VOLUME 16 ISSUE 23

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

Website: www.suntci.com

VOLUME 16 - NO. 23

Tel: (649) 348-6838

Email: sun@suntci.com

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Fax: (649) 941-3281

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JURY TRIAL FOR BISHOP WILLIAMS

by Hayden Boyce Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

B

ishop Clarence Williams, who is charged with indecently assaulting a young man, has won his legal battle to be tried by a jury of his peers.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Police had made an application for Bishop Williams’ case to be tried by a judge alone.

However, on Friday, June 5th, 2020, Supreme Court Judge His Lordship Mr. Justice Shiraz Aziz ruled that “after considering all of the circumstances and in particular the protection measures that can be employed, a trial without a jury cannot be said to be in the interests of justice and is therefore refused”.

The judge added: “ It is quite evident throughout the submissions, that the Court is being asked to ensure the protections and rights of persons involved in the criminal trial process, are given the detailed and clinical attention that our society demands, in particular when looking at the various ordinances that have to be interpreted and applied as part of the fair trial process.”

“The Courts are tasked with ensuring that the rights and freedoms enshrined by the Constitution of Turks and Caicos Islands are administered and protected. The role of the Court is to guard and protect those human rights and freedoms. In doing so the court is qualified to ensure that there is a fair trial.”

Mr. Justice Aziz ordered that the matter is to proceed to trial by judge and jury on the March 15th, 2021 unless the

His Lordship Mr. Justice Shiraz Aziz

Bishop Clarence Williams

Attorney-at-law, Oliver Smith.

Attorney-at-law, Tamika Grant

Jerome Lynch, QC.

Attorney-at-law, Mark Fulford

practice direction suspending jury trials is amended or revoked and the listing office can accommodate it this year. There will be a pretrial review on February 19th, 2021 which the Bishop Williams is excused from attending.

Bishop Williams was represented by Queen’s Counsel Mr. Jerome Lynch and Mark Fulford, while Oliver Smith, who is better

known as a defence attorney, all for the non-compliance. appeared for the Crown along with According to Mr. Justice Tamika Grant of the DPP’s Office.

Aziz’s ruling, the concerns of

The basis of the Crown’s the Crown against a trial by jury preliminary objection for a trial were set out in June 2nd, 2020 without a jury, is that the Criminal submissions which were supported Procedure Ordinance (CPO) by an affidavit from Inspector which sets out the framework and Shawn Billingy who stated that he procedure for trials without a jury, has familiarity and local knowledge has not been complied with and of the prospective jury pool. there is no good reason or reason at Continued on page 2

Graceway Communities Announces Staying Blue Essay Contest Winners Graceway Communities is delighted to announce the winners of the 2020 Staying Blue Essay Contest.

The contest challenged students to submit an essay on the topic “What does Staying Blue mean to you?”. It was launched as part of our Earth Day initiative to raise awareness for climate action for a sustainable future in the Turks

and Caicos Islands.

Institute

Due to the closure of 3rdplace: Kiara Jackson - Holy schools, the deadline was delayed Family Academy TCI until May to allow students to work from home to complete their essays. High School: Ages 12-15 years The winners are: 1st place: Erline Dorastin - British West Indies Collegiate Primary School: Ages 8-11 years 2nd place: Michaella Achille 1stplace: De’Aysia Seymour - Mills Clement Howell High School Institute 3rd place: Grier Cartwright2ndplace: Rodney Adams - Mills Champions for Christ

International School of Excellence

Prizes are: 1st place iPad Air; 2nd place iPad; 3rd place iPad Mini. Additionally, the schools of the 1st place students will receive: a Desktop Computer, a Printer and a $500 Graceway Supermarkets gift card.

Continued on page 2

Conserve Energy & Save!

If your refrigerator was made before 1993, consider replacing it with a newer, Energy Star model which reduces electricity usage by as much as half.

Further information and energy conservation tips are available on our website: www.fortistci.com

www.fortistci.com | 649-946-4313

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

LOCAL NEWS

JURY TRIAL FOR BISHOP WILLIAMS

Continued from page 1

Attorney Oliver Smith asked online articles cannot be said to the Court to take into consideration have been caused to be published by Inspector Billingy’s views of the Bishop Williams. potential jury pool in a case involving He added: “The Crown a person considered to be a religious is primarily concerned with preleader. trial publicity and an attack on

Mr. Justice Aziz stated: “I the complainant. This Court is not may well understand that the Crown of the view that it cannot ensure have their views on a jury pool a fair trial with a jury. Mr. Smith within a smaller jurisdiction, but I seeks to persuade the Court that do not readily accept that any police based on the size of the jurisdiction officer could speak as an authority and the probability of any spread to the fact that a juror or jury would of the information contained be biased for or against any person may mean that any jury pool is or unless they had been informed of could be tainted. Mr. Smith has same. That may be a view or opinion referred the Court to a passage from that they genuinely hold but the “Commonwealth Caribbean Law and Court will apply every procedural Legal Systems” which he argues is step and substantive law to ensure illustrative of the problems of juries that every aspect of fairness is done9 in small jurisdictions..... This Court and seen to be done. This is all part has considered that argument closely of the Court’s obligations to ensure as they are arguments that are raised that every person has protection of in the wider Caribbean and further the law.” afield..... This Court is of the view

The judge noted that the that the article referred to does reference to certain newspaper and not provide any insurmountable

obstacles for a fair trial.”

Judge Aziz reiterated a point he made in a previous ruling in which he stated that fora trial without jury there “ought to be a conclusion that there exists a real and present danger of interference with the jury in some form such as ‘jury tampering’ which was specially recognized in the English legislation.

He added that another condition that is in the weighing up of the various competing considerations for (i) the extent of the risk of jury tampering, (ii) the practicability and reasonableness of jury protection measures and (iii) the necessity for departure from the norm of jury trial.

“What is therefore required is a balancing of the factors or weighing up which is to be distinguished from the determination of fact or decision whether a criminal offence had been proved,” His Lordship Aziz added.

“The court has to weigh up

all of the competing factors. The defendant (Bishop Williams) is charged with Indecent Assault and is not a complex case. The trial is not lengthy and there is no reason to believe that there is or would be any attempt to tamper with the jury.

The weighing up is with the article published, and I am of the view that time has passed and this matter as a jury trial would not be heard for some time especially after the delays caused with the COVID-19 virus.”

Judge Aziz said it is also to be noted that “collective experience of our trial system is sometimes overlooked or taken for granted”.

He added: “It is right that juries have a passionate and profound belief in and commitment to, the right of a defendant to be given a fair trial. They know that is integral to their responsibility. It is their birthright which is shared by each one of them with the defendant.

They guard it faithfully.”

Graceway Communities Announces Staying Blue Essay Contest Winners Continued from page 1

British West Indies Collegiate

Prize to the school

Graceway Communities created the Staying Blue Essay Contest as a way to encourage the community to work together for the islands and the ocean around us. We also wanted to encourage our young people to

Erline Dorastin 1st place Runner up - British West Indies Collegiate play their part in this initiative by giving us their ideas.We received many great entries and some excellent and moving thoughts on what staying blue means to our students. From all of us at Graceway Communities, a big

De’Aysia Seymour -1st Runner up Mills Institute

thank you to the students who took part!

Graceway Communities is the umbrella for Graceway Supermarkets’ social and charitable efforts which have been giving back to the TCI for

over 20 years.It’s efforts include direct action by our employees, sponsorship of events and initiatives, sponsorship for education, and donations to charities and community projects.

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 3

Page 4

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

The health and safety of our customers and staff remain our top priority during this time, and we thank you for your patience as we work together to stem the spread of Covid-19.

Please be advised that Provo Water Company's Grace Bay Office on Grace Bay Road will re-open to customers on Monday 11th May from 9.00am to 2.00pm Monday to Friday. The following precautions will be taken:•

Covid-19 Regulations requires every person in a public space to wear a face mask.

•

Each customer must sanitize his/her hands upon entering the payment centre.

•

Only one (1) customer at any time will be allowed to enter our payment centre.

IT IS THE LAW

Our Customer Service Department will continue to serve customers from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday.

Customers seeking to establish a new service, reconnection, account changes or queries can contact Customer Service Department at 649-946-5202 or email customerservice@provowater.tc for assistance.

Staff will remain available for emergency assistance, please call

649-231-0705

to report a fault, broken water line

or outage.

We are encouraging customers to utilize our

My Account Portal

either via our website or at https://provo-

myacct.smartgridcis.net to view water bills, make payments, view water usages and update account details.

Customers can continue to make payments via our payment vendors:•

CIBC First Caribbean, Scotia Bank and RBC Caribbean

•

Graceway IGA stores during their hours of operation.

We appreciate your cooperation with these pro-active measures that will remain in place until further notice.

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 5

LOCAL NEWS

Premier Robinson confident about reopening TCI

By Todeline Defralien

Premier Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson said she is confident about reopening Turks and Caicos Islands economy and its borders on July 22nd, 2020.

After experiencing two months of curfews and lockdowns that crippled the economy, Robinson said she is also concerned that persons are becoming complacent.

“I am very confident about the reopening, but I have the same concern, of course, that we (have) become complacent too soon watching the numbers. I think I’ve done a good job of keeping us frightened that the numbers will go up and that the virus is here.

While we would have seen pockets Premier Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson of persons who may have not been compliant, Turks and Caicos Islands it, but Turks and Caicos Islands really overall did an outstanding job. did a great job. We just have to look People really self-policed, that it around and see how other countries got so bad that if there were people weren’t blessed that way, but we doing something in a neighborhood have to keep up with that messaging people would send us pictures and as I do every time with every address said send it to the police and send and (the governor) always says the the police to them,” Robinson said same thing; that the virus is here. during a call-in programme on Radio We’ve locked away ourselves from it, Turks and Caicos on Tuesday, June but we have to eventually come out of this, so we have to still carry on 2nd, 2020. with the same protocols and make The Premier thanked sure that we don’t lose what we persons in the various communities would have gained in that lockdown and celebrated them for becoming period,” she explained. compliance officers themselves.

Meantime, the Premier said

In addition, Robinson the people of TCI must learn to saluted the efforts of the community co-exist with the virus and still be that helped to prevent the spread of sensible with the country’s approach. the deadly virus.

She continued: “We have

“Thank God we haven’t seen to learn to co-exist with the virus, any widespread concerns arising from

seen problems emerged because of it.

There’s well over 1,000 people back at work as a result of that and that gives us some confidence moving forward.”

The Governor said if each industry would take the same approach which the construction industry took, then TCI is in a good place.

However, Governor Dakin cautioned that as more testing is done, TCI will see that dashboard change.

“I would caution, as we now start to test more and more on island(s), we will see that dashboard change, and I am certain of it, because it happened elsewhere and we will see positive cases emerge because we will start to find people that Governor Nigel Dakin are asymptotic. Up until this point but we still can be sensible in our we’ve only been testing those that approach. We don’t know how long have demonstrated symptoms. We we’re going to have to go through need to take that in a proportionate this, but I believe with all my heart and measured way, and so, what the that we can come through this better. Premier in Cabinet has been very clear Certainly, there are lessons being on, which is completely supported learnt that will make us better in by her Cabinet, is that we must have terms of the future for this country.” a set of triggers in place and if we

Governor Nigel Dakin, who go over those triggers, much of that also appeared on the programme, sits around health capacity. If our applauded the construction industry hospital suddenly starts to fill with for their positive approach in COVID-19 patients, we will start to reopening. pause, because it would be the only

He said, “I feel exactly the right thing to do,” he explained. same way as the Premier, but I would Dakin said TCI can stop the add to that long list of applauded, and dashboard from changing if everyone applaud to the construction industry follows the proper precautions and which was the first industry that was guidelines so that when the country opened. I think from everything that can get to the 22nd of July, the TCI we say, they did that in a sensible will be in good shape. and measured way and we haven’t

interCaribbean Airways is seeking to fill the following positions: The Somerset Resort Management Ltd. is seeking Labour Clearance for the position listed below currently held by a work permit holder. Suitably qualified Belongers who possess the requirements listed are encouraged to submit an application with a copy to the Labour department. The ideal candidate will possess extensive high-end luxury resort General Managerial experience, be professional in attitude and demeanor and must read and speak English fluently.

Position requires a flexible schedule which includes holidays, weekends and evenings, and extended hours on occasion.

RESORT GENERAL MANAGER To oversee all aspects of Property Management and Operations in accordance with Company mission statement, including maximization of financial performance, Guest satisfaction, and staff development within established Resort standards. Developing and implementing strategies for meeting goals in the areas of revenue generation, market share performance, Guest satisfaction scores and net operating income. The General Manager Reports to the Somerset Management Board of Directors.

Responsibilities: •Overseeing efficient overall Resort Operations, by department.

•Maintaining strict financial controls. Regularly reporting operating results to Ownership.

•Implementing Resort’s annual budgets. Ensuring financial performance against same.

•Liaising closely with Resort Strata and Food & Beverage operators to maximize facility performance and profitability.

•Being highly visible throughout the property. Interacting with Resort Guests daily.

•Negotiating and implementing outside vendor contracts.

•Fostering a positive, supportive work environment for Resort staff. Creating future industry superstars.

•Interacting with governmental agencies and civic / community organizations on an ongoing basis.

Requirements: •Undergraduate and Graduate degrees from an Ivy league university, in Hospitality Management or related field.

•Minimum 20 years proven success record as a luxury property General Manager within the hospitality sector.

•Minimum 35 years’ experience in hospitality.

•Strong industry contacts with tour and travel operators, wholesalers, travel advisors and hospitality sector trade organizations.

•Knowledge of property management systems (Opera essential) and related software programs. Ability to analyze industry data from sources such as e-STR. •Diverse experience in sales, advertising, integrated customer relationship marketing strategy and execution, and Resort / Advertising agency synergy.

•Knowledgeable of all company administration policies and procedures, including but not limited to accounting and human resources.

•Superior leadership skills. Ability to lead by example. Experienced in resolving conflicts between different parties in a dispute.

•Superior verbal and written communications skills.

•High ethical standards. Excellent communicator. Strong analytical ability. Visionary.

•Physically able to work / stand for long periods of time.

Base salary range: $100,000 / annum to commensurate with qualification & experience. Benefits: Service gratuity, vacation & employee meals.

Qualified Belonger candidates can complete an application form in person at The Somerset on Grace Bay, 10 Sibonne Drive, Providenciales, TCI or submit a resume by e-mail at HR@thesomerset.com for questions call (649) 339 5900.

The closing date for applications is June 20th, 2020.

Aircraft Mechanics: Certification from an accredited institution, with A&P License or equelivant.

Experience with Avionics system in EMB120/145 aircraft: 2-3 years or more experience /endorsement of EMB120/145 on license.

Must be Dependable, innovative, and a strong team player, can also work independently.

Aircraft Cleaners: candidate must have a high school diploma, be hard working and willing to work weekend and holidays. Must have a valid passport and a clean police record. Wages $7.00 per hour.

Security Guards: Must have a high school diploma and possess the following skills; Excellent communicator in English language (written and verbal).

Computer knowledge and proficiency with Microsoft words and excel.

Valid police record and passport. Wage $7.50 per hour.

Mechanic(vehicle) 2 -3 years’ experience with diesel engine and hydraulics.

Reliable and hardworking Computer literate, with valid driver’s license, police record and passport.

Interested person should send their resumes to HR@ intercaribbean.com

Page 6

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

LOCAL NEWS

Premier Robinson was COVID-19 suspected case

By Todeline Defralien

Premier Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson has revealed that she was a COVID-19 suspected case on Turks and Caicos Islands Dashboard at one point, but was tested negative for the virus.

“I was one of the suspected cases at one point. I had to be tested, but the truth is, it was such a horrible feeling for those days until the results came, because the first thing that I thought was, I brought this thing home to my children, my husband and then I was like ‘how long was I away again from my mother?’. You start to feel that guilt while you feel honestly dirty because nobody can come near you,” the Premier Robinson said on Radio Turks and Caicos on Tuesday June 2nd, 2020 during an interview with moderator Cheryl Foreman.

Premier Robinson also took the opportunity to ask the public to protect themselves and those around them from the virus.

“Do it for yourselves. Do it for those who you will come into contact with. Do it for your family and we have to do it for each other and that’s the most important thing. If nothing else motivates you be motivated by the fact that we can’t afford for any of us to become ill. We have a large number of persons with underline conditions; we have an elderly population that we must protect and we can’t afford to see our children with a cold let alone with a deadly virus.

Premier Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson We have to do cognoscente and is deemed recovered only after keep in front of us why we are two negative test results. doing what we are doing,” she “I also want to remind stated. us all that sicknesses never

While the Premier discriminate and neither should disclosed that she was a we,” she stated. suspected COVID-19 case, in a In an April 30th address, national address on April 28th, Premier Robinso said what is 2020, she said government took most important in this pandemic a policy decision not to release experience is the role that “you the names of suspected or the people have played to flatten confirmed cases. the curve”.

“We have received She added: “Your requests to release names and sacrifices have made important even areas of victims. For the gains possible, and as a people, time being, it has been decided we are indeed in a much better against, in the best interest place because of it. This has of the victims; and while we been an encouraging period, understand the request, we one that we can be proud of. must encourage us all to take Despite the rather unfortunate care and follow good hygienic actions of a few, as a people, we practices, shelter in place until have come together towards a otherwise advised and please single important goal. As we note that if you are revealed look around, we see what the in any contact tracing exercise, irresponsible actions of a few the small and dedicated team have cost countries, but our at the Ministry of Health will experience shows that when we advise you,” the Premier said each behave responsibly and then, adding that it is important collectively, we can achieve the to re-emphasise that a person best outcomes.”

Update on TCI Hospital visiting consultant services

Telemedicine continues to bridge the physical distance between patients and their doctors during these unprecedented times and currently forms the bedrock of the visiting consultant clinics resumption process at TCI Hospital.

The series of unfortunate events trigged by the COVID-19 global pandemic, resulted in the temporary suspension of TCI visiting consultant services in late March. These services are Cardiology, Ophthalmology, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Medical Oncology, Neurology and Urology.

The pre-pandemic delivery of visiting consultant outpatient clinics were specifically impacted due to the closure of local and international travel borders. In addition, the specialists were required to remain on standby to support the national COVID-19 emergency response within their home countries, similar to the expectations assigned to hospital-based physicians in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Under normal, pre-pandemic circumstances, specialists contracted under these services are required to travel to the TCI at preestablished frequencies throughout the year based on patient demand to deliver onshore services.

These frequencies include monthly and quarterly visits, which vary based on the service.

Discussions are ongoing and progressive with the respective specialist consultants on their availability for either telemedicine or onsite visits conditioned on the impact of the pandemic within their respective countries or the continued need to be a part of their respective national responses.

The visiting specialists assigned to more high risk services such as Urology and Oncology have already commenced virtual consultations with patients and continues to review and prioritize their patient lists to remotely support continuity of care. The structure of virtual consultations includes local on-site clinical support to ensure each patient’s assigned plan of care is activated.

Patients with pending clinical referrals for any of the aforementioned visiting consultant specialties will be contacted with guidance on the next steps. Meanwhile, persons are encouraged to visit the emergency department (ED) for urgent medical concerns that may arise during the resumption process. The ED remains open 24-7 for urgent and critical care.

PDM responds to Chamber of Commerce and Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association

The undated double-barrel attack launched at our Premier Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson is unwarranted, unhelpful, and calculated to coincide with each other. However, the contrived nature in which the Chamber of Commerce responded seemed overtly un-business like, unnecessary, and inane.

Why wouldn’t the Leader of the country call on those who have profited the most from an economy to be more generous in a time of crisis?

