determination and passion on display. Both teams had chances early on but the Collegiate began to enjoy more possession and they were

YARIELCA DE LA CRUZ ON FIRE IN IFS LEAGUE

T

he Island Fire Supplies reached the half way stage last weekend and the tables were turned upside down as least week leaders the Provo all Stars have now moved down to last place as they lost both their games.

The Eastern Eagles now have a slender league over the Western Wolverines who owe their rise in the rankings to Yarielca De La Cruz who rounded off a great individual performance by scoring five of her team’s six goals.

The opening game between the All Stars and the Eagles was a closely fought game as both teams had chances early on, however a defensive error allowed Yarileny De La Cruz to bundle the ball home for the Eagles. She soon doubled the lead as she glided past two defenders to score from close range.

The All Stars sprang back into action with an impressive solo goal from Sarah Cenary but the Eagles managed to hang on for a wellearned win.

In the second game the Western Wolverines proved too strong for the All Stars as they record-

eventually rewarded when Gabriel Diotte’s long range shot found the back of the net.

The second half was equally competitive as Enid capron gave everything to get back in the game and Rodrigo Vasquez pulled off some great saves to keep a clean sheet for the Collegiate. With only a few minutes remaining Enid’s defence gave up two late goals to Cole Nickson and Diotte to give the Collegiate the title for the second year running.

Technical Director Matthew Green was delighted with the event.

“Every year the tournament improves and more teams participate.

It was great to see schools like Precious Treasures playing for the first time and usual Enid Capron performed well and were very unlucky not to come away with a championship. Ianthe Pratt did a great job with their teams this year which shows just how competitive this competition is becoming as teams are really going all-out to win the tournament,” Green said.

ed a comfortable 3-0 win. Yarielca De La Cruz scored from the penalty spot after Chrystal Stirling had been tripped by Kadine Delphin and Gaya Smith soon made it 2-0 as she forced her way through the All Stars defence and finished from a tight angle. Yarielca De La Cruz then made sure of the points with a fierce drive into the top left corner.

The Wolverines continued their impressive form into the last game as they opened up a two goal lead against the Eagles as De La Cruz scored two excellent long range free-kick. Her older sister Yarileny pulled a goal back for the Eagles but it was yarielca who had the final say as she rounded off an excellent individual performance with another blistering shot from outside the penalty area.

Technical Director was pleased with the overall performances.

“This league allows a lot of our younger players to get some valuable playing time and the likes of Rodiesha Johnson, Amber Hurdle, Danarah Brooks did a great job today. Some of more experienced players also put in strong performances which is pleasing as we plan ahead for international games over the coming year.”

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

LOCAL SPORTS

Retrievers have slender lead in Sailrock U15 Boys league T

he U15 Sailrock Boys league has reached the half way stage and there is little to separate the top 3 teams. The Golden Retrievers are on 11 points, with the Eagles on 10 and the Grasshoppers on 9 points. The Tigers who lost both their games last weekend have yet to record a victory this season and are behind on three points.

The Golden Retrievers had to fight hard for two close wins as they defeated both the Grasshoppers and the Eagles by a 2-1 margin. Goals from Gabriel Diotte and Samir Tolani ensured that Jeff Beljour’s strike was not enough for the Grasshoppers and Diotte added two more to outscore the Eagles who had led through Ras Diamond’s well placed goal.

The Grasshoppers did manage a win as they defeated the Tigers 3-2 with goals from Kevin Simon, Raymondo Carasco and Beljour. Jackson

Pierre and Jeffty Desvales scored for the Tigers in this narrow defeat but they could do nothing to stop the eagles as they destroyed the Grasshoppers in a comfortable 7-0 win. Myrohn Pereira (2), Ras Diamond(2), Timothy Gill, Adner Davilmar and Erickson Homme ensured that the Eagles remained in second place.

Sailrock U12 Boys League With two weeks left to play the Sailrock U12 League is heating up as three teams find themselves in a strong position to win the championship. The Orange All Stars had another strong day and are now four points clear. The All Stars defeated both the Red Devils and the Green Dragons 2-0 before sharing the pints with a 1-1 draw against the Purple Pirates. Youvens Timeny (2), Keishun Dean (2) and Orrin Campbell were the scores for the top placed team who are still unde-

feated this season.

