Volume 7 Issue 12

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

TURKS AND

E-mail: sun@suntci.com www.suntci.com

Tel: (649) 946-8542 Fax: (649) 941-3281 VOLUME 7 No. 12

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By Hayden Boyce Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

THE NATIONAL HEALTH Insurance Board (NHIB) is getting tough with businesses and self-employed persons who are not keeping their payments up-to-date and therefore causing problems for their staff when it comes to receiving health care.

In an exclusive interview with The SUN, CEO of NHIB Brian Hogan revealed there are about 277 employers and self-employed persons in the Turks and Caicos Islands that are delinquent by $2,500 or more, which means that they are owed more than $700,000.

Continued on page 2

CIVIL SERVICE SICKOUT RESULTED IN MAJOR FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS - PG5

IVAN BROWNE NO LONGER AT IBG- PG 7

BLAZE FM’S CEO DEVON WILLIAMS SAYS HE IS BEING VICTIMIZED -PG11

PROVIDENCIALES WELCOME SIGN UNVEILED

The newly constructed and painted Welcome Sign located at the Walter Cox Round-a-about downtown Providenciales was unveiled on Monday, March 21, by Acting Director of Tourism Ralph Higgs and Mr. Cartwright, the artist who voluntarily painted it. The sign encompasses the Beautiful By Nature theme of the TCI, displaying sparkling turquoise waters, sandy beaches and world famous, Jo-Jo the Dolphin. The previous sign was destroyed nearly a year ago by after a motorist slammed into the monument. The new sign operates as tourists’ first glimpse into the heart and culture of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

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NHIB getting tough with those who don’t pay

LOCAL NEWS Continued from Page 1

“Many of these employers and self-employed have made arrangements to bring their balances current but are still considered seriously delinquent,” Hogan said.

“NHIB is increasing resources to ensure compliance with both registration and timeliness of collections. The Board is taking steps to proactively correct this situation to ensure access to primary care which is the key element of preventing emergency care. NHIB also intends to recover the cost of claims from individuals who incur the claims while breaking a law such as driving while intoxicated.”

Hogan said there are presently 2,241 public and private employers with a total of 19,536 contributors (inclusive of pensioners) and 10,376 dependents and other wards of the state like the indigent and prisoners.

Total beneficiaries registered as of March 23, 2011 are 29,912.

The SUN told Hogan it had received reports from persons who have complained that when they go to the hospital they are being refused treatment or they have to pay more because their employers are in arrears. Hogan was asked if this is true, and why is this the case?

He responded by saying: “No

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

person is denied emergency care that is necessary to save a life or prevent morbidity, regardless of their ability to pay.

However, people are expected to pay for health care at the time of service, as they would for any other goods, unless previous arrangements have been made. Because the cost of healthcare can be unpredictable and financially catastrophic to an individual, insurance is an effective means for all beneficiaries to make reasonable and predictable payments through contributions so those beneficiaries who need immediate access to healthcare can receive the treatment they require.”

Hogan said the ability of NHIB to pay for health services at Interhealth Canada, private providers or overseas providers is dependent on its ability to collect contributions in a timely manner.

“While fines and penalties motivate the timely payments from most contributors, unfortunately on some occasions restricting access to healthcare is the only way to compel payment of contributions,” he stated.

When asked if it is legal for doctors to refuse to treat a patient who visits the hospital for treatment, Hogan stressed: “Again, no person will be denied emergency care regardless of their ability to pay. It is legal for doctors to refuse to treat

patients just as any business can refuse to provide service to an individual. While it is a rare occurrence in healthcare, it is usually due to abusive comments or threats directed at the doctor by the patient or relative.”

Given the tough economic conditions in the Turks and Caicos Islands, The SUN asked Hogan if there is there a particular grace period for employers to be current with their payments, so that employees' health care would not be compromised?

He noted that Article 12 of the National Health Insurance (Benefit) Regulations 2010 states the Board shall terminate benefit under the Plan in the event of non-payment of any contribution due under the Plan, on the expiration of one month from the date on which such contribution becomes due.

“For example,” he continued, “contributions for compensation earned during the month of February are due March 14th so NHIB systems are programmed to terminate benefits one month later, which would be April 14. However, employees are afforded further protection under Article 37 (2) of the National Health Insurance Ordinance which states that any person or employer who fails to pay any contribution under this Ordinance shall be liable to pay the full cost of any medical services incurred by him or a person on whose behalf he is liable to pay such contributions.

Asked how many businesses or individuals in the TCI he estimated

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

are still not registered with the NHIP, Hogan disclosed that as of February 18, NHIB estimates there are 171 employer groups representing 313 employees have registered but have never paid a contribution.

“Estimating the size of the informal economy and the number of individuals that satisfy NHIP eligibility requirements but have not registered is more difficult, but it is likely between 1,000 and 2,000 individuals,” Hogan added.

With regards to how much money has the NHIB collected since it started, Hogan told The SUN that unaudited collections from inception through March 31, 2010 are $8,608,000, while unaudited collections from April 1, 2010 through March 23, 2011 are $31,224,000.

When questioned about how many claims the NHIB has processed and how much money has it paid out in claims, he responded: “NHIB is responsible for domestic prescription drug and private provider claims as well as overseas treatment claims.

From April 10, 2010 through March 23rd NHIB has processed 76,888 claims submitted from 147 Contracted Providers. Unaudited payments for these claims as of March 23 are $6,491,000 (before adjusting for reinsurance recoveries).

Through February 2011, InterHealth Canada provided 55,300 outpatient services and managed 1,534 inpatient events. Through March 23, NHIB made unaudited clinical payments of $20,445,513 to InterHealth Canada.”

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Civil Service sick-out caused major flights to Turks and Caicos Islands to be cancelled

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

LOCAL NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

A MASSIVE SICK-OUT by Civil Servants in the Turks and Caicos Islands on Thursday March 24th severely affected the operations of six major airlines and the world’s largest private jet company that serve this island-nation which is a magnet for mainly high-end tourists from all around the globe.

Inbound and outbound flights by American Airlines, Delta, US Airways, Continental, Air Canada and Jet Blue have had to be cancelled, as well as private jets from Net Jets, the largest fractional ownership jet company in the world. These airlines operate from Miami, New York, New Jersey, Boston, Atlanta, Dallas and other major gateways.

Also affected were Bahamas Air which operates from Nassau and Air Turks and Caicos which operates flights among the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Early Thursday, the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority suspended operations into and out of its airports country-wide due to the absence of adequate coverage from the Royal Turks and Caicos Fire Service.

“We are working assiduously to resume operations, and apologize for any inconvenience caused,” the release said.

By law, if there is no fire-fighting coverage at the airport, no passenger flights are allowed to land or takeoff.

The sick-out was sparked by the Interim Pilots grounded due to lack of air traffic controllers and airport fire fighters are seen standing outside the Providenciales Government’s refusal to meet a March 18th deadline, International Airport. after being served with one-week notice to respond to demands for the reinstatement of full salary to all Civil that the sick-out is planned for two days, which Servants as it was prior to April 2010, when it was cut means that it will stretch into Friday, but if it continues into Saturday it will be quite serious by ten percent.

“This sick-out has paralyzed the aviation and because that’s when most of the flights and tourists tourism industry,” said a high-level Government come in.”

Several tourists who were expecting to leave on source who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the press. “I understand morning and mid-day flights had to return to their

hotels.

Information reaching The SUN indicates that hundreds of Government workers in the Middle Caicos, South Caicos, North Caicos, Providenciales, Salt Cay and the island-capital of Grand Turk, called in sick.

Teachers were also part of the industrial action, causing schools in the islands to close early.

Hospitals remained open, and it was business as usual in the private sector.

The Civil Servants Association (CSA) submitted its list of demands/proposals to the Interim Administration on Friday March 11, 2011.

The CSA noted that in April 2010 the Government had implemented a 10% cut in Civil Servants salary which was supposed to have saved $7 Million and reduce the need to make persons redundant.

According to the CSA, this $7 million saving has been realized and the recent repayment of the Special Investigations and Prosecutions Team (SIPT) expenditure by the British Government to TCIG has made available $7million-plus which should be paid to Civil Servants retroactively for the 10% salary cut.

“The introduction of the new taxation measures will make it difficult for Civil Servants to meet their basic needs without the reinstatement of this 10% salary cut,” the CSA said in a media statement.

The CSA noted that the decision taken by the Interim Administration on the advice of the Customs Tariff Advisor to change the tariff system has resulted in a significant shortfall in government revenue for which Civil Servants are now being asked to pay for with the various reductions in Pension and Payroll.

Sick-out could damage TCI’s reputation as a top tourism destination and cause difficulties for Civil Servants, say Government

THE ACTIONS OF the Civil Service Association (CSA) may “cause difficulties for the very civil servants it represents”, while potentially damaging the reputation of the Turks and Caicos Islands, according to a press release from the Government Press Office.

Responding to the March 24th sick-out by hundreds of Civil Servants country-wide, the press statement said that while the response across government was patchy and caused minimal disruption to most areas of government, firefighters at Providenciales International Airport were among those that chose to stay home.

“As a consequence of the firefighters’ decision the airport had to be closed to all flights. This is an extremely serious matter.

The firefighters’ action, at the request of the CSA leadership, has caused enormous inconvenience to the

CEO of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Mark Capes

thousands of passengers scheduled to pass through the airport: not only tourists, but also those travelling for business, or medical reasons. Of particular concern is that the firefighters’ action has the potential to jeopardize the ability of the airport to deal with any aircraft that might

have needed to land in an emergency,” the release said.

“The CSA’s decision to include this essential government service in their action is seriously misguided.

In addition to the impact on the airport’s ability to deal with an emergency, the airport closure will have a financial cost to many TCI businesses. It also has the potential to damage the TCI’s reputation as a top tourist destination.”

The Government statement said that on Friday 11 March the CSA sent an undated note by e-mail to the Governor and to the CEO containing a list of 17 ‘demands’.

It added: “The (CSA) note demanded a response within seven days. On Thursday 17 March the TCI Government advised the CSA that it was carefully reviewing the list of demands and would provide a substantive response as soon as possible. The CSA demands, which relate mainly to the detailed

proposals for changes to payroll and pension issues put to the CSA by Government on 4 March, raise complex issues that require time to address properly. Work on a detailed response is almost complete with a substantive reply expected to issue by the end of this week. It is therefore disappointing that the CSA should have taken this premature step and encouraged such a damaging action by some public servants, rather than continue to work with the Government to a mutually acceptable outcome.”

The Government released continued: “The CSA’s actions may also cause difficulties for the very civil servants they represent. As a consequence of the participation in the ‘sick out’ by some members of the Ministry of Finance, the financial system used for wage and salary payments was not operational today.

This means that the payment of wages/salaries may be delayed.”

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LOCAL NEWS

Ghosts of Iraq: Why the War Against Libya Remains Leaderless

By Max Fisher

Since American and European air strikes on Libya began, a number of journalists have asked some variation of the same question: What, exactly, are our ultimate objectives? Stopping leader Muammar Qaddafi's violence against civilians? Splitting the country between the Qaddafi-held west and rebeldominated east? Or the total and immediate end of Qaddafi's four-decade rule? But there's a second big, unanswered question about Western intervention in Libya that might help explain the first: Who is in charge?

On the fifth straight day of foreign, air- and seabased attacks against Qaddafi's forces, there is still no one leading the massive Western force. The U.S., as Pentagon officials frequently point out at daily press conferences, is not in charge. NATO, still deadlocked by internal disputes, is not in charge. The United Nations Security Council, which only gave enough authority to enforce a no-fly zone, is not in charge of the now far more aggressive campaign. The Arab League, which withdrew its support within hours of granting it, is certainly not in charge. It would be as if, in June 1944, the allied powers decided to invade Normandy at roughly the same time, but didn't bother to appoint General Eisenhower to command and coordinate the multi-national force.

Journalists trying to answer the question of who is in charge have been reduced, perhaps because no concrete answer yet exists, to speculating as to whether the U.S. might be willing to support France's proposal for a "steering committee" for the war, though it's not even clear who would lead that committee or how it would delegate authority between the Western powers. Not only is no one in charge, no one wants to be, and no one has any idea who to appoint.

There appear to be two primary reasons for the confusion, both of which may also help explain why there's no clear objective. First, the leading Western powers all have different goals for the strikes. The U.S., France, Italy -- to possibly be joined by forces under NATO command -- are all coming to Libya with what look to be very different goals, which means conducting different missions in different ways.

Though American officials stress that the U.S. is not actively or directly seeking Qaddafi's ouster, that's exactly what the primary U.S. goal appears to be, as recent New York Times news analysis shows.

President Obama himself has declared that the Libyan despot must go. It's not hard to see why -- even the

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

George W. Bush administration's campaign to engage Qaddafi and liberalize Libya, perhaps Bush's greatest success in the region, left Qaddafi still willing to blackmail the U.S. with loose nuclear materials, as he did in 2009. Given Obama's deep personal commitment to nuclear nonproliferation, he would likely be far more inclined to forcibly remove Qaddafi. But, as Foreign Policy's Josh Rogin reported, Obama was ultimately persuaded by liberal interventionists in the White House who saw an opportunity to "rebalance U.S. foreign policy toward a greater focus on democracy and human rights" in the Middle East. The promises of Obama's 2009 Cairo speech, only half-fulfilled by the administration's crucial but late-game support for protesters in Egypt, are now being delivered in the form of cruise missiles.

France's heavy involvement is, like that of the U.S. and Great Britain, driven in part by a desire to atone for past sins against the Arab region. But France is attempting to make up for something much more recent than the 2003 Iraq invasion. President Nicolas Sarkozy's support for Tunisian dictator Ben Ali was deep, long-held, and consistent right up until the latter's ouster by popular protest. France, long a symbol of colonialist oppression in North Africa, looked once again like the hated imperial power it had formerly been. Now, Sarkozy is trying to champion a much older French identity; that of the 18th and 19th centuries, when revolutionary French ideals and another impish French leader helped spread democracy and liberty. In attacking Qaddafi and helping Libyans "liberate themselves," France has "decided to assume its role, its role before history," said Sarkozy, who could also use a foreign policy victory after months of devastating violence in Francophone North and West Africa and leading up to presidential voting rounds where he is expected to lose by a wide margin.

Italy's concerns in Libya are far more immediate.

As the closest European nation to Libya, as well as to Tunisia and Egypt, Italy's economic well-being depends heavily on having a good relationship with North Africa. Italy consumes 32 percent of Libya's oil output and it handles much of the trade between North Africa and the rest of Europe. The Arab uprisings have severely disrupted both the flow of oil and of maritime trade. Italy's economic interest would have probably been best served by there being no intervention at all, thus allowing Qaddafi to quickly defeat the rebels and return to pumping oil. But if there must be war -- and Italy was happy to drag its feet in the early negotiations over intervening -- then Italy's economic interest is for that war to end as

Editorial Cartoon

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

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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. decisively and as quickly as possible.

The second probable reason for the confusion over who is leading strikes against Libya is that no Western power wants to find itself leading a third international war in a troubled and complicated Muslim state. Everyone wants to play a supporting role but no one wants to be in charge, which has left the foreign interventionists leaderless, rudderless, and, ultimately, without a clear set of objectives to guide the way. Obama's Cairo speech, by rebuking the Iraq war but promising that the U.S. would seek Arab democratization, put the U.S. in the awkward position of desiring Qaddafi's ouster but unwilling to openly lead the military mission necessary to make that happen. Sarkozy wants France to play the hero in Libya, but fears that, if the intervention drags on and becomes muddied in the dirty business of occupying Tripoli or negotiating with Qaddafi loyalists, France could once again look the colonial power. Italy, which held Libya until 1951, has similar fears. And no country wants to own a long-running, possibly sectarian conflict in Libya the way that the U.S. owns the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Perhaps most of all, no Western power wants to lead the intervention because that would be to implicitly lead the war against Qaddafi, and for that war to succeed it must remain led by the Libyan people. Revolutions are far, far more likely to succeed when they're organic, popular, and native to the country being revolutionized. If led by the outside, it becomes regime change, something the U.S. has attempted several times, typically to horrifyingly disastrous results, from the CIA-led coup in Iran in 1951 to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. So the Western powers want to support, rather than lead, the Libyan rebels pushing against Qaddafi. But the rebel leadership is fractured and confused, to the extent that such leadership even exists at all. There is no clear authority to coordinate with; even if there were, it's not clear how adept they would be at commanding a multi-national air and naval force based on three continents. Until the rebels establish a leader who is both legitimate and competent enough for the U.S., Great Britain, France, Italy, and others to willingly hand over their authority, until a Western nation steps into the leadership role, or until a multinational body such as NATO can organize itself into taking charge -- three extremely difficult and unlikely events -- the war will continue without a leader. But, leader or no, it will certainly continue.

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Ivan Browne no longer at International Banking Group

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

LOCAL NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

WEEKS AFTER UNCEREMONIOUSLY making about ten employees of International Banking Group (IBG) redundant, President and Chief Executive Officer Ivan Browne has found himself without a job.

Well-placed sources told The SUN that members of the bank staff were informed on Tuesday that Browne will no longer be working with the bank.

Up to the time of writing, it could not be confirmed whether Browne was fired or if he had resigned, but sources within the bank said employees were “very, very happy to see him go”.

The SUN understands that highranking officials from Cayman Islands-based Cayman National Bank which has majority shares in IBG, flew in to the Turks and Caicos Islands to meet with Browne, bank staffers and other local directors of the bank.

Among those who came in for the meeting was bank chairman Stuart Dack, who also heads Cayman National Bank and who had written a letter to Browne condemning the “inappropriate behaviour” which he had exhibited towards a number of female staffers.

Asked what was the reaction from staff to the news that Browne was leaving, a bank employee said: “You know, there was a big sigh of relief.

The staff got their wish. It felt like a huge burden was lifted off the bank and its employees. A lot of the staff did not like how the matter of making some staff, especially key staff, redundant was handled and a lot of them are still talking about it. It really affected the morale of the staff and

Former President and Chief Executive Officer Ivan Browne

many of them think that to send home staff from a new bank so early in its operations will affect customers confidence in the bank.”

The employee spokesperson added: “The staff felt that it would be difficult for him to continue in that position after those allegations of sexual harassment were made against him and then the bank’s own directors did their own investigations and wrote to him about. The staff are not stupid and like members of the public they were asking, how the bank could allow him to stay on?”

Inside sources told The SUN that since Browne’s departure, experienced banker Kenny Bovell, who was brought over from the Cayman Islands, has been appointed Managing Director.

Nine months after its opening,

Turks and Caicos SUN

International Banking Group (IBG) shockingly decided to earlier this month to make at least ten employees redundant.

The redundancy notices to some of the staff came on the heels of a letter from bank chairman Stuart Dack which revealed that a disciplinary panel drawn from the board of directors found that Browne “exhibited inappropriate behaviour” towards a number of female staffers.

Inside sources told The SUN that a number of female employees had formally complained about sexual harassment from and by Browne since 2010.

The bank’s board indicated by letters to some of the alleged victims that the complaints were taken seriously and they required Browne to appear at a disciplinary hearing.

The SUN was able to confirm that Browne was given a written letter

formally warning him that his conduct must not be repeated and that the female staffer were written and informed that it was “regrettable that the incidents took place”.

This newspaper’s investigations also revealed earlier this month that just over a week after Brown received the letter from Dack, the bank’s chairman, he wrote a letter to some of the staff members, including persons, who had reported him for sexual harassment, informing them that “unfortunately it is necessary for us to consider making a number of staff redundant”.

The SUN obtained a copy of a letter signed by Browne and addressed to one of the affected employees which stated: “When we opened the new bank, we anticipated a much greater inflow of new business and staff numbers were planned against these expectations. The general economic conditions have conspired against our original projections and we have no alternative but to now reduce staff members. In order to achieve sensible economies some functions will now be further supported by our parent company in Grand Cayman and in other cases existing positions will go as work volumes and activity do not justify the role at this time.”

Another letter was written by Browne to certain staff which stated, among other things, that “we have no alternative but to cut our costs through a number of redundancies”. The letter added: “Although no final decision has been made at this time, a further meeting will be arranged with you if your redundancy is confirmed.”

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Page 8

Visiting UK officials say TCI elections will be next year LOCAL NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

By Vivian Tyson SUN Senior Editor

TWO HIGH-LEVEL visiting dignitaries from the United Kingdom’s (UK) Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), have indicated that elections in the Turks and Caicos Islands will be held next year.

Robert Hannigan, Director General of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Director Colin Roberts, gave that assurance during a press conference in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands on Wednesday March 23rd.

Hannigan told journalists that the Interim Government was itching to return the reins of power to local rule, so that the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands can choose their own government.

“This Interim Government is probably one of the few Governments in the world that wants to see itself out of office as soon as possible. We hope very much that this will come to an end next year with elections; that is our firm belief,” Hannigan said.

Roberts said the UK Government remains committed to its 2012 tentative election date.

“On the matter of the elections, which I know is at the forefront of people’s minds, the position remains as set-out by the Foreign Office Minister, Mr. Henry Bellingham, at the end of December (2010), that we want to have

Colin Roberts

elections as soon as it is practicable, and we aim to call elections in 2012,” Roberts said.

According to him, the UK government instituted direct rule to shore up three main areas of governance in the TCI. They include public finances, balancing of the budget and Constitutional and Government reform, noting that the final draft of the Constitution has been finalized and a team of consultants would be visiting the TCI in the first half of April to engage with the people.

“That is our commitment, and of

Robert Hannigan

course, the precondition is that the milestones are met. But I can assure you that the UK Government and the Interim Administration would do everything that we can to make sure that those milestones are met in that timing.

“And we do want to work more closely with the public service and the broader community in the TCI, to make that possible, because these are not things we can simply do ourselves.

They are things that we have to do together if we are going to make the changes necessary to complete the reform process,” Roberts said.

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

Roberts further noted that the main purpose of the visit was to listen to the various stakeholders, and to get an understanding as to what their concerns and solutions were. He noted that Britain was abreast of the work taking place in the TCI, noting that parliament has been briefed on the progress of the Special Investigation and Prosecution Team (SIPT).

Meanwhile, in supporting sentiments expressed by Roberts, Hannigan said the milestones set out by the Interim Government would have to be reached before elections could be considered, saying that momentum can be added to the process with the involvement and participation of the people.

Both said they were pleased with especially the financial progress of the Turks and Caicos Islands since British rule was implemented some two years ago. They said there have been positive signs that the country was climbing from its financial abyss for three years ago, as a result of the financial support that the UK was giving and the influx of tourist for the winter season Hannigan noted that the TCI has been presented with a grand opportunity to build a solid foundation going forward, and that the UK government would be putting the mechanisms in place so that future generation would not have to go through another turbulent time.

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The Gift Shop Department requires: ASSISTANT MANAGER Requirements include but are not limited to: At least 3 – 5 years Sales & marketing Experience - Customer Service Experience - Training and development Experience - Merchandising Skills - Inventory Management - At least 3 – 5 years retail background The Kids Kamp Department requires: PIRATES ISLAND MANAGER Requirements include but are not limited to: - Experience in running a teens and tweens programme.

- Professional designation in a related children development programme - Over 3 years managing a children’s operation

The Weddings Department requires: WEDDINGS MANAGER Requirements include but are not limited to: - Experience managing multiple wedding retail outlets - Proven sales track record in Weddings exceeding sales targets - Ability to up and cross sell - Over 3 years managing a wedding portfolio The Photoshop Department requires: PHOTOSHOP MANAGER Requirements include but are not limited to: - Experience managing multiple photo retail outlets - Experience meeting sales targets - Ability to cross and up sell

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- Three (3) years relevant experience

The salary for the positions listed above ranges from $20,000 to $35,000 per annum

The Project Department requires: PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR (REGIONAL) Requirements include but are not limited to: • Prepare budgets, programs and monitor expenditure • Working experience over 20 years. Hotel Industry over 5 years • Review all design drawings, and prepare design drawings where necessary • Inspect and set out all FF&E for pools, restaurants, hotel rooms and Public areas • Co-ordinate all shipments, and quantify and orders FF&E items Strong Knowledge of BMS, RO plants, Fire, Chill Water System and irrigation system • Co-ordinate ALL Local building approvals eq Health, Planning, Environmental, Fire • Co-Ordinate all warehouse inventory for installation • Train Project Co-ordinators and Local tradesmen • Travel to Nassau, Exuma, Fowl Cay and Jamaica to review all room upgrades • Software knowledge: ACAD, Microsoft Projects, MSWord, MSExcel, Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat • Work and communicate with all GM’S, HM’S , CE’s and HOD’s The salary for the position listed above is negotiable

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- Experience in managing a boutique hotel or an operation encompassing rooms, restaurant and environs.