Why wouldn’t a Leader of the country ask businesses generally to awaken hearts of compassion while indicating that the people’s Government cannot underwrite all the losses from a pandemic?

In fact, not to do so would be questioned by the citizenry that our Premier represents.

While we acknowledged and further appreciate acts of generosity that some members of the Tourism industry have displayed it is still right for the Premier to seek more generosity towards her people.

And the reasoning behind this is simple: more is being requested from the Government by business in the country. And while “business” may be right to request more it must also recognize the gargantuan task this Government has had to face and continues to face.

With regards to the selfserving statement on the part of the TCHTA that it is responsible for flattening the curve because it paid legally required wages to its employees, that is suspect.

But, it could only do so with the assurance that this PDM Government gave the industry to forgo accommodation and tourism provider taxes while providing a stimulus connected to this industry without discrimination.

While delivering this initiative has not been easy or without challenge it is noteworthy that this Government has not been offered a corresponding statement of THANKS from TCHTA to the Premier and Minister of Finance for the Hospitality stimulus package

in the face of criticism from our around its contribution measures voters. More than noteworthy it is while simultaneously holding its shocking! cap out in hand to Government for

It is also offensive to a tax breaks and concessions. people whose Government passed Contrary to what both laws and sacrificed all around to releases seem to intimate the ensure that your industry did not deterioration in the TCI economy endanger us or yourselves. This is not caused by the Government PDM Government could not do so but by the Coronavirus Pandemic without the hard work on the part which is not a “self-inflicted period of essential workers, civil servants, of societal division and economic and the entire country. We have ruin” as the Chamber of Commerce continuously offered our praise to put it. We ask that you direct your them in this regard. frustrations accordingly. We also

Yes, like every resident and know that the lockdown has created group that obeyed the laws that a high level of stress and mental caused the curve to be flattened you exhaustion and we will chalk up did your part, but to insist that you this lack of clarity to lockdown are responsible is ludicrous. jitters.

The PDM calls for change Finally, the Premier in her at the leadership of TCHTA statement did not label or single immediately before the Government out a business or sector who have considers any further efforts with not given however, the PDM this private sector group. congratulate those who have

No doubt this is a severely stepped up to the plate to help out difficult time for business in the citizenry in this time of crisis.

TCI and around the world but it We also thank those is not a time for the hotel and individuals who have helped others tourism industry and the business in need during this crisis time. community to create a contest

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 7

LOCAL NEWS

There was ‘political pressure’ to not close borders, says Premier Robinson

By Todeline Defralien

Premier and Minister of Finance Hon. Sharlene CartwrightRobinson said there was political pressure to not close the Turks and Caicos Islands borders in March 20202.

“There is political pressure, and there was political pressure, not to close down. I assure the people of this country in every address that this is more about health, if it was about the economic, as the Minister for Finance, I never would have

closed the borders,” the premier said you look at a phased reopening, then during a call-in programme on Radio you begin to balance your risk which Turks and Caicos on Tuesday June never goes away, you have to mitigate 2nd, 2020 with moderator Cheryl those risks and balance it with lively Foreman. hoods. It’s about health, not just the

Robinson added that when physical but also mental. Persons TCI closed its the borders, the cannot stay lockdown forever but country started losing money. what it allowed us to achieve in that

“So if it was about economics, time is to be able to approach what certainly I wouldn’t have done that we know may come in increase in as the Minister of Finance,” she said. numbers, God forbid. We need all “This is all being guided by health and of what we’ve begin to put in place saving lives more than anything else. but it was never really the final thing The pressure has always been there, to consider the bottom line,” she but it’s what you give way to. When explained.

Premier Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson

The Premier said the pressure has always been there, but it’s just that health always won.

TCI better prepared for hurricane season

By Todeline Defralien

As June 1st marked the official beginning of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, Governor Nigel Dakin said the Turks and Caicos Islands are better prepared than last year.

“The country is much better prepared this year than it was last year. Infrastructure did a good job in getting the shelters in place faster than were expected, generators are looking good and the private

sector is looking excellent,” Dakin said during a call-in programme on Radio Turks and Caicos on Tuesday June 2nd, with moderator Cheryl Foreman.

When Foreman asked if TCI is prepared to manage both hurricane and the Covid-19 pandemic during this time, the Governor added: “There was a workshop that was essentially run by the region but put together by the United Kingdom (UK) last week tackling this very issue. There is a silver lining out

of the COVID-19 issues that I can great work of the Royal Navy during determine in just one anyway, this important time. which is for the last three months “The Royal Navy’s support the National Emergency Operation during this period which is unusual Center has been running twice a for this hurricane period with week and that is how we’ve been bringing four helicopters with it managing this. The result of that, for an archipelago of islands, that’s is the leadership of the country is important to us and we do well out really limbered up and working of that,” he said. extraordinary well together as a The 2020 Atlantic hurricane cross-government group to deliver, season, which began on June 1st and that puts us in a great place if we and will end November 30th 2020, have to go into this type of disaster.” is predicted to be more active than

The governor praised the usual.

Hotel chain lays off all employees believe they will have to release 30% of their current employees temporarily because of the

The Turks and Caicos impact of the Coronavirus on Collection, which includes The their business and that they will Alexandra Resort, Blue Haven have to permanently release Resort, the Beach House and 14% of their current employees.

Ambregris Cay, has laid off all of “In other words nearly its staff because of the impacts 44% of the current tourism of the COVID-19 virus, The industry workforce will soon be SUN can confirm. unemployed at least temporarily

When contacted for as a consequence of this confirmation Armando Pitzzuti pandemic. This is a remarkably of the TCC said: “We have no high level of unemployment. comment at this time.”

Based on the number of

However, Stacy Cox, employers who responded the Chief Executive Officer of the average percentage of basic pay Turks and Caicos Hotel and that is currently being paid in Tourism Association (TCHTA) April to retained staff is 55%. told The SUN: “Our office has However, 59% of employers learnt that one property (namely state they will have to reduce Turks and Caicos Collections) that percentage even further after paying their team 50% after April 30. The impact salary for the last two months on TCI’s economy could be has laid off all its staff effective devastating.”

May 31st until the opening of According to the report, the borders. Although I cannot based on survey responses confirm, regrettably I am average basic pay will be certain there will be additional reduced to 28% from May 1 if lay off across the sector until the program runs for 3 months, the opening of our borders.”

22% from May 1 if the program Premier Sharlene runs for 6 months and 19% if Robinson last Friday announced the program runs for 9 months. that hotels can reopen from July “In April alone the 6th, 2020 and that the airports reduction in base pay will lead will reopen to regional and to a US$25m fall in economic international travellers from activity. Once we move into May July 22nd. The TCI borders the impact will be much worse. closed in late March.

If the effects of the pandemic

In a April 2020 KPMG are thought to continue for report entitled “Economic just another three months, impact of the Coronavirus which is looking increasingly pandemic on employers & improbable, the monthly fall, employees in TCI’s tourism based on monthly payroll data sector”, TCHTA members of respondents, will be US$41m

by Hayden Boyce Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

which for the period April to July represents a cumulative fall (including April) of approximately US$150million,” the report added.

“If the effects of the pandemic are thought to continue for another six months the monthly fall, based on monthly payroll data of respondents, will be US$46m which for the period April to October represents a cumulative fall (including April) of approximately US$300m. If the effects of the pandemic are thought to continue for another nine months the monthly fall, based on monthly payroll data of respondents, will be US$48m which for the period April to January represents a cumulative fall (including April) of approximately US$460m.”

The KPMG report stated that “no economy the size of TCI’s can withstand such dramatic falls in economic activity for any extended period of time”.

It stated: “Critically the above analyses do not reflect any contribution to the program from TCIG/HMG. Clearly any such contribution will help mitigate these disastrous impacts on the economy and, furthermore, could encourage the private sector to maintain their contributions at higher levels and/or for longer periods by taking on additional debt if such debt were to be readily available.”

Island Bargains & Meridian Trust partner to host free Drive-Thru Food Distribution

In response to the COVID -19 public health crisis, Island Bargains is partnering with Meridian Trust to distribute bags of food to the residents of Turks and Caicos Islands.

The 1stFood Distribution event will be held on Saturday, June 20th at (5) different locations in Providenciales.

Stanley Bassett, general manager of Island Bargains told The SUN, this free event will begin at 9 a.m. at each location, and it is open to anyone in need of food during these tough times.

“Each family will receive two bags of food until supplies last.

Food bags will be distributed on a “first-come, first-served” basis, and is limited to the first 300 participants at each location,” Bassett said.

He added: “Participants are encouraged to remain in their vehicle for social distancing. Food bags will be placed in your trunk by our volunteers. Guests without vehicles are welcomed to walk-up, while maintaining six feet of social distancing and wearing a mask.”

Distribution locations will be at, Harvest Bible Chapel - Long Bay, Paradise Baptist Church - Five Cays, Power Tabernacle – The Bight, God’s Instrument Ministry - Blue Hills and Police Department – Kew Town.

Individuals who are seeking more information can contact Stanley Bassett at Island Bargains or stay tuned to their social media pages.

Page 8

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

LOCAL NEWS

A Failure of Policy and Performance

If Turks and Caicos Islanders had any doubt that the Premier is oblivious to their worries and concerns, the COVID-19 pandemic has confirmed their worst fears: the Cartwright-Robinson Government is not only clueless about how the majority of Turks and Caicos Islanders live, also it simply doesn’t care.

The level of insensitivity displayed by the Premier and her ministerial colleagues at this time of crisis for families is a shock to some of her most ardent supporters.

The PNP has repeatedly said that the Premier’s stimulus package was a policy failure because it is inadequate in amount and scope, and critically fails to include most hurting Turks and Caicos Islanders.

The method chosen for processing claims has also been a performance failure. It has created an administrative nightmare that has delay the disbursement of the stimulus funds. It has been a month since persons entitled to stimulus cash by the Government own criteria were promised to be paid, and today we are told that most of those persons remain unpaid.

On April 28, the Premier promised that the proceeds of the package would be released on Friday, 8 May. It is almost June 8th and most people have still not received the promised relief.

The serial misspeaking of the Premier is concerning. April 22nd, she announced that the Government would be running a budget deficit of $73m for the financial year 2020/2021 when she had been advised that her projections were grossly understated.

She now project that by the end of June the deficit will be $70m. With nine months to go, the hurricane season to prepare for and the traditional reduction in visitor numbers, together with the disaster cause by COVID-19 the deficit will for the year will significantly exceed $100m.

I was right on April 22 when I said that “this budget is wishful thinking; it contains assumptions which was imprudent and impractical given the global economic implosion of which tourism was worse hit.

The premier should now move expeditiously to present a SMART budget to the HOA focused on two imperatives: supporting life and livelihood – ensuring that facility, equipment, and personnel are actively available to deal with a recurrence of COVID-19 cases should they arise. In addition, she should ensure that TCI Islanders have life-saving nutrition, and shelter.

She should also consider how best to assist business to retain employees – especially TCI Islanders to quickly restart operations when businesses and border reopens.

Until that happens thousands of employees outside of the Hospitality sector continues to ask, “Do we not have to eat?”

On May 18th I wrote to the Premier suggesting the need for comprehensive stakeholder collaboration to consider options for the preservation of life and livelihood during and beyond COVID-19. I am still waiting for a reply to my letter.

True to the command-andcontrol reputation of the Premier rather than accept my invitation to build relationships that are critical for success during and after this crisis she instead prevaricated by claiming that she was already collaborating with stakeholders and will be setting up an Economic Council to deal with the potential economic fall-out from COVID-19. That has obviously not been the case.

Instead on May 29th the Premier erroneously accused the business community of being uncharitable. To the contrary, there is evidence that many businesses have gone above and beyond to assist their own employees and the public at a time when they themselves have no income.

In simultaneous press statements from TCHTA and the Chamber of Commerce today June 4th they both denied that they were ever consulted on any past decisions nor had they in fact been contacted by the Premier or at all. Indeed, they were the ones who made contacts that were ignored only to be accused of being uncharitable.

It is incredible that given the dependency on tourism, the

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDER STATUS APPLICATION

(SECTION 4(3)

OF THE

TURKS

AND

CAICOS ISLANDER STATUS ORDINANCE)

TAKE NOTICE THAT I, NIGEL DAKIN, GOVERNOR OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS IN EXERCISE OF THE POWERS CONFERRED IN ME BY SECTION 6(4) OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDER STATUS ORDINANCE INTEND TO GRANT A CERTIFICATE OF TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDER STATUS TO MR. WESLEY AMADO RILEY BY VIRTUE OF MARRIAGE TO A TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDER.

Government has not reached out to the sector to consult on such important matters as the reopening of the Providenciales International Airport.

The truth is though, the timing of the Airport opening has everything to do with the completion of the retrofitting of a multi-bed high dependency unit at Cheshire Hall Medical Centre and nothing to do with stakeholder consultation.

The contract for the retrofit has only being signed yesterday and the work is not scheduled to be completed until July.

The takeaway from the handling of the crisis is that but for the Grace of God the TCI could have been seriously impacted by the virus, not because the government did not lock down in time and adopted the recommended social distancing protocol and the other safety measures, but because of the lack of the resources to deal with a serious outbreak of the infection.

This has still not been remedied and is the driving force behind the Government decisions.

A caring and competent government would have put in place a broad-based multi-channel program of assistance to business, workers and the needy. Had it not been for the collective effort of the community including businesses – no thanks to Government more people would have nothing to eat nor a place to sleep.

By Hon. Charles Washington Misick Leader of the Progressive National Party (PNP)

The egocentricity, selfpromotion, intolerance, and aloofness of the Premier reflect a lack of emotional competencies and have hurt the people of these Islands.

The people of deserve leadership with competency and emotional intelligence who demonstrate the patience and openness to actively listen, empathise and support them. On this the Premier and her government has failed and should give the people of these Islands an opportunity to elect a new government that is competent and compassionate by setting an early date for General Elections.

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMISSION EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES! The Financial Services Commission (FSC), the regulator of financial services business in the Turks and Caicos Islands, is seeking suitably qualified applicants to fill several vacancies.

APPLICATION DEADLINE 15 JUNE 2020 SYSTEMS ENGINEER Department: Information Technology Location: Grand Turk Annual Salary: $51,604 - $63,007 JOB SUMMARY The holder of this position reports directly to the Director of Information Technology. The Systems Engineer is responsible for planning and designing Windows based infrastructure, virtualization environments and storage networks across the infrastructure. This includes recommendation, configuration, installation, support and deployment of all server, storage and backup/archive technology including operating systems and management tools and associated software applications supported by the IT Department.

Details on the above vacancies can be found on the Commission’s website at https://tcifsc.tc/vacancies/ or by contacting the Commission at telephone numbers 649-946-2550 or 649-946-2791 ext. 4002 or 4021.

Applications should be emailed to administration@tcifsc.tc no later than 15 June 2020. A copy of the application should be submitted to the Employment Services Department by emailing to CHbacchus@gov. tc and MCadams@gov.tc. Applications received after the application deadline may not be considered in this recruitment phase but may be placed on file for future reference. While we appreciate your response, please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 9

LOCAL NEWS

Minister of Tourism statement on border reopening to international visitors and return of TCI residents

The announcement that the borders of the Turks and Caicos Islands will reopen on July 22, 2020 to regional and international visitors is welcomed news for the tourism sector and is praised

by Minister of Tourism Hon. Ralph Higgs as the declaration was made today

by Premier Hon. Sharlene CartwrightRobinson.

The Ministry of Tourism, the Tourist Board and industry stakeholders now have a definitive date with which to ensure that all necessary measures are implemented to safeguard the well-being of our residents and visitors to our shores.

These measures, which will be announced to the public in the coming weeks, are based on regional and worldwide standards. In the days and weeks leading up to the re-opening of our borders, the Ministry of Tourism, in close partnership with the Ministry of Health and our key stakeholders within the sector, will be working expeditiously to guarantee the destination’s readiness.

The Tourism Industry was one of the hardest hit sectors with the closure of borders and curfews over the past few months. The measures undertaken were necessary to ensure that the COVID-19 virus was contained and that the country, guided by the Ministry of Health, could establish processes and procedures for health, safety and security once our borders re-open to international travel.

Over the past few weeks, Hon. Ralph Higgs led discussions and engaged with the Ministry of Health and key stakeholders of the Tourism Industry to assess measures that could mitigate the impact on the industry workers and also those that will see the speedy preparation to open. The Ministry of Tourism is in the final stages of preparing protocols that will guide the Tourism sector to its re-opening and to its continued functioning in what has been described as ‘the new norm’.

“Overall my Government will ensure that the health and welfare of our industry workers, residents and guests is paramount. We will continue to work with our stakeholders from the various sectors, such as tour operators, accommodation, transportation, etc. to ensure compliance with any and all measures designed by the Ministry of Health to minimize the risk of transmission as much as possible. We are eager to welcome visitors back to our shores. This careful planning will put Turks and Caicos at the top of the competitive ladder, as visitors will recognize that we put their safety first. I am looking forward to the re-opening of our borders in a way that will safeguard the health and safety or all and ensure that TCI remains ‘Beautiful

by Nature’ and as safe as possible from COVID-19,” stated Hon. Ralph Higgs.

The Ministry of Tourism’s key objective is to assure potential visitors that we are taking all the necessary actions to prioritize their safety and the safety of those who will serve our visitors at our world class hotels, villas, restaurants, airports and taxi services.

Additionally, the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with Ministry of Health, Immigration and Border Control and others have started the process of the repatriation of Nationals to our shores.

Cabinet on May 15th through Emergency Regulations gave consent to allow for the borders to be opened to facilitate Nationals returning home. To date we have seen the return of persons from the Dominican Republic and some recently trained police officers from Barbados.

The process of bringing our people home will continue today with persons arriving from Jamaica and tomorrow JetBlue will touchdown at the Providenciales International Airport to repatriate American citizens and other nationals who wish to leave the Turks and Caicos Islands. JetBlue has also been given

Turks and Caicos Sun

Minister of Tourism Hon. Ralph Higgs permission to bring Turks and Caicos Islanders from the US on said flight.

All Turks and Caicos Islanders and residents who have arrived and are scheduled to arrive today and tomorrow, will be quarantined for 14 days and undergo the relevant test for COVID-19.

Plans will continue over the next few weeks to bring more Turks and Caicos Islanders home from the South Florida area and in conjunction with other countries in the region, trans-Atlantic flight for persons in those areas.

All Turks and Caicos Islanders and residents who wish to return should send an email to travel@turksandcaicostourism. com to provide the following: a) Name b) Number of persons in your traveling party c) Contact information d) Country of departure e) Proof of legal status in the Turks and Caicos Islands

Our repatriation efforts will follow the stated regulations and are being planned closely with Ministry of Health.

It should be understood and appreciated that every effort has been and is being made to bring our people home. This effort is not without difficulty as most airports around the world are closed.

Despite the challenges, these repatriations efforts are very important and we will see them through and ask for the cooperation of all concerned.

Suite#5, Airport Plaza Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands Tel: (649) 348-6838 Fax: (649) 941-3281 Email: sun@suntci.com Read us online at www.suntci.com Publisher & Editor-in-Chief: Hayden Boyce Graphic designer Information Technology and Production Manager: Kelano Howell Todeline Defralien Reporter

The Turks and Caicos SUN is a subsidiary of The SUN Media Group Ltd. We are committed to excellence in journalism, educating and informing our readers, serving and satisfying our advertisers and assisting in the overall development of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

• Candidates should have a Master’s degree in Accounting or equivalent combination of education and experience • Preferably with professional qualification as a CPA or any equivalent accounting designation.

• At least 7 years of experience in a senior finance management role is a must.