The Blue Marlins are tied for second place on 15 points with the Yellow Jaguars but they had a disappointing day as they lost 1-0 to the green Dragons courtesy of a goal from Jouvenel Baptiste. The Marlins could only manage two draws, one against the Purple Pirates (2-2) and the other against the Jaguars. The Marlins had goals from Shadown Sianjour (2) and Tyron Robinson. The Yellow Jaguars were pleased with their performance which included a 3-1 win against the Pirates and 2-1 against the Devils. Junior Paul scored four goals on the day and was assisted with two strikes from Charlie McKnight.

In the remaining games the Green Dragons defeated the Red Devils 3-1 with goals from Jouvenel Baptiste and John Kolas as well as an own goal, Idson Belony scored a consolation goal for the Devils.

FORMER HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING CHAMP VISITS TCI:

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ormer Light Heavyweight Boxing champions Michael Moorer was in the Turks and Caicos Islands to share in the birthday celebration of his friend John Wright earlier this month. The birthday bash was held at the Flamingo Restaurant along the Grace Bay Beach, which was loaded with activities, including tug-a-war and spicy jerk chicken eating contest. Moorer told The SUN that the visit was his third time to the Turks and Caicos, which he loves to visit and enjoy the sun and the world-famous beach. Moorer (left) can be seen in a photo op with Wright (right) and proprietors of the Flamingo Restaurant Ricky Clarke and his wife Stacy.

Yellow Jaguars have Sailrock trophy in sight T

he Sailrock U15 league has all but decided as the Yellow Jaguars have a nine point lead ahead of the White Wolves. The Jaguars need only one point from their remaining three games to secure the title which in view of their dominance this season seems assured. Last weekend they managed three straight wins alsthough they were all close encounters.

They defeated the Striking Cheetahs 2-1 as Yarileny De La Cruz led the way with two goals, before claiming a crucial 1-0 win against the white Wolves courtesy of Ketani Marajah’s lone goal.

The final game saw two late goals end a stern challenge from the Green Dragons.

The White Wolves remain in second place after beating the Green Dragons 2-1 and sharing the points with a 2-2 draw against the Red devils. Shinaydine Pluviose scored all three of her teams goals on the day to move her up to second place in the league’s top goal scorer competition.

The Red Devils are close behind in third place but they had disappointing day failing to win a game and falling 1-0 to the Striking Cheetahs. The Cheetahs managed two wins on the day against

the Titans and the Devils. Trincy Reid scored the winner against the Titans after scoring earlier against the Jaguars and Andrisse Fenelon scored on her debut against the Devils.

In the remaining games the Titans had a respectable 2-2 tie with the Devils as goals from Monae Gooden and Daria Coakley cancelled out the two goals from Yarielca De La Cruz. The Titans earned a hard fought victory against the Green Dragons in their final game (3-2) as goals from Gooden, Coakley overcame the strikes from Waldine Pierre and Alina Ayer.

IF YOU NEED YOUR SPORTING EVENT COVERED JUST CALL US AT 946-8542 OR EMAIL US YOUR REPORTS AND PHOTOS AT sun@suntci.com

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Sports CARIBBEAN

Cameron elected WICB President

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RIDGETOWN— Jamaican businessman Dave Cameron was yesterday elected president of the West Indies Cricket Board, beating incumbent Dr Julian Hunte in a close vote at the Annual General Meeting in Barbados.

Cameron, who previously served as vice president to Hunte, won 7-5 to ensure the change of guard in one of the Caribbean’s most prestigious bodies.

His running mate Emmanuel Nanthan, the Windward Islands Cricket Board chief, also took the post of vice president after beating Barbados Cricket Association president Joel Garner 8-4.

“I am happy and feel extremely blessed to be leading this august body this afternoon,” Cameron told

New WICB president Dave Cameron a media conference afterward.

“As you know, the election process has been a long one…I travelled from Kingston to Georgetown to en-

sure that I was able to address the concerns of our stakeholders.

Cameron, who comes to the post with ten years plus WICB experience, campaigned on promises to improve the board’s financial viability and increase the involvement of the region’s corporate sector.