The salary for the positions listed above ranges from $30,000 to $55,000 per annum The Watersports Department requires: DIVE SHOP MANAGER Requirements include but are not limited to: - Experience managing a Dive shop operation - Ability to up and cross sell - PADI certification to dive - PADI certification to teach instructors - First Aid Certification

Applications giving full details of qualifications and experience should be sent to: mmvaughn@grp.sandals.com or Fax to: 941- 4870 Attn: M McClean-Vaughn The Human Resources Department Beaches Turks and Caicos P.O. Box 186 Lower Bight Road Providenciales and

The Labour Commissioner Labour Department Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands

and should reach not later than April 8th 2011.

NHIB not responsible for any patient deaths or inadequate health care, says CEO Brian Hogan

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

By Hayden Boyce Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

JUST ONE WEEK LEFT!! • SEASON ENDS March 31

IT IS SIMPLY not true that the National Health Insurance Board (NHIB) has been responsible for any deaths or patients not receiving adequate medical treatment, says CEO Brian Hogan.

“No complaints have been filed and no evidence has been provided to support these reports. The NHIP would investigate and forward all such complaints to the MOH,” Hogan said in an exclusive interview with The SUN. In recent months there have been several reports in other sections of the media and in the general public which suggest that recalcitrance or negligence on the part of NHIB has been responsible for the death of certain individuals, or in patients receiving inadequate medical treatment.

The SUN asked Hogan whether these reports were true, and invited him, without commenting on specific cases or compromising patients’ confidentiality, to set the record straight as far as these allegations were concerned.

Hogan provided one example of how an event has been characterized in a website compared to the reality of the event.

LOCAL NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

He said: “Last summer, a website reported that a beneficiary required emergency medical treatment at an offshore facility. It stated that an air ambulance vendor was not able to evacuate the patient until the following day when it transferred the patient to a regional medical facility rather than a facility in the USA. The patient was then provided travel by a third party to a facility in South Florida which was forced to perform emergency service due to the delays of the original transfer and the poor care at the regional medical facility.”

He continued: “The reality is that a beneficiary, a national of a country in the region was referred to an overseas facility after an on-island specialist diagnosed her condition and recommended a second opinion and surgery if the diagnosis was confirmed. The beneficiary had an expired passport from their country of origin so a medical facility in that country was the best option for an emergent transfer. The air ambulance vendor advised it could not get landing clearance at the international airport of that country as the runway was temporarily closed due to equipment stuck on the runway. The air ambulance vendor received clearance at 6 am the following morning and beneficiary was admitted to the Emergency Room at

Page 9

National Health Insurance Board (NHIB) CEO Brian Hogan

approximately 10:00 am. After an examination, she was scheduled to see a specialist for her condition as an outpatient and released at approximately noon the same day. The beneficiary visited the specialist who confirmed the diagnosis and recommended surgery at the regional medical facility. While in their country of origin, the beneficiary was able to renew their passport and received travel assistance from a third party to a South Florida facility where the same procedure recommended by the TCI on-island specialist and the regional specialist was conducted.”

Hogan said the NHIB believes that this is a “good example of perception versus fact”, adding that the NHIB cannot comment on events as they occur as it is “obligated to protect patient confidentiality”.

Asked how many overseas referrals have the NHIP done since it started, Hogan said NHIB has referred 113 cases for overseas care.

He said 40 of the cases required air ambulance transport (an average of 7 per month from April through July 2010 and less than 3 per month from August 2010 through February 2011). Eight required charter transport and the balance were transferred on commercial aircraft.

When asked wh or what factors determine whether a patient is sent to Miami, The Bahamas or elsewhere for treatment, the NHIB CEO replied: “The process begins with an evaluation of social factors to assess any travel restrictions, coordination with other insurance plans and other personal factors.

Space availability at appropriate facilities is assessed based on the urgency of the service. During peak tourist seasons many hospitals operate at 100% of capacity and may not be able to accommodate our beneficiaries within the necessary time-frame. Generally, preference is given to regional providers depending on availability and skill sets and when possible to the home country of a beneficiary.

NHIB has Contracted Providers in Florida, Canada, UK (though NHS), Bahamas, Jamaica and Dominican

Republic. Additionally, since April 10, 2010 NHIB also referred beneficiaries to Haiti, Cuba, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

The SUN also asked Hogan what effect has the mass exodus of foreign workers had on the NHIP contributions, what it had expected to collect and ultimately its financial performance, and whether this has this placed more pressure on the NHIP to collect from a shrinking number of persons.

He explained that declining contributions are partially offset by declining costs of claims and that the gross compensation pool has remained somewhat steady due to the strong tourist season and it appears that employers are asking existing employees to work longer hours rather than employ new staff.

He added: “NHIB also observes fewer dual-income families which reduces the number of contributors and increases the number of dependents.

However, the major impact of migration trends is that the new hospitals were built, equipped and staffed based on an assumption of a population growth rate of 4-5% per annum for the the last four years and future growth rate of 3%. Accordingly, the costs of the hospitals are being supported by a smaller pool of contributors.”

He also stated that NHIB pays InterHealth approximately $2 million per month during the “cost plus” stage of the agreement.

Asked what was his your assessment of the NHIP's performance since it started and to comment on how he thinks it has improved the delivery of health care in the Turks and Caicos Islands, Hogan said: “ The inaugural Board of Directors Meeting of NHIB was held on August 6, 2009.

NHIB had no staff, no office and no working capital. The first staff reported for duty in early September and immediately began the task of registering an expected 30,000 beneficiaries.

Collections of contributions began in December 2009 and the production of photo ID cards started in January 2010. Benefits became effective with the opening of the InterHealth Canada facilities at 00:01 on April 10, 2010 and at 04:30, InterHealth reported the first catastrophic claim event that required air ambulance transfer to Florida and resulted in the first reinsurance claim recovery. NHIB was ready and all systems and procedures worked as planned.

Since April 10, 2010 the NHIB managed almost 77,000 claim events and made it possible for another 57,000 visits at InterHealth Canada facilities. The NHIP performed well since its inception and reflects the dedication and commitment of its staff of 19 and the support of its Board of Directors. But we know we can do better.

NHIB now has credible data that will allow financial resources to be directed to the highest healthcare priorities that will improve the quality of life of all NHIP beneficiaries. “

Page 10

PDM calls for public inquiry into TCI Bank’s closure

LOCAL NEWS

THE DOUGLAS ‘DOUG’ Parnell-led Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) is calling on Governor Gordon Wetherell to hold a public inquiry into the failure of the country’s first locally-set-up financial institution – TCI Bank and its nexus to the National Insurance Board (NIB) the Financial Services Commission.

The request was made personally during a meeting with the Interim Administration and the PDM at the Hilly Ewing Building last week.

The door to the bank was shut in March of last year, taking with it all the savings of a number of the banks more than four thousand clients. The bank was placed in the hands of liquidators by the Supreme Court, for a provisional liquidation process to take place, to also include the assessment of prospective buyers. But while there were interested buyers, the court ordered the bank to be wound up after the preferred interest –ECIC Bank from the Eastern Caribbean - failed to meet the requirements of the Central in its jurisdiction.

According to the PDM, the general public should be made aware of what caused the collapse of the bank and how it was allowed to plunge in such a fashion.

“The public should know that since the collapse of TCI Bank the PDM has inquired of the Governor’s Office and urged for an account on how it was that the bank was allowed to deteriorate to such a level with the investment of the people’s pension funds as the prime investment in the bank.

“Our information suggests that work has been done by external forces of the Financial Services Commission board to inquire into the FSC’s handling of the matter. Our information also suggests that there are other international organizations that have also inquired into the closure of TCI Bank. This simply is not

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

The now deserted TCI Bank

enough to bring peace of mind to all those persons who have fallen victim to this failed Government backed institution,” a statement from the PDM said.

The statement further noted: “Recently, the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands were made aware that they are likely to be further victimized by the TCI Bank failure because of the reluctance of the Liquidator to return National Insurance Board’s 5.5M dollars.

This final investment in the bank in its final days was made to help prevent the bank from failing. But it did not prevent its failure. In the final ruling on the petition of the FSC to liquidate the bank, judge Richard Williams criticized the fact that almost the exact amounts were removed within a short time thereafter leaving many unanswered questions in the minds of the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands.”

According to the PDM, the plight of the more than four thousand depositors must be addressed since the bank’s failure had virtually affected every Turks and Caicos family and

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household.

“They deserve answers on how their money was handled and what happened to their investment. We view the answers to these questions as separate and apart from the work that the liquidators are doing. None of what they are doing will answer the burning question of what happened to this institution which at one time held such great promise,” the statement said.

“We urge the Governor to act to provide the level of transparency that

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

Leader of The PDM, Douglas ‘Doug’ Parnell

only a public inquiry can bring. We have to be mindful of the persons who have been directly hit by this failure and to protect their interest at all times. To end all speculation and doubt about the events that caused the bank’s failure and to satisfy the right for all interested persons to know what happened to their investment in the bank, the people are compelled to seek the truth of the entire TCIBank failure from its inception to closure and its dealings into liquidation.”

SAMUEL WILSON SEEKS 1 LABOURER Salary $5.00 per hour Contact 243-5951 Leeward Water Services is seeking highly qualified candidates for OPERATIONS MANAGER

Responsibilities include: - Management of daily operation, maintenance and repair of multiple membrane based seawater desalination and domestic waste water treatment plants at different locations - Management of financial, administrative and personnel aspects of the business - Interfacing, maintaining and developing quality relationships with +200 customers - Preparation of timely and accurate technical, financial, EHS and government regulatory reports - Ability to work under pressure, multi-task, frequent long hours, 24 hour availability for emergencies

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and Quick Books - Excellent verbal and written communications skills (English) - Undergraduate degree in mechanical or industrial electrical engineering preferred; or equivalent experience - Undergraduate degree in business administration or finance preferred; or equivalent experience - Process logic (PLC) programming and troubleshooting experience a plus - Technology and business administration knowledge and proficiency tests will be given for final applicants

Applications shall be submitted to: Barbara Falkenrath, Human Resources Director Seven Seas Water Corporation BFalkenrath@7seaswater.com Applications may also be delivered in person to our administrative office located at Turtle Cove Landing Apartments. Please see Mr. Narada Robinson. All employment decisions will be made by our corporate offices located in the USA. Closing date for applications is April 1st 2011. Salary is commensurate with experience and applicable credentials

Page 11

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

ISLAND SPORTIQUE Is seeking a

SALES CLERk

Salary $5.00 per hour Contact: 946-5378

Blaze FM’s CEO Devon Williams says he is being victimized and his Constitutional rights have been violated

LOCAL NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

OWNER OF BLAZE 97.5 FM Devon Williams, who received a letter from Attorney General Hew Shepheard, banning him from attending future meetings of the Advisory Council, says his constitutional rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association are being “trampled upon and violently injured”.

In a strongly-worded press release to local and international media, the outspoken Williams said the decision

by Shepheard to ban him from those meetings amounted to “victimization of the highest order”.

Williams stated: “Before I am a journalist or CEO of a radio station, I am a man first, and then a proud Turks and Caicos Islander. The Constitution of this country, including the draft which Kate Sullivan recently publicized, clearly states that I have a right to freedom of expression and freedom of association. Nobody will take these away from me. Based on what the AG has written, these basic rights to which I am entitled, are being trampled upon and violently injured. If it can be done to me, who’s to say that it can’t be done to any other resident or citizen of the Turks and Caicos Islands.”

In a March 22nd letter to Williams, the AG stated: “I have already had occasion to write to another broadcaster (Robert Hall) concerning the recent demonstration in Providenciales during which the Airport Road was, illegally obstructed. I am informed that you were one of the principal protestors, and, indeed, that you were arrested for obstruction during the protest “For your future guidance, I think it is important that I emphasize the Government's policy in relation to journalistic activity. The Government clearly recognizes that TCI's media have a key role to play in reporting and critically assessing government policies on behalf of the TCI public and the Government welcomes the full engagement of TCI's many journalists and their robust questions.

“Although the Government accepts that the standards set out in the Broadcasting Ordinance only apply directly to public service broadcasters, those of decency, accuracy and responsibility are, at least, hallmarks of professional journalism, whether in public service broadcasting or elsewhere. Accordingly, journalists who either behave unprofessionally, or who associate themselves too closely with protestors (particularly protestors who break the law such as by blocking the Airport Road), will not be admitted to Government press conferences. However, they will continue to receive all Government press releases.

“In accordance with this policy, your involvement in the protest has consequences. The Government has decided that, while it is perfectly content to receive other journalists at its press briefings, you will no longer be permitted to attend. You will not cease to receive Government press releases.”

Williams said he was “astounded to the point of disbelief” when he received a letter from the Attorney General stating that he was banned.

The Blaze owner added: “I have to say that this letter is to the best of my knowledge, one of the most dangerous and ridiculous pieces of correspondence that has ever originated from the office of an Attorney General in the Turks and Caicos Islands. While I am deeply and profoundly offended by the tone and content of the AG’s correspondence, my significant concern is about the danger which it embodies and signifies and the rather serious implications which it has for the wider Turks and Caicos Islands in general and this country’s media in particular.”

Williams continued: “This is a clear-cut case of victimization of the highest order and oppression of the most undesirable and reprehensible level. I have been dealt a cruel, evil and unfair injustice by the Attorney General, who is Government’s chief legal adviser.

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Williams figured prominently, and was even arrested during the protests

He said there can now be no doubt whatsoever, that there is a “climate of fear and victimization” in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

According to Williams: “There can now be no doubt whatsoever, that there are certain representatives of the British Government in this country who have absolutely no respect for the constitutional rights of the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands. There can now be no doubt whatsoever, that we need to take our country back and rescue our people from these tyrannical and autocratic colonialists who are giddy with power and are hell-bent on depriving the Turks and Caicos Islanders of everything, including our basic and guaranteed human rights.”

Williams said the AG refers to illegal activity which are alleged to have taken place during the protest, he then goes on to speak of consequences of those actions.

“I find this to be both unprofessional and unfair. Firstly as a matter that has been submitted to the TCI courts and his Chambers and thus should not be prejudiced by him or anyone else for that matter,” he added.

Williams said the Attorney General and his associates would never have been allowed to get away with anything of this nature in his native United Kingdom, adding that the AG would not have even dreamt about writing this kind of letter to any media house or media worker in Bermuda where he was last posted.

“But this whole issue is much bigger than Devon Williams. I am therefore inviting everyone to see this matter for what it really is. It is a brutal assault on the constitutional rights of all of us. Who will be next? Too late must never be our cry!” Williams added.

Weighing in on the situation, His Excellency Gordon Wetherell, at a news Conference on Wednesday, March 23, said: “There are clear standards that have been set out in the Broadcasting Ordinance that speak specifically to the need for not just decency, accuracy and responsibility, but also very specifically, to impartiality. And I think the view was taken against the background of events a couple of weeks ago that that particular set of standards wasn’t maintained.

According to Governor Wetherell, practitioners of serious journalism should have nothing to fear when the tenets of decency, accuracy, impartially and responsibility are maintained.

KITCHEN HELPER/ FOOD SERVER/PURCHASER

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Page 12

PNP leader Clayton Greene says the Governor and FCO should ‘stop and listen to the people’

LOCAL NEWS

THERE WILL CONTINUE to be unrest of one kind or another in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) unless its people feel they are part of the decision-making process, says leader of the Progressive National Party (PNP), Clayton Greene.

Greene, an attorney-at-law, gave this opinion in a press release issued on March 24th, the same day of a massive sick-out by civil servants in the TCI. “It is now past time for Foreign and

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

Commonwealth Office and the Governor to stop and really listen to the people,” Greene said. “The people’s requests and concerns are reasonable, valid and fair. I firmly believe that unless and until the people can feel a part of the decision making processes and governance generally, unless and until they are not made to feel as though they are second class citizens in their homeland there will continue to be unrest of one kind or another.”

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMISSION

The

Financial Services Commission, a statutory body of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government responsible for the licensing and regulation of financial services businesses, is seeking qualified applicants for the post of

Head of Banking and Trust.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES The holder of this position will carry out the following duties: • Develop policies and make recommendations in relation to the supervision of bank and trust entities operating within the territory, including formulating the Annual Supervision Agenda, onsite and offsite examinations and departmental training.

• Undertake examination of bank and trust entities to ensure conformity with the rules and regulations governing the operations of such entities. Conduct Analysis of the findings of such examinations and report thereon to the Managing Director of the Commission.

• Manage the conduct of specialized reviews of AML/CFT frameworks of supervised institutions pursuant to statutory responsibilities imposed by the Proceeds of Crime Ordinance.

• Vet applications for licences falling within the purview of the department, review products and services being offered by such entities and review and submit for approval changes to business plans of licensed entities.

• Keep abreast of international standards of best practice in relation to banking entities, liaise with international standard setters such as Basle Committee on Banking Supervision, Caribbean Group of

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

Leader of the Progressive National Party (PNP), Clayton Greene

Greene noted that in the democratic tradition, protests are the method by which societies register their displeasure with their Government.

He said: “The burning of the Kate Sullivan recommendations , the incident at the FBO, the Airport Road blockage and the abuses which flowed from it and now appear to have sickened the civil service, should make it clear to all that the Turks and Caicos people are protesting.”

He added: “Each of those actions should be recognized for what it is. It is the cry of a frustrated and marginalized people for representation, recognition, respect and some degree of compassion.”

According to Greene, who is a former Speaker of the House of Assembly, in the past every protest action has been met with a “strong armed and dictatorial response from the Administration ranging from pay cuts to arrests to victimization generally”.

He continued: “What the Administration should do is focus not on punishing and silencing the dissenters but rather recognize that those persons brave enough to petition their government for redress of their grievances in whatever form are merely the representatives of a silent majority.”

Banking Supervisors etc., and keep the Managing Director informed of changes in standards and best practice.

• Perform other functions as set out in the job description in relation to the post or as may be assigned by the Managing Director.

SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED • Sound knowledge of banking law, trust law and Proceeds of Crime Law; • Sound knowledge of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and International Accounting Standards (IAS); • Sound knowledge of the workings of the Basle Committee on Bank Supervision and the related Core Principles; • Sound appreciation of auditing and financial management principles with a basic understanding of IT systems and their use.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE • Post graduate degree in Finance, Management or related discipline.

• Eight (8) years or more experience in the supervision of financial institutions or similar regulatory experience with a central monetary authority, central bank or international regulatory agency including four (4) years experience at the managerial level.

• Certificate of participation in Regional training programmes for senior level Bank Examiners would be an asset.

OTHER INFORMATION APPLICABLE TO THE POST This position falls within Grade 3 of the Commission’s pay scale.

Actual salary payable will be determined by reference to the degree of qualification, experience, knowledge base and other criteria that the Commission may assess.

The duties for the above post may be carried out at either of the Commission’s offices in Grand Turk or Providenciales.

Applications should be received no later than March 31, 2011 and may be emailed to dmorrison@tcifsc.tc or faxed to 1-649-941-8379

Digicel boss denies bribery allegations

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

Denis O'Brien maintains that he never paid a former Irish communications minister in exchange for a telephone company licence that helped him become one of Ireland's wealthiest men.

On Tuesday, the Moriarty Tribunal made public a voluminous report from a 14-year probe, which documented Communication Minister Michael Lowry's lobbying on behalf of telecoms tycoon O'Brien and his alleged confidential payments to Lowry.

But O'Brien was flabbergasted that the sole member of the tribunal conducting the probe, Justice Michael Moriarty, came to that conclusion despite several high level officials giving testimony to the contrary. The head of Digicel Group found the basis of the report "fundamentally flawed", given that it is based on the "opinions and theories" of Moriarty and his legal team.

"It is extremely disturbing that the chairman of this tribunal would choose to ignore the sworn evidence of the Department of Communication, Department of Finance, 17 civil servants, five government ministers, two barristers from the Office of the Attorney General, one former Taoiseach, one senior counsel to the Irish State and Professor Michael Andersen, principal of AMI — the internationally-renowned world experts in this field," said O'Brien in a written statement.

"I wish to state in the most categoric terms once again that I never made any payment to Michael Lowry in his capacity as a government minister, as a public representative or as a private citizen," O'Brien added.

Ireland launched the probe in 1997

LOCAL NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

after a leaked corporate report identified Ben Dunne as a secret benefactor for Lowry and former Prime Minister Charles Haughey.

It also examined Lowry's 1995 decision to award a telephone company licence to O'Brien, who led the Esat Digifone Consortium application process.

Esat Digifone quickly won 42 per cent market share, making it the most successful second entrant in a European Union mobile market ever. BT Telecom acquired Esat Digifone in 2000 -- the year Digicel entered the Jamaican market.

The 2,350-page report documented UK and Irish property transactions conducted by Lowry and "dealings with Mr O'Brien", which were allegedly conducted through O'Brien's agents and associates. The report also claimed that a payment of £147,000 was made from O'Brien to Lowry in 1996, when Lowry was still in office.

"This payment was made indirectly, having been transmitted by an off-shore route, through Mr Aidan Phelan and the late Mr David Austin," said the report.

The report also spoke to another alleged payment of £300,000 "the bulk of which was used for the purchase of a property by Mr Lowry at Mansfield, in Derbyshire in the UK".

O'Brien said he planned to study the report in detail yesterday, but added that Moriarty made errors in the past that formed the basis of "false theories".

"It is worth noting that the chairman of the tribunal, a High Court Judge of many years, admitted last year to making "two not insignificant errors", both of which had been used to substantiate false theories," said O'Brien. "I believe it is

Page 13

unprecedented in the history of this country that a High Court Judge would make such fundamental errors which went to the heart of the credibility and integrity of a tribunal process.

"The reason these errors were admitted was only because they had been uncovered by the diligent work of members of the legal profession.

Furthermore, it is noteworthy that the chairman makes no reference to the concealment of crucial correspondence by the tribunal from the office of the attorney general over an eight-year period. It has been evident from the outset to me and to many other witnesses before this tribunal that the final report would be designed to damage the reputations of many reputable people. I believe it is now incumbent on the judiciary to investigate the conduct of Mr Justice Michael Moriarty and the tribunal legal team for the manner in which they conducted themselves," he added.

Digicel, in a statement, said: "Digicel is in no way affected or involved in the recently published report of a tribunal of inquiry into, among other matters, the Irish Government's awarding of the second mobile phone licence for Ireland in 1996. The inquiry, referred to as The Moriarty Tribunal, has just completed this phase of its work, which began in 2001.

The tribunal is made up of one member, Mr Justice Moriarty, who is expected to present what is referred to as a "reasoned expression of opinion" relating to the matters he has investigated. As a

Denis O'Brien

"reasoned expression of opinion" the report has no legal effect or consequences.

As the owner and chairman of Digicel, Denis O'Brien has been the driving force behind revolutionising mobile communications across the Caribbean and the Pacific, making mobile communications accessible to all and ensuring that customers benefit from best value, best service and the best network.

Denis' vision, drive, energy and integrity continue to be integral to Digicel's success. This has seen the company win and operate 32 mobile licences across the globe. Digicel employs 5,500 people around the world with more than 11.5 million customers, and the company's total investments across 32 markets worldwide exceed US$4.5 billion."