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER POSITION SUMMARY: The Chief Financial Officer is responsible for directing the fiscal functions of the NHIB in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards and any other financial management techniques and practices appropriate within the health and insurance industries.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES • Plan, develop, organize, implement, direct and evaluate the NHIB’s fiscal function and performance.

• Participate in the development of the company’s plans and programs as a strategic partner.

• Evaluate and advise on the impact of long-range planning and the introduction of new programs/strategies • Provide timely and accurate analysis of budgets, financial reports and financial trends in order to assist the CEO and the Board in performing their responsibilities.

• Develop, implement and enforce financial policies and procedures that will improve the overall operation, efficiency and effectiveness of the company.

• Provide technical financial knowledge and advice to others within the financial discipline.

• May perform other duties as assigned by the CEO or any other person authorized to give instructions or assignments.

• Lead the timely completion of the financial statement audit process.

• Assist in the completion of key accounting functions such as reconciliations, manage and supervise the finance, compliance and billing teams.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS: • Experienced financial leader with appropriate industry experience, strong supervisory and mentoring skills, high ethical standards, exceptional analytical and problem solving, well organized and self-directed, excellent written/verbal communication, speak, read and write in excellent English language, proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel Spreadsheets and Pivot Tables, and Accounting software packages, effective time management skills.

• Solid understanding of international financial reporting standards • Solid understanding of the NHIB Ordinance and Regulations • Experience in healthcare financing • Training in International Accounting Standards for Social Security • Experience in Microsoft Dynamics • Team worker who is willing to take a hands-on approach to the role.

SALARY Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience on a scale of $82,200 to $89,310.00 per annum.

All Applications should be addressed to: Sheena Smith-Yip National Health Insurance Board Salt Mills Plaza Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands British West Indies Email: recruitment@tcinhip.tc Please ensure the application clearly demonstrates how you meet the noted qualifications as applicants will be screened based on the information provided. We would like to thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those who are selected for an interview will be contacted.

Deadline for submission is June 26, 2020

Page 10

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

LOCAL NEWS

Brenten Handfield wins Graceway Communities ‘Show Yo’Self’ TCI online talent competition

By Todeline Defralien

Brenten Handfield is the winner of Graceway Communities first ‘Show Yo’Self’ TCI online talent competition.

Four community members showed off their creative juices and have been crowned the winners of the event. Second place went to: Dellerise Bottex-Ancell and tied for third place were T’ann Ma and Paula Mayhem.

Matthew Brace, Committee Member of Graceway Communities told The SUN, the competition was very stiff with great talent.

“We had some stiff competition and an unexpected tie for third place, but Edith Cox of Graceway Communities felt the right thing to do was award them both the prize! First place: Brenten Handfield; 2nd place: Dellerise Bottex-Ancell; 3rd place T’ann Ma and Paula Mayhem. Our judges looked to uniqueness, difficulty, showmanship, audience appeal and creativity. It’s so hard to judge a singer against a dancer and a comedian but they put in a great effort to judge,” he said.

Brace added that the community showed how wonderful and creative the people of the TCI are especially at such a trying time.

He added: “They are just great and show how wonderful and creative the people of the TCI are, especially at such a trying time.

The people voted on Facebook and Instagram for the top 10, and then the judges took those entries forward.

Our top ten had some really great entries and it was great fun laughing and listening and even dancing along with them. You can see the judges enjoyed themselves.”

Brace noted that there was some great feedback and such a wide selection of entries that left them all feeling inspired.

“All of us at Graceway Communities hope that this has left the winners and the people of the

One day I decided to record and send a video to the women’s group of my church. One of my sisters from the church contacted me personally and said how much she loves my recording and enjoyed it, I had so many compliments from different sisters and other groups that I sent it to but one particular sister encouraged me to enter the IGA #showyoselftci competition.

This sister continued to encourage me I decided to give it a try. I went to bed with one song on my mind then I heard a voice said to me loud and strong sing “Hand in hand with Jesus”. I said to myself I haven’t heard that song in a long long time.

But the voice was so strong I had no choice but to do the song. I knew it was the voice of God. I told God that if I don’t win it will be ok because this ‘Show Yo’Self’ TCI online talent competition winners. song can be used to bless someone.”

TCI feeling creative and excited to Second place winner Mayhem said during her prepare for next year’s competition,” Dellerise Bottex-Ancel added: “We recording she realized that her he told The SUN. have a lot of undiscovered local ripsaw was left in school before

First place winner Brenten talent here, and I feel by entering the the lockdown but remembered Mr. Handfield said, “When I first heard competition and showing my talent, David Bowen visited their school about this competition, I was it would motivate others to come and taught the students how to use instantly intrigued and wanted to forth with their unique talents. I feel a comb to make music so she was become one of the contestants as very honored to have been placed in inspired by him to use the comb. well. My initial thought was to do the top ten and came in second in When asked what can be a cover of a well known song, but the entire competition.” expected for next year’s event, Brace after consulting with my parents, I Bottex-Ancel thanked said, “That would be telling, but you decided to create an original piece everyone for their support and hope can expect it to be bigger and better. which was uniquely me. I had this everyone stays safe and productive Hopefully we can do a live final.” piece outlined a while back, but never this season.

The “Show Yo’Self” really sat down to finish producing Joint third place winner competition was hosted by TCI’s it. However, since hearing about the T’ann Ma said, “Music has always very own David Bowen. competition, it gave me a reason to been an outlet for me. During the Graceway Communities complete it. lockdown, a few of my close friends is the umbrella for Graceway

He added: “I named this piece lost loved ones. Being that we Supermarkets’ social and charitable ‘Lockdown’, due to the situation that couldn’t see each other, me singing efforts which have been giving back everyone has been going through that song was my way of letting to the Turks & Caicos Islands for over thus far. I wanted to make it relatable them know I feel their pain and I’m 20 years. to everyone and give them a little here for them. I feel honored and groove to “bop” their heads to. I’m I’m grateful that you guys picked The following prizes were: so grateful that God has given me me. I appreciate the constructive this opportunity to become the first criticism and thanks once again for •1st $1000 GRACEWAY winner of #Showyoselftci. There the opportunity.”

Supermarkets gift card were many astonishing and talented Joint third place winner •2nd $500 GRACEWAY individuals that entered, which Paula Mayhem added: “I always do Supermarkets gift card shows how much talent TCI has to my personal recordings at home and •3rd $300 GRACEWAY offer.” cultural events in the community.

Supermarkets gift card

Final Consultations begin on hospitality sector protocols

The Turks and Caicos Islands Government has announced the remaining Phases of the Reopening of the TCI’s Economy with the last Phase being that of reopening the borders for regional and international travel on July 22, 2020.

An across Government approach has been agreed to move towards this important and final Phase. It was announced a few weeks back that the Premier will lead the reopening of this sector together with Tourism, Health and Home Affairs Ministers. Building on the foregoing consultations of the Minister of Tourism and his Ministry, consultations will continue towards the agreement

of final protocols and guidelines for the entire Hospitality Sector.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health continued the final uploads of draft protocols to its website (at www.gov.tc. Click on the COVID-19 Tab and Click on guidance for participants in the sector to review. These areas include but are not limited to the Tourism Accommodations Sector, transportation and personal services with general guidelines on cleaning, managing staff etc.

The Ministry of Tourism has already advised Industry Partners of meetings to be held next week. The Ministry of Tourism will co-lead these Meetings with the Ministry of

Health (and Ministry of Home of proposals for their respective Affairs where necessary) and will sectors and generally for the discuss the published protocols Hospitality Sector.

Health and guidelines with the Hotel continues to consider proposals and Tourism Association, the villa and welcome these upcoming sector representatives, land-based discussions to concretize the final transportation operators inclusive positions. The preparation for the of taxi operators, tour operators reopening of the final phase is a and VIP Services, water sports huge across Government work and operators and businesses that are we are confident that we will be not members of the Hotel and best prepared once there is a true Tourism Association. Following partnership across Government these consultations, the protocols and communities. It is in all or and guidelines will be finalized best interests to ready ourselves and published. as best we can by continuing in

Premier Robinson stated, vigilance individually as well as in “My Government is grateful to our respective sectors of business. those who took the time to meet I look forward to the meetings with Ministers, Government next week as we seek to continue Officials and I in the presentation to move into the New Normal”.

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 11

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Page 12

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

LOCAL NEWS

New remote judges law described as ‘unconstitutional exercise of power’ of jurisdiction based on those previous decisions that Mr. Justice Harrison while he was in Jamaica.”

by Hayden Boyce Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

A new regulation that was mysteriously sneaked into Turks and Caicos Islands laws by British Governor Nigel Dakin in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, has been described as an “unconstitutional exercise of power”, while Andrew Mitchell, QC, who defended the legislation in court last week was admonished by Queen’s Counsel Ariel Misick for making legal arguments that included irrelevant “nonsense” and “startling submissions”.

This transpired on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2020, when Misick, assisted

by Selvyn Hawkins, also of the lawfirm Misick & Stanbrook, concluded submissions in a constitutional challenge to Regulation 4 (6) of the Emergency Powers (Covid-19) (Court Proceedings) Regulations 2020, which proposes, for the first time, that judges and magistrates can sit and hear cases outside the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Misick and Hawkins are representing defendants in the ongoing Special Investigation and Prosecution Team (SIPT) trial who challenged Regulation 4 (6) which provides that “the courtroom shall include any place, whether in or outside the Islands, the judge or magistrate elects to sit to conduct the business of the court”.

The historic case, which has brought microscopic scrutiny to such issues as separation of powers, judicial interference, full disclosure of government documents in anti-establishment cases, and the fundamental rights of rights of the high-profile politicians and lawyers who are currently in trial, was heard video video-link by Her Ladyship Tanya Lobban-Jackson, who will give her ruling at noon on June 18th, 2020.

MITCHELL’S ‘NONSENSE HAS NO PLACE IN PROCEEDINGS’

Misick told Judge LobbanJackson: “You were taken through a myriad of proclamations and regulations and suggestions were made (by Mitchell, QC) that the plaintiffs were trying to stop people from receiving their economic assistance which the government has decided to give them. That is all nonsense and has no place in these proceedings!

What we are here concerned about is the validity of Regulation 4(6) and nothing else. The Plaintiffs’ case is a very simple one, and one that was not addressed by Mr. Mitchell in all of his submissions.”

Misick described as “constitutionally impermissible” and “manifestly irrational”, Regulation 4 (6) which he said was drafted solely to target the SIPT trial, given that with the exception of that trial judge, Mr. Justice Paul Harrison, who has returned to, and is currently in, his native Jamaica, no other judge or magistrate is “outside the Islands”.

Under the Supreme Court Ordinance, the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court is expressed to be “within the islands”.

Whilst the Constitution provides that the Court of Appeal can sit outside of the territorial boundaries of the Turks and Caicos Islands, there is no such provision enabling the Supreme Court to do so.

“STARTLING SUBMISSION BY MITCHEL, QC

Ariel Misick, QC

“Jurisdiction does not come from technology,” Misick told the court. “Technology is purely a means by which the jurisdiction, if it exists, may be exercised.”

Misick accused Mitchell of seeking to “skirt the issue” with respect to whether Regulation 4(6) is constitutional.

“(It) is an unconstitutional exercise of power by the governor because there is no constitutional power for a judge in these islands to sit abroad to conduct proceedings.

It is an unconstitutional exercise of power because it was made with their proceedings (SIPT trial) in mind and for no other purpose. We are entitled to a justice system which does not target them or their proceedings, however desirable that may be, or however those who directed Regulation 4 (6) or who were responsible for making it, however they felt that it was the proper thing to do.”

Misick stressed that in the Attorney General’s case as put by Mr. Mitchell, who was assisted by Quinn Hawkins, Katherine Duncan and Latisha Williams, they accept that the Supreme Court has no jurisdiction to sit outside the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Despite that, Misick said Mitchell was relying entirely on a statement made a judge in the court of appeal in British Columbia which “does not represent the law either in Canada or here”.

According to Misick, that Canadian decision is not “good law” but it was the main principle relied on

by Mitchell in his arguments on behalf of the Attorney General.

“It (the British Columbia Court of Appeal decision), is the high water mark of his (Mitchell’s) case on jurisdiction. He stands or falls on that.

If Mr. Justice Harrison or any other judge could sit outside the Turks and Caicos Islands to conduct proceedings where there is a video and audio link between the two jurisdictions (Jamaica and Turks and Caicos Islands), then why on earth is Regulation 4(6) required? What is the purpose of Regulation 4(6)? The answer is, there would be none!” Misick added.

He told the court that Regulation 4 (6) provides that “the courtroom shall include any place, whether in or outside the Islands, the judge or magistrate elects to sit to conduct the business of the court”.

He continued: “It couldn’t be clearer that the proceedings are being

Andrew Mitchell, QC. conducted from the place where the judge sits, and if that place is outside of the Turks and Caicos Islands, then the judge is conducting the proceedings outside of the islands. And there is nothing that a judge sitting in the Court of Appeal of British Columbia can do or say to alter the meaning of Regulation 4 (6)...”

‘TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME’ According to Misick, there is no where that the Supreme Court of Canada in that decision, gave any credence or affirmation to a notion that just because two courts are linked by video, that the judge is exercising its jurisdiction or the case is being heard or tried in the home province.

“If that principle represented the law, then judges in the United Kingdom, Jamaica and other parts of the world, could easily sit abroad using that technology which has been around for a long time,” he added.

Misick noted that contrary to what Mitchell argued, the sitting of judges in the Cayman Islands outside of that jurisdiction is not based on the principle or statement of the British Columbia Court of Appeal case.

“There is no pretence in the Cayman Islands that when a judge sits in London or some other part of the UK to try a case, where interlocutory or full, that the case is being conducted, not in the Cayman Islands, but abroad.

This is acknowledged both by the rules of the Cayman Islands Grand Court but also by the Chief Justice in the practise direction that he issued.”

With respect to instances when Mr. Justice Harrison while in Jamaica, made a number of written rulings and gave written directions in relation to the criminal proceedings in the SIPT trial, Misick noted that those were interlocutory matters dealing with case management, such as adjournments, and were “radically different” from a judge sitting in Jamaica to actually conduct a hearing.

“Those were done either with consent or without objection of the parties,” he stated. “They were not forced on them by law and thirdly they cannot be relied on to confer jurisdiction because the parties to proceedings cannot by consent or without objection, confer jurisdiction where none exists. So in my submission no comfort can be taken or no rationale can be given to the existence

Misick noted that in support of his submission that Regulation 4 (6) is not directed solely at the plaintiffs, Mitchell stated that all the other judges of the courts of these islands are not Turks and Caicos Islands citizens who can take advantage of Regulation 4 (6) by leaving the islands during the pandemic and hold hearings while they are abroad.

“That is a startling submission,” Misick stressed. “It is not one which my learned friend (Mitchell, QC) can make or ought to make, and it is not one which you (Judge LobbanJackson) can, or ought to, accept.....It is manifestly irrational and would not be a legitimate legislative objective to allow, encourage or facilitate judges to leave the jurisdiction during a pandemic and be able to conduct proceedings abroad.”

He added: “There is no evidence that this was the reason or part of the reason for making Regulation 4(6). It was not given as a reason on behalf of the Attorney General by Clemar Hippolyte in her affidavit. It was not given as a reason by the Chief Justice when she sought the assistance of the Attorney General is the making of rules or the making of directions to allow the administration of justice to proceed without danger to public health. It was not even identified as a reason in the Attorney General’s written submission; and you would think that if was a reason, it would have been stated upfront.”

“If this was one of the true reasons for the making of Regulation 4(6) it must have emanated from somewhere and would not have just simply appear in the regulations.

There must be some document where someone thought of this as one of the reasons for the making of Regulation 4(6). If this was one of the reasons, the documents relating to it should have been disclosed and in the absence of disclosure, I submit that you (Judge Lobban-Jackson) should find that this was not a reason. The AG cannot have it both ways!

Misick told the court that if Regulation 4 (6) was found to be invalid, then everything that flows from it would also be invalid.

“It is not necessary for the Plaintiffs to wait to see if Mr. Justice Harrison exercises the power purportedly given to him

by Regulation 4(6), to challenge it.

There is no challenge to any act of any discretion of Mr. Justice Harrison.

There is no parallel proceedings before him in relation to Regulation 4 (6). If this regulation was out into operation, there would be inequality of treatment between the prosecution and the defence...

Misick said it is not an abuse of process for the plaintiffs to seek to set aside Regulation 4 (6), adding that if the court found that it was unlawful, all that would happen is that the regulation would be ineffective.

“It stops here and goes nowhere else,” Misick said.

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 13

LOCAL NEWS

Young people, “don’t give up”

I want to, first, pay homage blatantdisrespect toward our local to a young Turks and Caicos Islander business owners, as this is our land, businessman that started a movement, our home. We must protect the sending shock waves throughout our masses by any means necessary; community.Ademonstrationtook after all, “I SUPPORT LOCALS”. In place on Wednesday June 3, 2020 in my humble opinion I truly believe Providenciales regarding the support that the naysayers want us to be of locals and local businesses is clear intimidated and discouraged. sign and cry for help from our young, As it relates to the current local, entrepreneurs; both future and elected government, I am left to present. question their mindset when it comes

It is to that endI find myself, to our people. Where is their self and yet again, lobbying for equality and country pride?Why is there so much justice for the needs of my fellow Turks prejudice toward and neglect for and CaicosIslanders. The local saying our people?It further begs me to ask, “WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE GOOSE, who is this government serving?Is IS GOOD FOR THE GANDER”fits it not our countrymen? And if it this situation and climate oh so well. is, shouldn’t they be the number There is economic pie for all of us to one priority of this administration? consumeandpartake in a slice.

Where the hell is the solidarity?! I

Furthermore, I would digress. say that there must never be a To the young people of this

country, I may not be as young as you are,but Ilive in a community whereyoung persons are looking for someone to be their beacon of hope.

Hence, I feel it is my sincereduty to do what I can to ensure your bright future and build your confidence in the future of our country. A country where you are needed and one youwill be proud of.I promise you, the young people of theseislands, I will fight for and protect you and, be in your corner every step of the way. “DON’T GIVE UP”.

I invite you to come and join forces with the Progressive National Party. Your skills are needed; your input is wanted; you are what this country needs. Let us fight this good fight, together, so we can, finally, ensure that Turks and Caicos

By Arlington “Chuck” Musgrove

Islanders first, is not just a policy, but a law in the House of Assembly of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The TCHTA extends thanks to the Turks and Caicos business community

The Turks and Caicos Hotel & Tourism Association would like to pay tribute to our hundreds of member businesses and every other business owner and self-employed individual across the Turks and Caicos Islands for their outstanding efforts and dedication to employee welfare during the past nine weeks of the COVID-19 Governmentimposed lockdown. We could not disagree more with the Premier’s recent comments that the business community has “lacked generosity” during the COVID-19 crisis.

Credit for flattening of the COVID-19 curve and the current status of zero cases can be attributed to the responsible actions of the residents of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the business community that paid the wages of employees so they could remain safely at home and continue to put food on the table for their families.

Flattening of the curve was paid for by private sector businesses across the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Over the past nine weeks, the private sector has paid out over 77 million dollars ($77,000,000.00) in wages at a time when it was illegal to open their businesses, and, for many,

their entire customer base and only source of revenue was cut off with the closure of the air and sea ports.

These businesses have had to borrow funds and arrange new financing to ensure as many staff members as possible were able to keep their jobs.

The private sector, in partnership with the country’s non-profit organizations, has also taken the lead on addressing the humanitarian crisis that now exists all over TCI. The coalition of humanitarian groups supported by private sector funding has distributed thousands of food baskets and hot lunches over the past eight weeks to Turks and Caicos islanders and residents.