He said he was now prepared for this challenge as well as that of uniting West Indies cricket and charting a path for the success of the regional team.

“In my manifesto I talked about improving and building on our immense talent, increasing the revenues in the sport…participation and about uniting the region through cricket,” he said.

“And I certainly believe this thing called cricket, and West Indies cricket in particular, is very passionate to

all of us and I would like to say from the sweeper on the street to the prime ministers of the region, this is very passionate to all of us and with that we take on this very huge task of building the West Indies team and taking it back to the top where we are accustomed to.”

The election of Cameron ended Hunte’s bid for a fourth successive two-year term and marks the second major administrative change in West Indies cricket within the last seven months.

Last September, St Lucian Ernest Hilaire stepped down from the post of chief executive officer to take up a diplomatic posting on behalf of his country’s government in London.

He was subsequently replaced by Jamaican Michael Muirhead.

West Indies Players Association Bolt confirmed for loses major court case Jamaica Invitational

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he High Court in Trinidad and Tobago has ruled in favour of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in their long-running case with regional players union, WIPA, regarding the contentious issue of the Memorandum of Understanding and Collective Bargaining Agreement (MOU/CBA) which governed the relationship between the two bodies.

On March 30, 2011 WICB wrote to WIPA giving notice of revision of the MOU/CBA by June 30, 2011.

WICB also notified WIPA of the termination of the MOU/CBA effective September 30, 2011 should there be no revision.

It is this termination which was the subject of dispute, and Justice Ricky Rahim yesterday discharged the injunction brought by WIPA and ordered the body to pay the WICB’s court costs of TT$900,000.

In a media release yesterday, the WICB explained: “WIPA claimed that the WICB had attempted to illegally unilaterally terminate the agreements, which WIPA asserted could only be ter-

minated by mutual consent, revision of the documents or the dispute resolution procedure contained in the agreements.

“WIPA also sought an injunction keeping the agreements in force until the claim could be heard, which was granted on March 1, 2012,” the release stated.

“WICB had disagreed with WIPA’s assertion, countering that it was clear that the parties had intended the MOU/CBA to be terminable and that they were terminable upon reasonable notice.”

The release also stated: “The WICB wishes to assure that the best interests of the players will remain paramount and intends to engage WIPA to chart the way forward.”

A source familiar with the workings of WIPA told CMC Sports, however, that the ruling should not be viewed as a victory and it was likely that WIPA, after reviewing the matter with its lawyers, could well file an appeal.

“I don’t think it is a victory for the Board at all. In fact we see it as a major step back,

going back to the days where anything happens, a strike, industrial action…that is what we are going back to. We are in for interesting times,” the source said.

“The issue was purely a legal one and it wasn’t an issue to determine whether the contract was a good contract or not. It was whether in fact the Board could give reasonable notice to terminate and that was the case.”

Dave Kissoon and Sushilla Jadoonanan appeared for WIPA, while Christopher and Luke Hamel-Smith and Catherine Ramnarine represented WICB.

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INGSTON, Jamaica — Usain Bolt, the two-time reigning Olympic champion at 100 and 200 metres, will run at the Jamaica International Invitational athletics meet on May 4, organisers confirmed yesterday.

Yohan Blake and US sprint star Allyson Felix will also compete in the meeting, but meet director Donald Quarrie, a former Olympic 200 champion, said there will be no showdown between Bolt and Blake in the same event at Kingston.

“Bolt has been confirmed, but his coach, Glen Mills, will decide on the event he will run at a later date,” Quarrie said.

Blake, second to Bolt in both sprints at the London Olympics, is also undecided about his event.

“Bolt and Blake will run, but not in the same event,” Quarrie said. “Hopefully next week we should know the event.”

Felix, the Olympic 200m champion, will compete in the meet for the first time and she will have a showdown with Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown in the women’s 100, Quarrie said.

Felix, a three-time world champion in the 200, first ran in Kingston at the 2002 world junior championships.

Two-time Olympic 100m women’s champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will run the 200, the event in which she finished second at the London Olympics.

Hansle Parchment, a London Olympic bronze medallist, will run the 110m hurdles.