InterIsland Aviation Services Group IS SEEKING:

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• Must be able to read and write English well. Salary $6.00 per hour

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Heavy Duty Truck Driver: 5 years or more experience in this position. Willing to work long hours, weekends and holidays. Valid TCI drivers licence. Any experience in aviation would be an asset.

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POSITION AVAILABLE Ambergris Cay Services Ltd (in Receivership) is seeking (2) suitable applicants to fill available posts on Ambergris Cay. The available posts are for:

DOMESTIC WORKER/HOUSEKEEPER

Daily tasks will include, but are not limited to: • Assisting the Housekeeping Team with daily housekeeping duties, including cleaning of members/guests homes, staff dormitories, offices, etc. while ensuring that the housekeeping area is kept in a tidy manner at all times.

• Clean and maintain housekeeping equipment as required.

Requirements: Applicants must be: • attentive to details • self-motivated • able to understand and speak English fluently • able to work with little or no supervision • physically fit, dependable and hard

working • in possession of clean police record Salary: $7.00 to $9.00 per hour Closing Date for Applications is Wednesday March 23rd, 2011

Applications must be addressed to: Ambergris Cay Services Ltd Unit 51, Salt Mills Plaza, Grace Bay Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands E-mail: heather.allen@ambergristci.com Tel: (649)-941-3777 Fax: (649)-941-3778

TWO AIRPORT HOSTS: 3-5 Years experience as an Airport Host servicing International Flights. Salary commensurate with experience.

TWO NIGHT AUDITORS: 5 years experience in airline accounting systems Competent in quick books and three major computer accounting software C.P.A Accreditation Salary based on knowledge and experience.

All positions require the following: •Excellent command of the English language – reading, writing and speaking.

•Good communication skills and team player •Detail oriented & organized individual •Ability to work shifts, early mornings, late nights, weekends and Holidays.

•Clean police record •Able to work under pressure

BELONGERS NEED ONLY APPLY.

Interested person should apply to Interested applicants should apply to HR@flyairtc.com or via fax to HR Department 649-946-4040.

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

Page 14

TCI Students excel at regional exams

LOCAL NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

A STUDENT FROM the Maranatha High School and another from the Raymond Gardiner High in North Caicos did their country proud at the recent Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) exams placing in the top ten among schools in all of the Caribbean.

The students are Lounise Louis formerly of Maranatha High School and Kenya Swan formerly of Raymond Gardiner High.

Lounise placed 7th in Home Economics Management from a field of 5,712 students who sat the exam. She received a Grade One with Straight ‘A’ Profile.

Kenya tied with two other students from Belize for 7th place in Physical Education and

Sports from a field of 4,946 students who sat the exam. She also received a Grade One with ‘A’ profile.

The Merit List was instituted last year by the Caribbean Examinations Council to highlight the outstanding academic achievement of the top 10 students in each subject area across the region.

The news of the students’ achievements came as a delight for both the Ministry and the Department of Education, which lauded the students for their exploits in the regional exams.

“The Ministry and Department of Education is pleased to recognize the outstanding achievement of two students who placed in the top ten regional achievers in two subjects at the

Providenciales’ welcome sign restored

ALMOST A YEAR after either a drunken, sleeping or out of control motorist ploughed through the monument, the island of Providenciales now has a brand new welcome round-a-about, bringing back beauty, aesthetics and a sense of national pride to that island.

The sign located at the Walter Cox Round-a-about downtown Providenciales, was unveiled on Monday, March 21, by Acting Director of Tourism Ralph Higgs and Mr. Cartwright, the artist who voluntarily painted it.

Behind immigration, customs and hotel workers at the airport, the sign serves as the first real general welcome for visitors to the island and by extension the country.

A little before the summer last year, a motorist driving nocturnally, and probably under the influence of alcohol or fell asleep behind the wheels, slammed into the monument shattering it. The writings on the original sign were made from buffed pieces of conch shells.

The new sign also depicts the real

“beautiful by nature” theme of the Turks and Caicos Islands, with highlights of its turquoise waters, white sandy beaches and of course, world famous dolphin – Jojo.

Higgs dubbed the newlyconstructed sign as a very good welcome monument for especially visitors to the country, as it displays some of the country’s treasures that the tourists have been coming here to enjoy.

“It is a very good first sight of the Turks and Caicos as our visitors leave the airport. I am particularly pleased that Cartwright has captured a dolphin, which symbolizes Jojo. Most of you will know Jojo is one of the country’s first international symbols.

“He is still there doing his thing.

He is not seen as often as he used to be seen years ago, but here is there.

And I think this (sign) is going to memorialize Jojo in Turks and Caicos history, so we are very pleased that Cartwright had chosen Jojo to put on this piece,” Higgs said.

This sign does not have the words “welcome to Providenciales” as it’s

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MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

May/June 2010 CXC Examinations. The Ministry and Department of Education as well as the TCI National Committee would like to use this opportunity to congratulate both students and wish them much success in the future,” a joint statement from both entities said.

Both students were recognized at the 14th Annual National Awards Ceremony held at Horse Stable Beach in Whitby North Caicos, for their outstanding achievements in the CSEC examinations.

Kenya is presently attending the TCI Community College pursuing studies in, Business Education while Lounise is assisting with study classes at her Alma Mater.

Mr. Cartwright signs the newly painted Providenciales welcome sign unveiled

mowed down predecessor, but according to Higgs, plans are in the works to erect such wording separately, since they did not want to sign itself to be too crowded.

In the meantime, the animated Cartwright noted that he was happy to have been called upon by Higgs to undertake the sign, noting that he did it out of love for country than anything else.

“It if wasn’t for Mr. Ralph Higgs I wouldn’t have done this. About two years he has been asking me, and I

abUnDanT liFe FrenCH minisTries

seeKs For FoUr (4) Persons 1 bus Driver 1 musician 2 Cleaners

must be hardworking and reliable salary $6.00 per hour six days per week Contact 242-5459

have (finally) decided to do it. This is my heart and soul for my country, the Turks and Caicos Islands. This is my contribution; No one could be me for this,” Cartwright said.

Provision for erection and painting of the sign was made possible by Dock Direct, which Higgs said has adopted the sign and will undertake its maintenance. Dock Direct is responsible for the beautification of sections of the Leeward Highway median, providing gravel and other materials.

CasablanCa Casino seeks

5 GaminG Dealers

salary $12.50 per hour minimum of two (2) experiences must have good communication skills must have knowledge of mathematics must be able to work flexible hours Contact: maryanne ingraham at 941-3737

Page 15

Interim Administration making civil servants sick

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

THERE ARE SEVERAL ISSUES being created by the Interim Administration that are making Civil Servants sick.

This was stated by the Civil Service Association (CSA) in press release on Thursday March 24th when numerous Civil Servants did not report to work on the grounds of being sick.

The CSA in its release confirmed that this event resulted in the closure of a number of Government Departments and the closure of the Providenciales International Airport with the exception of Emergency flights and Essential Services such as Domestic e Fire, Police, Ambulance Services.

“It is unknown whether Civil Servants were genuinely sick or whether they were protesting in response to the impending changes in policy as it relates to Taxation, Pension and Payroll,” the CSA added.

“It is also unknown whether they were upset over the Administrations

LOCAL NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

reluctance to allow proper dialogue between their Civil Service Association (CSA) Representatives and persons in Authority here in the TCI or from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. There are numerous unknowns.”

The CSA statement continued: “However, what is known is that these many issues can affect the mental and physical health of Civil Servants and result in illness such as what may have occurred today. What is also known is that the Government intends to implement policies that will have a long lasting negative impact on the lives of Civil Servants and their families and residents of the TCI.” The CSA said it berates the allegation made by the Administration as to the involvement of the CSA in the ill health of Civil Servants on Thursday and also the allegations made about the threat to “public safety”.

According to the press release, the

AMBERGRIS CAY SERVICES LTD POSITION AVAILABLE

Ambergris Cay Services Ltd (in Receivership) is seeking a suitable applicant to fill a post on Ambergris Cay. The available post is for a:

JUNIOR CIVIL ENGINEER

Competency Requirements: • Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineering • GPS “Total Station” Trained and Certified • Surveying Experience • Auto Cad Experience • Minimum of Five (5) years in field experience with all of the above.

Candidate will be required to:• oversee general construction process of dwelling homes currently underway on Ambergris Cay. • perform a variety of managerial and administrative tasks related to coordinating the operations and maintenance of Ambergris Cay Airport and related facilities and assure compliance with regulations related to airport operations including, but not limited to, fire rescue and airfield safety and security.

• Review and monitoring of development work efforts, schedule and quality; • Coordination of Owner landscape design, installation and maintenance; • Construction observation during planning and design implementation.

• Oversee of island cafeteria operation • Oversee of island housekeeping and guest services • Coordinate travel of employees/guests to and from Ambergris Cay • Track guest tariffs whilst visiting Ambergris Cay • Assist in the preparation of and administer the airport budget which includes but is not limited to ensuring that proper revenue and expenditure controls are followed.

• Respond to inquiries and complaints related to airport operations or emergencies.

• Coordinate airport operations and projects with local agencies, property owners, staff, entities and departments as is necessary.

• Manage and monitor Airside Staff duties and performance.

• Assist in preparation of manuals and procedures related to airport operations.

• Be responsible for overseeing airport safety and security as required by regulations and adopted Ambergris Cay Airport policies to ensure compliance with operational standards and relevant legislation.

• Respond to airport emergencies when required.

• operate in the safest possible manner at all times and will be required to perform such other related duties as may be assigned from time to time.

The successful candidate will have proven team building and leadership skills and will be self-motivated, energetic and dedicated to completing tasks and projects with timeliness and accuracy. A solid work ethic is critical.

Salary: Between US$70,000 to US$75,000 per annum.

Closing Date for Applications is Wednesday March 30th, 2011 Applications must be in writing addressed to: Ambergris Cay Services Ltd Unit 51, Salt Mills Plaza, Grace Bay Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands E-mail: heather.allen@ambergristci.com Tel: (649)-941-3777 Fax: (649)-941-3778

CSA knows for a fact that the Government payroll system was functional on Thursday and that the payrolls were prepared from Wednesday. “ Therefore the statement made about the reason to delay payment of wages and salary is false and can only be viewed as an action of victimization to discipline Civil Servants for being sick,” the CSA added.

“There are a lot of issues affecting Civil Servants and their families and these issues need to be addressed amicably and with respect. The CSA therefore welcomes dialogue with the Administration so as to reduce the frustration and stress that Civil Servants are currently experiencing and build a better Civil Service and Country.”

The CSA is demanding the immediate payment of Pension to all retired Civil Servants who are so entitled and the calculation of such pension payments as provided for in the Pension Ordinance and Regulations; payment of Gratuity to all retired Civil Servants who are eligible for such if so requested and the calculation of such according to provisions in the Pension Ordinance and Regulations and payment of pension and gratuity to all Civil Servants whose posts were abolished such as persons who were transferred to the New Hospital.

The CSA also rejected the proposal to amend the Pension Ordinance so as to remove the option for Civil Servants to receive up to 25 percent of their pension as gratuity upon retirement from the service or upon abolition of their post and it is requesting that all Civil Servants employed in a pensionable post after April 5, 1992 and who have been confirmed in such post be paid a gratuity upon retirement from the service or on being made redundant as provided for in the Pension Ordinance for persons employed before April 6, 1992.

“We are rejecting the proposal to reduce housing allowance from 5 years to 3 years for persons so eligible.. We are rejecting the proposal to provide transportation allowance based on “official miles” and we request that the existing policy for issuance of this allowance remains.

We are requesting that a provision be made so that all persons who were employed after April 5, 1992, if so desire can be employed on a

contractual basis, the terms of which should be governed by the Employment Ordinance. Pensioners in receipt of full pension from both NIB and Government should be given at least 3 months notice about the pending change in an effort to minimize hardship and allow sufficient time to rearrange their finances,” the CSA said in a statement last week.

The CSA also recommend that the following provisions within the General Orders regarding leave are followed: G.O 8.1.17 makes prevision for all leave accumulated prior to the General Orders coming into force (1998) to be used in the 5 proceeding years and the remainder to be held over until retirement. Also G.O. 8.1.17 speaks to in exceptional circumstances that the Chief Secretary (now PSC) can allow leave above 30 days to be accumulated and hence individuals must retain that right to make representation to the PSC. We further recommend that persons with excess leave are allowed to proceed on it into early retirement, and the value be paid in monthly installments as another option to minimize upfront costs.

The CSA statement continued: “ We support the Acting Appointments for 3 months at a time but propose that the application of salaries for that appointment be standardized to the difference between the persons’ salary and not the issuing of responsibility allowance. We recommend that Acting Allowance should be issued as provided for in the General Orders.

We recommend that Professional allowance be clearly defined and how and to whom it will be issued.”

It was also stated: “Whenever reductions have to be made in staff salary or personal emoluments, persons should be notified in writing as to why the reductions are being made and given an opportunity to respond to such notice in order to provide additional information to support their case as to why the reductions should not take place. All persons to whom reductions to their personal emoluments have to be made should be given a 3 month grace period to rearrange their finances. We recommend that the option to be paid a Responsibility Allowance be kept whereby persons below Heads of Department can be provided with such if there are no other allowances to compensate for their extra responsibilities or duties.”

Page 16

Royal Robinson’s letter to Mark Capes on removal of pension

LOCAL NEWS

Dear Mr Capes:

It is with deep regret that I find myself having to address you on an issue that never in my wildest dreams as a former civil servant I would have had to contemplate!

This issue is in relation to your attempt to take away the pension that I work so hard to obtain.

When I joined the Public Service in 1967, it was neither glamorous nor lucrative! We got pittance for remuneration. Even up to the time that I left in 1994, at the level of Permanent Secretary, my basic pay had just passed the two thousand per month threshold. What kept me as well as the vast majority of other persons in the Service were, first and foremost, the service to our country and, to receive, in our twilight years, a monthly Pension and, at the time of retirement, a Gratuity!

Our Pensions and Gratuity were guaranteed by the Pensions Ordinance, a scheme that was solely applicable to Civil Servants. That was our expectation! This is our right! There is a saying that: “It is the hope of a reward that sweetens labour”! And we certainly labored in the vineyard of the Civil Service for that sweet regard. Now, and at this time in our lives Mr Capes you want to take away what is rightfully ours. What you are trying to do is callous, heartless and unlawful!

I would like to note here that was indeed an actuarial study and report done some time ago that suggests, as a starter, the way to bridge the gap between persons who are eligible to receive pensions from both TCIG and NIB! I suggest this be looked into, as it is imperative that we start to get reasonable!

When I begin to think back over the many years that I put my personal safety at risk by travelling in the dark of night over treacherous terrain with battery and tellurometer

on my head, and one false move and I would have fallen off a precipice without the prospect of being saved, my temperature boil up at the thought of your impending actions!

As a former civil servant, the government paid two years of contribution for me to NIB. However, from 1994 to this present day, I paid my contributions either as a self employed person or a private sector employee. This in no way should give you Mr Capes the right to claw back my Pension from Turks and Caicos Islands that I have worked for.

My Pension payment is a contract between TCIG and me; and it is not to be fiddled with after the fact! I want all of my money and any failure on your part to deny me that would result in a Court action, enjoining you, all of your Advisers, Advisory and Consultative Forum members as well as the Governor.

This action will be taken against you in both your official, as well as personal capacities!

Mr. Capes, not because you have stripped us of the availability of the Ombudsman, you can now feel ever so confident to trample on all of our rights. When you return to your homeland, your nest egg will be intact. Why then should you and your cohorts do your damndest to take away mine? Don’t assume for one-minute that you should earn that overly inflated nest egg at Turks & Caicos Islanders expense, all the while taking away ours, leaving us to suffer. And then, when you do leave us, you duff your cap and bid us adieu! Mr Capes, you just have another guess coming!

Mr. CEO, the consequences for you and the Interim Administration on this matter are not going to be pleasant should you not cease and desist from going down this path!

Yours sincerely, Royal S. Robinson MBE

THE PHYSICAL PLANNING

(DEVELOPMENT PERMISSION) REGULATION 1990 REGULATION 7 APPLICATION GRAND TURK BOARD FOR CASINO AND STAFF

ACCOMODATION GRAND TURK BLOCK AND PARCEL 10503/97

Notice is hereby given to the application PR 10767 has been submitted by Calvin Nathaniel Harvey to the Physical Planning Board for approval in respect to Block and Parcel 60609/84, located on Five Cays, South Dock Road, Providenciales, the construction of the Church, Parking Lot and Landscaping.

Any person wishing to make representation(s) concerning the development may do so in writing by sending such representation to the Director of Planning, South Base, Grand Turk or through the Department of Planning, Butterfield Building, Providenciales with twenty eight (28) days of the publication of this notice.

Notice Posted:

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

Ambergris CAy serviCes Ltd. (in reCeivership) the receiver is seeking to sell the following two (2) vehicles: vehicle #1: 2002 LAnd rover defender 110 td2 sW • vin # sALLdhm572A644869 • mileage: 13,659Km / 8,487 miles • manual transmission • Color: White • seats 9 persons • Air-conditioning • roof rack & Ladder • radio/Cd • Alloy Wheels • selling price: $28K vehicle #2: 2002 LAnd rover defender 110 td5 sW • vin # sALLdhm572A645195 • mileage: 16,911Km / 10, 508 miles • manual transmission • Color: White • seats 10 persons • Air-conditioning • roof rack & Ladder • radio/Cd • Antilock braking system • Alloy Wheels • selling price: $28K vehicles are located in salt mills plaza parking lot. for viewing appointment please contact us at Unit # 51, salt mills plaza or call office # 649-941-3777 or cell # 649-231-0146.

Page 17

SALE BY PUBLIC AUCTION

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

Pursuant to the provisions of the Registered Land Ordinance, Temple Mortgage Fund Ltd., The Temple Financial Centre, Providenciales HEREBY GIVES NOTICE that it will cause to be sold by public auction the following properties: TITLE

50200/40 Sandy Point North Caicos

60602/133 Norway & Five Cays, Providenciales 60720/58&59 Cheshire Hall & Richmond Hill Providenciales

61112/34 Long Bay Hills Providenciales

60718/158 Cheshire Hall & Richmond Hill Providenciales 60715/11 Cheshire Hall & Richmond Hill Providenciales

DESCRIPTION

REGISTERED PROPRIETOR

4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a Guest Maverick Holdings Ltd. House & a pool with over 5000 square feet of living space

Approximately 0.70 acres of undeveloped land located north of the Provo Airport with views of the Southern and Western part of the Island.

Gilbert Selver

Approximately 2.54 acres of Albray Butterfield Jr. undeveloped land, with a top ridge view of approx 80 feet above sea level, which gives good views of the south side of the island & the new Cooper Jack Marina. Either parcel can be purchased separately.

Two storey apartment on Albray Butterfield Jr. approximately 0.35 acres. It comprises of two, one bedroom apartments on the lower floor, and a two bedroom apartment on the upper floor. The entire building is approximately 1850 square feet.

The property has direct access onto Leeward Highway.

A two storey apartment building with six, one bedroom apartments on approximately 0.66 acres of land. The property is accessed via Venetian Road which continues through to the Flamingo Lake.

Naomi Bassett

Approximately 0.69 acres of vacant Naomi Bassett land accessed directly from Leeward Highway situated between Carib Glass and Supplies (Glass Shack Building) and Temple Financial Group.

10203/169 Undeveloped land, approximately Naomi Bassett North West Suburbs 0.27 acres. It is part of a residential Grand Turk subdivision close to the western shores of North Creek.

It is located on the west hand side of Quarry Lane, some -900 feet from North Wells Road and Quarry Lane junction.

The auction will be held at 10:00 a.m. Friday 15th April 2011 at the offices of Temple Mortgage Corporation Ltd., Temple Financial Centre, Leeward Highway, Providenciales. Conditions of sale may be obtained from Temple Mortgage Corporation Ltd., The Temple Financial Centre, Leeward Highway, Providenciales, telephone (649) 946-5293, fax (649) 946-5289.

Interested persons may bid by way of sealed tender delivered no later than 4:00 p.m. Thursday, April 14, 2011 addressed to Temple Mortgage Corporation Ltd., Temple Financial Centre, Leeward Highway, Providenciales clearly marked “ AUCTION BID-APRIL 15 2011. Block____ / Parcel__.” Should the bid meet the reserve price and constitute the highest offer, the property will be considered sold to the person making the bid. Note that a 10% deposit is required immediately from the successful bidder at the auction.

Note that Temple Mortgage Corporation Ltd. accepts no responsibility in respect of the receipt or otherwise of sealed bids and prospective purchasers are encouraged to ensure safe delivery of sealed bids to Temple Mortgage Corporation Ltd. in good time and further to attend at the auction to ensure that the bid is properly made.

Governor’s impending departure upset some

LOCAL NEWS

By Vivian Tyson SUN Senior Editor

WHILE SOME ARE not pleased with the Governor’s handling of things in the Turks and Caicos Islands, a number of others do not welcome the news that he will be departing in the summer of this year, saying that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office should keep him at least until local rule is returned to the TCI. Responding to The SUN’s page one article last week, which stated that the Governor’s three year tenure will come to an end in August, and that he was unlikely to seek an extension, some members of the public have been expressing concern that the TCI recovering economy could be left in midstream, and may take sometime for his successor to properly fit himself into the local political and cultural groove, so as to advance the country. Such a scenario, they argued, could set the country back a few months at least.

Addressing the matter on Wednesday, March 23, at news conference inside the Attorney General Chambers on Providenciales, Robert Hannigan, Director General in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, said he was aware of the concern, but noted that Governor Wetherell’s successor will be equally equipped to handle the reins of the county so that, in the end, there would be a smooth transition from direct UK rule to the local electorate.

“I take from that (question from journalists) a number of people have said this (let the current governor remain for now), that when it comes to the transition of new governor, there will be a very good handover to a new successor; somebody who as good as how the current governor has been handling the difficult issues.

But notably, there was never a good time to go, frankly, because there are always challenging and interesting things going on, but a governor can’t stay forever, as much as we would have liked him to. But we take that note of the important transition that whoever comes next must step in those shoes,” Hannigan said.

Meanwhile, responding to questions from the media on whether or not he would want to stay if that opportunity presents itself before him, Governor Wetherell noted: “I have found my time here both enjoyable and challenging.

“But I did come in the expectation that I would be here for three years basically, and in a sense, looking at the next phase of my life in that context. That was always my expectation, and personal and other plans have been made accordingly.”

Wetherell, a 62-year-old career diplomat who was appointed to the TCI on August 5, 2008, confirmed in an interview with The SUN, that his three-year contract will end in

Governor Gordon Wetherell

the next five months. “I came here on a three-year appointment that ends in August of this year, so there really was always the expectation that after serving for that specific time period, it would be time to move on,” Wetherell said.

“Overall, I can say that it has been quite an enjoyable experience.

Yes, it has been challenging at times with a whole set of problems to deal with. The first year was a rather difficult period, having to deal with the Commission of Inquiry and what stemmed from it, then there were hurricanes Hanna and Ike back-toback and so on…then in the second year we had to do quite a bit of financial fire-fighting and that really retarded things. It turned out to be perhaps a much bigger task that anticipated and the issues were more numerous than imagined, but I did my best in the circumstances.”

Wetherell, who assumed full responsibility for the TCI after the British Government suspended parts of the Constitution and imposed direct rule on August 14, 2009, said that after sorting out some personal issues, he will eventually travel to his native Ethiopia to visit his 91year-old father, before deciding firmly on how he will spend his retirement.

Asked how we felt about leaving the TCI at this particular time, Wetherell told The SUN last week. “Obviously, it would have been nice to see this period to its conclusion, but I’m quite certain that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) will choose someone who is qualified and experienced and who will have a team around them to give them the necessary advice and support.Hannigan and Mr Colin Roberts, Director for the Overseas Territories were in the country to assess the progress of the Turks and Caicos since direct rule was instituted two years ago. While here they met with a number of stakeholders, including representatives from the Progressive National Party (PNP), the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) and members of the business sector, to gather feedback on progress of the further Turks and Caicos Islands.