The TCHTA Community Staples Mission is positioned to distribute almost three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000.00) in food and essential goods baskets to those employees in need. These efforts have been carried out with zero tolerance for discrimination and are benefiting Turks and Caicos islanders and all other residents of the country.

Besides donating seventeen (17) ventilators to the Ministry of Health, the hospitality sector has

made available a beachfront resort to cultural activities, computer labs be used to isolate any tourist showing and upgrades at their schools. And signs of the virus. Our members have thank you to all Turks and Caicos organized contracts with insurance businesses for providing the financial companies, air ambulance operators, support necessary to successfully and medical facilities in America so flatten the COVID-19 curve. that, in the event a tourist becomes The Turks and Caicos ill, they can be sent to the United Hotel & Tourism Association States for treatment and not occupy represents a wide range of members a valuable bed in our local hospital. from hotels and resorts to insurance

Despite numerous requests companies and financial service and the submission of a revealing providers, from water sports report produced by accounting operators to catering outlets, from firm KPMG, since the start of the taxi drivers to human resources. lockdown, the TCHTA (whose The Association aims to members account for 85% of the assist the organizations through country’s gross domestic product) networking opportunities, has not had any direct feedback from training, promotional activities the Premier’s Office or been granted and representation at all levels the opportunity to meet with the of decision-making in the Turks Premier. There has also been no and Caicos Islands and the meeting granted by the Minister of region. Through involvement and Immigration or Ministry of Health to cooperation with our Tourism the groups representing the private partners the Turks and Caicos Hotel sector. and Tourism Association (TCHTA)

The TCHTA extends sincere is dedicated to the achievement of thanks to all the hard-working sustainable growth in Tourism for employees who have sacrificed a the benefit of its members and the great deal during the past nine weeks, wider community, while protecting and to the business community of and enhancing the unique character the Turks and Caicos Islands, who and environment of the Turks and all year long make it possible for Caicos Islands. youth to enjoy organized sports,

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

LOCAL NEWS

Supreme Court judges can sit anywhere, says Andrew Mitchell, QC

by Hayden Boyce Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

Judges of the Turks and Caicos Islands Supreme Court can sit and hold court anywhere in the world, says Queen’s Counsel Andrew Mitchell.

Responding on behalf of the Attorney General to a legal challenge to the validity of one of the provisions in the new Supreme Court regulations by defendants in the ongoing Special Investigation and Prosecution Team (SIPT) trial, Mitchell, who is also the lead prosecutor in that case, said there is no constitutional requirement that a judge of the Supreme Court has to sit in a court.

Queen’s Counsel Mitchell stated: “The authority of the Judge is exercised through his appointment. It matters not if the judge is in a court room, his chambers or at home; or therefore overseas. Provided that the judge is always linked to the court, the physical location of the judicial officer is, it is submitted irrelevant. The authority of the judge stems from the appointment by the Governor, on the advice of the Judicial Services Commission.

That authority is in the Islands and does not lapse when the judge is off the Island and re-start on return to the Island. It is an appointment to be a judge of the Supreme Court for the period of the appointment.”

Regulation 4 (6) of the Emergency Powers (Covid-19) (Court Proceedings) Regulations 2020 provides that “the courtroom shall include any place, whether in or outside the Islands, the judge or magistrate elects to sit to conduct the business of the court”.

There is a widely-held view that this particular provision appears to have been drafted solely to target the SIPT trial, as with the exception of their trial judge, Mr. Justice Paul Harrison, who has returned to his native Jamaica, no other judge or magistrate is “outside the Islands”.

Under the Supreme Court Ordinance, the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court is expressed to be “within the islands”. Whilst the Constitution provides that the Court of Appeal can sit outside of the territorial boundaries of the Turks and Caicos Islands, there is no such provision enabling the Supreme Court to do so.

Speaking during the virtual case which is being heard via video-link by Her Ladyship Tanya Lobban-Jackson, Mitchell said that in the circumstances of this worldwide (COVID-19) emergency, the location of the judge should not be a determinative factor in a trial continuing, thereby impinging on the constitutional right of a defendant to be ‘afforded a fair trial within a reasonable time by an independent impartial court’.

He said the alteration of the procedure by the Regulation is a general improvement to courts not being able to administer justice because to do so would be a risk to public health, adding that the only issue for debate is whether the judge can exercise his authority as a judge in the Islands when overseas.

“Plainly, he (Mr. Justice Harrison) has done that on many occasions without demur from the defence, over the period of his appointment, from holding telephone hearings with counsel in different jurisdictions, with the judge in Jamaica, to making directions on timing and other issues also from Jamaica, again without demur,” added Mitchell, who is being assisted by fellow SIPT prosecutors Quinn Hawkins and Katherine Duncan, along with Latisha Williams from the AG’s Chambers.

“As has already been observed, not only has the judge in the corruption trial exercised authority from Jamaica,

but there have been hearings conducted before the Supreme Court remotely with video links to witnesses, parties, interpreters, including a remote connection to another jurisdiction where counsel was visiting to enable him to cross examine a witness in the same location.”

He said the Plaintiffs are not suggesting that the Regulatory provision for a judge to sit elsewhere other than in Court is flawed, just that he has to be in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

“So the judge could be in his place of residence unable to leave because of age, but linked by video to the Court and the court recorder and able to exercise his authority, but not if he was in his place of residence in another country. That is the nub of the Plaintiffs’ case when stripped away to the real issue,” Mitchell added.

the judiciary in the way they must deal with litigation. Clearly, if a court was mandated to do something which was directed at the conviction or sentencing of specified individuals and that legislation was to be repealed upon those events occurring that might point towards ad hominem legislation. If, however the legislation was of general application and was intended to enable a court to sit, when it might not otherwise be able to sit, that would not be ad hominem.”

He argued that a general procedural change at a time of a state of public emergency, social distancing requirements for vulnerable persons, and closure of borders which as a consequence enables a judge to decide, if he wishes to, to continue a trial from abroad, with many Counsel aboard as well, is not capable of beginning to be understood as ad hominem.

REMOTE SITTINGS ALL

“The pandemic has led to a state OVER THE WORLD of public emergency in the Turks and Caicos Islands and throughout many

“It is difficult, given that remote countries in the world. The resultant sittings have been embraced the world requirements imposed by governments over as a means of keeping the wheels of in the interests of public health have justice turning, to see how the location of created unprecedented difficulties in the judge should become determinative respect of all aspects of day-to-day life, of the trial progressing. Particularly, as including the administration of justice,” it will not matter where the defendants Mitchell, QC, added. are (provided they remain faithful to “This has required a review their bail conditions), where counsel are, of the manner in which hearings can where witnesses are and always provided proceed without posing a risk to public that wherever anyone connected with health while maintaining access to the trial is, they can hear and see, be seen justice and fair and impartial justice. and be heard by all participants and that Indeed, art. 6 of the Order particularises all of the process is recorded as required ‘protecting or restoring the activities

by Regulation 4(6) ...” of the government of the Territory; or

Mitchell told the court that protecting or restoring the performance the purpose of the change that includes of public functions’ as the areas most in the contentious Regulation 4 (6) is “an need of consideration. The use of remote improvement of the general law, without hearings (used by some jurisdictions fettering or directing judicial discretion prior to the pandemic) has been adopted in a particular way but merely enabling by the Turks and Caicos Islands as a the judge to determine whether or not means to enable the administration of he wishes to proceed”. justice to continue.”

He added: “What is ‘altered’ by the Regulations is a means by which the PLAINTIFFS NOT CHALLENGING administration of justice can continue VIDEO-LINK without risk to public health due to a deadly pandemic. The law will ‘revert Mitchell submitted that to its normal state’ not following the the Plaintiffs do not challenge the completion of the Corruption trial Regulations that allow for a judge of the (and other trials that might utilise the Supreme Court to hear cases via link Regulations) but when it is no longer a from his or her home address in the danger to the public health, so that all Turks and Caicos Islands. parties can return to the traditional way “Regulation 4(6) enables a judge of proceeding. The Regulations target the of the Supreme Court to decide whether continuance of fair and impartial trials to exercise the authority vested in him and are not targeted at the defendants or her in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Corruption trial. A good way of via link from ‘outside of the Islands’ by testing that is whether the Regulations ‘including’ the place from where they are will expire after the trial, or when public situated to the courtroom in the Islands health permits.” ‘provided always that the video and

Mitchell told Judge Lobban- audio link facility at the said location Jackson that even if she were to agree must be accessible remotely to the court with the Plaintiffs that the enabling recorder, interpreter in the appropriate provision was in order to enable their cases, parties, counsel and witnesses,” he trial to continue, that does not in and continued. of itself mean the provision (Regulation

He said the constitutional 4(6)) is to be struck down. challenge brought by the Plaintiffs is

He added that the issue that limited to whether Regulation 4(6) is arises for consideration in this part of contrary to the Constitution, given the Summons is whether Regulation the current pandemic and State of 4(6) is ad hominem (that is tailored Emergency for the provision for remote legislation targeted at one individual hearings with the trial judge logging in or class of people) such as to make it from outside the Islands as opposed to unconstitutional and capable of being from within, struck down.

“Any challenge by the Plaintiffs

“The starting point is the to the inherent jurisdiction of the separation of powers as provided for Court to exercise its discretion in in the Constitution. It is accepted that the management of the trial process neither the executive, nor the legislative should fail as it offends against section branch of government, can act in a 21(2) of the Constitution and common way that interferes with the enshrined law decisions in respect of the same independence of the judiciary,” Mitchell (declarations 5 and 6 should be struck continued. out),” Mitchell stated.

“The complaint in this case is “To the extent, if at all, that that the executive with the assistance of Regulation 4(6) is ‘inconsistent’ with the legislature have dictated a direction section 6 of the Constitution (there are of travel to a judge or in general terms strong arguments to suggest it isn’t) then

Queen’s Counsel Andrew Mitchel the test to be applied by the Court is whether it is reasonably justifiable in the circumstances of any situation arising or existing during that period for the purpose of dealing with that situation (s20 the Constitution).”

“Thus, the Court has to ask itself whether ‘the risk to public health posed by COVID-19 is such that in order to continue with the administration of fair and impartial justice it is reasonably justifiable for HE the Governor in conjunction with Cabinet and with the confirmation of the House of Assembly to make Regulation 4(6) to allow for a judge to preside over hearings in the Turks and Caicos Islands from a location outside the Islands.”

Mitchell, QC, contended that Section 77 of the Constitution provides for the constitution of the Supreme Court in the Islands, adding that the Supreme Courts’ jurisdiction and powers are conferred on it by the Constitution and any other law.

He continued: “The Supreme Court cannot have jurisdiction in any other territory. Indeed, section 22 of the Constitution defines court as ‘Any court of law or tribunal having jurisdiction in the Islands…including Her Majesty in Council’. The Supreme Court is therefore defined by its jurisdiction. A judge can only exercise his or her powers in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The 1981 Act provides support for the contention that while the judge can carry on the business of the court from elsewhere his power can only ever reside here through the Supreme Court where its laws and regulations are enforceable.”

“A judge that presides via video link from another country is conducting the business of the Court from that location but that does not mean that the trial is taking place in the jurisdiction from where the judge is located. The judge attends the trial in the Islands via the link. The Regulation does no more than ‘include’ his location where he sits via link to the Court in the Islands. There are examples of Harrison J having already conducted the business of the court via audio link to the Islands without objection or challenge by the defendants in the trial. The Plaintiffs have it the wrong way around. The Defendants are not being tried in Jamaica as a result of Regulation 4(6) but will `continue to be tried in the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is absurd to suggest that the trial is enabled to take place in Jamaica or wherever the judge may be located.”

Mitchell said Regulation 4 (6) is of general application and can be utilised by any Supreme Court judge who has, for whatever reason, to be outside of the Islands. In any event there can be no sensible rationale to object to a judge presiding via link from outside as opposed to within the Islands.

“Even were the court to find that the Regulation was directed at a particular individual or class of people then the Court would be bound to conclude that the Regulation is in any event an improvement of the general law, remembering always that if the Court were to find any inconsistency with the fundamental rights of the Plaintiffs then the test is whether the making of the Regulation is reasonably justifiable given the state of public emergency,” said Mitchell.

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 15

LOCAL NEWS

Malik Cox loses murder appeal

by Hayden Boyce Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

The Turks and Caicos Islands Court of Appeal has dismissed Malik Cox’s appeal against a life sentence for the murder of Andrea Stubbs at the Versace nightclub on Leeward Highway, Providenciales on March 23rd, 2016.

Cox’s case was heard and tried by Mr. Justice Shiraz Aziz in December 2018 and is believed to be the first completed judge-only murder trial in the Caribbean.

His lawyer was Mrs. Lara Maroof-Misick, while Clement Joseph was the prosecutor. The Court of Appeal, comprising President Sir Elliott Mottley, Mr. Justice Neville Adderley and Mr. Justice Roger Hamel-Smith heard the appeal on September 12th, 2019 and the decision was delivered on May 22nd, 2020.

The three judges said it is not for the Court of Appeal to determine whether an appellant is guilty, adding that this is the function of the jury, or the judge in the case of a trial by a judge alone.

“The Court is of the view that the decision of the judge is not unreasonable and can be supported, having regard to the evidence. Further, that there has been no miscarriage of justice and consequently the appeal is dismissed and the conviction is affirmed,” the judges said in a 36-page judgment.

The prosecution’s case was that on the morning of March 23rd, 2016, shots were fired at the Versace bar or night club on Leeward Highway. As a result of this shooting, Andreika Stubbs was injured and taken to the hospital where she later died. The prosecution alleged that Cox intended to shoot at Tyrone Smith whom he intended to kill.

According to the Court of Appeal judgment, Anthony Francis stated that earlier that night, he had given Cox a lift in his green Chevy Cavalier motor car to Danny Buoys night club, where they had a drink.

They left Danny Boys and went to Versace night club or bar.

Sometime later, Francis went out of the night club to go near the jerk shack where he had a conversation with a female. At this time, he indicated that Cox would have been about 55 feet behind him. He saw Tyrone Smith who was outside of the bar with a friend. He heard someone shout “how it goes”.

He then heard a gunshot and he ran.

While running, he glanced around and saw Cox who was some distance away behind him. He heard two further gunshots. He ran toward his Chevy Cavalier motor car. While in the car, Francis heard a knocking on the window. It was Cox who asked him to give him a lift to his home.

While he was driving past NAPA (a business on Leeward Highway), Francis asked Cox what had happened and he told Francis that “those boys try to bus me, so I bus back”. It was at this point that Francis realized that there was a firearm in “Malik’s hand”.

Around mid-day on March 23rd, 2016, Francis was arrested by

the police in connection with the the Director of Public Prosecution murder of Andreika Stubbs. agreed to withdraw the charge of

Francis was detained in murder which had been filed against custody by the police until April 6th, Francis on his giving a statement 2016 when he was charged with the that satisfactorily addressed several murder of Andreika Stubbs. issues.

In addition, Francis was The Court of Appeal judges charged with discharging a firearm, noted that what is significant, is that discharging ammunition and the charges relating to the discharge causing grievous bodily harm to of a firearm and ammunition were Tyrone Smith. On being taken into not withdrawn and would only be custody, Francis’ hand was swabbed discontinued if he testified truthfully by the police for gunshot residue to the “agreed statement”. (“GSR”). One particle of GSR was This discontinuance would found on his hand. Swabs were also take place within 10 days. The taken from the dashboard of his car; significance of this undertaking is analysis of these swabs disclosed that it was intended and did happen three particles of GSR. These findings that when Francis gave evidence, of the particles of GSR have not been he was still subject, if convicted, to challenged. a mandatory minimum term of 5 years imprisonment for the firearm FRANCIS GANTED IMMUNITY offences.

During the investigation by the police a decision was taken to grant immunity to Francis.

Francis subsequently entered into an Immunity Agreement with the Director of Public Prosecution.

Tyrone Smith who was shot in his leg, and who the prosecutors alleged was the intended victim of the shooting, also gave evidence for the prosecution. Smith said that he knew Cox, as he attended the same school for at least two years, albeit that he was in a lower form and Cox was in a higher form.

On the night of March 22nd, 2016, Smith said that he was at the Versace Club where he saw Cox in the car park of the club. He and Cox came face to face during which period there was a confrontation.

Shortly after the confrontation, Smith said that Cox and his accomplice (presumably Francis) were leaning on a car, then Cox pulled out a gun and fired it in his direction. Smith said he dived between some cars and then ran back into the club. When he reached inside the club, he realized that he had been shot in the back of his leg.

Smith was seen by the police while he was in the hospital, but did not say that it was Cox who shot him. On March 25th, 2016, Smith gave the police a witness statement.

In that statement, Smith did not tell the police that Cox was the person who shot him in his leg.

In addition, Smith made no mention of a confrontation with Cox. In his second witness statement given on April 15th, 2016, Smith for the first time named Cox as the person who shot him.

He explained that a police officer took him to the CID and started to ask him questions relating to the incident which occurred on 23 March 2016. By that time, Smith was aware in fact that Cox had been arrested and charged with the murder of Andreika Stubbs. He learnt this from social media.

On April 24th, 2018 Francis entered into a written undertaking with the Director of Public Prosecutor, an Agreement with the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions and subsequently on May 4th, 2018 Francis gave the police his first witness statement.

In Part II of the Undertaking,

APPEAL TURNED ON CREDIBILITY OF FRANCIS AND SMITH

at the scene of the shooting.

‘CROWN PRESSURED FRANCIS’ Attorney Maroof-Misick suggested that the Crown was using the existence of the criminal charges in relation to the firearm to place pressure on Francis to comply with the Undertaking. It was argued that it was significant that the Undertaking did not simply require Francis to tell the truth but to give evidence in accordance with his agreed statement.

She added that the process used in the lead up to the creation of the witness statements of Francis was designed to implicate Cox.

It was said that the Office of the DPP had created a document listing the matters which Francis had to address in his witness statement in order to receive the benefits as set out in part 11 of the Undertaking,

These specifically referred to the appellant and details in relation to his having a ‘firearm’. It was argued that this process was akin to leading questions designed to elicit a statement from Francis which would implicate the appellant in the shooting.

Further, Cox’s lawyer stated that this impropriety was compounded further by the requirement that he then give evidence in accordance with that’ agreed statement” or the agreement was void.

Maroof said that Judge Aziz failed to take into account any of the evidence which arose during cross examination of Francis as to his understanding of the Undertaking and the rewards being offered to him for providing a witness statement implicating Cox and giving evidence in Court as well as the consequences.

The judges noted that Francis also agreed with the suggestion from counsel in cross-examination that, in his evidence in chief, he said that “when Malik came in the car, I didn’t notice anything”.

However, while he was passing NAPA a business place on the Leeward Highway he realised that the appellant had a gun in the car when he saw it in his hand, He also agreed with a suggestion from counsel that he told the police in his first statement dated 4 May that he never saw any gun in the appellant’s hand (???).

The judges noted that Cox’s appeal turns on the credibility of Francis and Smith adding the in this appeal the issue is what is the role of the Court of Appeal in a criminal case where the trial takes place before a judge sitting without a jury.

In his first ground of appeal, Cox stated that the judge erred in his approach to the evidence of Francis in circumstances where there was an obvious and powerful inducement in force at the time of his giving evidence. In the second ground of appeal, Cox alleged that the judge failed to take into account lies and inconsistencies within the evidence of Francis which arose in cross examination.

The Court of Appeal noted that those two grounds in reality deal with the issue of the credibility of Francis and, as such, the Court dealt with them together.