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Sports W

RLD

Tiger Woods reclaim World No 1 Ranking

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ot even a ferocious storm that pushed the Arnold Palmer Invitational to a Monday finish could stop Tiger Woods from winning an eighth Bay Hill title and reclaiming the world number one ranking.

Looking like his old imposing self, Woods completed a final-round two-under 70 for a two-shot victory over Briton Justin Rose to collect his 77th career PGA Tour win and begin his 11th reign as world number one.

After accepting the sparkling silver trophy from tournament host Arnold Palmer, a clearly delighted Woods was left feeling on top of the world as he returned to the top of the rankings for the first time since October 2010.

“There are certain events that are more special,” Woods told reporters. “When you have Arnold Palmer on the 18th green or you have Jack (Nicklaus) at the Memorial ... it’s special to be able to walk off the 18th green and see these guys there.

“They’re living legends of the game.”

Woods has held the number one ranking for a staggering 623 weeks but in the 29 months since he last abdicated his throne Britons Lee Westwood and Luke Donald, Germany’s

Martin Kaymer and, most recently, Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy, have all occupied the top spot.

Woods’s eighth victory at Bay Hill equals Sam Snead’s mark for most wins at a single PGA Tour event.

It also leaves him just five shy of matching the World Golf Hall of Fame member’s record of 82 career PGA Tour victories.

In five starts this season, the 37-year-old American has collected three wins, the earliest he has won three titles in a season since 2008, marking him out as the clear favorite going into next month’s Masters.

But success in his final tuneup heading into Augusta has never translated into victory at the year’s first major. Each time Woods has won his final event before the Masters (2000, 2003, and 2008) he failed to reach the Augusta winner’s circle.

Still, few will be betting against Woods slipping into a fifth green jacket next month.

“If I get healthy, I know I can play this game at a high level,” said Woods, who has battled back from knee injuries and struggled with a swing overhaul the last few seasons.

“I know I can be where I’m contending in every event, contending

in major championships and being consistent day in and day out, if I got healthy.”

PAR-FIVE DOMINANCE Woods had barely begun his final round on Sunday, rolling in a birdie putt on the par-three second hole to open up a three-shot advantage, when warning horns were sounded to evacuate the course, sending spectators and players running for cover.

Heavy rains and violent winds soon followed, ripping branches from trees, toppling over television towers and turning Bay Hill into one massive water hazard.

But when play resumed on Monday under brilliant blue skies an unruffled Woods went back to work, draining a 12-foot putt at the par-five fourth followed by another at the par-five sixth.

A wild tee shot at the eight hole resulted in Woods’s only bogey on his outward nine but he still reached the turn with a comfortable threeshot lead over playing partner Rickie Fowler and Rose.

Woods continued his mastery over the Bay Hill par-five holes, carding birdies at the 12 and 16 that provided the cushion for his win.

With a three-shot lead coming

Tiger Woods up the 18th fairway, a relaxed Woods was all smiles, playfully biting into his putter when his 74-foot par attempt at the last stopped two inches from the lip.

Fowler, who crumbled the last time he partnered with Woods in the final round of the 2012 Memorial where he shot a 12-over 84, showed no fear on Monday as he mounted a back-nine charge with birdies at 12 and 14 to chop the 14-time major winner’s advantage to two strokes.

But Fowler’s challenge disappeared in another shocking collapse with a bogey at 15 and a triple-bogey at 16, where he twice plunked his ball into the water.

“Just would like to have that seveniron back on 16 ... just unfortunate to make that swing at that time,” said Fowler.

“If we had a good shot in there, would have put a little pressure on him coming into the last two holes.”

Miami’s 27-game streak snapped after Chicago loss T

he Miami Heat’s quest for history fell short, but it didn’t end quietly.

The Chicago Bulls stopped the second-longest win streak in American professional sports history, beating the Heat 101-97 on Wednesday at a raucous United Center.

The Heat streak ended at 27. Only the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers, who won 33 in a row, had a longer winning sequence in any of America’s professional sports, and after the loss, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra reflected on a remarkable accomplishment.

“I had everyone come in and put a hand on each other,” Spoelstra said. “It was the first time I had mentioned the streak.