Page 18

Value Added Tax (VAT) is a Load of Nonsense

LOCAL NEWS

by The Torch

One of the special interest web sites recently published a piece by R. Hamilton advocating the implementation of a VAT in the TCI. The Torch does not know R. Hamilton.

Doesn't even know if R is male or female. He will refer to R. Hamilton as R. No disrespect is intended.

R spoke of what he called misperceptions about the VAT, though his own arguments were heavy with them. The Torch addresses most of R's misperceptions below. R's arguments are numbered with the Torch's comments following each.

1) If there is to be a VAT, it does not begin now.

If it is implemented, it will start in TWO YEARS. The earliest being April 2013.

The Torch: That's your number one argument?

That a VAT is OK because it doesn't start now?

Imagine how good it would be, by your own logic, if it never starts.

Do you not understand that in the age of the Community Organizer in the White House this is how government power and intrusion is advanced against the interests, and often the opinions, of the gullible unsuspecting public? "Hey, don't worry. It doesn't even start for 2 years." If you're dumb enough to fall for that ploy, you deserve a VAT. R's number one argument is also self-defeating.

Do you really think that the geniuses who brought us the Crown Land policy, the National Health fiasco, the foreign worker flood, the denial of human rights to legal immigrants and have allowed our borders to remain wide open to illegal immigrants as well as destroying our civil society and economy with their supervision of the civil service engorgement, the stevedoring contract, the demoralization and destruction of the police force and the almost complete corruption of the civil service, to name but a few misjudgments on their part, will suddenly know accurately now what will be best for our economy in another 2 years?

2) If there is to be a VAT, it will not be a new tax.

It will replace the current 10% accommodation tax, the telephone tax, and other taxes. It will eliminate about 50% of the customs duties that we NOW pay.

The Torch: Wake up and smell the Vaseline. Of course it's a new tax.

Tourists pay the accommodation tax. Are you a tourist?

You have no substantive proof at all that the VAT will replace any amount of customs duty or any other tax.

The customs system is now in complete flux, with new Brit doubts about their own recent tinkering. We should not believe anything the Brits say until it is a final done deal. They always have more experts standing by. They would never guarantee in writing what you claim.

3) The rich will pay more VAT than the poor, because they consume more.

The Torch: So what? The rich pay more of every tax.

Instead of imposing a brand new tax, it would be better to attract more of the rich here to pay more real estate stamp duty, immigration fees and customs duties. Those systems are already in place and those are taxes the rich EXPECT to pay in an island economy.

This is not an argument by R at all, but merely a statement of fact. And in any event, it is misleading.

While the rich would pay more VAT literally, the poor would pay far more VAT as a percentage of their incomes. The poor presently pay no stamp duty at all and very little per capita in immigration fees and customs duties.

4) If there is to be a VAT, it will NOT be 15%, or 17%, or 20% like it is in England. It will be 10%.

The Torch: Do you think for one minute it is going to stay at 10%!?!

Do you trust the Brits to bring in a VAT directly at the rate they deem to be optimal? See your own 2year argument above. Do you trust the two TCI political gangs when they get their hands on this?

This is precisely what the Brits told their own gullible public when they were forced to grease up the VAT as a condition of their entry to the European Union in 1973. It was ONLY 10%. It is now 20%.

Once you begin a VAT, it never goes away and it never gets smaller.

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

5) If there is to be a VAT in two years, only large companies will be asked to collect VAT. The smaller companies will need to register to collect VAT only if they want to.

The Torch: Oh really? There are no such size exemptions in the UK. From where do you get this information? Did the Brits tell you this?

Well then, large company owners will just split up their companies into a number of small companies and then all small companies will simply opt out, and there is no VAT. That's how absurd this argument is.

Earth to R. Earth to R. Government does not persuade or "ask." Government is brute force. It tells you what to do, and if you don't do it, eventually men with guns come and put you into a cage. Got it?

6) If there is to be a VAT, it will not tax capital goods so it should be investment and business friendly.

The Torch: Say what? Have you ever taken Econ 101? The Torch will bottom line it for you. A VAT is an indirect income tax. It is superficially an expenditure tax, but you have to earn the income to expend it. The amount of VAT you pay is naturally connected to your income.

Guess where income comes from. Either capital or labor! Guess what capital was before it became capital. Income! If you tax income, directly or indirectly, you are taxing both the results of capital and the precursor to capital.

If you've got capital, there are many better places to invest it, from a pure economic view, than the TCI. Capital is only invested here in the TCI when there is a personal contact component that somehow overrides the incredible risk of investing in an island.

All capital investors here came here because it is nice here and they think they can use their capital to sell that nice to others. Tax their incomes and the incomes of their customers, and they all come down from Lotus Land and go to other nice places that respect them more.

If "investment and business friendly" is good, then how much better is no VAT at all? Again, R's argument, taken to conclusion, defeats itself.

7) Compliance would be better if there is a VAT. Widespread accounts of large businesses today avoiding the accommodation tax and other taxes are well known.

(You can still avoid paying customs duty today if you have family or friends working there. I know my family does. I don’t approve of it, but it still happens every day.)

The Torch: So the criminals in your family will not be able to cheat the VAT system like they presently cheat the customs system? It'll just be different brothers and cousins.

While VAT is imposed on goods and services, in an island cash economy like ours, most collected VAT will come from physical goods. Services will go almost entirely onto the black market. Therefore, inventory, and where you hide it, becomes important where it never has been before.

In the UK, every business must prepare quarterly VAT returns that are more onerous and expensive than their annual income tax returns. The VAT returns are tied to inventory and invoices. You have to assume that your own suppliers are VAT honest.

If you turn over inventory without paying VAT, you pay the VAT plus the penalties and interest. There is an army of VAT inspectors hunting down inventory.

Where does inventory come from on an island?

Customs! That means, according to R's testimony, "special" islander families will be able to defraud both the customs AND VAT systems "every day." Is this why R and others favor a VAT? Get in early and get your own slice!

"Man, I'll always be poor. My brother only works at immigration. But my friend is really empowered. He's got family at customs, TV Invest, planning, crown land, national health and VAT! Jackpot!"

Compliance would be MUCH better in the existing customs system (in the relatively few ports of entry) and in the existing and much smaller accommodations tax system if there was the political will to enforce compliance. There will never be that political will, in customs, accommodation tax or the

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

VAT, while criminals like R's relatives predominate.

There can never be that political will while decent and honest people like R stand by silently and sanction the evil they see.

8) Money laundering will not be as lucrative as it is now.

The Torch: Huh? Maybe some of the money launderers out there can assist, but the way The Torch understands it, dirty money is laundered through legitimate businesses and comes out clean. The process is done substantially through service businesses such that for example, many small bed and breakfast establishments in Eastern Europe have annual guest numbers in the millions.

If you launder your money through businesses that sell products, don't you have to prove to someone that you moved the physical product? R seems to be saying that if you're a really dumb money launderer that launders money through a product-selling company, you'll have to file a VAT return in the TCI that will subject you to a huge VAT bill. Do money launderers file VAT returns?

8) (sic) In 2013-2014, INCLUDING THE VAT – IF IMPLEMENTED, the total taxes to be collected in the country, $184.6 million, will still be less than the total taxes that were collected FIVE YEARS earlier in 2008-2009, $196.5 million.

(There was roughly $32 million more in stamp duty in 2008/9 than is projected in 2013/14, and population will be somewhat less; but still not a big difference if better compliance and the growth in tourism is factored in.)

The VAT, if implemented in TWO YEARS time, will help the TCI gets its economy working more efficiently and transparently, and thus help the average person.

The Torch: So that's bad then, right? The Torch thinks we need MORE government revenue to recover from Tauwhare and Mike, not less. R thinks we need LESS and that, if our Detroit economy even exists in 2 years, a VAT will be much more transparent and compliant after his criminal relatives have gamed it.

R advocates greater government intrusion (and spending) to produce less public revenue and that an ever-diminishing targeted group of people already here should pay it. Though R does want poor people to pay more of their incomes to a VAT. The Torch advocates less government intrusion and spending by using existent systems to earn more public revenue from more people who aren't here yet ( a slightly larger target audience than R's), that tourists should pay some amount of it - that they're already paying - and that the poor should pay less of it so that they may try not to be so poor going forward.

Throughout the above sequence of arguments, which The Torch believes are common and well regarded in the TCI, R sees our economic future only from our own viewpoint.

That would be fine if our economy was large enough and had enough customers to enable us to service ourselves to prosperity in a self contained and self-perpetuating economic environment. That environment does not exist. There simply aren't enough of us and we all together do not have enough money to move around fast enough on a continuing basis to generate enough wealth for enough of us.

Our economic system is failing because most of our customers have either left or have never arrived due to predominant insular attitudes like R's. Those destructive insular views are encouraged by the two political gangs, which buy votes by sanctioning such "empowering" criminal actions in the public service.

They are also pandered to by the treacherous independence-seeking PC Brits.

Islanders tend to see our economy only from their own perspective, i.e. what they want and think they deserve, without any regard for what they have to do to earn what they want and make it theirs permanently and reliably.

Only when we all see our economy from the point of view of our customers will we prosper in a self-sustaining manner. It is not what we want that is decisive. It is what our customers want that we can sell them.

R sees a VAT from his own narrow and extremely confused perspective - more government intrusion and spending for less government revenue.

And all can be gamed by the criminals in public service and connected families.

Now imagine what that VAT looks like from the perspective of our investor and tourist customers.

Page 19

BLUE™ - now available on Blackberry Appcentre through Digicel Group

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

LOCAL NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

JSM WIRELESS UK PLC. (“JSM”), a global provider of mobile financial software, announced today that its real-time financial application, Blue™, is available for download from the BlackBerry AppCentre with Digicel Group, the leading mobile network operator in the Caribbean, Central America and the Pacific.

Blue™ is a mobile financial software application with a highly intuitive interface that provides users with free, streaming, real-time data from global financial markets including stocks, mutual funds, currencies, commodities, financial

futures, oil and precious metals, together with extensive coverage of breaking business news.

“We are delighted to be the only financial application to be selected for Digicel’s BlackBerry AppCentre. This represents a major milestone in our strategy to expand into emerging markets, which we feel present huge potential for our app.

Working with Digicel’s ever-increasing subscriber base, we aim to make Blue™ available to BlackBerry users in Digicel’s 26 markets in the Caribbean and Central America”, stated Niloo Kassam, SVP Global Marketing at JSM.

Brian Finn, Digicel Group Commercial Director, comments, “Making Blue™ available for free on the BlackBerry is another example of our commitment to providing our customers with best value mobile services. By providing access to applications that enable and empower people to manage their financial, business and personal lives more effectively, Digicel is helping to unleash the real power of the BlackBerry to our ever-growing BlackBerry customer base.”

Blue™ is available for partners: Banks and Brokers, Mobile Network Operators, handset manufacturers and store operators around the world to market now. It offers timely access to those who need to track their investments in realtime and at the same time allows partners to provide a value added service to their high value customers.

LIME Customers Get Quick Access

MOBILE PHONE USERS across the region are set to enjoy greater flexibility and convenience, thanks to a new initiative from LIME. In a move to further enhance its regional mobile offering, the Caribbean’s leading full service telecommunications provider, today announced an interface that gives easy, instant access to a wide range of LIME services.

Access to LIME services include: • Check balances for both postpaid & prepaid services • Self-enrollment in LIME’s Calling Plans • And Much More!

Access to the new service is Free of

charge – even whilst roaming.

Customers just “Dial the Code” *129# for easy, direct access to a menu of LIME mobile services.

Customers can now get what they need when they want it!

“As of March 24, 2011, LIME is giving its customers even more value for money, greater flexibility, ease and convenience by just using a simple code” said Grace Silvera, LIME’s Regional Vice President, Marketing & Corporate Communications.

“LIME’s enhanced service is designed to significantly improve our customers’ experience by offering a single point of access, with a simple three-digit code that is available across LIME Caribbean.”

The introduction of easy access to mobile services is just the beginning for LIME, as the company’s focus in the coming months is to launch exciting new services and innovative enhancements to existing service offerings. The core of LIME’s strategy is to consistently deliver world-class solutions to all of its customers.

LIME is the Caribbean's largest telecommunications company with a

proud history in the region, and which is always working to improve life in the Caribbean. LIME delivers the very best communication services to governments, businesses and families in 13 Caribbean countries with one unifying promise—building, connecting and serving communities. LIME is part of Cable & Wireless Communications PLC, one of the world's leading communications companies.

IMMEDIATE OPENINGS

Unique Cuts Barbershop

seeks 2 BarBers salary $7 per hour Contact: 2321615 or 347-7080

IMMEDIATE OPENINGS

STEWARDING MANAGER

Requirements: • Prior experience managing the stewarding department of a 5 star Luxury Resort. • Must have an excellent working knowledge of the kitchens, equipment, food productions, sanitation, hygiene and safety.

• Must be able to organize and delegate large banquet functions. • Willingness to work long hours, nights, split shifts, weekends and holidays.

Duties Include: • Ensures the maintenance of a clean, sanitary kitchen by supervising steward personnel • Issuing cleaning supplies to stewards, checking usage and making adjustments • Ensuring that kitchen floors and walk-ins are clean • Monitoring cafeteria and provide assistance to kitchen personnel during set-up and clean-up • Working with the Food & Beverage Director banquet orders • Taking inventory of and ensure proper amounts china, dishes etc. are available • Ensuring the training of and proper use daily of all safety, hygiene and sanitation practices Starting salary $35,000.00 per annum not including service charge

Interested applicants should apply to the Regent Palms Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and bring along a recent C.V. You may also enquire by calling the Regent Palms Human Resources department at 9468666 during business hours, or by emailing mdorsett@regentexperience.com.

GARDENER

Duties Include: • Maintain the interior and exterior grounds of the Resort, under the supervision of the landscaping manager ensuring that the grounds are free of foliage and debris.

• Starting salary $5.50 an hour not including service charge

SPA ATTENDANT

Requirements: • Must posses and demonstrate the ability to interact with all guests and team members effectively with tact and diplomacy in line with property's service standards.

Duties Include: • Ensure that standards of cleanliness and organization are met at all times in the spa area.

• Escort guests from reception; provide locker keys, towels, robes, water etc. and assist with guest needs as required.

• Starting salary $5.50 an hour not including service charge

BARTENDER

Requirements: • Must have advanced knowledge of beverage preparation and service of alcoholic beverages with ability to mix, garnishes and present drinks using standard ingredient recipes.

Duties Include: • Maintain proper and adequate set-up of the bar on a daily basis and cleaning of bar area on closing.

• Requisitioning and stocking of all beer, wine, spirits, paper products, etc. and produce based projections from the daily functions sheet.

• Maintaining stock, cutting and storing of all fresh fruit and vegetable garnishes, juices and other perishables daily to insure product quality.

Starting wage $6.50 per hour

Interested applicants should apply to the Regent Palms in person, Monday through Friday 10AM to 12PM and bring along a recent C.V or by emailing mdorsett@regentexperiendce.com.

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TCI gears up for Caribbean World Travel Awards

LOCAL NEWS

By Vivian Tyson SUN Senior Editor

THE TURKS AND Caicos Islands could walk away with 13 statuettes at this year’s Caribbean Regional leg of the World Travel Awards courtesy of a bunch of nominations of attractions, resorts and agencies.

In addition to the Caribbean’s Leading Beach that is Grace Bay Beach, the Turks and Caicos Islands has seen nominations in the categories of Leading Caribbean Destination, Leading Caribbean Tourist Board, Leading Caribbean Cruise Port and Caribbean's Leading Travel Information Website.

Grace Bay Beach in Providenciales, which copped the Caribbean’s Leading Beach Destination last year, will be seeking fend off a host of other regional destination seeking to snare the crown.

Among the other contenders are: Cane Garden Bay (Tortola, British Virgin Islands), Dawn Beach (St Maarten), Diamond Beach (Martinique), Grand Anse Beach (Grenada), Half Moon Bay (Antigua), Luquillo Beach (Puerto Rico) Montego Bay (Jamaica), Negril (Jamaica), Shoal Bay (Anguilla) and

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

The Gold Coast (Barbados).

In the category of the Caribbean’s Leading Destination, the Turks and Caicos is drawn alongside last year’s winner Jamaica, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, St John, US Virgin Islands, St Martin, St. Lucia and Tobago The TCI will be looking to unseat Jamaica in the Caribbean's Leading Tourist Board category, also drawn alongside Aruba, Bahamas National Tourist Office, Barbados Belize Tourism Board, Dominican Republic and Tobago.

Turks & Caicos Islands www.turksandcaicostourism.com, will also want to come out on top ahead Jamaica – last year’s winner – in the Caribbean's Leading Travel Information Website category, which also see Antigua & Barbuda www.antigua-barbuda.org; Aruba www.aruba.com; Bermuda, feel the love www.bermudatourism.com; Destination Caribbean Online www.destinationcaribbean.net; St Kitts www.stkittstourism.kn/; The British Virgin Islands Nature's Little Secret www.bvitourism.com; and Totally Barbados www.totallybarbados.com jockeying for the top prize.

IMMEDIATE OPENINGS SECURITY GUARD Requirements • Must have previously worked as a security officer • Must be CPR and First Aid certified • Must have knowledge of emergency process and procedures, good communication skills for writing security reports and dealing with guests • Must submit a Police certificate Duties include: • Assisting in all aspects of maintaining a secure environment for property and guest Starting salary $6.00 per hour not including service charge

POOL & BEACH ATTENDANT Requirements: • Must be able to work in all outdoor element, rain, sun, etc. as required • Must be able to work long hours on feet • Must be able to lift 30lbs or more • Must be trained and certified in CPR, First Aid. • Life guard experience is a plus Duties Include: • Creating a luxury guest experience through delivery of high level service for all pool and beach services Starting salary $6.00 per hour not including service charge.

KIDS CLUB COUNSELOR Requirements: • Must be able to work in open air environment and have flexible scheduling as required • Must submit a Police certificate • Must be able to work on beach, tennis court and croquet areas with children, and organize and participate in physical activities with children ages 4-12 years old • Must be able to work weekends and holidays • Must be able to read, speak and write English fluently • Must be able to work long hours on feet • Must be trained and certified in CPR and First Aid with mandatory annual recertification.

Duties Include: • Creating an outstanding experience for children and young guests through delivery of all kids club services • Maintain safety and security of kids club participants at all times Starting salary $6.00 per hour not including service charge.

Interested applicants should apply to the Regent Palms Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and bring along a recent C.V. You may also enquire by calling the Regent Palms Human Resources department at 9468666 during business hours, or by emailing mdorsett@regentexperience.com.

The Turks & Caicos Islands would also seek to the jewel of the Caribbean's Leading Honeymoon Destination to its crown, but it would have to fend off challenges expected to pose from Anguilla, Jamaica, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Grenada, Nevis, St Barts, St Lucia, St Martins and St Vincent & The Grenadines The world famous Carnival Cruise Ship Port in Grand Turk will want to be in the thick of things this year having placed in the category of Caribbean's Leading Cruise Port alongside Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Montego Bay, Jamaica and last year’s winner Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

Chukka Caribbean Adventures, which operates in a number of Caribbean islands, including the Turks and Caicos Islands will try to regain the title of Caribbean's Leading Adventure Excursion Operator, which it lost to Dolphin Cove of Jamaican last. It will also have to fend of Ludot Shore Adventures.

Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa, Turks & Caicos will seek to defend the Caribbean's Leading Family All-Inclusive title against Almond Village, Barbados, its Jamaican counterpart - Beaches Negril Resort & Spa; Breezes, Bahamas Casa de Campo; Dominican Republic; Club Med Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Franklyn D Resort, Jamaica; Hotel RIU Las Morlas, Cuba; Radissons Fort George Hotel and Marina, Belize; and Tamarijn Aruba, Aruba.

Parrot Cay and The Regent Palms will be leading the TCI’s charge in the category of the Caribbean's Leading Spa Resort alongside Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino, Aruba; Carlisle Bay, Antigua; Cayo Espanto Resort, Belize; Coco Reef Resort & Spa, Tobago; Fern Tree, The Spa at Half Moon, Jamaica; Le Grand Courlan Spa Resort, Tobago; Round Hill Hotel & Villas, Jamaica; Sandals Regency La Toc Golf Resort & Spa, St. Lucia; Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort & Offshore Island, Bahamas Sandy Lane, Barbados; and The Body Holiday at LeSport, St. Lucia.

The Grace Bay Penthouse Suite at Grace Bay Club, the Penthouse Three Bedroom Ocean Front at The Regent Palms and the Presidential Suite at The Somerset Resort are the Turks and Caicos Islands standard-bearers in the category of the Caribbean's Leading Suite. The other contenders are Diamond at Eden Rock, St Barts; Four Bedroom Villa at One&Only Ocean Club, Bahamas; The Grand Penthouse, Grand Isle Resort and Spa Hotel

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

Exuma Island, Bahamas and The RitzCarlton Suite at The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman.

Last year winner Point Grace and Parrot Cay will take on the rest of the region in the Caribbean's Leading Boutique Hotel category against the likes of Cap Juluca, Anguilla; Graycliff Hotel, Bahamas; Horned Dorset Primavera Hotel, Puerto Rico; Malliouhana Hotel & Spa, Anguilla; Rockhouse Hotel, Jamaica and Sunset at the Palms Resort & Spa The Caves also from Jamaica.

Parrot Cay and The Somerset will also be seeking to crown themselves as the Caribbean's Leading Hotel ahead of Blue Haven Hotel, Tobago; Canouan Resort, Grenadines; Cap Juluca, Anguilla; Coco Reef Resort, Tobago; Colony Club Hotel, Barbados; Four Seasons Resort Nevis, West Indies; Graycliff Hotel, Bahamas; Half Moon, Montego Bay, Jamaica; Hotel Carl Gustaf, Saint Barthelemy; Hotel Kura Hulanda Spa & Casino, Curacao; Jumby Bay, A Rosewood Resort, Antigua and Sandy Lane, Barbados.

The Grace Bay Club, Turks & Caicos will be seeking to capture the Caribbean's Leading Resort title ahead of Atlantis Paradise Island Resort, Nassau and Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort & Offshore Island, Bahamas; Cambridge Beaches, Bermuda; Canouan Resort, Grenadines; Casa Colonial Beach & Spa and Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic; Coco Reef Resort & Spa, Tobago; Coral Reef Club, Barbados; Cotton Bay Villa, St Lucia; Covecastles Resort, Anguilla; Four Seasons Resort Nevis, West Indies; Half Moon, Montego Bay and Royal Plantation Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Harbour Village Beach Club, Bonaire; Jumby Bay, A Rosewood Resort, Antigua; Katitche Point Great House, British Virgin Islands; Palm Island Resort, Grenadines; Pink Beach Club, Bermuda; Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa, Antigua Sandpiper Reef Resort, Antigua Sandy Lane, Barbados; Sivory Punta Cana; Spice Island Beach Resort, St. Georges, Grenada; and Stonehaven Villas, Tobago Established 18 years ago, World Travel Awards has grown into a global search covering six continents, 162 countries and in excess of 5,000 travel organizations.

Votes are cast by 183,000 travel professionals, which include travel agencies, tour and transport companies and tourism organizations in over 160 countries across the globe. For the Asia and Australasia regional awards, winners in over 100 categories are selected through votes cast globally by fellow industry professionals.

TWELAN S. SWANN

LABOURER

Salary $5.00 per hour Contact #242-0388

4307 | Yellow Pages TCI | Delivery | Full Page Press Ad | Turks & Caicos Sun | 22 Feb 2011 | BB&P Advertising | info@bbandp.com | www.bbandp.com

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

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LOCAL NEWS

Your new Yellow Pages.

Coming to you in March. ®

The new Turks and Caicos Islands Yellow Pages® is heading your way in the next few weeks. Look out for the Islands’ original, official and most complete directory - in print as well as online and mobile. Click tciyp.com for details.