Attorney Lara Maroof-Misick submitted that at the time when Francis gave evidence there remained an obvious and powerful inducement for him to ingratiate himself with the prosecution. It was submitted that in those circumstances the judge should have placed no or very little weight on his evidence.

She contended that it is difficult to think of a more powerful inducement for Francis than a criminal prosecution for firearms offences which carried a mandatory minimum sentence of imprisonment.

She also argued that Francis had The following exchange between given evidence of how difficult he counsel and Francis: had found the experience of being in prison before being granted bail “Q: And so, were you lying to the and signing the Undertaking. He police when you said you saw spoke of the effect that prison had something shape like a gun in Malik’s him and indicated that he did pocket, because he was wearing tight not wish to return to prison. The pants? threat of these serious charges being continued against him was a threat A: I wasn’t lying to him about the hanging over his head in the event gun. I lied when I said it was in his that he did not give evidence as per pocket, it was in his hand. his ‘agreed statement’.

The Crown had evidence Q: So, you are saying there is a lie, which implicated Francis in the but the lie is that you saw the shape form of a particle of gunshot residue of a gun in his pants pocket, because on his hand and three particles of he was wearing tight pants, all of gunshot residue on the dashboard of that is a lie. his car; in addition, his vehicle was identified by two witnesses as being Cox’s lawyer submitted that this Continued on page 16

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

LOCAL NEWS Continued from page 15

statement revealed a fundamental misunderstanding of the significance of the Undertaking.

The Undertaking required information about the appellant to be given. The danger with the terms of the Undertaking was that it did not simply require truthful evidence but evidence in accordance with the “agreed statement”.

It was not being suggested that the witness had an independent intention to give false evidence but that he was induced to do so by the mandatory terms of the Undertaking and the fact that serious charges were hanging over his head at the time of giving evidence.

Maroof-Misick also submitted that in relation to the evidence relating to the firearm, Francis, in his evidence in chief, stated that he had first seen the firearm in Cox’s hand when they were in the car passing NAPA. However, in cross examination, Francis accepted that in his first witness statement dated 4 May 2018 he had stated that he had only seen the shape of a gun in Cox’s pants pocket in the car.

He also accepts that that was a lie. In his second witness statement dated 14 May 2018, he had stated that he had seen the gun in Cox’s hand when he came into the car.

Francis eventually accepted that this was also a lie, He then went on to change his evidence and stated that in fact the gun had been in Cox’s hand when he came in the car and that he had lied in his evidence in chief. In respect to the failure of the judge to take into account lies and inconsistencies within the evidence of Francis which arose during his cross examination, it was submitted that the judge did not take into account any of the matters relevant to the credibility of Francis including inconsistencies within his evidence and inconsistencies between his various statements.

Maroof-Misick alleged that Francis had repeatedly lied and denied that he had ever signed or seen any Agreement with the Prosecution. It was only upon the document with his signature being placed in his hand that Francis admitted that he had in fact entered into such an Agreement.

In assessing this witness’ credibility and the significance of the Undertaking, counsel stated that the judge failed to take into account the witness lies under oath in relation to this Agreement but instead he limited his consideration to the witness’ evidence that ‘so many things happened since he signed the agreement”.

It was submitted by Cox’s lawyer that the judge failed to take into account these significant inconsistencies on a key piece of evidence relating to the sighting of a firearm.

COUNSEL CLAIMED JUDGE FUDGED EVIDENCE

Instead, counsel stated that the judge fudged the evidence on this issue and emphasized that the witness was resolute that he was telling the truth and had seen a gun.

Counsel submitted that in his evidence in chief, Francis stated

that he had seen Smith outside the nightclub. On the night of the incident, Francis made mention of hearing words passing between Smith and the appellant; these words were “how it go”.

However, in crossexamination, Francis accepted that he had made no mention of the presence of Smith in either of his two witness statements, even though his name had been included in the questions in the Undertaking.

On behalf of the prosecution, it was submitted that at no time did the Crown make the Undertaking conditional upon the conviction of the appellant.

Further, the prosecutor Clement Joseph counsel submitted that, in telling the truth, Francis refused to lie to save himself or to succumb to any ‘powerful inducement, arguing that if Francis did not intend to speak the truth, he would have given statements to satisfy those issues.

Prosecutor Joseph further submitted that, in addition to evidence of Francis, there was sufficient independent evidence on which to convict the appellant.

It was argued that there was never any suggestion or, indeed any evidence, that Cox was ‘never at the scene’ of the shooting or did not leave the scene after the shooting.

The evidence of Smith also placed Cox t at the scene. It was argued that evidence was not in any way destroyed to negate his recognition of the appellant being there at the material time.

The Prosecutor stated that it is wrong to suggest that the process used in the lead up to the creation of the witness statements of Francis was designed to implicate Cox.

Francis testified that he took Cox to the scene of the crime and took him away from there aboard his vehicle. The facts implicate Cox and not necessarily Francis, said the prosecutor.

According to the judgment, Francis agreed with the suggestion from counsel in cross-examination that, in his evidence in chief, he said that “when Malik came in the car, I didn’t notice anything”.

However, while he was passing NAPA a business place on the Leeward Highway he realized that the appellant had a gun in the car when he saw it in his hand. He also agreed with a suggestion from counsel that he told the police in his first statement dated 4 May that he never saw any gun in the appellant’s waist.

The following exchange between counsel and Francis: “Q: And so, were you lying to the police when you said you saw something shape like a gun in Malik’s pocket, because he was wearing tight pants?

A: I wasn’t lying to him about the gun. I lied when I said it was in his pocket, it was in his hand.

According to the judgment, in respect to the second witness statement which Francis gave the police on 14 May 2016, it was suggested to Francis that this statement was correct.

Francis accepted that he did not tell the truth in his first witness statement which he gave to the police on 4 May 2016. Further, he accepted a suggestion from counsel that what he had stated in his first witness statement that he and the appellant only went to Versace Night Club was not “entirely true”.

Francis accepted that in his statement of 14 May he said that when the appellant came in the car the gun was in his right hand and he switched it to his left hand and then he put it in his left front pants pocket.

He accepted a further suggestion from counsel that what he had said in his statement was a different account to what he had said earlier. Francis agreed that he had said in court that when the appellant came into his car, he did not notice anything in his hand; it was only while passing NAPA he realized that the firearm was in his hand.

He went on to accept that that was different from saying that he had the gun in his hand when he came in the car and then switched it over to the next hand.

The following transpired between counsel for the appellant and Francis: “Q: What’s the truth, Mr. Francis?

The gun was is in his hand when he got in the car, the gun was in his pocket, or the gun –you saw the gun in his hand by NAPA which one is the truth?

A: The truth is the gun was in his hand when he came into the car, that’s the truth I did see—

In relation to the witness Tyrone Smith, alias “Tiger”, Francis accepted that he did not mention Smith in his second witness statement dated 14 May 2016.Francis also accepted that no reference was made to Smith in his first witness statement given on 4 May.

During cross examination the following transpired:i. “Q: And when you gave these statements to the police, you didn’t mention anything about seeing” Tiger” outside of Versace Nightclub did you?ii. A: I didn’t recall his name, I described him the two boys, the two guys.

Francis said that when giving his statement to the police officers who were interrogating him, he had mentioned Smith name and he “thought they would have put it in the statement”. Francis stated that he never read over his statement but nevertheless he signed the statements as being true and correct.

However, it should be noted that Francis did not give any description of the “two guys”.

HONEST WITNESS CAN Q: So, you are saying there is a lie, BE MISTAKEN but the lie is that you saw the shape of a gun in his pants pocket, because The Court of Appeal noted he was wearing tight pants, all of that Judge Aziz reminded himself that is a lie? that an honest witness can be a

mistaken one.”The judge accepted that there was sufficient lighting on the road even though there was not much lighting in the carpark.

In accepting Smith’s evidence, the judge pointed out that the lighting was sufficient for Smith to recognize the appellant,” the Court of Appeal noted.The document sad Smith looked to his left in the direction of the Jerk Shack and saw Cox and the other accomplice talking with each other.

It was at this time that Smith saw Cox take out an object which was a gun which he pointed at Smith and fired. Smith saw sparks from the gun. Smith ran inside the club, and feeling a stinging in his leg, realized that he had been shot.

During cross-examination, Smith admitted that he gave two written statements to the police.

Although he had spoken to a female police officer the night of the incident, while he was at the hospital, he did not give her a statement; neither did he tell her that it was Cox who had shot him.

On being cross-examined in relation to his first statement, Smith agreed with a suggestion put to him by counsel that there was no mention of any confrontation with Cox. Smith explained that the police came to see him, and that is how he came to make his second statement on 15 April 2018. When he made the second statement, Smith was aware that Cox had been arrested and that he knew his name as he had seen it on social media. The police did not tell him that Cox had been arrested.

The police asked him to tell the truth, since they said that his first statement did not make much sense.

In response to a question why he did not mention Cox’s name in the first statement, Smith explained that he wanted the police to do their job.

JUDGE FOUND FRANCIS TO BE A CREDIBLE WITNESS

The Court of Appeal noted that Judge Aziz stated that Francis came across as a credible and honest witness in the witness-box, not only in what he said throughout his evidence-in-chief and crossexamination, but that the court also took into account his demeanour.

“The judge indicated that the crux of the evidence was provided

by Francis, who was considered an accomplice, being charged with the same murder. His account was that he had known the appellant for more than 10 years through school, and then they would meet out of school including when he worked at the Seven Stars Resort and the appellant worked with Caicos Adventures, as they would have to interact with each other,” the judgment said.

“The judge accepted that while in the car Francis asked the appellant after passing NAPA Automotive on the Leeward Highway, what had happened, and the appellant replied that those boys tried to bust him, and he bust back. The judge also accepted that the appellant wanted to be dropped off in Five Cays, and that Francis did that after which he went to his home and told his mother what had happened.”

It was put to Francis that he Continued on page 17

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was lying rather than mistaken in stating that the appellant was the gunman and that he was lying to save his own skin. His evidence was that he was well-able to recognize the appellant. The swabs taken from Francis’ hand and the dashboard of his care were to be submitted for testing for GSR. Francis had stated that he was not aware that a particle of GSR was found on his hand but was aware that three particles of GSR were found on the dashboard of his car. He stated that he was surprised about a particle of GSR on his hand and expressed the opinion that it must have gotten there when he was travelling with the appellant.

However, he was not surprised about the GSR in his car, as he had given Cox a lift in his car to his home after the shooting.In respect to the Undertaking, the judge stated that Francis was cross-examined about an Undertaking which he had signed with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Francis stated that so many things happened since he had signed the agreement and was granted bail.

He made a statement on the 4 May 2018, which implicated Cox. Francis rejected the suggestion that he gave the statement pursuant to the Undertaking in order to secure his freedom or to get bail.

He stated that he gave the statement to tell the truth, and throughout he had provided a detailed statement before the Undertaking. Francis stated that his statement to the police on 4 May was the truth, and again rejected the suggestion that his statement was a series of lies. Francis stated that the second statement came about because initially he was afraid, and had left out details which he provided in detail in the statement of 14 May 2018.

According to the Court of Appeal, the judge found that Francis clearly understood that he was still facing other charges relating to discharging firearm and ammunition, but that he understood that those charges would be dropped if he stuck to the agreement.

Francis had indicated that he knew of the significance of the Undertaking and its requirements.

“The judge found that it was clear that although Francis was an accomplice being initially charged with the murder of Andreika Stubbs, by the

time he was attending court for the Sufficiency Hearing for the murder, he was aware that he was no longer facing the murder charge, and only had firearm related offences to face.

Several inconsistencies were relied upon by Cox’s lawyer such as the relationship between Francis andCox, and them being Rastas. Francis confirmed in cross-examination that he was flagged down by the appellant and they both drove up the highway together.

Francis agreed that he did not see any reference to “Tiger” or Tyrone Smith in the statement, but did describe him as one of the two boys outside the club,” the judgement continued.

“The judge pointed out that Francis was a witness with an interest to serve, as per the Undertaking which he had signed. The judge nevertheless, concluded that despite the vigorous cross- examination by counsel for the appellant, Francis remained resolute that he was telling the truth, and that he knew the appellant.

The judge accepted that the appellant knocked on the car window and asked Francis for a lift after the shooting, and that Francis did see the appellant with a gun while the appellant was in the car.

In addition, the appellant told him after the shooting that they tried to bust him and he bust back, which refers to shooting.

The judge indicated that this was considered with the knowledge in the background there was an Undertaking which Francis signed and which gave Francis immunity from prosecution. The judge indicated that the evidence of Mr. Francis was considered with special care and caution and that all he would do is try to stick to his evidence which he had provided in the form of a statement.

AN ACCOMPLICE CAN BE A COMPETENT WITNESS

The Court of Appeal said it accepts that it is well established that an accomplice is a competent witness but that in each case the trial judge would have to carry out an assessment of his evidence and if the inducement was very powerful he may exercise his discretion to exclude the evidence.

It was noted that the judge was clearly mindful that, although the murder charge against Francis had been discontinued, at the time of giving evidence Francis had three serious charges pending against him.

These included firearms offences for which he was liable on conviction to a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years as well as a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.”

In this case, it was necessary for the judge to have warned himself that it was necessary to exercise caution before acting upon the evidence of Francis. Francis was a witness who at the time he gave evidence, was under a powerful inducement to distance himself from the murder and possession of the firearm.”the Court of Appeal stated.”

“Before coming to a conclusion that the evidence of Francis was reliable and, as such, was evidence upon which the judge could convict the appellant of murder, the judge had to bear in mind that it was necessary to approach the evidence of Francis with caution. In particular, although the murder charge against him had been discontinued, Francis was still facing firearm offences which, if convicted, carried a mandatory minimum sentence of imprisonment. It was submitted, in our view correctly that the weight to be placed on evidence was within the province of the judge. Counsel for the prosecution stated that the judge set out the factors which he took into consideration as to whether Francis was a reliable and credible witness.”

In the opinion of the Court, although Francis did not give evidence relating to the shooting, nonetheless, his evidence relating to the firearm being in Cox’ possession of the appellant immediately after the shooting while he was driving away from the scene and taking Cox home was crucial to the prosecution’s case.

Francis said that the truth was that the appellant had the gun in his hand when he came into the car.

It is not surprising that he accepted the suggestion from counsel that his evidence relating to the gun was changing and he could not get his story straight.

He agreed with the suggestion put to him by counsel that he never

mentioned in his statement of 4 May 2018 anything about seeing a gun in the appellant’s hand. He however rejected a further suggestion from counsel that, his reason for not stating it, was because he did not see a gun in the appellant’s hand or something shaped like a gun in the appellant’s pants pocket. In response to a question from counsel whether he saw something shaped like a gun in the appellant’s pants pocket, Francis said it wasn’t in his pants pocket.

He agreed that the statement that he saw the shape of a gun in the appellant’s pants pocket was a lie.

In reaching his conclusion about the credibility of Francis, the judge stated that he had “exercised special care and caution in determining the credibility and reliability” of his evidence. In the opinion of the Court, this is what the judge was required to do.”

The Court of Appeal added: “The judge reminded himself that in respect to the evidence of Francis it was necessary to exercise special care and caution in determining whether his evidence was credible and reliable.

Having regard to the rule concerning the approach by an appellate court in respect to findings of fact by a judge, this Court is mindful that the trial lasted six days (excluding the day of the judgment). The judge saw and heard the witnesses; he was able to observe their demeanour when they gave their evidence and was in a position to form an opinion on their truthfulness.”

“This Court recognizes the importance of the advantage which the judge had in seeing and hearing Francis and Smith when they gave their evidence and in observing their demeamour especially under cross- examination. In this case, the credibility of Francis and Smith was of paramount consideration and was the issue for the judge in arriving at the verdict of whether the appellant was guilty or not. This Court is not in a position to dispute the undoubted advantage which the trial judge had in seeing and hearing the witnesses and observing their demeanour.

This Court accepts that “the insight gained by the trial judge who has lived with the case for several days... may be far deeper than that of the Court of Appeal”.

JaMalCo Ltd.

Location: F202 Regent Village, Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands Is Seeking: 16 Construction Helpers Duties: Assist construction craftworkers with various tasks; clean and prepare sites, machinery and equipment.

Salary: $6.25/hr; 42 hrs/wk Seeking: 6 Carpenters Duties: Construct, erect, install and repair building frameworks, and fixtures.

Salary: $12/hr; 42 hrs/wk Seeking: 2 Steel Erector Workers

Duties: Raise, place, assemble and unite iron or steel girders, columns, crossbeams, scaffolds, and pipe sections.

Salary: $12/hr; 42 hrs/wk Seeking: 2 Painters Duties: Prepare paint surfaces, mix, match, and apply paints and other finishes to various surfaces.

Salary: $12/hr; 42 hrs/wk All Positions currently held by work permit holders.

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS IS JUNE 15, 2020 Applications can be dropped off at the office, Immigration Board, and/or emailed to jmc@tciway.tc

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JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

HOW TO PAY YOUR FORTISTCI BILL

Dear Valued Customer, As the COVID-19 situation continues to unfold, FortisTCI wants you to know that we are here for you.

We are following our robust business continuity plans, and our employees are working around the clock to keep the lights on.

For those working to keep their bills as current as possible, we are offering more ways to pay while our customer service centers are closed.

My Online Account

The online customer web portal is accessible 24 hours a day and allows you to monitor your daily consumption, view your account balance, and pay your bill using a credit or debit card.

To register, log onto www.fortistci.com, select the ‘My Online Account’ tab, and click ‘register now’. You will need your meter number and account number.

Pay Online Using a Local Bank

If you bank with FirstCaribbean, ScotiaBank, or RBC, you can pay your bill online using their online bill payment option. You must register through your bank and should speak with a bank representative for more information. Payments are posted within 48 hours.

Payment by Cash or Check

Customers who cannot pay online using a credit card, debit card, or their bank account, can pay their bills by check or cash at the following authorized payment agent locations: • Provo – Any Graceway Supermarket location • North & Middle Caicos – At BETCO (Bernie Handfield), Bottle Creek • South Caicos – At Seaview Market, Stubbs Road • Grand Turk - National Company Services (NCS), Cees Building, Church Folly Road Customers are reminded to adhere to all curfew stipulations as outlined by the government and should only access the above essential service locations at times prescribed in the law. If utilizing an authorized pay agent to make a bill payment, have your bill on hand at the time of payment.

Questions? Email or Call for Account Updates

If you have questions or need account information, you can email us at customerservice@fortistci.com, or call 649-946-4313. Our customer service representatives are available Monday to Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Sincerely, FortisTCI

2017 Winner

Allied Member of the Year

BCMS 681102

www.fortistci.com | 649-946-4313 |

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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LOCAL NEWS

Skin Cancer Screening mole should not be ignored. This or sole is called the ABCDE rule. Check your moles for asymmetry, border, Many people have moles on color, diameter and evolution. In the soles of their feet or the palms particular, a quickly evolving mole of their hands, but they should be where obvious changes are seen checked out, especially if the mole in symmetry, color or size must be is new or changing. Also, when checked by a doctor. Other changes melanomas do occur in dark skinned like bleeding, crusting or itching to a individuals they are more likely to once asymptomatic mole must never arise in these areas.

By Dr. Marsha Barnett be ignored.