“It was a heck of an experience to have together. Its significance will mean much more to us later in our careers. I asked them all to share the moment with each other.”

Playing without center Joakim Noah, guard Marco Belinelli, guard Richard Hamilton and Derrick Rose, the Bulls got 28 points from Luol Deng, while Carlos Boozer compiled 21 points and 17 rebounds.

Miami Heat forward LeBron James holds his face after a play as Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer looks on Boozer came up with the biggest basket for Chicago, fighting off two opponents to grab an offensive rebound, then following it in to make the score 96-89 with 57 seconds remaining.

Nate Robinson put the game out of reach with a drive down the lane and a floater with 30.2 seconds on the clock, while LeBron James

hung on the rim after trying to block the shot.

“It didn’t matter who they were playing, everyone was following the streak,” Deng said. “So it’s great. It’s a good feeling to say we’re the ones who ended their streak before they broke the record.”

James led Miami with 32 points, while Chris Bosh scored 21 and Dwyane Wade had 18.

The game was physical throughout. James was called for a flagrant foul against Boozer, his former Cleveland teammate, with 3:52 remaining.

After leading by as many as 13 points in the first half, Chicago clung to a 69-68 edge heading into the fourth quarter. The Bulls created some space with a 6-0 run, then added a pair of 3-pointers from Deng and a corner 3-pointer by Jimmy Butler to take an 86-79 lead with 5:13 remaining.

“We were much more competitive in that second half,” Spoelstra said.

“However, we were in a make or miss situation in the fourth quarter and just couldn’t do it.

Give them credit, though, they made big plays at the end.”

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WORLD SPORTS

Sao Paulo stadium in Brazil may not be ready for World Cup B

uilders are threatening to halt construction on Sao Paulo’s new World Cup stadium within weeks because of a dispute over financing, a move that could throw next year’s global soccer tournament into disarray and embarrass the government.

The “Itaquerão” stadium on the eastern edge of Brazil’s largest and richest city is slated to host the World Cup’s opening match in June 2014 - an event meant to showcase the country’s arrival as a major economic power.

Yet in the latest of several problems plaguing preparations for the event, and a sign of broader issues with big infrastructure projects in Brazil, the companies building Itaquerão have yet to receive a promised 400 million reais ($200 million) loan from state-controlled banks.

The builders say they will stop construction soon unless the banks drop their demands for additional financing guarantees.

A delay could, in turn, force the government and world soccer body FIFA to push the Cup’s opening match to a different city, find an alternate stadium for games in Sao Paulo - or in a worst-case scenario, leave the city totally out of the Cup. “There’s a risk of work stopping or (the stadi-

um) not being ready on time,” said Andres Sanchez, former president of Brazilian soccer club Corinthians, which with local building partner Odebrecht has been financing construction of Itaquerão for the past two years.

Red-faced and smoking incessantly while downing one coffee after another, Sanchez made a series of colorful statements meant to convey just how serious that risk is in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday at the half-finished stadium site.

Some observers say he is bluffing and using the media to try to pressure the banks, and President Dilma Rousseff’s government, to accept less stringent terms for the loans.

Sanchez, who has been put forth by the companies as an unofficial spokesman in recent months, indicated that he believes a last-minute agreement is possible, even likely. But he rejected the notion that he is making empty threats.

“I’m not going to pay for you to hold a party,” he said. “This isn’t a technical problem with construction ... We’ve put forth several (guarantees), but the bank wants more, so we have this impasse.”

With an estimated construction cost of 820 million reais, the stadium is certainly expensive

NBA Commissioner-in-waiting eyes global expansion A

golden period awaits the National Basketball Association (NBA) with global interest and business opportunities growing, the man set to replace Commissioner David Stern, said on Thursday.

Adam Silver will replace David Stern as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who will replace Stern when the NBA’s longest-serving commissioner steps down next February, considers China key to the league’s growth potential and likes the idea of one day having team based outside the United States.

“I’m excited about the opportunity ahead,” Silver told Reuters after a news conference to announce that ESPN and the WNBA extended an agreement to televise the women’s league by six years through 2022.