Yellow Pages

®

2011 Distribution

LIME Office in Providenciales & Grand Turk; LIME at Graceway IGA Post Offices and Banks around the Islands Salt Cay, South Caicos, Middle Caicos, North Caicos (delivery by LIME) Direct delivery to Corporate Customers

tciyp.com

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LOCAL NEWS

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LOCAL NEWS

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TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

William John and son Rasheed

Glen Chesterton and son Amory

Floyd Seymour and grandson Joshua Williams

Peter Karrigan and Son Shaquon

James Parker and son James Jr.

Oneil Delancy and son Lyan

Mrs. Erna Santos (left) and Mrs. Florence Ewing with students Nathan Hodge (left foreground) and Geordon Been (foreground right)

The Upper School Boys are flanked by teachers Daniel Hinds (left standing) and Oneil Chung

Alston Byfield and son Tariffe

Allan Hutchinson co-owner of the Precious Treasures Pre and Primary School

Nigel Guy and son Francois

Dr. Darren Hall and son David Hall Principal Yvonne Hutchinson and Wendy

Michael Bovel and son Javiear

Members of the panel from left – Matthew Trayler, Ian Astwood and Allan Hutchinson

Phil Thompson with son Aeron (arms fold), along with Andreas Gibbs (with folder)

Strashun Williams and son Rashun

Fathers are transfixed on the main speaker

Penrhyn Brooks and son Pendino

Titus DeBoer and son Lucas

Kenneth Abrams and son Kenai

Frantz Bernadin and son Nathan

Findley Grant and son Arwin

Roger Hodge and son Nathan, at right is T’Andre Jomes

Ian Astwood and son Giovanny

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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LOCAL NEWS

MARCH 5TH - MARCH 12TH, 2010

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Role Models MILLS Institute’s students give us a little insight on who they consider to be their Role Model.

By: Carlton Mills Jr. (9 yrs old) Grade 5 MILLS Institute A role model is a person who gives positive inspiration to persons. There are many people in the world who are considered to be role models. Some of the good qualities for role models are loyalty, bravery and dependability. My role model is my mother.

Firstly, my mom is loyal. My mother is very loyal because she is devoted to her country and is loyal to her friends. For example if one of my mother’s friends calls in the middle of the night needing help she will take time out to go help.

Secondly, my mother is my role model because she is brave. She is not afraid of challenges, darkness, scary animals and she was brave enough to open her own school in 2009.

In addition, my mother is very dependable because every time when the teachers expect their salaries she always pays them. Also my sister in college, when she needs to pay for books or classes my mother always pays for them.

In conclusion, my mother is the best role model in the world, that’s why I love her.

By: William Elliott II (11 years old) Grade 6 MILLS Institute Role models are people you look up to and want to be like when you grow up.

They should be people who do good things and make a difference in the world or community. There are many qualities that you should look for in a role model. Three qualities I look for in a role model are bravery, caring, and dependability.

To begin with, when I look for a role model they must be brave. If someone were to need help he or she would be the one to come to the rescue. Once when I was walking to my uncle ‘G’s’ house some dogs attacked me but my uncle ‘G’ ran outside and fought them off with a stick.

He took me inside and put alcohol on my cuts. It burned a bit, but in a few seconds I was all right and I felt better. That is why I look for bravery in role models.

Secondly, to me a role model must be caring. If you do not feel well you would want your role model to check on you and take care of you. For instance, my mommy was sick one day and I had to nurse her back to health by doing things like cooking, cleaning and giving her medicines on time.

Thirdly, I would like my role model to be dependable, so that if I need something he or she would not leave me stranded. In conclusion, role models are people who make a difference in your life or community.

Everyone needs to have one.

By: Tyrese Pierre (10 yrs old) Grade 5 MILLS Institute Role Models are persons who make positive impressions on persons, but before you can be a role model you must have a few values. My teacher Mr. Jackson is my role model and he has these values. He is caring, intelligent and a good listener.

First of all, my teacher is my role model because he cares for all the students. Last Friday I forgot my lunch and he got me some food without me having to pay him back.

Secondly, he is a very intelligent man he likes to watch news channels such as B.B.C and C.N.N. One time I asked my teacher some questions about the weather forecast and he knew all the answers.

Finally, Mr. Jackson is a very good listener. Mr. Jackson listens to our problems and issues that we have with other people. Last Sunday I had a problem with my friend which was very serious and Mr. Jackson listened to what I had to say and shared his opinions on how we could settle our differences.

In conclusion, Mr. Jackson is the best role model for me and I wish I can be like him one day.

By: Camoya Nembhard (11 years old) Grade 6 MILLS Institute There are many children in the world that look up to different people; those people are called role models. My role model is my mom and there are three main reasons why I look up to her, she is dependable, caring and she is a good listener.

Firstly, my mom is dependable because she always keeps her promises.

When my mom makes a promise I do not have to ask her if she is going to carry it out. Secondly, my mom is caring because when I was a baby I could not do much for myself I needed her to wash my clothes, comb my hair, and calm my fears. I am a big girl now and I still need her to do some of these things for me.

Thirdly, my mom is a good listener because after a long day of school she is the one I come home to and tell what new things I learnt, sometimes she remembers things better than I do.

Lastly, these are the main reason why I look up to my mom she is the best role model a girl could ever have. That is why when I grow up I want to be just like her..

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LOCAL NEWS

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auburn

All about him

It's Auburn And J.R.

'Cause I'm all about him, him, him, him, him And he's all about me, me, me, me, me And we don't give a dang, dang, dang, dang, dang About nobody-e-e-e

'Cause I'm all about him, him, him, him, him And he's all about me, me, me, me, me And we don't give a dang, dang, dang, dang, dang About nobody-e-e-e

, him t him, him, him, him 'Cause I'm all abou e me, me, me, me, m And he's all about , dang, dang ng da , ng da a dang, And we don't give -e About nobody-e-e Well, had him shooting for me like a ball team m, him Every guy was a knock out, Don King 'Cause I'm all about him, him, him, hi me But none of 'em had smarts, that's my thing And he's all about me, me, me, me, , dang, dang ng da , ng da , It's not enough to have balls, Spalding, ha And we don't give a dang One day by Starbucks -e About nobody-e-e I bumped into a guy rocking black Chucks fancy cars He said "Excuse me, beautiful," I said, "Aww, shucks" No, I don't need no amond rings di And then he asked, "Well, ay, wanna grab lunch?"

And I don't need no and more ed ne I l My baby is al those extra things Never ever met a guy so fly 'Cause I don't need Got me hooked like apple pie, I t about you) h-oh-oh-oh) (It's no Think I'm falling and I don't know why It's not about you (O h-oh-oh-oh) (It's not about them) But I won't fight these butterflies (O out me) It's not about them oh-oh-oh) (It's all ab l about him) h(O e m t al It's all abou 's 'Cause I'm all about him, him, him, him, him m (Oh-oh-oh-oh) (It And it's all about hi And he's all about me, me, me, me, me And we don't give a dang, dang, dang, dang, dang yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, About nobody-e-e-e yeah , ah ye , Yeah, yeah yeah , ah ye , Yeah, yeah 'Cause I'm all about him, him, him, him, him m, yeah hi t ou ab id it's all Sa And he's all about me, me, me, me, me , him And we don't give a dang, dang, dang, dang, dang him, him, him, him ause I'm all about 'C e About nobody-e-e-e me, me, me, me, m ng, dang And he's all about ng, dang, dang, da d we don't give a da An And I swear what we have is just super cool -e About nobody-e-e The way he's always in my head like a Bluetooth , him, him, him, him I got a text from him, he said come through se I'm all about him au 'C Told me that he wants to kick it, Kung Fu me, me, me, me he's all about me, d ng, dang An Don't do nothing much at all ng, dang, dang, da we don't give a da d An Just we and his boys watching football -e About nobody-e-e He asked for a kiss (Muah) So I gave him two He said, "Well, thank you, baby," I said, "You're welcome, I'm all about him oh-oh-oh) 'Cause h(O boo" se I'm all about him (Oh-oh-oh-oh) 'Cau about him all (Oh-oh-oh-oh) I'm e don't give a dang, dang, dang Never ever met a guy so fly w d An ) oh (Oh-oh-ohGot me hooked like apple pie, I l about you al s It' ) oh (Oh-oh-ohThink I'm falling and I don't know why all about you, boy (Oh-oh-oh-oh) It's But I won't fight these butterflies all about you (Oh-oh-oh-oh) It's (Oh-oh-oh-oh)

Film legend Elizabeth Taylor dies at 79 in LA

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

LOS ANGELES — Elizabeth Taylor, the violet-eyed film goddess whose sultry screen persona, stormy personal life and enduring fame and glamour made her one of the last of the oldfashioned movie stars and a template for the modern celebrity, died Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at age 79.

She was surrounded by her four children when she died of congestive heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she had been hospitalized for about six weeks, said publicist Sally Morrison.

"My Mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love," her son, Michael Wilding, said in a statement.

"We have just lost a Hollywood giant," said Elton John, a longtime friend of Taylor. "More importantly, we have lost an incredible human being."

Taylor was the most blessed and cursed of actresses, the toughest and the most vulnerable. She had extraordinary grace, wealth and voluptuous beauty, and won three Academy Awards, including a special one for her humanitarian work. She was the most loyal of friends and a defender of gays in Hollywood when AIDS was still a stigma in the industry and beyond. But she was afflicted by ill health, failed romances (eight marriages, seven husbands) and personal tragedy.

Her more than 50 movies included unforgettable portraits of innocence and of decadence, from the children's classic "National Velvet" and the sentimental family comedy "Father of the Bride" to Oscar-winning transgressions in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "Butterfield 8." The historical epic "Cleopatra" is among Hollywood's greatest on-screen fiascos and a landmark of off-screen monkey business, the meeting ground of Taylor and Richard Burton, the "Brangelina" of their day.

The London-born actress was a star at age 12, a bride and a divorcee at 18, a superstar at 19 and a widow at 26.

She underwent at least 20 major operations and she nearly died from a bout with pneumonia in 1990. In 1994 and 1995, she had both hip joints replaced, and in February 1997, she underwent surgery to remove a benign brain tumor. In 1983, she acknowledged a 35-year addiction to sleeping pills and pain killers. Taylor was treated for alcohol and drug abuse problems at the Betty Ford Clinic in Rancho Mirage,

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

Calif.

She had a remarkable and exhausting personal and professional life. Her marriage to Michael Todd ended tragically when the producer died in a plane crash in 1958. She took up with Fisher, married him, then left him for Burton. Meanwhile, she received several Academy Award nominations and two Oscars.

Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was born in London on Feb. 27, 1932, the daughter of Francis Taylor, an art dealer, and the former Sara Sothern, an American stage actress. At the onset of World War II, the Taylors came to the United States. Francis Taylor opened a gallery in Beverly Hills and, in 1942, his daughter made her screen debut with a bit part in the comedy "There's One Born Every Minute."

Her big break came soon thereafter.

While serving as an air-raid warden with MGM producer Sam Marx, Taylor's father learned that the studio was struggling to find an English girl to play opposite Roddy McDowall in "Lassie Come Home." Taylor's screen test for the film won her both the part and a long-term contract.

Soon after her screen presence was established, she began a series of very public romances. Early loves included socialite Bill Pawley, home run slugger Ralph Kiner and football star Glenn Davis.

Then, a roll call of husbands: — She married Conrad Hilton Jr., son of the hotel magnate, in May 1950 at age 18. The marriage ended in divorce that December.

— When she married British actor Michael Wilding in February 1952, he

Disco singer Loleatta Holloway dies

Loleatta Holloway, who scored a string of R&B and dance hits, died of a heart attack this week, her manager said. She was 64.

Holloway suffered a fatal heart attack on Monday at Chicago's Advocate South Suburban Hospital, said her manager Ron Richardson of Hushtown Entertainment.

Best known for her disco hits "Love Sensation" and "Hit and Run," Holloway began her career as a gospel singer, and, as a teenager, replaced Shirley Caesar in the Caravans in 1967.

Richardson called her "a strong, feisty, but loving woman."

Her career got a boost in 1991 when Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch sampled "Love Sensation" in their chart-topping single "Good Vibrations."

Holloway was born in Chicago in 1947 and is survived by four children and nine grandchildren, Richardson said. Funeral arrangements are pending.

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ENTERTAINMENT a gossip columnist as official scribe.

But in August 1995, she and Fortensky announced a trial separation; she filed for divorce six months later and the split became final in 1997.

"I was taught by my parents that if you fall in love, if you want to have a love affair, you get married," she once remarked. "I guess I'm very oldfashioned."

Her philanthropic interests included assistance for the Israeli War Victims Fund, the Variety Clubs International and the American Foundation for AIDS Research.

She received the Legion of Honor, France's most prestigious award, in 1987, for her efforts to support AIDS research. In May 2000, Queen Elizabeth II made Taylor a dame — the female equivalent of a knight — for her services to the entertainment industry and to charity.

In 1993, she won a lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute; in 1999, an institute survey of screen legends ranked her No. 7 among actresses.

Survivors include her daughters Maria Burton-Carson and Liza ToddTivey, sons Christopher and Michael Wilding, 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

was 39 to her 19. They had two sons, Michael Jr. and Christopher Edward.

That marriage lasted 4 years.

— She married cigar-chomping movie producer Michael Todd, also 20 years her senior, in 1957. They had a daughter, Elizabeth Francis. Todd was killed in a plane crash in 1958.

— The best man at the Taylor-Todd wedding was Fisher. He left his wife Debbie Reynolds to marry Taylor in 1959. She converted to Judaism before the wedding.

— Taylor and Fisher moved to London, where she was making "Cleopatra." She met Burton, who also was married.

That union produced her fourth child, Maria.

— After her second marriage to Burton ended, she married John Warner, a former secretary of the Navy, in December 1976.

Warner was elected a U.S. senator from Virginia in Brown's 1978. They divorced in Chris reputation may be 1982.

— In October 1991, she tarnished, but his married Larry Fortensky, a midtown meltdown has truck driver and yet to blemish his construction worker she met criminal record. while both were undergoing ABC has decided not treatment at the Betty Ford to press any charges Center in 1988. He was 20 against the R&B singer years her junior. The following his volatile wedding, held at the ranch meltdown backstage at of Michael Jackson, was a "Good Morning media circus that included America" on Tuesday, the din of helicopter blades, TMZ.com reported.

Chris Brown a journalist who parachuted Police arrived to ABC to a spot near the couple and studios shortly after Brown threw a tantrum following his interview with co-host Robin Roberts, who asked him about his infamous 2009 attack on former girlfriend Rihanna. The 21-yearold singer stormed into his dressing room screaming and smashed a window - sending shards of glass falling onto the streets of Times Square below – and was pictured storming out of building shirtless.

Brown, who is still on probation for the assault on Rihanna, would be facing time behind bars if a judge deemed his act of vandalism in violation of his probation.

"Probation isn't looking into anything with regards to Chris Brown," Kerri Webb, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Probation Department, told the Daily News.

"There hasn't been any arrest or conviction. So unless someone files a police report or engages law enforcement in some way, there isn't anything for us to do here."

The buzzed-about incident didn't seem to effect Brown, who was spotted blowing off some steam during an afternoon pick-up basketball game in the West Village's crowded West 4th St. courts.

Chris Brown's 'Good Morning America' meltdown:

ABC won't press charges after singer smashes window

KFWS • MindGym March 21, 2011

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FUN & GAMES

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MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

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FUN & GAMES

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

King Features Weekly Service

March 21, 2011 March 21, 2011

King Features Weekly Service

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Regarding your upcoming challenges, the Aries Lamb should very quickly size things up and allow you to make the best possible use of whatever resources you have on hand. Good luck.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) You rarely blame others for missteps that worked against you. But this time you need to lay out all the facts and insist that everyone acknowledge his or her share of the mistakes. Then start again.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) You might want to start making vacation plans. And don’t be surprised by unexpected family demands.

Maintain control. Be open to suggestions, but don’t get bogged down by them.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Work with both your Moon Child and Crab aspects this week to keep both your creative and your practical sides balanced.

Your intuition sharpens, giving you greater insight by the middle of the week.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) The Big Cat finally should have all the information needed to move on with a project. If not, maybe you’ll want to give everything a new and more thorough check before trying to move on.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Too much emotional pain caused by someone you can’t win over as a friend? Then stop trying to do so. You have other things you need to work on this week. Go to it, and good —13— luck.

LIBRA (September 23

SHEER ARTISTRY

Way back in the ‘30s, a team known as the Four Horsemen, comprised of Willard Karn, Hal Sims, David Burnstine and Oswald Jacoby, dominated the world of bridge. For years they rode roughshod over all opposition, winning most of the important tournaments.

All four have passed on to happier hunting grounds, but the tales of their exploits linger on. Today’s hand was played by Karn.

West led the queen of clubs, which held, and East won the club continuation with the ten, cashed the ace (on which West discarded a diamond) and returned his last club. Karn ruffed with the jack as West discarded

—15—

to October 22) It’s a good time to reassess where and how your strengths can help you build, and where your weaknesses can hinder you.

Remember to build on your strongest foundation.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) That personal matter that seemed so hard to deal with should be less confusing now. Don’t rush. Let things happen easily, without the risk of creating even more puzzlement.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Change continues to be a strong factor in many important areas. Keep on top of them, and you won’t have to worry about losing control.

A personal situation takes on a new look.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) A business offer sounds intriguing. But if you don’t check it out thoroughly, you could have problems. Take a set of questions with you when you attend your next meeting.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Your selfconfidence should be coming back. That’s good news.

But it might be a bit over the top right now, so best to let it settle down before you start making expensive decisions.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Your life, your decisions. Good enough.

But be sure you have all the facts you need to put into the decision-maker mixing bowl and hope it will come out as it should.

BORN THIS WEEK: You find much of your creativity with new people who give you much to think about.

• can Bri low “Th per wh giv em • Wo cat Crè ripe thre • you to out ave prin mo cha • Un can sum • sum tic you Ma of blin the

© 2011 King Features Synd., Inc.

another diamond.

Karn played a spade to the queen and led a heart, winning with the queen. He now had the K-2 of trumps and guessed well to play the deuce, felling East’s ace.

East returned a spade to dummy’s ace, on which South discarded a diamond, and Karn then made the key play of the jack of diamonds.

East ducked and so did South, West contributing the ten. A heart to the king drew the last trump, and declarer’s diamonds won the last three tricks.

When the play is analyzed, it is found that the spade finesse, the deuce-of-hearts play and the jack-of-diamonds finesse were all absolutely essential. Furthermore, the timing also had to be perfect.

The spade had to be led at trick five so that trumps could be initiated from dummy, and the queen had to be finessed so that the South hand could not be forced to ruff later on. Furthermore, the jack of diamonds had to be finessed to overcome the queen and ten with one stroke.

No defense stops the contract. If West keeps his diamonds, South establishes the suit by ruffing the third round in dummy. ©2011 King Features Synd., Inc.

Dig Dre By (Ke $14 Rev Cro

W lion “be cen tion new mov toda for first auth view who extr desc to f care Th sati deta like ing afte “gla tain men ven jobs be r lege ang est j

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

King Features Weekly Service

FUN & GAMES

March 21, 2011

y x

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o w. he te r. e, ur e.

9ts

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ts ly s, m er n k5, 5, e-

—23—

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

Drill shows Caribbean unprepared for tsunami

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A United Nations-organised tsunami drill yesterday tested the preparedness of Caribbean governments for a disaster that has struck the region several times in the last 150 years.

Thirty-three governments participated in the exercise, and several reported gaps in their emergency response plans.

Dominican Republic officials noted the lack of evacuation plans.

Officials in the United States Virgin Islands were surprised that radio stations were able to broadcast an alert in Spanish but not in English and that the emergency broadcast

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

signal was weak.

"That's one of the things we're looking into," said Noel Smith, director of the islands' emergency management agency.

UN officials said the exercise simulated a tsunami that could be generated by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake. The drill targeted government agencies, although some governments got residents involved.

In Puerto Rico, dozens of citizens complained that they never heard the sirens meant to alert them.

The US National Weather Service has deemed only 11 of the island's 44 coastal municipalities ready for a tsunami.

There were successes.

Emergency management workers in the Bahamas successfully issued an alert by text message to 300 officials across the island chain, said Commander Stephen Russell at the emergency management agency.

Ronald Jackson, director of Jamaica's emergency management office, said local agencies worked to improve staffers' disaster preparedness skills with training sessions rather than stage the drill.

He cited a lack of resources.

Juan Manuel Mendez, director of emergency operations in the Dominican Republic, said the country aims to draw up evacuation

Corruption at systemic levels in Jamaica, says Contractor General

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Contractor General Greg Christie called for the creation of a special agency to fight corruption, asserting official graft has reached "systemic" levels.

Christie said there is credible evidence Jamaica's law enforcement and anticorruption institutions have been ineffective in netting the "big fish" involved in practices that corrode the island's society.

"For years, and despite having on paper what some might regard to be a relatively comprehensive anti-corruption institutional framework, corruption in Jamaica, particularly the corruption that is perceived to be taking place in high places, Jamaica’s Contractor General Greg Christie has enjoyed a field day," Christie said at the close of a two-day regional anti-corruption conference.

Christie, whose position comes with extensive statutory powers of investigation and subpoena, said it is crucial the government recognise that efforts in combating graft have fallen short.

He said Jamaican leaders must show political will to effectively battle corruption, which has "already condemned the great majority of Jamaicans to a future of relative poverty and dismal hopelessness."

The United States State Department says corruption among Jamaican public officials remains a major concern.

"The law provides criminal penalties for official corruption; however, corruption is entrenched, widespread and compounded by a judicial system that is poorly equipped to handle complex criminal prosecutions in a timely manner," according to this year's US International Narcotics Control Strategy Report on Jamaica.

Karen Hilliard, director of the US Agency for International Development in Jamaica, told conference attendees that a recent poll says most Jamaicans believe their public officials are corrupt.

At Tuesday's opening ceremony, Prime Minister Bruce Golding lauded support from Jamaica's partners in battling drug traffickers and said that stopping corruption requires a coalition.

"It involves the government; it involves the media; it involves civil society and it requires, importantly, a recovery and a rebuilding of the values and standards that we currently face in our society against corruption," Golding said. "Legislation alone can't do that."

Last year, Jamaica improved its ratings on Transparency International's corruption survey but still ranked poorly. Jamaica was No 87, up from 99, in the watchdog group's report. The island scored the same as India, Albania and Liberia.

Christie said the improvement is insufficient.

"It should now be crystal clear that the battle against Jamaica's systemic corruption cannot be effectively won unless and until the anti-corruption institutional framework is radically and comprehensively transformed," he said.

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plans as well as evaluate buildings and infrastructure that could be damaged by a tsunami.

At least nine tsunamis have hit the Caribbean since the mid-1800s, killing more than 3,500 people, said Ron Trumbla, a spokesman for the United States' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The most recent tsunamis include one that hit Puerto Rico in 1918, killing 140 people, and two tsunamis that struck the Dominican Republic in 1946, causing 1,865 deaths. A tsunami caused by last year's devastating earthquake in Haiti killed seven people in the fishing town of Petit Paradis.

Freeze but no reform of APD for Caribbean

THE United Kingdom has decided to freeze the controversial Air Passenger Duty (APD) but has decided not to adjust the system, which Caribbean tourism interests complain unfairly disadvantages the region against rival destinations.

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, who announced his country's latest budget today, said that there would be no further rise in APD until April 2012 due to 'hefty rises' made last year. The duty is based upon the distance of a country's capital city from London, which means that the levy is higher on flights Caribbean destinations than those in the US, even if they are farther away, such as Los Angeles or Hawaii.

Amanda Williams, Managing Director of Virgin Atlantic Holidays, the sister company of the Virgin Atlantic airline which operates flights from London to Kingston and Montego Bay, welcomed the freeze but said that it was wasted opportunity “We welcome the news concerning a freeze on the threatened APD rise, although it feels like a temporary stay of execution rather than a full reprieve. This was an opportunity for the Government to make a bold commitment to the UK travel industry and a clear statement of its support for communities and economies which are dependent on tourism. Unfortunately, we have something of a fudge which leaves the possibility of future rises open," said Williams in a statement.