•You experience changes to Melanomas not only affect the skin •An ‘ugly duckling’ mole an area after having a mole but also the mucous membranes. removed That includes inside your cheek, Many persons have nasal cavity, anal region and the numerous moles all over the body. If you’ve had a mole removed and genitalia. It may be difficult for you But pay attention to a mole that you start seeing pigmentation or to inspect these areas which is why it doesn’t look like any of the others, a bump or lump that’s extending is important that you get these areas or is the lone mole on an otherwise outside the scar, this is extremely examined.” spot-free area. This may need to be concerning. Even if you were told The number one risk factor biopsied or removed as having a that the original mole was not a for developing skin cancer is sun mole that is obviously different from cancer, visit your doctor for a review exposure. Wear sunscreen religiously the pattern on the rest of the body, is as this may signal a recurrence of a with a SPF 30 or above. Reapply a sign for concern. skin cancer that was not previously every 2 hours when in the sun and diagnosed. wear water proof varieties when •You have a ‘pimple’ that won’t • There’s a dark streak on your swimming.

Whenever possible, go away nail avoid the sun in the midday hours Melanomas can occur in the nail. between 10 am and 3pm and partner

Some skin cancers, like basal Most often it is seen as a streak with your doctor by being aware of cell or squamous cell skin cancer can involving the entire length of the any changes in your skin and having look like a bump. Unlike a regular nail or may be limited to the base your skin examined at intervals. bump, no pus or cheesy material will of the nail and cuticle. This is why come out of it when you squeeze it it is important to remove your nail *Dr. Marsha Barnett is a general and it may actually have an indented polish when you see your doctor for practitioner who also specialises area. A central crust or sore that will a skin check especially if you noticed in dermatology. For questions So, what should you look for? not heal or clears but keeps recurring an abnormality to the nail before or comments, please contact is also a tell-tale sign. coming in. her at drmarshabarnett@gmail.

•Your mole is changing • There’s a black spot inside com or at Associated Medical

Any sudden change in a •You notice a mole on your palm your cheek Practices - 946-4242.

Believe it or not, skin cancer is actually the most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide!

Luckily, in many cases, early detection and removal of the abnormal growth in an office setting is all that is required to achieve a cure. In a few cases however, whether because of late detection or the type of skin cancer, extensive surgery and even chemotherapy may be required.

And whilst most skin cancers do not metastasize or spread to distant areas in the body, melanomas do!

This makes quick diagnosis and management essential.

Skin surveillance in a doctor’s office is advisable for most person but it is especially true if you have risk factors for skin cancer such as a history of sunburns, a lifestyle where you are repeatedly in a sunny environment, a light complexion that rarely tans but instead gets red on sun exposure and a personal or family history of skin cancer.

However, it’s not good enough to go into your doctor every year to get your moles checked. You must also be familiar with what to look for in case something presents on your skin that you need to get checked before your next scheduled visit.

RE-ADVERTISEMENT The Financial Intelligence Agency of the Turks and Caicos Islands is inviting applications for the following: APPLICATION DEADLINE: Friday 19thJune 2020 Applications not accompanied by all required supporting documents will not be processed.These are contract positions.

RE-ADVERTISEMENT: The Financial Intelligence Agency of the Turks and Caicos Islands (FIA) is a key competent authority within the Anti-Money Laundering, Countering the Financing of Terrorism and Proliferation Financing (AML/CFT/PF) regime in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Its main functionsare to receive, analyse and disseminate financial information, with a view to aid in the identification and prosecution of persons involved in Money Laundering, Terrorist and Proliferation Financing and connected crimes.

will ensure the accuracy and validity of the information as well as maintain records and cases and update the computer database and other FIA databases and will create intelligence, analysis and other reports for the Director; With the emphasis on high professional standards, integrity, confidentiality, professionalism and general deportment, conduct analysis into the financial circumstances of those involved in criminal or suspected criminal activity. The post holder may be required to carry out other duties as may be required by the Director from time to time.

POSITION: LOCATION: SALARY:

Requirements and Qualifications: •Qualified as or trained as a Tactical and Strategic Analyst. – Undergraduate degree in Management Studies, Finance, Economics or Social Science discipline or a related field or at least 4 years’ experience working as an analyst in an analytical, research or investigative environment.

•Experience in an intelligence/ analyst role or similar environment •Experience in the preparation, recording, presentation and explanation of quality reports for managers.

•Experience in analysing complex financial transactions with a level of appreciation of various financial and non-financial services and products, their legal structures and potential connections with money laundering and terrorist financing schemes.

•Advanced proficiency using Microsoft Office Suite - Word, Excel, Power Point and Access.

•Must be able to maintain a professional approach within a high-pressure working environment that may present fluctuating work demands and very tight deadlines.

BUSINESS OPERATIONS OFFICER PROVIDENCIALES USD40-45,000 PER ANNUM

JOB SUMMARY: The post holder will be responsible for effective and efficient office operations of the FIA and the Board and maintenance of the Agency’s finances, with the emphasis on high professional standards, integrity, confidentiality and general conduct carry out his/her functions in accordance with TCI laws and Agency guidelines. The post holder may be required to carry out other duties as may be required within the scope of the administrative functions of the FIA. Requirements and Qualifications: •Undergraduate degree in accounting or finance OR an Associate degree in accounting or finance with at least 4 years experience in office administration or as a Senior Administrative officer.

•Experience in an administrative or business operations officer.

•Experience in the preparation, recording, presentation and explanation of budget, expense and accounting reports.

•Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office Suite - Word, Excel, Power Point, and Access.

•Knowledge of the use of accounting software and applications such as QuickBooks.

POSITION: LOCATION: SALARY:

FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE ANALYST PROVIDENCIALES USD50-58,000 PER ANNUM

JOB SUMMARY: The post holder will be responsible for receipt, analysis and dissemination of confidential information received through disclosures of financial information reported via Suspicious Activity/ Transaction Reports (SARs/STRs) related to Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing and connected crimes. The Intelligence Analyst

TO APPLY PLEASE SUBMIT: 1. Application cover letter indicating position applied for; 2. Copy of updated Curriculum Vitae including your contact details; 3. Two recent reference letters; one of which must be from a person who can speak to your professional capacity for the job; 4. Copies of relevant qualifications; 5. Copy of passport Bio page; and 6. A Police certificate of character no older than 6 months.

Applications along with your CV and supporting documents are to be submitted to hr@fia.tc. Turks and Caicos Islander applicants should also forward copies of their applications to the Labour Board. The BOO position is vacant. The FIA post is held by a seconded officer from the RT&CIPF. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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LOCAL NEWS

Walk the Talk- “Actions speak louder than words”

There is something powerful about the words we speak. Positive words have a way of making you feel good and even making you smile. Some people are able to get up out of their beds on a daily basis because of the words they hear and read.

However, one can easily become discouraged when the people speaking words in and over their lives do not mean what they say. Some people use words to get what they want whether it is a leadership position or any other positon and when they get what they want, they do not do what they say. For too long, we have equate great speeches with great leadership. Perhaps if the actions match the great speeches, one would be a great leader but if the actions do not match the great speeches, then the great speeches are meaningless and disingenuous and you are just someone that speaks well.

I therefore challenge all of us including myself to act upon the words we speak. Walk the talk. If we are speaking about loving one another, then let us show it in actions. If we are speaking about unity, the let us show it in actions.

If we are speaking about improving race relations, let us show it in actions. If you are encouraging people in public then don’t talk negatively about them behind their backs and throw shade at them. If you convince people to recruit you, then do your work and stop trying to talk you way out of things.

I suppose one may argue that our focus should be on the message and not the messenger. I believe we should focus on both the message and messenger. People believe in people, people influence and inspire people and when people say one thing and do something otherwise, it can dissuade others from pursuing

the messages in the speeches. If you do not mean what you say, then why say it. If you mean what you say then do what you say. Do not set people’s hope up by your words. Show it in action too.

WALK THE TALK. Love

Love is an action word but unfortunately, we convince so many people that we love them by just saying the words “I love you”. Some of us get fooled by these words. There are smooth talkers out there who will convince you that they love you and soon thereafter their actions are far from their words.

They abuse you; they use you; they talk down to you; they cheat on you; and they talk about you to others. They leave you and do not support you or stand with you when harm comes your way.

These actions are not signs of love. Some people believe that love is expressed by having sex with each other, but do you know some people tell you they love you just to have sex with you.

1 John 3:18 stated “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”

Unity

Unity is a term that most people uses frequently. The church say let us come together because we are serving one God but yet we do not come together and support one another. We focused so much on our denomination or “our church” but yet we serve the same God.

In the political world, there is a public clarion call for unity but yet those same very people are tearing down and attacking others because the opinions expressed by others do not align with

CAREER OPPORTUNITY Do you aspire to build a thriving hospitality career at one of the leading luxury resorts in the Caribbean?

Are you a self-motivated, talented team-player, interested in joining a dynamic team?

The Amanyara Resort invites all suitable candidates to apply for the following positions:` *VILLA HOUSEKEEPING SUPERVISOR •Assists the Housekeeping Manager in the smooth and efficient running of the Housekeeping/ Villa department, ensuring that all the policies and procedures outlined in the Departmental Operations Manual are strictly adhered to.

•Ensures Housekeeping Attendants deliver the brand promises and provide exceptional guest service at all times.

•Leads Morning, Evening or Public Area shifts in terms of work assignment, and quality assurance.

•Prepares weekly work schedules.

•Encourages Housekeeping Attendants to be creative and innovative, challenging and recognising them for their contribution to the success of the operation.

Requirements: •High organizational skills •3 years Housekeeping supervisory experience; preferably at a 5-star resort •Proficient in English •Knowledge of MS Office programs Salary based on experience: $1600-$1800 per month, plus service charge *STEWARDING SUPERVISOR •To maintain an organized, clean and sanitized back-of-house food and beverage area and to provide all outlets and banquets with clean

the views of the political party. How can we call for unity and at the same time promote division? Division and unity are opposite to each other. If you want unity, then continue with the plans that you met in place especially if they are good for the country. Get the best people on board for advice no matter their political affiliation.

Families are torn apart over a lot of misunderstanding. Brothers and sisters are not talking to each other. Children are not speaking with their parents. This is not God’s plan for families.

“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.” (1 Corinthians 1:10) Race

By Drexwell Seymour them well at all. Why encourage people publicly when you do not mean it? It is best not to say anything all.

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Racial issues existed from the All talk and no work beginning of time. Blacks and whites join demonstrations and protests to Some people have been promoted on the show solidarity but the demonstrations job or recruited for a job all because of the become meaningless if our actions great talk during the interviews. However, remain the same and no changes take there is only so much one can get away place. Speaking out and marching are not with pure talks. Their performance must good enough. We need to stand up and be measured by their actions on the job. show the world that we want to improve “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not race relations by treating all people the accompanied by action, is dead.” (James same.

2:17)

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male Conclusion and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28) The world is full of charmers, manipulating people and playing on Consistency in encouragement. the emotions of others. However, when the truth comes out, these people will

There are many people who be devastated. Let us make the world encourage others in public on their a better place by doing what we speak. successes but secretly they do not mean WALK THE TALK

operating equipment consistent with established standards; this will be achieved through planning, organizing, directing and controlling the stewarding operation and administration.

•To participate along with Food and Beverage Manager in the formulation of the Annual Operating Budget in determining projected operating expenses, operating equipment requirements in the line with the compilation of the Annual Business Plan.

•To ensure that the stewarding department is managed efficiently.

•To ensure that the food production areas are supplied with clean and dry kitchen utensils.

•To supervise night cleaning in kitchen and back-of-house food and beverage area •To ensure that back-of-house cleaning schedules and garbage runs are strictly adhered to and areas are cleaned according to the established standards.

•To strictly adhere to the par stocks for all operating equipment and supplies and to ensure that the department is adequately equipped.

Requirements: • Minimum 2 years stewarding supervisory experience in a luxury hotel.

• Good communication skills.

• Good organizational skills.

• Able to lift up to 30kgs.

• Familiar with Food Safety Regulations.

Salary based on experience: $1500-$1800 per month plus service charge Candidates must be available to work 6 days a week, weekends, and holidays.

Positions marked with * are currently held by a work permit holder.

However, qualified belongers are encouraged to send a cover letter & resume with the following attachments: Valid Police Record, Passport Bio Page, Proof of TCI status i.e. PRC, Belonger Status Card or Naturalization Certificate.

Human Resources Amanyara Resort Northwest Point, Providenciales E: amanyarahrassistant@aman.com Prospective applicants are also asked to send copies to the Labour Board, Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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LOCAL NEWS

COVID – 19 - An opportunity to build a New TCI

Many individuals in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), have made contributions which have gone unnoticed.

These include such individuals as Mr. Shorty Smith, Mr. Dinks Francis, Hon. Headley Durham, Hon. N. J. S. Francis, Hon. Clarence Jolly, Hs. Helena J. Robinson, Mrs. Ona Glinton, and Mrs. Eliza Simons.

If we travel further down the islands, we think of people such as the late Hon. George Ewing, Mr. Lloyd Stubbs, Mr. Hugh Wilson, Captain Stanley Malcolm, Mr. Georgie Lewis, Hon W. H. Mills, Mr. Thomas (Tooks) Stubbs, Hon. Daniel Malcolm (snr), Dr. Doc Astwood and his son Dr. Leo Astwood and Nurse Beatrice Burton. Others include the late Mrs. Iris Stubbs, Mrs. Marjorie Basden, Mrs. Gertrude Mills and Mrs. Vera Hamilton (teachers who laboured in the educational vineyard).

There were also men like the late Hon. Emmanuel Hall, who risked his life to save others off the Bambarra shores. We think of the late Mr. Felix Morley, Hon. Walter Cox, Hon. Hilly Ewing, Hon. Gustavaus Lightbourne who served the island of Providenciales through what can be described as “testing” times.

If we travel over to North Caicos, we can talk about men like the late Hon. Paul Higgs, Hon. Harold Robinson, Hon. James Walkin, Hon. Danny Williams, Hon Charles Misick and outstanding businessmen, Mr. Maxwell Handfield, and Hon Llewlyn Handfield.

There are countless others.

These folks had one thing in of his organization. common – service about self. They Hon McCartney, like the took service to an unprecedented others, came at a time when justice level. They were instrumental in was a luxury for the few. laying the foundation on which we As a leader, Hon McCartney are surviving on today. made his people to believe that

We cannot allow these there was nothing that they could unsung heroes and their toil to not aspire to become.

He was go unnoticed. Our children need instrumental in instilling a greater to understand that they were the sense of pride as to who we are. builders and shakers of this country. He made us to believe that the Turks They need to know that these people and Caicos Islanders are a special brought us to this very point in our breed of people and that we can history through their sacrifices and stand tall with anyone anywhere at desires so that we can have a better any time. life. They served with dignity and He also made us to pride. Money was not the primary understand that life consisted of incentive. They served because they challenges and that in order to cared. What mattered most to them overcomes these challenges, it not was this country. Not what they only required making sacrifices could benefit from. but working together. He preached

By Dr. Carlton Mills

The work of these individuals unity. He made every attempt to has to continue. It cannot be allowed dispel those factors that could cause the reexamination process, let us to die in vain. We all remember the division among us. He believed that reinstate the principles as set out by days in Grand Turk when locals unity could make the TCI a model to our predecessors. could not bathe on certain beaches. follow.

Hon. McCartney went out in We remember the days when certain In order for this to be realized, search of Turks and Caicos Islanders jobs and scholarships were associated it is important for our people to to rebuild our country. We have lost with certain surnames and not your show greater appreciation and faith in our people. We need to get ability to perform. respect for each other. If we fail to back on the path of rebuilding TCI

These individuals wanted to respect ourselves, how can we expect using the skills and talents that are see a TCI where our leaders could others to respect us? This is one of possessed by our people. He was cross the political divide and make our deadliest enemies that lie within a soul seeker. TCI has to rebuild. decisions in the best interest of our some of us. It is also one of the Covid – 19 has presented us with people. They wanted a TCI where our reasons why some who come among another opportunity to rebuild our people were given the opportunity us react the way they do because we country through investing in our to be empowered academically and lack that sense of oneness. local human resources. Investing economically.They wanted a TCI During this Covid-19 in us has to be the new beginning. where equal rights and justice were lockdown, let us take time out to Without this practice, our little afforded to all. This is one of the reflect on where we are. Let us take TCI will return to the ‘old normal’. reasons why Hon McCartney chose time out to reexamine ourselves. Investing in us is the key to building regular men and women to be a part While we are undergoing the ‘new normal”.

Fulford calls for unity between government and businesses

Here we are! I have been going over in my head what to say in regards to the statement made by the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) last night. I was disappointed and insulted.

At a time when we are looking to our leaders to unify and get us through this crisis together, the tone that came across lacked empathy and compassion for the plight of the people who continue to sacrifice, at the risk of losing everything to keep employees paid and their businesses from going under.

At a time when people are hurting, a time when people have lost their jobs, a time when businesses has dipped their hands in their own pocket to keep their employees paid, people do not know where their next meal is going to come from.

At a time, when our bills are more than our income we should be focused on the rebuilding and the re establishment of our economy in partnership with the business community - because a failure to do so will be detrimental to everyone in this country. It’s a matter of survival.

Nobody in TCI started the coronavirus. Government in its wisdom closed the airport and initiated the lockdowns cutting

off all the revenue sources for our businesses, which was the right thing to do given the circumstances.

At this point, Government should have consulted the business community and partnered with them, establishing the financial capacity of each business and their vulnerabilities, so that as much as possible, business, the government, and the community comes through this crisis together, strengthened by unity.

So while we are pleased that we have flattened the curve, thanks to the efforts of so many, the worst is still ahead of us, we are not yet in the clear. We need everyone to work together and government must initiate this through leadership.

Entities like the TCHTA and the Chamber of Commerce deserve a seat at the table- all hands need to be on deck. They are important entities, whose ideas, strategies and recommendations generate the GDP that drives our economy, establishes and maintain our brand and brings prosperity to the Turks and Caicos Islands. They must be taken seriously. The government seems to be working in isolation.

Madam Premier, you do not have all the answers, I guarantee that. It comes as a surprise first, that you have failed to answer the business community in your own

name, but rather have your party issue an unprofessional , over personalized and unfortunately childish statement as if we are discussing favorite groups in a high school.

Let me remind me, this is a billion dollar economy with a global luxury brand and may I also remind

By Mark Fulford - Attorney-at-law you Turks and Caicos is a democracy.

Businesses and stakeholders are adhered to your mortgage and rent supposed to criticize Government moratoriums. We are barely keeping where government fails to be our heads above water and since we inclusive. have no partnership, consultation

Rather than accepting the or direct communication with criticism and engaging the business government, we are left waiting for community, with a shocking the tide to change. vindictiveness you doubled down I have no intention of and demanded that the heads of making any of this personal, and the TCHTA ROLL! It even more despite the tone of the PDM’s surprising that all this occurs before response this is not an attack on you met with them once. Again, I you in a time of crisis. Therefore, I remind you this is a democracy would welcome you taking these Madam Premier, and that is not the comments in the light in which they way to govern in a crisis where Egos are meant, which is, if we are going need to be set aside. to get through this together than

From my own investigation, we have to work together. There is I have determined that businesses no time for finger pointing and no are doing as much as they can. We time for the blame game – this is have had to make hard decisions. time for humility, cooperation and Unlike the Ministers and Premiers, togetherness. our income has fallen by 85% as As a people, I believe we business people, we have loans, are still hopeful. We are resilient international commitments, credit and above all I know we all want card payments, and in the local the best for this country and its setting, we have the frustration that people. I believe Together we can some Banks and Landlords have not get through this in partnership.

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

MANAGE YOUR ENERGY USE AT HOME

The coronavirus pandemic means that many of us will be spending more time at home, and working remotely. And with schools closed and students taking online classes, this extra time at home could mean an increase in energy usage, and added costs to our electricity bills.

But that doesn’t have to be the case. FortisTCI encourages you to practice energy conservation as much as possible.

• Set computers, monitors and copiers into sleep mode when not in use. This helps cut energy costs by approximately 40%.