Silver, who joined NBA management 20 years ago, worked on the original WNBA business plan and said he was “thrilled” by the TV deal and predicted the pieces were in place “to take the league to the next level.”

The quiet, bespectacled executive, who has largely labored in the background while the autocratic Stern steered the NBA, was even more animated on the strides he believed the NBA would make.

“I’m incredibly excited about the opportunity I have with the NBA, which is also poised for not just another chapter in its growth but I think is

prepared to take another leap in popularity, especially outside the United States,” said Silver.

NBA teams based overseas was something Silver envisioned for the future, but said it was too early to predict when.

“Initially the growth is going to come from digital media,” said Silver. “For example, I was in Beijing and Shanghai last week meeting with our media partners there. We currently have 55 million followers of the NBA on social media platforms in China.

“We’re now in the 26th year of a partnership with CCTV in China and have a very healthy slate of sponsors there.

“Probably most important for the long term growth for the NBA, participation levels continue to increase among the Chinese youth, both boys and girls. Right now it’s our second largest market. But who knows in a country of 1.3 billion what the opportunities will ultimately be?”

Silver, 50, said Stern was planning a trip to India next month. “Another country of over a billion people with a young population that loves basketball.”

He said the NBA is working with Brooklyn Nets Russian owner Mikhail Prokhorov and the Russian government to further grow basketball there as well as projects to develop the game more on the continent of Africa.

Silver said he believed establishing teams outside the United States was part of the NBA’s future, but remained in the conceptual stage.

“When we do expand, we’d need to expand probably with multiple teams, so that you wouldn’t have an orphan team in Europe, but that you’d potentially have a division so those teams could play each other more often and NBA teams presumably traveling in Europe could have more teams to play when they’re over there,” said Silver.

“It’s still a concept, but I’m comfortable with it.”

to build without public financing. It will have a permanent capacity of 48,000 people - and 20,000 more temporary seats for the World Cup - plus a video screen that will be even bigger than the famous one at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Asked when he would stop construction, Sanchez declined to provide a date but said it would happen within weeks.

Itaquerão is hardly the only Cup venue with problems.

FIFA has expressed concerns over delays at several stadiums in the 12 Brazilian host cities, especially the venue for the final in Rio de Janeiro. Several transport projects related to the Cup, such as a train link at Sao Paulo’s domestic airport, have also been plagued by problems and won’t be ready until after the tournament is over.

Many Brazilians believe the venues will be ready on time, citing other recent World Cups and Olympic Games that came down to the wire but turned out fine. Yet Sanchez said as many as four host cities might end up being left out of the tournament because of problems.

“The stadium most at risk is Corinthians’,” he said. “If they don’t do the opening game here, they’ll do it elsewhere.”

“BLADE RUNNER” PISTORIUS GETS PASSPORT BACK

“B

lade Runner” Oscar Pistorius was granted permission to travel abroad on Thursday when a South African judge relaxed bail conditions imposed after the Paralympic and Olympic track star was charged with murdering his girlfriend.

Judge Bert Bam said the 26-year-old, a double amputee who won worldwide fame last year when he reached the semi-finals of the 400m in the London Olympics, could have his passport back and no longer needed to report to a probation officer.

The relaxation of initially tough bail conditions for Pistorius opens up the possibility that he could return to competition this year, including the IAAF World Championships in August.

His agent, Peet van Zyl, said, however, it was too early to say whether Pistorius was in the right shape physically and mentally to return to the track after being charged with murder for shooting dead his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day. “We’re not just going to jump now and grab any opportunity to run,” van Zyl said in an interview. “It’s Oscar’s choice. He has got to be up for it. It will be his decision alone.”

After his arrest, Pistorius canceled scheduled appearances in March, April and May in Australia, Brazil, the United States and Britain.

Steenkamp’s murder stunned South Africa and the millions around the world who held Pistorius up as hero who triumphed over adversity to compete with able-bodied athletes at the highest levels of sport.

Prosecutors said he committed premeditated murder when he fired four shots into a locked toilet door, hitting 29-year-old Steenkamp as she cowered on the other side. She suffered gunshot wounds to her head, hip and arm.

Pistorius has said the killing was a tragic mistake and that he had mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder and opened fire in a blind panic.

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