The Caribbean and tourism interests have lobbied the UK government against APD and Williams urged Osborne to cooperate further with the lobby to reform the system.

“It is also disappointing that the Government has not acted decisively on the many calls that have been made to review the banding system for travel to overseas destinations. The consultation is a positive signal for regions such as the Caribbean which are dependent on tourism for a substantial part of the GDP and employment, but we believe this was an opportunity for a clearer message to be sent. We join our colleagues in the travel industry both here and overseas in urging the Chancellor to work with us and act on this matter urgently and introduce a fairer system.”

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Murders increasing in The Bahamas

CARIBBEAN NEWS The murder count in The Bahamas so far this year is up 50 percent over the same period last year with the country recording a murder every three days on average, according to a report in the Nassau Guardian.

Last Tuesday, the murder count stood at 30 — 10 more murders than were recorded this same time last year, according to The Nassau Guardian’s records.

Additionally, several bodies were found this year, which could potentially push the murder count even higher if they are classified as murders.

So far, 11 murders have been recorded in March, seven in February and 12 in January.

Police identified the country’s latest homicide victim as Alton Ferguson, 36.

He was shot in the head Monday at Exclusive Salon, Cordeaux Avenue and Ragged Island Street, around 2:40 p.m.

Police said a gunman approached

Ferguson and shot him. He died a short time after being taken to hospital, police said.

Assistant Superintendent B.K. Bonamy, who heads the homicide division of the Central Detective Unit, confirmed yesterday that police officially classified two recent deaths as murders.

On Monday morning a woman was found in a garbage bag bound and thrown to the side the street, off Prince Charles Drive.

Her head and hands were bound with duct tape, she was stabbed to the right arm and stuffed in a garbage bag.

Police discovered a car, which they believed belonged to the victim, at Doris Johnson High School yesterday.

Bonamy said police have an idea who she was but added that she has yet to be officially identified by her next of kin.

Police have also classified as a murder the death of a man who was

Wyclef Jean recovering from a gunshot wound to the hand in Haiti

Politically-minded musician Wyclef Jean is today recovering from a gunshot wound to the hand, which he suffered on the eve of the presidential elections, in Haiti. Wyclefs own bid for presidency ended last year after being disqualified for not meeting the necessary criteria, but was in Haiti on Saturday (March 19) to raise support for presidential candidate and musician Michael Martelly.

He was reportedly rushed to a nearby hospital to treat the gunshot wound and was later released.

“The way I can explain it is that the bullet grazed me in my right hand,” Jean told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “I heard blow, Wyclef Jean blow, blow and I just looked at my hand.”

Jean, who was with a driver and the Haitian hip-hop singer FanFan at the time, said he doesn’t know who fired the shots, or whether they were directed at him.

He said he got out of the car to have a private conversation that FanFan would not overhear. He heard the shots and looked down to see blood on his shirt and sneakers.

The Haitian-American performer said he was treated at a local hospital and released. Jean said he was taking antibiotics and recovering at an “undisclosed location” before going out to vote in Sunday’s presidential election. –Huffington Post Prior to the incident, there was controversy around his bid which ultimately ended in disqualification, with his ex band mate Pras Michel and actor Sean Penn criticising his decision to run. Jean also received a number of threats to leave the country, but it is not claimed that the two are linked.

“God is good. I’m workin on campaign with one hand. Lol…” Wyclef comments in a statement made to GlobalGrind, who spoke to him today and were told that he knows people are concerned about him, and will update his fans about what happened yesterday when he was shot.

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

found in a jeep on Sunday. Police discovered the burnt remains of the man on a tract road in Bamboo Town.

Police believe he was on bail for murder.

And while police admit that they have their hands full, Bonamy said they are up to the task.

He said five squads have been established to look into some of the country’s latest murders.

Bonamy added that the police will aggressively hunt down the murderers and bring them to justice.

Police closed a murder case earlier this week.

Mario Elliot, also known as ‘Red Eye’, 24, of Peardale, was charged with the March 17 murder of Javardo Miller and the attempted murder of Tavaris Miller. He was not required to enter a plea to the charges. The matter was adjourned until June 22.

Police say they hope to close a couple other murder cases in the coming weeks.

And while detectives are continuing to investigate those homicides, detectives also have the discovery of skeletal remains on their hands.

Police have yet to classify the March 9 discovery of the burnt skeletal

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

remains of three people, according to Senior Assistant Commissioner Quinn McCartney.

The remains were found in Grand Bahama near Pinder’s Point Public Cemetery.

McCartney told The Guardian that local forensic analysts have determined that the bones do belong to humans, but he said they were unable to determine the sex, cause of death or how long they were dead.

He said samples of the remains will be sent to an anthropologist in Florida.

As it relates to the skeletal remains that were found in New Providence on the Eastern Road several weeks ago, Bonamy said samples have already been sent to Florida for further testing.

He added that the discovery of a woman’s body on March 19 is also being investigated by the homicide unit. However, he said police have not yet determined whether it is a murder.

He said the body was severely decomposed. An autopsy is expected to be carried out on the victim later this month, Bonamy said.

The country recorded a recordbreaking 94 murders last year and police have solved more than 70 percent of those.

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MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

TRINIDAD PM CALLS FOR PROBE INTO SALE OF TERMINAL SLOTS AT LONDON AIRPORT PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar says her administration will conduct a probe into the sale of BWIA terminal slots at London's Heathrow airport under the Patrick Manning government in 2006.

"Up to today for the life of me I cannot understand why we gave away those Heathrow slots that makes it so difficult now for people coming from Europe and other places to come into Trinidad,” Persad Bissessar said, following her one-week visit to London to participate in activities of the 54-member Commonwealth grouping.”

"While I was there and I saw it and I saw how difficult it was for the travelling public, I want to ask the AG (Attorney general Anand Ramlogan) to do some kind of enquiry to find out how and why and where we gave away those Heathrow slots, it has made life very difficult for doing business there and travelling generally," she told reporters.

In December 2007, the Manning administration said the BWIA’s slots at Heathrow were sold for TT$60 million (US$10 million) as part of a negotiation for Caribbean Airlines , which replaced BWIA, to use British Airways for its London route under a code-share agreement.

The Bahamas Court dismisses BTC appeal CARIBBEAN NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

The Court of Appeal of The Bahamas late Tuesday dismissed the appeal filed by Bahamas Telecomunications Company unions who were seeking to block the sale of BTC’s majority shares to Cable and Wireless Communications.

The justices handed down their decision after 5 p.m. and said they will give their reasons in writing at a later date.

This represents another major blow to the unions, which insist that the sale would be bad for BTC workers and the country.

The justices ordered that the unions pay all costs in both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

Maurice Glinton, who represented the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU) and the Bahamas Communications and Public Managers Union (BCPMU) argued that Supreme Court Justice Neville Adderley acted prematurely last month when he struck out the unions’ matter to have the sale of the telecommunications company stopped.

Justice Adderley had ruled that the unions did not have the legal capacity to sue the government.

“The judge acted prematurely in acceding to the application to have the union matter struck out,” Glinton said.

He charged that Justice Adderley did not just strike out the matter but nullified the action.

Glinton said Justice Adderley should have afforded the unions the opportunity to put their case forward.

But the Court of Appeal upheld Adderley’s decision.

The ruling was handed down while members of parliament were continuing debate on the privatization of BTC. The government expects to close the deal early next month.

The case was heard before Court of Appeal President Anita Allen, Justice Christopher Blackman and Justice Abdulai Conteh. Queen’s Counsel Philip Dunkley and attorney Loren Klein from the Office of the Attorney General appeared on behalf of the government.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said the government made the decision to sell the majority stake in BTC because no company would agree to buy the minority share for a reasonable price

Cuba’s Castro: I quit as party chief 5 years ago

HAVANA – Fidel Castro's surprise announcement that he stepped down as head of the Communist Party five years ago — despite widespread belief he remained in charge — marks the bizarre end of an era for a nation, and a man, whose fates have been intertwined for more than half a century.

The 84-year-old revolutionary icon made the revelation Tuesday — with word of the resignation thrown in as an aside halfway through an opinion piece that otherwise focused on President Barack Obama.

The declaration raises fundamental questions about just how much power Fidel has been wielding behind the scenes since his 2006 illness, and to what extent his 79-year-old brother has had freedom to make his own decisions as he pushed the country to enact sweeping economic reforms.

It also gives the Castros an opportunity to tap a possible future successor with their naming of a new party No. 2 — one without their famous last name.

They might select from a cadre of younger leaders who could carry the fiscal changes forward, and perhaps even reboot relations with the United States.

Alternatively, the brothers could look to the past by promoting a loyal-but-weathered veteran of the revolution that brought them to power in 1959.

The answer will likely become apparent through a high-level game of musical chairs that Fidel's departure will engender in the upper reaches of the Communist Party hierarchy during a crucial Communist Party Congress next month.

In Tuesday's opinion piece, Castro said that when he got sick in 2006, "I resigned without hesitation from my state and political positions, including first secretary of the party ... and I never tried to exercise those roles again."

He said that even when his health began to improve, he stayed out of state and party affairs "even though everyone, affectionately, continued to refer to me by the same titles."

In the opinion piece, Fidel indicated that, with or

Fidel Castro

without formal titles, he will always be an intellectual force in the revolution, a refrain he has uttered several times in recent years.

"I remain and will remain as I have promised: a soldier of ideas, as long as I can think and breathe," he writes.

The article, which was published on the state-run Cubadebate website overnight and in newspapers Tuesday morning, caught many people by surprise.

"It's incredible. Nobody can believe it," said Magaly Delgado, a 72-year-old Havana retiree who was clutching a copy of Granma, the Communist Party daily. "I always thought he was still in charge. ...

He never said he had resigned."

The Cuban government had no immediate comment on the revelation, which appeared to tweak history. Fidel stepped down in 2006 due to a serious illness that almost killed him. In an official proclamation released on July 31, 2006, he

provisionally delegated most of his official duties to his brother — including the presidency and head of the party.

In February 2008 he announced he was officially stepping down as president, and Raul Castro was formally picked to succeed him by the country's parliament a few days later. But no reference was made to Fidel leaving his party post, and Cuban officials and ordinary people have referred to him as the party leader ever since.

Even after the announcement, the Communist Party website on Tuesday listed Fidel as first secretary, with Raul as second secretary.

It is widely expected that Raul will formally be named to the top spot at the April congress, and analysts say the choice of second secretary will say a lot about how the brothers envision a transition to an eventual post-Castro era.

US officials harassed Jamaica Government, says PM Bruce Golding

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TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding said Thursday that U.S. Embassy officials displayed a "belligerent attitude" toward his government after Washington sought the extradition of a reputed crime boss with ties to his political party.

Golding said the U.S. Embassy's charge d'affaires pressured his justice minister to quickly hand over alleged drug kingpin Christoper "Dudus" Coke during at least two phone calls within days of his government receiving the August 2009 extradition request.

"I interpret that kind of behavior as harassment," Golding testified to a fact-finding commission examining his government's handling of the extradition request for Coke.

The prime minister resisted the U.S. extradition request for nine months, arguing Coke's indictment on gun and drug trafficking charges relied on illegal wiretap evidence. The stance strained relations with Washington, which questioned Jamaica's reliability

as an ally in the fight against drug trafficking.

The U.S. Justice Department listed Coke as one of the world's most dangerous drug lords. He controlled the Tivoli Gardens slum in West Kingston, a community that has long been a bastion of support for the governing Jamaica Labor Party.

Even amid reports the alleged leader of the notorious Shower Posse gang was stockpiling weapons to prevent arrest, Golding said he sought out lobbyists to contest the extradition with U.S. officials higher up the ladder in Washington due to what he called the local embassy's "obstinate" manner and disinclination to respond to Jamaica's legal objections.

"I was also mindful of the fact that because this request involved Christopher Coke (and) because of the high media temperature ... this was not an issue that we could afford to leisurely meander our way through normal diplomatic channels to try and resolve," Golding testified.

U.S. Embassy spokeswoman

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Requirements - Applicants must be and or have: • at least three (3) years of experience in electrical maintenance • a high school diploma or equivalent • attentive to details and self-motivated • able to understand and speak English fluently • willing to reside on Ambergris Cay • able to work with little or no supervision • physically fit, dependable and hard working • in possession of clean police record and valid TCI Driver’s License • Able to understand and follow policies and procedures of the department Salary Scale: $31, 000 to $33,000 per annum Closing Date for Applications is Wednesday March 23rd, 2011 Applications must be addressed to: Ambergris Cay Services Ltd Unit 51, Salt Mills Plaza, Grace Bay Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands E-mail: heather.allen@ambergristci.com Tel: (649)-941-3777 Fax: (649)-941-3778

Yolonda Kerney said there would be no comments during the commission's inquiry.

Golding eventually instructed Labor Party insider Harold Brady to retain U.S. lobbyists to contest the extradition. In earlier testimony, Golding said he was furious when Brady told him that Los Angeles-based firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips took on the lobbying case as a Jamaican government representative, disobeying his instructions to act only as an intermediary of the political party.

Golding said he regretted bringing in the lobbying firm in Coke's case, but insists he acted only in his capacity as head of the Jamaica Labor Party, not as prime minister. Brady disputes this claim and has sued Golding for libel.

The prime minister's handling of the Coke extradition, in particular his authorization of the law firm to lobby Washington to drop their request, provoked an outcry that threatened his political career. He even offered his resignation last year, but it was rejected

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding

by his party.

Golding, whose Parliament district includes Coke's West Kingston slum stronghold, finally agreed to send Coke to the U.S. as questions rose about the reputed drug kingpin's ties to the governing party.

The hunt for Coke in the slums led to four days of fighting in May that killed 73 civilians and three security officers in Tivoli Gardens. He was captured June 22 and sent to the United States days later.

Now jailed in New York, Coke has pleaded not guilty to charges that he trafficked drugs to the eastern United States and funneled profits and weapons back to Jamaica.

Huge surge in Hispanic population in US

WASHINGTON — The Hispanic population in the United States has grown to 50 million, becoming the largest minority with 16 percent of the population, according to US Census Bureau figures released Thursday.

The Hispanic population grew by 43 percent in the past decade, accounting for more than half of the 27 million increase in the total US population, which rose by nearly 10 percent to 308 million.

The white non-Hispanic population grew by just over one percent and its share of the total population fell from 69 percent in 2000 to 64 percent in 2010, according to a census report on population changes by race.

About 14 percent -- or 42 million -- of the total population reported their race as black, either alone or with another race.

Mixed-race people comprised 3 percent of the US population in 2010.

The Asian population also grew tremendously in the past decade, by 43 percent to a total of nearly 15 million people.

Among those under 18 years of age, 53 percent are white, 23 percent are Hispanic, and 14 percent are black.

The population shifts can impact US elections, like in 2008 when two of every three Hispanic voters chose Democrat Barack Obama over Republican John McCain in the presidential election, Hispanic advocacy organizations said.

Most Republicans generally oppose immigration reform legislation that would grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens, most of whom are Hispanic.

"The (Republican Party) is becoming branded as anti-immigrant and anti-Latino by the fastest-growing group of voters in the nation," said Frank Sharry, director of America's Voice, an organization that usually supports Democrats on immigration issues.

Geographically, the west and south have seen the largest population increases in recent decades, attributed to immigration and migration from eastern US cities.

In 2010, nearly half -- 47 percent -- of the total population of the West was minority.

Among states, California led the nation with the largest minority population, at 22 million.

Between 2000 and 2010, Texas joined California, Hawaii, New Mexico, and the District of Columbia in having a "majority-minority" population, in which more than half of the population was part of a minority group, the Census Bureau said.

The eastern city of Detroit, in the state of Michigan, lost one-quarter of its population in the past decade, to the disbelief of some of its remaining residents.

"I don't believe the number is accurate," Dave Bing told National Public Radio in an interview in Detroit, population 714,000.

Page 37

British Commander says Gaddafi’s air force is defeated

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

WORLD NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

The commander of British aircraft operating over Libya has said that Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's air force "no longer exists as a fighting force".

Air Vice-Marshal Greg Bagwell said the allies could now operate "with near impunity" over the skies of Libya.

He said they were now applying unrelenting pressure on the Libyan armed forces.

He was speaking during a visit to RAF aircrew based at Gioia del Colle in southern Italy.

"We are watching over the innocent people of Libya and ensuring that we protect them from attack" he said.

"We have the Libyan ground forces under constant observation and we attack them whenever they threaten civilians or attack population centres."

His comments come as Western leaders debate who leads the intervention, with the US keen to hand

over to Nato.

Western aircraft have flown more than 300 sorties over Libya in recent days and more than 162 Tomahawk cruise missiles have been fired.

Earlier, witnesses reported that international forces had launched new air strikes near Libya's rebel-held western city of Misrata.

Forces loyal to Col Gaddafi initially pulled back, but Misrata residents said snipers continued to target people from rooftops.

A Misrata resident told Reuters by telephone: "This morning, air strikes twice hit the airbase where Gaddafi's brigades are based.

"Two people were killed by snipers an hour ago in the centre of the town. Their bodies are now at the hospital, which I visited a while ago. Shooting is still going on there now."

A doctor in the city also said that snipers were

continuing to shoot at civilians, and confirmed at least one person had been killed.

Witnesses said tanks pulled back from their positions, from where they have been spearheading a siege of the city for days.

Residents fleeing the town described shelling, gunfire and houses on fire.

Col Gaddafi's forces have also resumed their pounding of Zintan, near the Tunisian border, according to reports.

And there are also reports of fierce fighting between rebels and pro-Gaddafi forces in the strategic eastern town of Ajdabiya.

Late on Tuesday, Col Gaddafi made his first public appearance in a week and gave a short speech to a crowd of supporters in Tripoli.

He urged "all Islamic armies" to join him, saying: "We will be victorious."

2 planes land at Washington airport without controller help Two planes landed safely early Wednesday morning at Washington's Reagan National Airport after they were unable to reach anyone at the airport's air traffic control tower, according to the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.

The FAA would not comment on a media report that the airport controller had fallen asleep. NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said, "All we know is the controller was unresponsive and we want to know

why."

The situation began at 12:10 a.m.

Wednesday when an American Airlines plane attempted to call the tower to get clearance to land and got no answer, Knudson said. The plane had been in contact with a regional air traffic control facility, which also tried without success to reach the tower.

Knudson said the plane landed without incident in a situation termed an "uncontrolled airport."

About 15 minutes later, a United

flight also failed to reach the tower and landed without any problems, he said. After that, the controller in the tower was back in communication.

Knudson said one controller was staffing the tower at the time this occurred.

FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said the agency is investigating what happened. "The FAA is looking into staffing issues and whether existing procedures were followed appropriately."

Knudson said it's not uncommon for planes to land at airports in such a situation. He said control towers at some fields around the country shut down for the night and planes still land. However, he could not comment on whether that practice was ever used at Reagan National.

Knudson did not have information on how many passengers and crew were aboard the two planes involved in the situation Wednesday morning.

Radiation injuries hinder work at Japan's nuclear plant "In light of that, we must first end this TOKYO – Radiation injuries to three situation and then study (it) from a zero workers complicated the battle to control base."

Japan's earthquake-damaged nuclear plant Japan's 55 nuclear reactors provide about while fear of contamination from the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years 30 percent of its electric power. The grew both at home and abroad. percentage had been expected to rise to 50 Engineers trying to stabilize the sixpercent by 2030, among the highest in the reactor nuclear power station in world.

Fukushima, 240 km (150 miles) north of Alarm has been spreading about leaking Tokyo, have pulled out of some areas of radiation. the plant pending safety checks two weeks Tokyo's 13 million residents were told on after an earthquake and tsunami battered Wednesday not to give tap water to babies the plant. after contamination hit twice the safety level.

About 27,400 people are dead or But it dropped back to safe levels the next missing across northeast Japan after the day.

March 11 disasters.

Despite government appeals for people Explosions in three reactors at the not to panic, many shops saw bottled water Fukushima Daiichi power station last flying off the shelves. week made this the worst nuclear accident Handout photo from Tokyo Electric Power Co. shows worker attempting to repair power "Customers ask us for water. But there's lines at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Tomioka, Fukushima since Chernobyl in 1986 and raised fears nothing we can do," said Masayoshi REUTERS/Tokyo Electric Power Co of a catastrophic meltdown.

Kasahara, a clerk at a Tokyo supermarket.

While that has not happened, A TEPCO official said the engineers were radiation has been leaking and four of the plant's working in a volatile environment and needed to be "We are asking for more deliveries, but we don't know when the next shipment will come." reactors are still volatile. aware of the danger.

Radiation above safety levels has also been Engineers from the plant's operator, Tokyo "We would like to let those on site know before found in milk and vegetables from Fukushima and Electric Power Co (TEPCO), have made some we resume work," company official Akira Suzuki the Kyodo news agency said radioactive cesium 1.8 progress in restoring power needed to cool down said on Friday. overheating nuclear fuel.

The huge loss of life from the 9.0 magnitude times higher than the standard level was found in a But on Thursday, three workers replacing a earthquake on March 11 and the tsunami it leafy vegetable grown at a Tokyo research facility. cable were exposed to high levels of contamination triggered, together with the prospect of a nuclear Singapore said on Thursday it had found by standing in radioactive water, officials said. Two nightmare, have brought Japan its darkest days since radioactive contaminants in four samples of were taken to hospital with what experts thought World War Two. vegetables from Japan. could be radiation burns.

Earlier, Singapore and Australia joined the The crisis at the plant has raised apprehension A senior official at the country's nuclear safety about nuclear power, both in Japan and beyond, and United States and Hong Kong in restricting food and agency said the accident would delay work. the government of the world's third largest economy milk imports from the zone, while Canada became "We are certainly at a crucial stage right now, would have to review its nuclear power policy, the the latest of many nations to tighten screening. so we should try to avoid delays as much as top government spokesman said.

The estimated $300 billion damage from the possible, but we also need to ensure that the people "It is certain that public confidence in nuclear quake and tsunami makes it the world's costliest working there are safe," agency deputy director power plants has greatly changed," Chief Cabinet natural disaster, dwarfing Japan's 1995 Kobe quake general Hidehiko Nishiyama told a news Secretary Yukio Edano told Reuters late on and Hurricane Katrina, which swept through New conference.

Orleans in 2005.

Thursday.

Page 38

White House defends Libya response

WORLD NEWS

The Obama administration strongly defended its handling of the Libyan crisis Thursday, drawing a clear line between military and political objectives while dismissing criticism that it has failed to adequately consult with members of Congress.

"We are not engaged in militarilydriven regime change," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters.

Instead, the administration is engaged in "time-limited, scope-limited" action with other countries to protect civilians from forces loyal to strongman Moammar Gadhafi.

American armed forces will be transitioning to a "support and assist" role in the international coalition within a matter of days, he promised. U.S. ground troops will not be sent into Libya, he stressed.

A senior Western diplomat later confirmed that a formal agreement for

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

NATO to take over the command structure of the U.N.-sanctioned military mission will be finalized as early as this weekend.

The goal of that mission is strictly to prevent a humanitarian crisis.

President Barack Obama, however, has also said the administration's ultimate objective is Gadhafi's removal from power. U.S. officials have indicated they hope Gadhafi will be removed quickly by forces currently loyal to him, though they haven't publicly called for a coup.

Carney listed a series of recent meetings, hearings and briefings by top officials -- including the president -with members of Congress on Libya.

The list was produced in response to accusations by House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and others that the White House failed to properly consult with legislators before launching the

Libyan mission.

Boehner sent a letter to the president Wednesday complaining that "military resources were committed to war without clearly defining for the American people, the Congress, and our troops what the mission in Libya is and what America's role is in achieving that mission."

Carney said the administration has "endeavored to answer (Boehner's) questions already," and noted that the speaker received a classified intelligence briefing on March 14. He also accused some critics of being "perhaps driven by politics."

Carney indicated the president will continue to speak out on Libya "with relative frequency."