• If your computer must be left on, turn off the monitor; this device alone uses more than half the system’s energy.

• Battery chargers, such as those for laptops, cell phones and digital cameras, draw power whenever they are plugged in and are very inefficient. Pull the plug and save.

Monitor your daily usage with the My Online Account web portal.

Sign up at www.fortistci.com, where you can also find more energy-saving tips.

THE POWER IS IN YOUR HANDS.

2017 Winner

Allied Member of the Year

BCMS 681102

www.fortistci.com | 649-946-4313 |

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

All Declarations are confidential documents. Please DO NOT submit your completed Declaration form through a third party, or via electronic or surface mail.

Persons who have filed a Declaration during calendar year 2019, will NOT be required to file in 2020.

Schedule 1 below details allSpecified Persons in Public Life (Declarants) who are required to file a declaration.

MEDIA RELEASE May 28, 2020 The Integrity Commission wishes to inform the public and, in particular, to remind the Specified Persons in Public Life (Declarants), as set out below and in Schedule 1, that they must file their Declarations of Income, Assets and Liabilities, as required by Section 39 of the TCI Integrity Commission Ordinance.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the filing of declarations, will take place, on an on-going basis, over the next few months.

All Declarants are required to deliver their completed Declaration forms, along with the relevant supporting documents, in person, at an office of the Commission,BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Declarants will be contacted individually, with a specific date, time and location, for delivery of declaration forms.

Specified Persons in Public Life include the following: •All Specified Persons in Public Life who made their last filing on or before June 30, 2018.

•All persons who are appointed to Statutory Boards, effective April 1, 2020, or thereafter.

•All Specified Persons in Public Life who are appointed, within the TCIG Government, effective April 1, 2020, or thereafter.

•All persons who are no longer sitting members of Statutory Boards, as at March 31, 2020.

•All persons who have resigned their posts, or whose contracts have not been renewed, within the TCIG Government, are required to file within 90 days of the end of their tenure.

•All other persons who are considered Specified Persons in Public Life, but who would not have been aware of their obligation to file, under section 39 the Integrity Commission Ordinance.

Declaration Forms are available integritycommission.tc.

on

the

Commission’s

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

website

at:

www.

The offices of the Integrity Commission are currently open, from Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. daily.

For any inquiries about an appointment, please call 946-1941 or send an email to complianceofficer@integritycommission.tc All members of the public visiting our Offices MUST wear a FACE MASK and observe SOCIAL DISTANCING. There will be no exceptions to the above arrangements.

For those declarants who fail to attend their scheduled appointment, please be mindful of the following: A failure, without reasonable cause, to file a Declaration is a criminal offence, punishable with imprisonment for 1 year, or a fine of $15,000, or both. In addition, the Commission is, among other things, obligated to publish the fact of such failure in the Gazette.

Milano Diamond Gallery is interested in hiring persons to fill the position of Sales person, Sales Manager Salesperson The successful candidates will be responsible for providing customer service and selling high end jewelry Candidates for Sales Person requirements: •At least 4 passes at CXC including maths and English •Good Communication skills •Friendly and able to work in a team •Sales experience would be an asset Sales Manager The successful candidate will work to ensure an increase in store sales.

Candidates should have as a minimum qualification For Sales Manager: •At least ten years in the fine Jewelry Industry with at least 5yrs experience in a similar position •Diploma and or Certificates in Gemology related field •Excellent communication and administrative skill and a strong sense of responsibility •Willingness to work weekends or additional hours when required Based on experience salary will start at $2500 a month plus commission, this position is currently held by a work permit holder All candidates must be willing to work with an irregular cruise ship schedule Candidates for all positions must be friendly and able to work with a team and also speak excellent English, while proficiency in other languages will be considered a plus Applications can be submitted to vonette@milanodg.com, Milano Diamond Gallery, Grand Turk Cruise Center 946-2276 Please also submit a copy of your application to TCI work permit board

SCHEDULE 1 (Section 2) SPECIFIED PERSONS IN PUBLIC LIFE 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12 13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22 23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

Members of the House of Assembly Members of Cabinet Deputy Governor Permanent Secretaries Under Secretaries/Deputies Secretaries (or post of equivalent rank) Clerk and Deputy Clerk of the House of Assembly Chief Financial Officer Chief Auditor Accountant General Complaints Commissioner Chief Economist Chief Statistician Chief Medical Officer Heads of Department Director and Deputy Director of Planning Director and Deputy Director of Surveys and Mapping Registrar and Deputy Registrar of Deeds Registrar and Deputy Registrar of Lands Director and Deputy Director of Education Director and Deputy Director of Immigration Collector and Deputy Collector of Customs Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of Lands Chief and Deputy Chief Valuation Officer Deputy Heads of Departments, where the Head of Department is not called a Director Deputy Attorney General Crown Counsel Clerk of Courts Registrar and of Deputy Registrar of the Supreme Court Supervisor of Elections Members of the Public Service Commission Commissioner of Police, Deputy Commissioner and Officers at or above the rank of Superintendent Special Advisers (Inserted by L.N. 64/2012) Members and Staff Members of the Integrity Commission Chairman, Executive Officers, Directors, Deputy Directors and Members of any body referred to in paragraph (d) of the definition of “public body” in the Ordinance Any person who has a statutory duty to record the minutes of meetings of a commission, statutory board, public authority or other body referred to in item 34 who signs the entity’s books and is involved in its business and affairs Any person who acts in an office referred to in this Schedule for a continuous period of six months or more.

(Amended by Ord. 1 of 2009 and 15 of 2010, L.Ns. 7/2012, 29/2012 and 64/2012 and s. 6(1) Turks and Caicos Constitution Order 2011)

RECRUITMENT DIRECTOR OF FINANCE POSITION

We are recruiting a Director of Finance responsible for overall management of all accounting, purchasing, and MIS functions, including, but not limited to, safeguarding all assets, strategic planning/ budgeting, and compliance with internal controls and procedures.

To provide functional guidance to the Executive Committee and Department Heads, interact with the resorts legal counsel, insurance companies and auditors to effectively control the assets of the business and to provide business support. Salary is based on experience and qualifications.

•Director of Finance Suitable candidates must have a relevant degree plus recognized accounting qualification, ACA/CPA with 15 years post qualification experience at Finance Director/CFO level •Must have at least 5 years’ experience in the hospitality industry at Finance Director/CFO level •Must possess strong background in internal/external audit •Must have extensive experience with Strata Corporation management at Executive Committee level.

•Must possess a strong IT & HR background •Must have extensive knowledge of Visual 1 software •Must be fluent in English Salary Range $70,000 to $90,000 per annum Position currently held by a work permit holder ONLY CANDIDATES MEETING ABOVE REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS WILL BE CONTACTED Candidates should apply via e-mail at info@ santralmanagement.com for consideration. Prospective applicants who are Belongers kindly send copies of your application to the board and the Employment Services Department.

Application deadline: June 15, 2020

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

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Page 25

The TCIAA is accepting applications for the following position:

Post: DIRECTOR OF METEOROLOGY

Purpose of Job The Director, Meteorology is the functional Head of the Department. He/ she is responsible for the overall technical, administrative and financial management of the Department. The incumbent is a career Professional appointed through a competitive process and is responsible for providing leadership and vision for achieving goals of the Department. He/she shall be responsible for providing technical and professional support to the CEO OBJECTIVES OF THE JOB INCLUDES •Coordinating the provision of meteorological services, weather forecasts, warnings and other information, for the needs of stakeholders •Provide effective leadership, enabling the Department to improve performance of its functions and achieve set results •Provide accurate and timely reporting on progress of implementation of meteorology policies, strategies and Programmes •Obtain and maintain Civil Aviation Regulatory compliance DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The functions of Director, Meteorology will be: 1.To operate a network of meteorological stations for the collection of data required for application purposes 2.To oversee the issue of regular weather of forecasts and dissemination of these forecasts through the mass information media 3.To manage the production of meteorological services, weather forecasts, warnings and other information, for the needs of the Turks and Caicos Islands 4.To publicize meteorological data to all stakeholders.

6.To interpret, review and recommend appropriate changes in the climate and weather policies; 7.To promote, guide and coordinate the implementation of policies and programmes 8.To establish early agriculture warning systems and ensure risk identification, reduction and transfer 9.To ensure effective weather warning system by extending the lead time of warnings, improving the accuracy of warnings, greater demand for probabilistic forecasts, better communication and dissemination of warnings, use of new techniques to alert the public, targeting of the warning services to relevant and specific users and that warning messages are understood and the appropriate action taken in response 10.To coordinate the preparation and implementation of department five - year strategic and operational plans and attendant annual work plans 11.To coordinate the policy planning, analysis, formulation and delivery and tracking for the department 12.To ensure that policy decisions and other measures of the department are implemented efficiently and effectively 13.To lead the decision-making process in economic and social matters, based on professional analyses of existing trends, current data and methodical, long- term thinking, in collaboration with Department of Disaster Management (DDME) 14.To coordinate the preparation of annual financial estimates in consultation with the heads of sections and human resources function 15.To coordinate the department human capacity building in consultation with the heads of sections and human resources function 16.To coordinate the management of staff performance and contracts in the department 17.To hold regular meetings with the heads of sections to discuss financial, human development, procurement and operational issues 18.Represent the Turks and Caicos Islands as requested, at local, regional, international conference and seminars on meteorology 21. Coordinating the preparation of quarterly and annual progress reports

DELIVERABLES The Director of Meteorology will be responsible for the production of the following deliverables: •Meteorology programmes and work plans •The 5-year strategic and operational plans for the department •Strategic management and overall administration of the Department •Report on support to the Department of Disaster Management •Monitoring and evaluation report on the implementation of Department of Disaster Management decisions •Issue progress reports on the implementation of department decisions/resolutions •Improved department documentation and records management system •Annual progress reports Requirements The following are required of candidates.

•A minimum of 1st Degree in Meteorology, or related discipline from a recognized University or equivalent professional qualification.

•Diploma in Geo-spatial Data base Management using (GIS, GPS and Remote sensing) •Minimum of a background in Computer Science •Four years’ experience, two (2) of which must have been at the senior management level in the public service Skills Mix Requirements •Governance •Change management •Leadership and development •Problem-solving techniques •Blend of analytical, observational, organisational networking skills •Strategic planning and benchmarking •Project management •Performance measurement •Team building and management •Monitoring and evaluation •ICT skills •Report writing •Excellent oral and written English language

and

Competency Requirements •Gives objective advice based on sound analysis •Focuses on outcomes •Gives purpose and direction •Thinks strategically •Involves people in decision-making •Communicates effectively •Demonstrates commitment to organisation/ corporate decisions •Displays an intelligent awareness of the political environment •Prepares plans with clear short- and long-term objectives •Functions effectively in a team of professionals Working Environment/Conditions Office based, frequent travel to the field is highly predictable, and sometimes domestic/international travel may be required.

Salary: - Commensurate to successful candidate qualifications and experience.

Salary Range: $60,000 - $75,000 Interest persons must submit their applications before June, 12, 2020 to: First Preference to Belongers Human Resources Department Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority Providenciales International Airport Telephone# 649-946-4420, Fax# 9415996. Email: hrrecruitment@ tciairports.com

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

LOCAL NEWS

FOOD DISTRIBUTION

To support the Turks & Caicos Islands Community during urgent times of need.

Island Bargains and Meridian Trust

SATURDAY JUNE 20, 2020 9:00 AM LOCATIONS • Harvest Bible Chapel - Long Bay • Paradise Baptist Church - Five Cays • Power Tabernacle – The Bight • God’s Instrument Ministry - Blue Hills • Police Department – Kew Town

• Please stay in your vehicle to limit exposure. Groceries will be placed in your trunk.

• Guests without vehicles are welcome to walk up, while maintaining six feet of social distancing and wearing a mask.

You should be prepared to carry 20-30 pounds or have a cart.

will be hosting a

FREE Drive-Thru Food Distribution at five locations in Providenciales.

• Food will be distributed first come, first served.

• Limited to the first 300 participants at each location.

• Each family will receive two bags of food.

ANYONE IN NEED OF FOOD IS WELCOME! For information or to volunteer, please contact Stanley Bassett at Stanley@islandbargains.com

SPONSORED BY

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 27

PROVO GOLF CLUB

WHEN SHOULD I WEAR GLOVES

Provo Golf Club is seeking a suitably qualified individual to fill the following opening. Only candidates who meet the minimum requirements will be considered.

GOLF PROFESSIONAL JOB SUMMARY •Provide competent golf instruction to members and guests.

•Run Golf Clinics for larger groups needing instruction.

•Assist with organizing charity golf events at PGC. •Fully co-ordinate group events from start to finish.

•Assist with tournament sales and set up.

•Assist with a variety of other Golf Professional duties at PGC. REQUIREMENTS •Must have membership in PGA of America or Canada.

•Strong computer skills using Microsoft Word, Excel and Publisher.

•Minimum (2) years or more experience as a Golf Professional.

•Proven organizational skills.

Remuneration for this position will be commensurate with experience and qualifications.

WEARI NG GLOVES I N PUBLI C CAN EASI LY LEAD TO THE SPREAD OF GERMS, I NCLUDI NG THE VI RUS THAT CAUSES COVI D- 1 9

THE USE OF GLOVES IN PUBLIC IS NOT RECOMMENDED Using gloves while shopping, driving, and holding door handles is not recommended.

Prolonged use of gloves and unintentional touching of

Please submit applications to: Veronica Rigby, Provo Golf Club, P.O. Box 124, Regent House, The Regent Village, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands, Tel: (649) 946-5126; Fax (649) 946-5191; Email: ronnie@habgroup.com

the face or cellphone will lead to contaimination and possible spread of COVID-19 and other germs

THE USE OF GLOVES FOR FOOD AND BEVERAGE BUSI NESSES I S RECOMMENDED

Interested Belongers must also submit copies of their application to the Commissioner of Labour & Work Permit Board Zone 2. Closing date for application is June 15th, 2020.

Some businesses may require the use of single use gloves by their staff for food or drink preparations.

Graceway Supermarkets is seeking a suitable qualified candidate to fill the position of

Commercial Buyer Summary of Duties To drive customer availability and choice of products withpredetermined parameters. Constantly looking to improve our ‘first cost by buying’ better. Develop and implement a trading plan to drive revenue while offering excellent value to customers. Work to improve buying and stock management processes.

Required Specifications and qualifications •5+ years of experience with progressive purchasing experience •Commercial negotiation experience essential •Demonstrated Multi-site stock management required •Multi-Vendor Management •Comprehensive understanding of Microsoft Office and industry standard purchase software platforms and programs •Drives quality improvement initiatives with the vendors that are consistent with customer expectations •Must be able to understand supply chain optimization •Understand how to integrate perpetual stock management system into legacy systems •Clear communicator with proven commercial acumen •Demonstrates ahigh level of financial integrity

GLOVES ARE MANDATORY WHEN DEALI NG WI TH PERSONS SI CK WI TH COVI D- 1 9 Healthcare workers and persons caring for ill relatives at home who have COVID-19

MUST wear gloves.

Gloves should be safely disposed after use. Gloves used after caring for sick family at home should be

placed in a

bag before disposing in the trash.

THE BEST WAY TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM COVI D- 1 9 The best defence against contracting COVID-19 is to continually practice preventative measures.

Wash hands frequently

Avoid large

Maintain 6ft of social

Use face masks or face

gatherings/crowds

distance in public

coverings in public

Salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Deadline for submission of applicants is June10, 2020 Submit to: Graceway Supermarket main office complex, Leeward Highway Email: hr@gracewayiga.com Please note: Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted to attend interviews. Belongers only need apply

CALL THE HEALTH HOTLINE IF YOU HAVE FLU LIKE SYMPTOMS SUCH AS COUGH OR FEVER

Corona Virus Hotline 649-333-0911 OR 649-232-9444 EMAIL: COVID19@GOV.TC WEBSITE: WWW.GOV.TC/MOH/CORONAVIRUS

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

South Africa faces divi S

outh Africa’s coronavirus lockdown has brought a unique kind of discomfort largely confined to crowded townships that are a legacy of the past, they are to a country where memories of physical separation are yet to fade. Stand “the other” now. there. Step back. Don’t touch.

In the jittery early days of lockdown, the homeless were scattered

More than a quarter-century has passed since the end of the racist system from the streets by police backed by soldiers — the military’s biggest domestic of apartheid, or white minority rule. Many South Africans in this youthful deployment since the end of apartheid in 1994. Their presence brought back country did not live it, but history, and its aftermath, are never far away. ghosts.

Now it’s inequality, the sharpest in the world, that underlies the odd Security forces, their guns clutched in hands covered by disposable new daily existence. South Africa’s poor number in the tens of millions but, gloves, now stop strangers and inspect their papers: business permits, IDs.

A government official looks on during a media conference for the handing over of the emergency medical equipment for COVID-19 by China, at OR Tambo Johannesburg, South Africa, Tuesday, April 14, 2020.

A homeless woman talks to South African Defense Forces and police officers as they patrol the street in Johannesburg, South Africa, May 1, 2020, as the curfew begins.

A man living in his car reacts to police and South Africa, March 27, 2020.

A man wears a plastic bag on his face as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus, on the street in Katlehong, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, May 6, 2020.

A minibus taxi driver wearing a face musk looks out the window during his journey in Kwa-Thema east of Johannesburg, South Africa, March 17, 2020.

A volunteer directs two men towards a m COVID-19 as well as HIV and Tuberculos 2020.

Family and friends observe social distancing during the funeral ceremony for Benedict Somi Vilakasi at the Nasrec Memorial Park outside Johannesburg, April 16, 2020.

Fellowship Mukanhairi, the daughter of a blind Zimbabwean migrant, has her hair styled in the courtyard of their building in Johannesburg, South Africa on April 16, 2020

Health workers collect a sample for coro the screening and testing campaign aim Lenasia South, south Johannesburg, Apr

Homeless people waiting to receive food baskets from private donors, get their hands sanitized April 13, 2020, in Johannesburg.

People line up to receive food handouts in the Olievenhoutbos township of Midrand, South Africa, May 2, 2020.

People line up to receive food handou Midrand, South Africa, May 2, 2020.

Residents of the densely populated Hillbrow neighborhood stand and wave from their balconies during the coronavirus outbreak in Johannesburg during March 27, 2020.

Soldiers check the permits of informal traders while on patrol in Soweto, South Africa, April 23, 2020, as the country remains in lockdown for a fourth week to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

South African Defense Forces and police lockdown in Johannesburg, South Africa

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 29

ision again, from virus Another echo from the past.

President Cyril Ramaphosa in late March urged the soldiers to be a “force of kindness,” saying citizens were terrified — of catching the virus, of losing often precarious jobs, of running out of money to feed their families.

All have come to pass.

South Africa now has the most virus cases in Africa, well over 19,000.

The unemployment rate was already at 29% before the pandemic, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry has warned it could climb to 50%.

But most visible is the hunger.

Authorities, aid groups and private citizens alike are handing out food.

On one empty Johannesburg street, beggars and street children were delighted to see tinted car windows slide open and hands reach out with a little cash or a can of beans.

Elsewhere across the country people have lined up by the thousands, waiting hours on end, for a package containing basics like maize flour and sardines.

A man wearing a face mask to protect against the spread of the coronavirus cycles home from work in Alberton, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, April 15, 2020.

A man wearing personnel protection equipment, disinfects a taxi during a procedure to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus at Tembisa township in Johannesburg, South Africa, May 19, 2020.

medical tent where they will be tested for A young girl covers her face, in the Sjwetla informal settlement on the outskirt of sis, in downtown Johannesburg, April 30, the Alexandra township in Johannesburg, May 5, 2020, during the coronavirus outbreak.