A Republican source, meanwhile, told CNN that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman

String of rocket attacks follows fatal Jerusalem bombing

Eleven rockets were fired into Israel from Gaza on Thursday, a day after a fatal terrorist bombing in Jerusalem killed a woman and wounded more than 50 other people, the Israel Defense Forces said.

"The question is why," Brig. Gen. Yossi Kuperwasser said in a phone call Thursday, speaking about the increase in attacks, which the IDF said caused no injuries.

Israel's ambassador to the United States said Thursday the rocket attacks appear "unrelated" to Wednesday's bombing in Jerusalem.

Michael Oren said the rocket attacks probably have to do with infighting in the Hamas-controlled territory of Gaza.

However, he said, there has also been an escalation in violence against his country.

One of the rockets fired Thursday hit near the southern Israeli town of Ashdod, and another landed in the southern town of Sderot, causing damage to an industrial area of the town, according to Israeli Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.

In response to the rocket attacks, the Israeli military launched airstrikes in Gaza on Thursday night. Two were in the Beit Hanoun area of northern Gaza and two were in Gaza City, according to journalist Ibrahim Dahman.

A Hamas building and a Hamas training camp were hit, he reported.

Kuperwasser said Thursday night's strikes were aimed at trying to prevent more attacks on Israel.

"Right now there is no one in Gaza to stop this, so it's up to us to try to stop it," he said.

"It seems no one speaks for the Palestinians," he added.

"Hamas is not in charge."

Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs named the woman who died as Mary Jane Gardner, a 59-year-old British national who was studying at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Israeli officials were continuing their investigation into Wednesday's attack, Kuperwasser said, without giving details.

U.S. President Barack Obama called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to express his condolences over the Jerusalem bombing and his concern about the attacks against Israel from Gaza, the White House said in a statement.

Obama "reaffirmed the United States' unwavering commitment to Israel's security," it said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates also paid a visit to Israel on Thursday. He met with his Israeli counterpart, Ehud Barak, who said Israel will not "tolerate" terrorist attacks.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague also spoke out against the attack, calling it "a callous and disgusting act of terrorism directed against innocent civilians which I condemn unreservedly."

The Palestinian Authority also condemned the attack, but Oren, the Israeli ambassador, criticized their comments.

They "say one thing" and "do another thing," he said.

He said prominent members of the Palestinian government recently attended a ceremony at a central square near Ramallah that was named after a "Palestinian terrorist who killed dozens of Israelis, including about 13 children."

"The message gets out that killing Israelis is a good thing," Oren said. "We need to see not just words, but deeds."

92-YEAR-OLD SHOOTS NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE AFTER HE REFUSES TO KISS HER

Helen Staudinger, 92, wanted a kiss.

But authorities say after her 53-year-old neighbor refused, the central Florida woman aimed a semi-automatic pistol at his house and fired four times.

"If my head would have been over just a little bit further, (a bullet) probably would have hit me in the back of the head," the neighbor, Dwight Bettner, told Reuters.

Staudinger remained in jail, a day after being arrested on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and shooting into a dwelling. Her next court date is April 26.

The case of the kiss that wasn't occurred in Fort McCoy, Florida, about 20 miles northeast of Ocala.

Bettner, a former law enforcement officer and boilermaker, said his elderly neighbor has seemed attracted to him

since he moved in six months ago. He's not sure why.

"I've taken her trash out for her, just neighborly stuff," Bettner said. "I guess she just took that as something else."

He told Marion County Sheriff's deputies that Staudinger threatened to shoot him recently when he told her he had a girlfriend but didn't follow through.

Just after noon on Monday, Bettner argued with Staudinger when she came to his house and refused to leave, according to an incident report.

"I want a kiss before I leave," Bettner said Staudinger told him.

No, he said.

"Just go back to your property, and leave me alone," Bettner recalled saying.

Bettner was on the phone with his father when he heard gunshots moments later. One bullet went through a window,

92-year-old Helen Staudinger

spraying him with glass.

Staudinger told deputies that she fired at Bettner's new Mitsubishi 3000GT, a car "that he loved so much," the incident report said.

Bettner said on Tuesday that he would probably move out of his rented home.

"I just don't need the stress or the hassle," he said. "I thought this only happened to younger people."

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

Adm. Mike Mullen, and National Intelligence Director James Clapper will deliver a classified briefing to members of Congress on March 30.

Asked about the financial cost of the mission, Carney said expenses should be covered by existing Pentagon funds. But he told reporters, "I don't want to get into numbers. I'm not an economist."

While the White House insists it has been -- and will continue to be -responsive to questions about the Libyan mission, critics on the right and the left remain unmollified.

Shortly after Carney spoke to reporters, Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Boehner, released a statement arguing that "it's fair to say the (speaker's) letter wouldn't have been necessary if the speaker -- and the American people -- had received answers."

Donald Trump

TRUMP TO OBAMA: SHARE

BIRTH CERTIFICATE

NEW YORK-- U.S. business mogul Donald Trump called on President Obama to offer up his birth certificate to the American people.

"Why doesn't he show his birth certificate? I really believe there's a birth certificate," Trump said Wednesday on ABC's "The View." "Why doesn't he show his birth certificate? I think he should. I think it's a terrible pall that's hanging over him."

So-called "birthers" question whether Obama was born in the United States.

Trump, who's considering whether to jump into the Republican battle to run for the presidency in 2012, said he wanted Obama to show his birth certificate, suggesting "there's something on that birth certificate he doesn't like."

The women on the daytime talk show spoke at once following that remark, making comebacks difficult to hear.

Trump said he will make a decision before June.

"I will do a good job," Trump said, quickly adding if he decides to run and "if I win."

In Britain curbing lawsuits over libel

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

Some tourists head to London to visit Big Ben or the Tate museum. For wealthy individuals or celebrities who feel that they can sue the news media under Britain’s libel laws, the Royal Courts of Justice have long been a popular stop.

The issue rose to international prominence after a Saudi businessman, Khalid bin Mahfouz, successfully sued an American author, Rachel Ehrenfeld, in London over a book that had been published in the United States in 2003 and sold only 23 copies in Britain.

Last year, President Obama signed into law a measure blocking enforcement of British libel judgments in United States courts if they conflicted with American free-speech protections.

British publishers, too, have chafed at libel laws that they see as favorable to claimants, saying wealthy subjects of news coverage, including big companies, use the threat of lawsuits to bully news organizations into squelching provocative articles.

They mounted a well-organized campaign and, unusually, convinced all three of Britain’s main political parties that something needed to be done.

Last week, the government introduced legislation to overhaul the libel laws, including provisions aimed at curtailing so-called libel tourism, cracking down on trivial claims and giving news organizations greater protection for publishing articles deemed to be truthful or in the public interest.

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

“The right to speak freely and debate issues without fear of censure is a vital cornerstone of a democratic society,” said Kenneth Clarke, the justice secretary.

So, will libel claimants soon have to look elsewhere? Perhaps. But free speech groups that led the libel reform campaign say the proposed changes do not go far enough.

“The government’s draft defamation bill is a big step forward toward ending the practice of libel tourism, which has led our courts to silence free speech around the world,” said John Kampfner, chief executive of Index on Censorship. “But without action to reduce the cost of a libel trial, reform will protect the free speech of some, but costs will silence others.”

The high cost of defending against a libel suit in Britain — or of bringing one, for that matter — is not addressed in the proposed legislation. Rather than spending tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds on a legal defense, many journalists or publishers will continue to settle cases even when they know that they were publishing the truth, critics say. As before, the burden of proof in such situations will remain with the defendant — the reverse of the situation in the United States, where media freedom has greater constitutional protection.

There may also be less than meets the eye in the move to restrict libel tourism, as British courts already seemed to be changing their thinking on the subject. In February, for

Sex can be heart attack trigger for couch potatoes

CHICAGO – Sex and exercise can trigger heart attacks in older people who don't get much of either, a new analysis finds. The risk is low, but it's a good reminder that slackers should change their exercise habits gradually, especially in middle age.

People who exercise regularly have a much smaller risk of having a heart attack immediately after sexual or physical activity, said lead author Dr. Issa Dahabreh of Tufts Medical Center in Boston.

"It would be really bad if someone thought our paper means people should not exercise," Dahabreh said. "If anything, it's the opposite."

The analysis, appearing in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, combined results from 14 studies involving more than 6,000 patients.

The studies involved only people who'd had heart attacks or had died suddenly from a heart problem. The studies looked at what the people were doing during the hour or two before their heart attacks and compared that to the same people's activity on normal days with no major heart problems.

That study design is used to try to answer the question, "Why did the heart attack occur now?"

Physical activity and sex increased the risk of heart attack by a factor of about three, according to the analysis of the pooled results. Exercise increased the risk of sudden cardiac death by nearly five times. The researchers didn't find a triggering relationship between sex and sudden cardiac death, that is, a sudden death from a heart problem. The risk for any one person is extremely low.

"If you were to follow 10,000 people for a year and if they all decided to increase their physical activity by an hour a week, you could expect to see two to three more heart attacks," Dahabreh said.

That risk is offset for most people by the benefits of exercise. The more frequently people exercise, in general, the less risk they have of exercise or sex triggering a heart attack.

Most of the patients in the studies were in their late 50s and early 60s, but the findings are a cautionary tale for people in any age group who are slowing down.

Exercise might even be considered cross-training for sex, said Mercedes Carnethon, a heart disease researcher at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, who wasn't involved in the research.

"Engaging in regular physical activity is a requirement for maintaining a long, safe, healthy sex life," Carnethon said.

"If this isn't more motivation for people to maintain some degree of physical activity, I'm not sure what is," Carnethon said. "Get out and walk. Do something."

Page 39

WORLD NEWS

example, a judge dismissed a defamation claim by a Ukrainian billionaire who had sued a Ukrainian newspaper, The Kyiv Post, in London.

Dominic Crossley, a lawyer at Collyer Bristow Solicitors in London who represents both libel claimants and defendants, said he was skeptical that much would change, calling the bill a “sop to the media.”

Among Mr. Crossley’s clients is Max Mosley, former president of the governing body of Formula One auto racing, who successfully sued a British tabloid, News of the World, after it

US Soldier Gets 24 Years for Murders of 3 Afghans A U.S. soldier was sentenced to 24 years in prison Wednesday after saying "the plan was to kill people" in a conspiracy with four fellow soldiers to kill unarmed Afghan civilians.

Military Judge Lt. Col. Kwasi Hawks said he initially intended to sentence Spc. Jeremy Morlock to life in prison with possibility of parole but was bound by the plea deal. Morlock will receive 352 days off of his sentence for time served.

His sentencing came after he pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, and one count each of conspiracy, obstructing justice and illegal drug use at his court-martial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, south of Seattle.

The 22-year-old soldier is a key figure in a war crimes probe that implicates a dozen members of his platoon and has raised some of the most serious criminal allegations to come from the war in Afghanistan.

He was accused of taking a lead role in the killings of three unarmed Afghan men in Kandahar province in January, February and May 2010.

Asked by the judge whether the plan was to shoot at people to scare them, or to shoot to kill, Morlock replied, "The plan was to kill people."

Morlock was the first of five soldiers from the 5th Stryker Brigade to be court-martialed - something his lawyer Geoffrey Nathan characterized as an advantage. Under the plea deal, Morlock agreed to testify against his co-defendants.

"The first up gets the best deal," Nathan said by phone Tuesday, noting that under the maximum sentence, Morlock would serve no more than eight years before becoming eligible for parole.

Morlock told the judge that he and the other soldiers first began plotting to murder unarmed Afghans in late 2009, several weeks before the first killing took place. To make the killings appear justified, the soldiers planned to plant weapons near the bodies of the victims, he said.

During questioning by the judge Wednesday, Morlock said he had

reported on Mr. Mosley’s dalliance with prostitutes. Mr. Mosley has gone to the European Court of Human Rights, seeking stronger privacy protection for the subjects of tabloid articles.

“Every week brings a new revelation of criminal behavior by tabloid journalists in the U.K.,” Mr. Crossley said. “So it seems to me that the reform of libel is slightly off message. The behavior of tabloid journalists is the real issue that needs to be dealt with.”

Spc. Jeremy Morlock

second thoughts about the murder plot while home on leave in March 2010, after the first two killings took place.

Morlock said he didn't voice his doubts to his fellow soldiers, however, and he went on to participate in the third killing in May. Morlock also admitted to smoking hashish while stationed in Afghanistan, though he said he was not under the influence of the drug at the time of the killings.

Morlock, his voice shaking at times, told the judge has had a lot of time to reflect on his actions in Afghanistan and ask himself "how I could become so insensitive and how I lost my moral compass."

"I don't know if I will ever be able to answer those questions," he said.

Earlier this week, the German news magazine Der Spiegel published three graphic photos showing Morlock and other soldiers posing with dead Afghans. One image features Morlock grinning as he lifts the head of a corpse by its hair. After the January killing, platoon member Spc. Adam Winfield sent Facebook messages to his parents saying that his fellow soldiers had murdered a civilian and were planning to kill more. Winfield said his colleagues warned him not to tell anyone.

Winfield's father alerted a staff sergeant at Lewis-McChord but no action was taken until May, when a witness in a drug investigation in the unit reported the deaths.

Winfield is accused of participating in the final murder. He admitted in a videotaped interview that he took part and said he feared the others might kill him if he didn't.

Also charged in the murders are Pvt. 1st Class Andrew Holmes and Spc. Michael Wagnon II. Seven other soldiers in the platoon were charged with lesser crimes, including assaulting the witness in the drug investigation, drug use, firing on unarmed farmers and stabbing a corpse.

UK sees slower growth, above-target inflation TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

Page 40

LONDON – Britain cut its economic growth forecast on Wednesday and said inflation would remain above target this year and next in a budget that stuck to ambitious deficit-busting goals.

Seeking to support a faltering economy, finance minister George Osborne said corporation tax would be cut by two percentage points to 26 percent from April, rather than by just the one point originally planned.

A levy on banks would be increased to pay for it.

Osborne cut his growth forecasts to 1.7 percent in 2011, and 2.5 percent in 2012, citing figures from the government's independent fiscal watchdog. In November, growth was estimated to be 2.1 percent this year and 2.6 percent in 2012.

Sterling fell to the day's low versus the dollar in response to the new economic forecasts.

The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government is attempting to eliminate most of a

uk Prime Minister, David Cameron

deficit of 10 percent of national output before the 2015 election, while also nurturing a fragile economy back to health.

Public borrowing would fall less steeply over the next four years than previously hoped but the bulk of the budget deficit would still be eliminated by 2015, Osborne said.

Come and join our winning team!!!

BoE could start to raise rates in the coming months, potentially creating a headache for a government banking on loose monetary policy to support the recovery while it slashes spending. Any delay will be a welcome relief for Osborne and his team.

The coalition -- which set four-year plan to cut public spending by about a fifth last year -- has little cash to spend to ease the pain for struggling businesses and families.

Labour, the unions and some economists argue the government is putting the recovery at risk by cutting the deficit so fast.

The wisdom of the government's harsh four-year spending review has also been brought into question for other reasons.

British fighter jets are now operating in Libyan skies to quell attacks by Muammar Gaddafi on his own people, but any sustained military engagement could put Britain's cashstrapped armed forces under strain.

AMBERGRIS CAY SERVICES LTD

POSITION AVAILABLE

Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages and Spa, the only 6 Diamond all inclusive property in the Caribbean and its authorized Recruitment Agencies are inviting applications from suitably qualified Turks and Caicos Islanders for the following vacant positions.

Applicants must have a clean police record and a good command of the English language both written and spoken. In addition candidates must be able to work nights, public holidays and week-ends.

The Resort thanks everyone for their interest in advance and advises that only short listed applicants will be contacted for an interview.

Housekeeping Department: HOUSEKEEPING SUPERVISOR: Duties include but not limited to: o Train new housekeepers and housemen o Conduct room inspections. o Maintaining inventory o Cleaning responsibilities.

The rate for the position listed above is $6.50 to $9.00 an hour.

The rate for the positions listed above is $5.00 to $6.00 an hour.

ROOM ATTENDANT: Duties include but not limited to: o Make up beds and service bathroom o Replace soiled linen and towels; restock soap, tissues, and drinking glasses; disinfect bathroom surfaces; dust and polish the furniture; remove all trash; vacuum the carpet; and mop any uncarpeted floors. o Report any items that is not working properly HOUSEMAN: Duties include but not limited to: o Cleaning lobbies, halls, guestrooms and bathrooms. o Stocking guest rooms with towels and linens, furnishings and any other supplies o Report any items that is not working properly

Stewarding Department: STEWARD: Duties include but not limited to: o Cleaning restaurant equipment o Sweep and scrub floors o Remove garbage, and separate trash. o Operate the dishwasher, pot washer silverware washer, garbage compactor

Housekeeping Department: PUBLIC AREA ATTENDANT: Duties include but not limited to: o Ability to work with a variety of cleaning equipment and chemicals (i.e. cleaners, disinfectants) and prolonged exposure to water. o Ability to lift and move approximately 75 pounds. o Ability to operate, control and maintain industrial maintenance equipment (i.e. buffers, vacuums, blowers, pressure washers, carpet cleaners/machines).

The rate for the positions listed above is $5.00 to $6.00 an hour.

Applications giving full details of qualifications and experience should be sent to: mmvaughn@grp.sandals.com or Fax to: 941-4870 Attn: M McClean-Vaughn The Human Resources Department Beaches Turks and Caicos P.O. Box 186 Lower Bight Road

Policymakers at the Bank of England face a dilemma, with inflation running at more than double their 2 percent target while the economy is still in a fragile state and needs the support of record low interest rates.

Osborne said soaring oil prices meant inflation would remain between 4 and 5 percent this year before dropping to 2.5 percent next year.

The economy unexpectedly shrank at the end of last year and, although it is seen bouncing back this year, the recovery faces headwinds from constrained credit, weak household finances, high oil prices and the prospect of tighter monetary policy.

Minutes of this month's Bank of England monetary policy meeting on Wednesday showed no more policymakers had joined the camp wanting to raise interest rates, with three out of nine MPC members backing a hike and the rest wanting to hold rates at a record low of 0.5 percent.

Markets have been betting that the

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

and

The Labour Commissioner Labour Department Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands

and should reach not later than March 31st 2011.

Ambergris Cay Services Ltd (in Receivership) is seeking a suitable applicant to fill a post on Ambergris Cay. The available post is for a:

GENERATOR TECHNICIAN MECHANIC

Daily tasks will include, but are not limited to:

• Overseeing all electrical maintenance operations of Prime Power Generators on Ambergris Cay. • Providing full maintenance services as a certified Level three (3) Power Generator Technician and an authorized supplier and dealer of Cummins Power Generation.

• Cooperating and coordinating closely with the Employer and Cummins Power Generation so as to ensure the efficient functioning of all generators.

• Any other related duties as may be required to ensure the smooth operation of the Prime Power Generators.

Requirements: Successful applicant must:

• Highly technical - possessing a Level three (3) Power Generation certification authorized by Cummins Power Generation • have at least five (5) full years of direct experience in servicing Prime Power Generators manufactured by Cummins Power Generation.

• be reliable, hard working and enthusiastic • be attentive to details • be able to work under little or no supervision • produce a clean Police Record Salary: $25,000 to $30,000 per annum.

Closing Date for Applications is March 25th, 2011

Applications must be in writing addressed to: Ambergris Cay Services Ltd Unit 51, Salt Mills Plaza, Grace Bay Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands E-mail: heather.allen@ambergristci.com Tel: (649)-941-3777 Fax: (649)-941-3778

Millions download latest Firefox browser

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

More than five million people have downloaded the latest version of Firefox since its release a day ago.

Mozilla, which makes the number two web browser, has been keeping a real-time map showing where in the world users are installing the software.

Despite the rapid uptake, downloads have been slower for version 4 than its predecessor.

Over the past year, Firefox's market share has declined slightly in the face of competition from Google's Chrome.

Firefox 4 was made available for download less than a month after Microsoft launched Internet Explorer 9, the latest version of its marketleading browser.

Both pieces of software promise users a faster, more secure online experience.

Firefox, like its rival, now makes extensive use of HTML 5, one of main the programming languages used to build websites.

Both browsers feature hardware acceleration when displaying HTML

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Firefox 4 managed to double IE9's download total in less than 24 hours after its release.

5 pages - drawing on the power of a computer's graphics processor to improve the speed of complex visuals.

Declining share Within its first 24 hours, more than 5.5 million users had downloaded Firefox 4. However, that falls short of the 8 million who downloaded version

Google books agreement torpedoed

by US court

An agreement between Google and publishers over the web firm's publication of books online has been blocked by a US court.

The web giant has scanned millions of books and made them available online via its eBooks platform.

Google had negotiated the deal to settle a six-year-old class action suit claiming infringement of copyright.

But the New York court said the deal would "simply go too far", giving Google an unfair competitive advantage.

Copyright concerns Under the agreement with the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers, Google would continue to digitise books and sell access online.

In return, the company would pay $125m (ÂŁ76.9m) in royalties every year to the copyright owners of the books being scanned.

However, copyright concerns persisted, as the ownership of many of the works being scanned by Google could not be established, meaning many would be unable to claim the royalty payment.

"The [amended settlement agreement] would give Google a significant advantage over competitors, rewarding it for engaging in wholesale copying of copyrighted works without permission, while releasing claims well beyond those presented in the case," said judge Denny Chin.

The US Department of Justice has approved the ruling and said it was the "right result."

It has been critical of Google's deal, saying it would give Google exclusive rights to profit from "orphan works", where the rights holders are unknown or cannot be found.

Gina Talamon, a Justice Department spokeswoman, said the agreement "created concerns regarding antitrust, class certification and copyright issues."

The agreement is also separately being investigated by the US Department of Justice on competition and copyright grounds.

Google's plan Google responded to the ruling saying it was 'disappointing'.

"We'll review the Court's decision and consider our options," said Google's managing counsel, Hilary Ware.

"Like many others, we believe this agreement has the potential to open up access to millions of books that are currently hard to find in the US today," she added.

"Regardless of the outcome, we'll continue to work to make more of the world's books discoverable online through Google Books and Google eBooks."

Google has already scanned some 15 million books.

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3 on its release day in 2008.

The lower figure may be explained by the widespread availability of pre-release versions of Firefox 4 in the months ahead of its launch.

Firefox has enjoyed rapid growth since it first appeared in 2004. At its

peak, in 2009 it held a 24% market share, according to Netmarketshare.

However, by February 2011 its slice of the browser market had fallen to 21%.

At the same time, Google's Chrome browser has grown from 1% to 10%, according to the same figures.

Internet Explorer remains the dominant platform, although its fall has been the most precipitous - from 68% in March 2009 to 56% in February 2011.

Some analysts believe that Firefox could still secure a bigger piece of the increasingly fragmented market, especially among corporate users.

"Internet Explorer 9 is only for Windows Vista and 7. Two thirds of companies are still using Windows XP," said Ovum analyst Richard Edwards.

"If you want to make the most of the HTML 5 stuff that is out there then you have to go to IE9 and a Windows 7 upgrade or switch to Firefox.

"That may be a significant opportunity for Firefox," he said.

Microsoft sues Barnes & Noble over Nook e-book

Technology giant Microsoft has sued Barnes & Noble, alleging the US bookseller's electronic book reader Nook infringes its patents.

Microsoft claims the device, which runs on Google's Android operating system, infringes various patents, including those concerning navigation software.

It is also suing electronics manufacturers Inventec and Foxconn International.

The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court in Seattle, Washington.

"The Android platform infringes a number of Microsoft's patents, and companies manufacturing and shipping

Android devices must respect our intellectual property rights," said Horacio Gutierrez, deputy general counsel of Microsoft's intellectual property and licensing.

"We have tried for over a year to reach licensing agreements with Barnes & Noble, Foxconn and Inventec. Their refusals to take licenses leave us no choice but to bring legal action to defend our innovations."

Barnes & Noble, the biggest bookseller in the US, has invested heavily in its Nook ebook in an attempt to gain ground on market leader Amazon and its Kindle reader, and to fight off increased competition from supermarkets and online retailers.

Toyota to halt some US production because of parts shortage Toyota Motor Corp. expects to halt some production in the United States because of a parts shortage caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

"We continue to assess our supply base in Japan," the automaker said Wednesday. "Some production interruptions in North America are likely. It's too early to predict location or duration."

Toyota has factories in Georgetown, Ky.; San Antonio, Texas; and Princeton, Ind. Toyota said that it was working with its suppliers to minimize any disruptions and that for now, its dealers had an "ample" supply of vehicles.

Also on Wednesday, Toyota said it was delaying the launch of its Japanese-built Prius hybrid station wagon. It was to go on sale next month. Earlier this week Toyota said its factories in Japan would remain closed through Saturday.

The growing production slowdowns and factory closures are expected to tighten the supply of cars in the U.S. and lead to some higher prices, analysts said.

"Demand for new cars is proving to be steady, so we can be sure new-car prices will go up as inventory thins out," said Michelle Krebs, an analyst at auto information company Edmunds.com.

"All automakers are just now figuring out who supplies every little part. The shortage of any one could shut down an assembly line‌. Virtually all major automakers have some risks," Krebs said.

Meanwhile, General Motors has suspended production of Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickup trucks at a factory in Shreveport, La., for at least this week because of a shortage of parts coming from Japan. About 900 employees work at the plant. It also furloughed 59 workers at an engine plant near Buffalo, N.Y., because of the parts shortage.

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LOCAL NEWS

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MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

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Page 42

Shrimps, Predators lead in inaugural Female Beach Football The first ever Beach Soccer League in the Turks and Caicos Islands started last weekend with two matches taking place on Grace Bay beach in front of the Market Place.

Tourists and locals who attended the games were impressed with the female players that contested the opening day of games. In the first game the All Star Shrimps claimed a 9-2 victory over the New Wave Warriors with Christina Hinds netting six goals and Gillian Vernice scoring a hat trick.

Chanile Butterfield and an own goal ensured that the Warriors got on the score sheet.

In the second game, Caribbean Predators saw off stern resistance from the Beach Soccer Ballers to win 10-4. Goals were evenly spread among the Predators with Kadine Delphin

leading the way with three and Simone Smith, Lilli Fenelus and Pekiera Brooks getting two goals each.

Other key performances on the day came from the goal keepers Jacinda Alfrena of All Star Shrimps and Yarileny De La Cruz ofPredators, but Christina Hinds’s five goals was enough to land her the title of the day's MVP. According to National Head Coach, Matthew Green, all players enjoyed the experience, which he said bodes well for the league which contains players of all ages including many girls from the TCIFA Regional Academies and U14 Girls Center of Excellence. Games are played every Sunday at 4.00pm and 5.00pm.

The Beach Soccer goalkeeper gets that ball ahead of the advancing Caribbean Predators forward (right), even as the defenders come in to lend assistance.

An All Star Shrimp player (left) about to execute a tackle at an advancing New Wave Warriors forward

A New Wave Warriors defender shields the ball for the goalie snatch ahead of the charging All Star Shrimp forward

Shrimps and New Waver Warriors players battle for the ball

A Caribbean Predators forward (centre) charges towards to goal, with a Beach Soccer player (left) in hot pursuit. An off-the-ball forward also gives support

Police win Universal product recycling finals

Police emerged champions of the Universal product recycling sponsored mini T 20 Cricket Tournament as the defeated Quality in the finals that was played on Sunday 20 March, 2011 at the Downtown Ball Park.

Batting first after winning the toss the Police posted 193 runs for 9 wickets from 20 overs. The top scorer was Garvin Bruno with 79 runs 14x4

1x6 and Kavin Mars made 46 runs 7x4.

Bowling for the Police Damian St ange claimed Bowling for Quality Lloyd Charly took 2 2 wickets for 21 runs from 4 overs and Garvin wickets for 10 runs from 2 overs and John Dolphin Bruno 2 wickets for 25 runs from 3.4 overs had 1 wicket for 27 runs from 4 overs.

At the end of the game the following awards In reply, Quality were bowled out 146 runs were presented. from 19.4 overs Gareth Butler was the principal Most runs Garvin Bruno contributor with 38 runs 4x4 2x6 and Anish Thomas Most wickets Damian St ange made 31 runs.

Championship Trophy Police

Bolt vs Powell in Rome

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

ROME, Italy — Usain Bolt will race Asafa Powell at the Golden Gala meet in Rome in a matchup of the 100-metre world record holder against his Jamaican teammate.

Meet organisers today announced Powell's participation for the race on May 26. Bolt had confirmed in January.

Both runners will be making their season debuts in the lucrative Diamond League.

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Since Powell set a world record of 9.74 seconds in 2007 in Rieti, Italy, Bolt has broken the mark three times. The last record of 9.58 seconds was set at the 2009 world championships in Berlin.

Other entries for the annual meet at the 80,000-seat Stadio Olimpico include American sprinters Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards, the world champions in the 200 and 400, respectively.

GAYLE HITS BACK AT CRITICISM FROM WINDIES COACH

Chris Gayle

DHAKA, Bangladesh — Jamaican batsman Chris Gayle has apologised for the West Indies' limp World Cup exit yesterday, but said it is "easy" to blame the senior players.

West Indies coach Ottis Gibson used a news conference after the 10-wicket thrashing by Pakistan to criticise senior players including Gayle for failing to perform.

The 31-year-old Gayle posted an apology to the West Indies fans on his Twitter feed on Thursday, but added: "it is easy to blame the senior players,but difficult to accept the truth!!! Curse me blame me!!!!"

West Indies hasn't beaten a higher-ranked team in a limited-overs international for more than two years. The team threw away winning positions against England and India in the group stage at the World Cup, before being bowled out for 112 against Pakistan in the quarterfinal.

Gibson said the West Indies management would take some "serious decisions" before West Indies play a home series against Pakistan in April.

"West Indies cricket for the last 10 years has been pretty much the same. And also they've been the same players," Gibson said. "This tournament has seen the emergence of a quite a few good young players and those young players are the players we will build our future on."

Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul have all played at several World Cups, but they couldn't stamp their authority on the team this time around.

Gayle missed two games with an abdominal strain and though he returned to the team for the quarterfinal, he scored just eight in a disastrous batting performance by West Indies.

Chanderpaul's form was such that he was dropped for two games. He also returned against Pakistan and though he top-scored with 44, he and Sarwan finished the tournament with strike rates of less than 60, among the lowest in the tournament.

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Usain Bolt

Asafa Powell

Pakistan crush dismal West Indies in cricket World Cup

Pakistan annihilated West Indies by 10 wickets in Mirpur to secure a World Cup semi-final against India or Australia.

Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal each took two wickets in an over to bowl out the Windies for 112.

Afridi claimed 4-30 to reach 21 wickets in the tournament as only Shivnarine Chanderpaul resisted with 44 not out.

Pakistan reached the modest target with 175 balls left, man-of-the-match Hafeez (61) with 10 fours and opening partner Kamran Akmal firing seven fours in 47.

The West Indies collapsed to a debilitating 18-run defeat in their group match against England after losing their final four wickets for three runs and worse followed here, as wickets five to eight went for the addition of just two.

After dismissing Bangladesh for 58, the Shere Bangla ground held good memories for the Windies - aside from the stoning their team bus received from irate home supporters after that match.

But Sulieman Benn, who took 4-18 on that occasion, was left out of the side and after Darren Sammy chose to bat his team proved they were just as susceptible to disintegration batting first as they are when chasing.

Hafeez was brought on for the second over to bowl his off-spinners at dangerman Chris Gayle but the West Indies opener was swiftly dismissed by the seam of Umar Gul. Gayle had already come down the pitch to hit Gul down the ground for four but in attempting a similar stroke two balls later, drove straight to mid-off - it is now 34 innings since the cavalier made a one-day international century.

However, Hafeez soon made a dramatic impact with Devon Smith and Dwayne Bravo prodding hesitantly forward and dismissed lbw in the sixth over.

Chanderpaul, recalled to the side, had shared six ODI century partnerships with Ramnaresh Sarwan and despite looking in no sort of form, tried valiantly to repair the damage, briefly raising hope with a swipe

over mid-wicket for six.

But Sarwan cut Afridi high to backward point and the charismatic Pakistan skipper reduced big-hitter Kieron Pollard to a tame bottom edge and removed wicketkeeper Devon Thomas lbw in successive deliveries in his next over.

The web of spin continued to tighten its grip and Ajmal's doosra proved too mysterious for Sammy and Devendra Bishoo to fathom, the secret delivery turning sharply and proving equally lethal to both right and left-hander.

Afridi returned to end the innings, bowling Ravi Rampaul round his legs and leaving Chanderpaul, and the malaise was emphasised by a scintillating start from Kamran and Hafeez.

The Windies needed something exceptional from paceman Kemar Roach but the Pakistan openers helped themselves to three boundaries apiece in the first five overs of their reply as the fifty stand was soon recorded from 47 balls.

Hafeez, deft as well as dynamic, reached his maiden World Cup half century with his ninth four and further demonstrated his exquisite timing with an immaculate drive to the cover boundary from Rampaul's next ball.

Pakistan's third century stand of the tournament came from 116 balls and they will monitor Thursday's second quarter-final with interest as they seek to reach the final for the first time since 1999.

On Pakistan's national day Afridi was delighted with the performance and said: "This is the best gift to give to my nation.

"There will now be more expectations to go on but I am just thinking game by game.

The only thing we can do is give 110%.

"Every team from now will come harder and harder. We will just keep making plans for each team and try and stick to those."

Opposite number Sammy lamented: "Throughout the tournament we have lost clusters of wickets. But we have a number of guys under the age of 27 which augurs well and it's time to build this team and prepare for the future."

Top teams jostle for glory in wide Open World Cup

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NEW DELHI- After 42 matches, including a tie, the wheat has been separated from the chaff and the organisers are already hailing what they claim is "potentially the greatest World Cup ever."

There were upsets here and there and England often suffered every time a giant-killing act was pulled off in the subcontinent.

But as the tournament heads into the knockout phase after more than a month of group-stage sparring, there is actually no surprise as the top eight teams, including two of the three co-hosts, made it to the business end of what is turning out to be the most open World Cup since 1999.

With every quarter-finalist having lost at least once over the past month, the International Cricket Council (ICC) believes the event has produced enough drama and has all the potentials to be the best World Cup on record.

"We have surely been treated to a real feast of 50-over cricket with some outstanding games," ICC President Sharad Pawar said on Monday.

"Few who were in Bangalore will forget the tied match between India and England or Ireland's record-breaking triumph against England while the passion shown by the home supporters

for the hosts Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka has been spectacular."

Pawar cited overwhelming television ratings to prove his point.

"The television audience figures have set new records and the India v England match was the most viewed game in ICC Cricket World Cup history with multi-millions in India alone tuning in," Pawar said in a statement.

Much of the drama was in Group B where England's amazing inconsistency prolonged the suspense till the end before Andrew Strauss and his men joined South Africa, India and West Indies in the quarter-finals.

Comparatively, Group A was a dull affair with Pakistan, Sri Lanka. Australia and New Zealand never really losing sleep over their quarter-final prospects.

In Group B, England tied a run-feast with India, went down sensationally to an Ireland powered by Kevin O'Brien who smashed the fastest ever World Cup century, taking just 50 balls to reach the 100-mark.

West Indies paceman Kemar Roach recorded the first hat-trick of the tournament against the Netherlands, a feat Sri Lankan pace bowler Lasith Malinga replicated just 24 hours later in a Group A match against Kenya.

Injuries to players such as Dwayne

England claim that playing Sri Lanka for a World Cup semi-final spot is their dream draw.

Bravo (knee), Kevin Pietersen (hernia) and Stuart Broad (side strain) did rob the tournament of some sheen but their absence, by and large, has not really been felt either by the fans or their teams.

Going into the knockout stage, there is no single overwhelmingly favourite team unlike in the late 1970s when Clive Lloyd's West Indies dominated the game or the first decade of this century when Australia were virtually invincible.

Many expected India to beat every opponent in front of their demanding home crowd but Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Testing times ahead for the Cricket Umpiring Review System

MUMBAI - The jury is still out on cricket's controversial Decision Review System (DRS) a month after it made its World Cup debut.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has said that the technology has improved correct umpiring verdicts by more than seven percent in the World Cup. But not everybody is convinced about its efficacy and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the world's richest cricket body, remains a steadfast opponent.

Infuriated by Ian Bell's apparent letoff for lbw in the tied India-England match, BCCI secretary N. Srinivasan wrote an angry letter to ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat, saying the incident exposed the inadequacy of the system.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni termed it "adulteration of technology with human thinking."

The ICC was forced to make a statement explaining the implications of the 2.5 metre rule which was used to rule Bell not out.

Ireland captain William Porterfield was left fuming at Sri Lankan umpire Asoka de Silva's decision to give Gary Wilson out lbw despite replays showing that he had offered a shot to a delivery that appeared to hit him outside the line of off-stump.

The ICC was again prompt in reprimanding the Irish captain for publicly venting his ire.

The technology used by the ICC to improve correct umpiring verdicts in this tournament has been far from satisfactory without the use of the cutting edge Hot Spot technology.

New Zealand questioned the DRS when Nathan McCullum was denied a caught-and-bowled decision against Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene.

Jayawardene was lucky to survive after the third umpire gave the benefit of doubt to the batsman though

the catch looked clean from replays.

STRONG WORDS Tensions flared following the decision as stand-in New Zealand captain Ross Taylor and the bowler had a heated debate with the on-field umpires.

Taylor was asked if cricket should return to the old days when the fielders' words were taken for granted.

"I guess it depends on the person. Look at Jacques Kallis, he asked the fielder if they caught it, and he trusts the word of the fielder," Taylor said.

South Africa's Kallis decided to walk after asking England wicketkeeper Matt Prior if his edge had carried.

"I guess you put it up to the batsman to make the decision and at the end of the day, you just hope the technology is right. And if technology's not right, well then don't use it," Taylor said.

Strong words but, given that a decision can change the course of a match in the tournament, Taylor can not be blamed.

The DRS has also had an effect on umpires who are put under the spotlight when a successful review overturns their decisions.

Former Australian test umpire Darrell Hair is also sceptical about the possible overuse of technology.

"I cannot help wondering how much of a confidence dent will be left on some of our ICC umpires when they begin to continually have decisions overturned," he wrote in the journal of the New South Wales Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association.

Sri Lankan de Silva, one of the elite panel umpires, has already paid the price after a poor tournament and did not feature in any role in the ICC list for the quarterfinals.

Both the system and the umpires are bound to come under further scrutiny when business end of the tournament kicks off on Wednesday.

and his men look pretty vulnerable, especially with their batting line-up's tendency to collapse in a heap that undid several of their strong foundations.

South Africa seemed to have struck just the right blend of spin and pace in their attack and their batting looks good but the defeat by England sowed new seeds of doubt in the fans' minds if the team has actually learnt to cope with pressure.

Australia's aura of invincibility is a thing of the past and their 34-match unbeaten run in the tournament dating back to 1999 was snapped by Pakistan on Saturday.

Their bowling looks too pace-heavy in the sub-continent's slow and turning tracks and skipper Ricky Ponting's personal form would be a major reason for concern.

Pakistan seemed to have shed the inconsistency they were notorious for and have adjusted to life without pace duo of Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, who are serving bans for corruption.

Their opening pair, however, has not clicked as a pair yet and skipper Shahid Afridi's bad patch with the bat showed no signs of ending soon.

In contrast, co-hosts Sri Lanka look in good shape.

Their top order batsmen have been among the runs and the bowling looks good enough to restrict or bowl out any opponents on slow wickets.

England returned from the brink of elimination to reach the quarter-finals but their inconsistency would not convince even the most ardent fan that they can lift the elusive trophy.

Constant rejigging of the batting order has not helped their cause and they are yet to settle on a pace attack that would come good on these tracks.

New Zealand have an additional problem as regular skipper Daniel Vettori hurt his knee and Ross Taylor had to step in as the makeshift skipper.

West Indies, the other team in the quarter-final, are still searching for their first win against a top flight team in 20 months and form book does not suggest they can break the jinx in Wednesday's quarter-final against Pakistan.

In such a cluttered field, Australia will have as much chance of winning their fifth title as South Africa would have of their first or the sub-continental teams of their second, making it possibly the most open World Cup.

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Pacquiao’s lawsuit against Mayweather going forward

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

LAS VEGAS — Manny Pacquiao's defamation lawsuit against longtime boxing rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. and others rests on firm allegations and can continue, a Nevada federal judge said in a court order Monday that denied a motion to dismiss the case.

U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks said Pacquiao has sufficient evidence to continue his lawsuit that alleges Mayweather and others acted with malice by accusing the Filipino boxer in a series of interviews of using performance-enhancing drugs.

"Moving defendants argue that Pacquiao has failed to sufficiently allege malice because moving defendants could not have known one way or the other whether Pacquiao had actually taken PEDs when they made the alleged defamatory statements," the order reads.

"However, the court finds that Pacquiao has sufficiently pled malice in the amended complaint."

Pacquiao claimed in the suit that he has never tested positive for any performance-enhancing drugs, but that Mayweather, Mayweather's father and uncle, Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions' Richard Schaefer embarked on a campaign to make people think he used drugs.

"The truth did not stop Mayweather and the others," the suit contends. "That is because they are

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INTERNATIONAL SPORTS

A defamation lawsuit against Floyd Mayweather Jr., right, was filed by Manny Pacquiao in 2009.

motivated by ill will, spite, malice, revenge and envy."

Mark Tratos, a Las Vegas lawyer who represents Mayweather Promotions LLC, said the lawsuit was without merit and he would continue to fight for its dismissal. He said the defendants merely questioned Pacquiao's reluctance to submit to drug testing, but stopped short of declaring Pacquiao a drug user.

Statements of defamation must consist of facts, not opinions.

Tratos said Pacquiao would also have trouble proving the defendants acted with malice, which is required because the famous boxer is a public figure.

"The malice standard is very, very high," Tratos said. "We do not believe

it can be met by the plaintiff."

Schaefer declined to comment on the court order. De La Hoya's lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.

Pacquiao's attorney, Dan Petrocelli, said his client's professional career would suffer if boxing fans believe he used steroids or human growth hormone to win titles in seven weight classes.

"Manny has an unblemished reputation and has earned all of his achievements through hard work and his natural-born talent and to call him a cheater is something he cannot and will not tolerate," Petrocelli said.

"None of these defendants have had any evidence to back up the assertion that he has taken performance-

enhancing drugs because he didn't. It's very false."

Pacquiao's suit cites various interviews given by the defendants in which they intimated that Pacquiao's strength and power were not natural.

Among the interviews cited was an October radio interview in which Mayweather Jr. allegedly said Pacquiao's physique was different "cause we know the Philippines got the best enhancing drugs."

Pacquiao claimed comments by Mayweather, his father, Floyd Sr., and trainer, Roger Mayweather, were part of a defamation campaign against him.

"Mayweather Jr. and the others set out on a course designed to destroy Pacquiao's career, reputation, honor and legacy and jeopardize his ability to earn the highest levels of compensation," the suit contends.

The 2009 suit came as both sides were battling to reach an agreement for a proposed fight between the champion boxers. The negotiations fell apart over demands by the Mayweather camp that both fighters submit to random blood and urine tests leading up to the bout.

Mayweather wanted blood tests up to 14 days before the fight, while Pacquiao claimed he feels weak after drawing blood and would not agree to testing within 24 days.

Djokovic beats Nadal to win BNP Paribas Open

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Rafael Nadal's serve deserted him in the second set, and so did his chances of beating a streaking Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic defeated the world's top-ranked player 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to win the BNP Paribas Open title on Sunday, keeping the Serbian perfect this year.

Djokovic improved to 18-0, including victories at the Australian Open and in Dubai last month.

"It definitely says good things. I am playing with a lot of confidence. I'm feeling the ball well on the court," he said. "I'm very dedicated. I have a big will to win each match. I want to keep on going and keep on playing good tennis."

Djokovic will move into the No. 2 spot when the ATP Tour rankings are released Monday, having bumped Roger Federer down to third after he lost to Djokovic in the semifinals. Nadal will remain No. 1 with a 14-3 record.

After Nadal's forehand hit the net on match point, Djokovic threw his head back and let out a prolonged yell while pumping both arms.

His Monte Carlo neighbor, top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki, defeated 15th-seeded Marion Bartoli 61, 2-6, 6-3 to win the women's title a year after the Dane lost in the final.

Djokovic became just the third player to beat Nadal and Federer in the same tournament twice, having last done it at Montreal in 2007. That year, Djokovic lost to Nadal in the final at Indiana Wells, then won in 2008.

"I know that the season is very long and I don't want to be too euphoric about the win," said Djokovic, who plays at Miami this week. "I need to celebrate a little bit and then move on."

Nadal had beaten Djokovic in all five of their previous finals meetings, and he broke him twice to

win the first set.

Djokovic broke to lead 5-3 in the second set, then survived a five-deuce game on his serve to take the set, winning when Nadal's backhand went wide.

It was the first of six straight games he'd win as the Spainard's first-serve percentage dipped to 25 percent.

"At the end of the first set, I started to serve really bad, and the second set still in the beginning, even if I won the games because he had more mistakes than usual with the second serve return, I play less aggressive," Nadal said. "I was thinking too much about the serve more than the game in that moment, so I stop a little bit the legs. The serve was the difference."

Djokovic broke an error-prone Nadal twice in the first three games of the third set to take a 4-0 lead. Djokovic served out the match at 40-love to keep Nadal without a title since October.

Wozniacki won her WTA Tour-leading 19th match of the year and her second title while appearing in the final for her third consecutive tournament.

Wozniacki won on her second match point when Bartoli's backhand sailed beyond the baseline.

Bartoli was playing in her first final since 2009, and she fell to 2-6 in matches against the No. 1 player.

The victory allowed Wozniacki to improve her results for the fifth straight year in the desert. She lost in the first round in her 2007 debut, reached the fourth round in 2008, the quarterfinals in 2009 and was runner-up to Jelena Jankovic a year ago.

She earned $700,000, and was already assured of remaining No. 1 through the upcoming two-week tournament in Miami. Bartoli is projected to be No. 10 when the rankings are released Monday, her first

time back in the top 10 since June 2008.

"If every single match I could play like that throughout the years, I would be pretty happy," Bartoli said. "Even though I came up a bit short at the end and she was better than me, I think it was really a great fight."

Wozniacki rolled through the first set, breaking Bartoli three times with well-placed shots that jerked her from side to side and up and back. Bartoli was breathing heavily throughout the match that was played in 65-degree temperatures under overcast skies.

"I can keep playing out there for hours and hours," Wozniacki said. "It's definitely a good sign for me when I can see the opponent getting a little bit more tired. We had a lot of long rallies, but I felt like I recovered maybe a little bit faster than she did.

That's a good feeling to have on my side."

Bartoli earned the only two breaks of the second set, when Wozniacki seemed content to stay back and rally instead of trying to go for as many winners as she did in the opening set.

"She just went for her shots. She started to hit even harder," Wozniacki said. "I didn't feel I played badly. I thought actually I played pretty good, but she was very steady, keeping the pressure."

Wozniacki broke Bartoli after two deuces to open the third. She owned triple break point in the third game, but missed a forehand that allowed Bartoli to hold trailing 2-1. Bartoli was the first Frenchwoman to make an Indian Wells final.

Wozniacki got broken for the only time in the third on a missed backhand and Bartoli survived a deuce game on her serve to close to 4-3.

But Wozniacki won the final two games, breaking Bartoli to close out the match.

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MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011 TURKS & CAICOS SUN

TURKS & CAICOS SUN MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011

TURKS & CAICOS SUN& CAICOS SUN TURKS

TURKS TURKS & & CAICOS CAICOS SUN SUN

MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST, 2011 JUNE 18TH - JUNE 25TH, 2010

MARCH 25TH--JUNE APRIL25TH, 1ST, 2011 JUNE 18TH 2010

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