An informal shop owner wearing a face mask looks on as soldiers patrol on the streets of Soweto, South Africa, April 23, 2020.

onavirus testing, outside a shack during med to combat the spread of COVID-19 at ril 21, 2020.

Heath officials check the listings of people who are to be tested for COVID-19 as well as HIV and Tuberculosis, in downtown Johannesburg, April 30, 2020.

Henry sits in a bin as he and other homeless people rest at the Caledonian stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, April 2, 2020, after being rounded up by police in an effort to enforce a 21-day lockdown to control the spread of the coronavirus.

uts in the Olievenhoutbos township of

People practice safe distancing as they line up to receive food handouts in the Olievenhoutbos township of Midrand, South Africa, May 2, 2020.

Relatives grieve Benedict Somi Vilakasi at his burial ceremony at the Nasrec Memorial Park outside Johannesburg, April 16, 2020.

e check a minibus driver who violated the a, March 27, 2020.

South African National Defense Forces check people’s temperature near the Pan Africa taxi rank in Johannesburg’s Alexandra township, Wednesday May 20, 2020.

South African National Defense Forces patrol the Men’s Hostel in the densely populated Alexandra township east of Johannesburg, March 28, 2020, during the coronavirus outbreak.

d army patrolling downtown Johannesburg,

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

in wood, cardboard, PVC, etc. Assemble, disassemble and repair hydraulic locking arms, locks, boards, doors, furniture, wooden shelves. Prepare special carving and woodwork on a daily bases for room refurbishment.

RECRUITMENT New Positions for upcoming Season – November 1, 2020 •Head Maître D •Dining Outlets Manager •Resort Facility Manager •Breakfast Supervisor •Housekeeping Supervisor •Housekeeping Attendants •Exec Sous Chef •House Mixologist •Kitchen Steward Salary/wages for all positions negotiable based on knowledge and experiences.

Must have outstanding references and only Belongers need to apply.

All managerial positions will require the individual to work long hours/ public holidays, weekends and all weather conditions. Managers are required to be on call /contactable 24/7 and willing to work up to 72hrs in any given week if needed. Must have great verbal and written communication skills (English Proficiency is a must). Working knowledge of computers and Microsoft office suite with proficiency in excel and word. Must be willing to cross train in other areas of the Resort.

SPA THERAPISTS We are looking for a qualified Spa Therapist to provide professional and engaging wellness therapies and massage treatments to our clients. You will offer a full range of treatments to fulfill different client needs and objectives.

Duties and Requirements: •5 years’ experience as a therapist and relevant degree or equivalent combination of experience and education.

•Knowledge of holistic concepts and treatments including facials, full body treatments, massages, waxing, physiotherapy, and manicures and pedicures. Must be skilled in Gel and Acrylic nail techniques.

•Enthusiastic demeanor with excellent customer service skills •Must be able to work long hours and split shift.

Salary $6.31 per hour (plus commission) - Position currently held by a work permit holder.

RESORT BUTLER The Resort Butler will look after the general request of our VIP guests by liaising with relevant colleagues and departments to actively respond to their needs. The Resort Butler reports directly to the Resort Manager.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES •Anticipate guest needs and expectations correctly, including those with special needs, and provide appropriate products, services or information.

•Recognize customer dissatisfaction promptly and take action to resolve the situation according to individual level of responsibility and guest feedback/ complaint procedures.

•Offer assistance to colleagues when required, to ensure designated work goals are met.

•Seek assistance from other team members, supervisors and managers when required.

•Assist housekeeping and F&B with the set up preparation of guest areas •Maintaining an open-line of communication with F&B, Front Office and housekeeping colleagues.

•Accurately take and communicate orders to F&B colleagues for service.

•Maintain good knowledge of Beach Bar menu to answer questions the guests may have.

•Knowledgeable of all in-house services as well as local information and be able to assist guests when questioned.

REQUIREMENTS: •Demonstrate a sound knowledge of all menu items and Hygiene Standards •F&B, Housekeeping& Pool & Beach Attendant experience •Must be able to work in all weather conditionsand able to work long hours in the sun •Position requires the individual to work weekends and holidays •Must be physically fit •Must be available to guest 24/7 meeting their needs Salary USD15,000 per annum and is based on experience – Position currently held by a work permit holder Woodwork Specialist/tradesman/Carpenter Candidate will be responsible for furniture repairs and rebuilds various objects

Requirements: •At least 5 years of related work experience •Must understand detailed architectural drawings, schematics, shop drawings and blue prints.

•Excellent understanding of carpentry techniques and methods of installation and construction •Must have experience operating equipment such as saws, routers, drills and sanders •Must have basic mathematical skills •Ability to determine measurements and attention to detail •Physical ability to lift up to 100lbs, walk, jump and bend •Organizing and leadership skills •Must be able to create unique furniture and fixtures to meet the needs of the resort Wages $7 to $10 per hour - Position currently held by a work permit holder RECREATION MANAGER Oversee the effective and efficient operation of Pool & Beach, Tennis and Water Sports Services in accordance with the objectives, performance and quality standards established by the resort. To plan, organize, and motivate all colleagues to excel in delivering quality experiences to all guests.

Duties and Responsibilities •Directs day-to-day activities of the Fitness Centre, Tennis, Water Sports Pool & Beach and in house Boat Excursions. Ensures smooth, efficient and safe operations.

•Defines recreation standards, service, cleanliness, safety and ensures adherence to these.

•Regularly inspects all recreational facilities and equipment to ensure all are adequately maintained, safe and ready for use.

•Ensures proper usage of all equipment by training the staff and assisting the guests.

•Plans, develops and carries out recreation programs, including researching and creating programs, analyzing recreational needs and scheduling activities.

•Identifies and develops new service and equipment to enhance the product quality and meet the current and future needs.

•Control the stock of equipment’s in all the outlets of the Recreation Department with monthly inventory system.

•Responsible for preparing and administering assigned program budgets; submits budget recommendations; monitor expenditures and revenues.

•Ensures that all services offered in the Recreation Department are always available and carried out with outmost efficiency and courtesy.

•Establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees, members and guests.

•Supervises, evaluates, and ensures trainings/ career development plans of subordinates.

•Drive revenues of the department through upselling and cross selling •Recommends changes in methods, equipment on staff to improve departmental standards and productivity.

•Constantly monitors key performance indicators for the department and take corrective action.

•Maintain records and prepare reports.

•Deal tactfully and diplomatically with members and guests regarding rules, regulations, policies and procedures.

•Promote the events and other recreational activities to the members and general public through new letter and public relation in coordination with membership, Sales & Marketing or other Departments for all operational and guest related matters.

•Keeps the Resort Manager promptly and fully informed of all problems or unusual matters of significance.

•Performs other related duties as assigned or requested Requirements •Skills & abilities (required technical/functional skills) •Qualified swimmer •Must have 4 to 5 years Hotel Supervisory or Managerial experience •Working knowledge computers and Microsoft office suite with proficiency in excel and word •Good health, well-groomed and with high standard of personal appearance and hygiene at all times •Physically strong, energetic and dynamic person with a positive and motivated attitude and exercise self-control •Self-motivated, hard-working, sensible, able to work under pressure, pleasant, responsible, independent, initiative, outgoing personality and ability to communicate with people at all levels •Knowledge of emergency procedures, First Aid and CPR •Knowledge of the management and operation of recreation facilities and equipment •Understanding of coaching theory and practice Salary USD40, 000 per annum and is based on experience and Qualifications

ONLY CANDIDATES MEETING ABOVE REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS WILL BE CONTACTED Candidates should apply to Seven Stars Resort & Spa, Grace Bay Road, Providenciales via e-mail at hr@sevenstarsgracebay.com for consideration or should leave CV’s at the security building for the attention of Human Resources Department. Prospective applicants who are Islanders kindly send copies of your application to the board. Application deadline: June 20, 2020

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Social media, music world go dark for Black Out Tuesday

Though Black Out Tuesday was originally organized by the music community, the social media world also went dark in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, joining voices around the world outraged by the killings of black people in the U.S.

Instagram and Twitter accounts, from top record label to everyday people, were full of black squares posted in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.

Most of the captions were blank, though some posted #TheShowMustBePaused, black heart emojis or encouraged people to vote Tuesday with seven states and the District of Columbia are hosting the largest slate of presidential primary elections in almost three months.

Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Radiohead, Coldplay, Kelly Rowland, Beastie Boys and were among the celebrities to join Black Out Tuesday on social media.

“I won’t be posting on social media and I ask you all to do the same,” Britney Spears tweeted. “We should use the time away from our

devices to focus on what we can do to make the world a better place …. for ALL of us !!!!!”

Spotify blacked out the artwork for several of its popular playlists, including RapCaviar and Today’s Top Hits, simply writing “Black lives matter.” as its description. The streaming service also put its Black Lives Matter playlist on its front page, featuring songs like James Brown’s “Say It Loud — I’m Black and I’m Proud,” N.W.A.’s “(Expletive) the Police,” Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” and Childish Gambino’s “This Is America.”

The opening pages of Apple Music and iTunes focused on supporting Black Lives Matter, and SiriusXM said it will be silencing its music channels for three minutes at 3 p.m. EDT in tribute to “all of the countless victims of racism.”

The company said it “will continue to amplify Black voices by being a space where Black artists showcase their music and talents, and by carrying the message that racism will not be tolerated.”

Some on social media questioned if posting black squares

Las Vegas coroner: Drugs killed ‘Twilight’ actor, girlfriend

Drug use killed an actor from the film “Twilight” and his girlfriend, the coroner in Las Vegas said Monday.

Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg said Gregory Boyce, 30, and Natalie Adepoju, 27, died from the effects of cocaine and fentanyl intoxication, and their deaths were accidental.

The bodies were discovered May 13 after Las Vegas police were summoned to a bedroom in a condominium several miles east of the Las Vegas Strip. Officers reported finding a white powder on the dresser and no evidence of foul play.

Fentanyl has been blamed for illegaluse drug overdose deaths nationwide.

Boyce appeared as Tyler Crowley in “Twilight,” the 2008 film starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson.

Jeimy Marte Ramiroz

Location: #45, Epharm St, Five Cays, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands Is seeking a Nanny/Domestic Worker Duties include cooking, general leaning and caring for children Must speak English, honest and trustworthy To work 6 days a week Salary is $7.00 an hour Please Contact: 333-2621 This position is new Interested Turks and Caicos Islanders must submit copied of their applications to the Labour Board #195248

would divert attention away from posts about the Black Lives Matter movement.

“this is the 4th completely different flyer i’ve seen for it,” Grammy-nominated singer Kehlani tweeted about Black Out Tuesday. “”this is the only one without the saying go completely silent for a day in solidarity. the messages are mixed across the board and i really hope it doesn’t have a negative effect.”

When musician Dillon Francis posted that the hashtag for Black Lives Matter was blank on Instagram because users were posting black squares, rapper Lil Nas X responded with: “this is not helping us. bro who the (expletive) thought of this?? ppl need to see what’s going on.”

Emma Watson posted three white squares followed by three black squares with captions reading #blackouttuesday and #amplifyblackvoices on her Instagram account to show her support Tuesday. But she was heavily criticized, and began to trend on Twitter, for adding white borders around her black squares to match the aesthetic of her Instagram page.

Others called the actress out for speaking out too late about Black Lives Matter and for not including links to guide users on where they can learn more information about the cause or donate to it.

Several music releases and events were postponed as a result of Black Out Tuesday. Interscope Geffen A&M Records said it would not release music this week and pushed back releases from MGK, 6lack, Jessie Ware, Smokepurp and others. Chloe x Halle said its sophomore album will come out June 12 instead of Friday, while the group Glass Animals postponed the Tuesday release of its new single “Heat Waves.” Instead of being released Wednesday, singer Ashnikko will drop her song “Cry” and its video on June 17.

A benefit for the Apollo Theater will take place Thursday instead of Tuesday, and South by Southwest postponed an event planned with Rachael Ray.

“At SXSW we stand with the black community and will continue to amplify the voices and ideas that will lead us to a more equitable society,” the company said.

Cinema chain AMC warns it may not survive the pandemic

Movie theater chain AMC warned Wednesday that it may not survive the coronavirus pandemic, which has shuttered its theaters and led film studios to explore releasing more movies directly to viewers over the internet.

It’s the latest danger sign for the theater business in North America, which was under pressure even before the pandemic. It has gotten a boost by raising ticket prices and revamping theater-going into a more luxurious experience with drinks and meals, but admissions have been gradually declining since 2005. The box office has become home mostly to blockbuster films: Sequels, remakes and superhero movies dominate. Meanwhile, the rise of streaming services — Netflix and a growing stable of rivals — is providing new competition.

The coronavirus pandemic threw in more challenges.

U.S. cinemas shut down in March, so their owners haven’t been taking in money. Hollywood halted film production, which is likely to delay movies once theaters reopen and may limit consumer eagerness to spend money at the multiplex. The pandemic has prompted entertainment companies to release some movies directly to consumers, raising concerns that more will bypass theaters in the future. And when theaters do reopen, it’s not clear how many customers will want to be in enclosed, crowded spaces for hours at a time.

AMC, the largest U.S. chain, said it has enough cash to reopen its theaters this summer as planned. But if it’s not

allowed to reopen, it will need more money, which it may not be able to borrow. Film delays are another concern. AMC noted that people may be afraid to go to theaters, but hopes the desire for social distancing is temporary and that people will want to go to the movies again.

“Due to these factors, substantial doubt exists about our ability to continue as a going concern for a reasonable period of time,” AMC wrote in a regulatory filing. The publicly traded company, controlled by Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda, has 1,000 theaters in the U.S. and Europe.

Cinemark, another major movie chain that is on more solid financial footing, plans to begin reopening U.S. movie theaters on June 19. It said in a Wednesday filing that it believes it has enough cash to last it the rest of the year, even if its theaters remain shut. The company’s CEO, Mark Zoradi, said he doesn’t expect the industry to return to normal until 2022.

Cinemark on Wednesday said it’s taking a slew of measures to tempt back moviegoers as it reopens.

Those include discounting and vigorous cleaning protocols for theaters, like disinfecting seats in the mornings and before each showtime. It will also require employees — but not customers — to wear masks and will stagger showtimes to thin out crowds.

The company also said it would stay in the black even if local governments only allow it to sell half of its seats to keep customers separated, which the company expects governments will allow for most places in

A message on the ticket window at the AMC Burbank 16 movie theaters complex informs potential customers that it is currently closed in Burbank, Calif. the U.S. by mid-July. Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi said that even “below that level,” the chain’s theaters can be “very, very profitable.”

Local rules for theaters vary across the U.S. New York City has not even begun to reopen, and California hasn’t gotten to that phase of its reopening yet. In Texas, theaters are allowed to be at 25% capacity.

Theater chains are also concerned that film studios could push more movies straight to the streaming services that they own. Since the pandemic shut down theaters, entertainment companies have delayed most movies. But Comcast’s NBCUniversal released “Trolls World Tour” on video on demand in April, triggering an angry response from the theater industry, and Disney will release “Artemis Fowl” to its streaming service, Disney Plus, in June, rather than theaters.

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A superhero kid with autism shines in new PBS Kids’ series

There’s a new crop of superheroes coming to our TV this summer but they may need a little seasoning. After all, they’re only in elementary school.

The PBS Kids’ animated series “ Hero Elementary ” is set inside a grade school where a diverse group of four superhero students are learning to master their special powers.

There’s a kid who can fly but is afraid of heights. There’s a girl Characters from the TV series “Hero Elementary,” from left, Lucita Sky, Benny Bubbles, Sara Snap with the power to teleport and a boy and AJ Gadgets. who creates forcefields of bubbles. over 2014 when the estimate was 1 everything we can to stay away from those kinds of shows. The adults Plus there’s a boy with an array of in 59.

The series leans into scientific in our shows always say, ‘Well, you cool gadgets who is on the autism principles as the characters confront know, that’s a good question. How spectrum.

The creators have been various missions, like dealing with do you think we should get to that subtle about how they’ve portrayed a huge ball rolling through the city, answer?’ And they tease it out of the the character of AJ Gadgets, who is or taking care of a just-hatched baby kids, which is how it often is in real on the high-functioning end of the swan. A helpful teacher encourages life.”

Ferraro and Parente are spectrum. AJ doesn’t like loud noises them to keep finding solutions or wet clothes or to be apart from even if they don’t succeed at first, longtime veterans of “Sesame his beloved backpack. But he’s part teaching such skills as observing, Street,” which in 2015 introduced of the team and always comes to the investigating, testing and predicting. Julia, a 4-year-old girl Muppet with

“You don’t come into this autism. They didn’t initially intend rescue.

“We feel like there is so much world knowing how to do everything. to have a child with autism on “Hero strength in the idea of portraying a And so these kids struggle to learn in Elementary,” but as they fleshed out kid on the spectrum as just one of school, just like our kids struggle to AJ’s character it started to make sense.

“It just kind of came about in the kids and not making a huge deal learn how to do things,” said Ferraro. about his autism,” said Christine Linda Simensky, head of content at an organic way like that,” said Ferraro.

Ferraro, who co-created the series PBS Kids, said she was drawn to AJ’s “For the most part, it’s not the focus inclusion and the show’s message of of attention at all. He’s just one of with Carol-Lynn Parente. the gang. And that’s something that

The U.S. Centers for Disease kids solving their own problems.

“A lot of people pitch shows we don’t see a lot on television. And Control and Prevention has reported that one in 54 kids were diagnosed where there’s an expert and kids just that’s why we thought it was really with Autism Spectrum Disorder by go to the expert and ask how to do important.”

AJ’s teammates are aware of age 8 in 2016, a nearly 10% increase things,” she said. “And we have done

Kylie Jenner, Forbes spar over story on billionaire status

Forbes magazine, which once declared Kylie Jenner a billionaire on its cover, says she no longer deserves the title, but Jenner is pushing back.

Forbes said in a story posted Friday that an examination of financial filings after the reality star and beauty mogul sold a majority share in her cosmetics company revealed that Jenner’s worth was inflated.

Jenner sold 51% of her Kylie Cosmetics company to Coty in a deal valued at $1.2 billion early this year.

“Kylie’s business is significantly smaller, and less profitable, than the family has spent years leading the cosmetics industry and media outlets, including Forbes, to believe,” the magazine said in the story. “Forbes now thinks that Kylie Jenner, even after pocketing an estimated $340 million after taxes from the sale, is not a billionaire.”

Jenner responded in a series of tweets, saying “what am i even waking up to. i thought this was a reputable site.. all i see are a number of inaccurate statements and unproven assumptions lol. i’ve never asked for any title or tried to lie my way there EVER. period.”

She later tweeted, “but okay, i am blessed beyond my years, i have a beautiful daughter, and a successful business and i’m doing perfectly fine. i can name a list of 100 things more

important right now than fixating on how much money i have.”

Jenner’s business and social media prominence have made her stand out even in the exceedingly famous family behind “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” She is the younger daughter of Kris and Caitlyn Jenner, sister to Kendall Jenner and half-sister to Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian.

In March 2019, Forbes featured Jenner along with the headline, “At 21, Kylie Jenner Becomes The Youngest SelfMade Billionaire Ever.”

On Friday, Forbes offered a starkly different headline: “Inside Kylie Jenner’s Web of Lies — And Why She’s No Longer a Billionaire.”

The story acknowledges that the coronavirus crisis and its effect on the cosmetics industry has hurt her net worth.

But it says it is “likely” that the “business was never that big to begin with, and the Jenners have lied about it every year since 2016 — including having their accountant draft tax returns with false numbers — to help juice Forbes’ estimates of Kylie’s earnings and net worth.”

The magazine said it cannot prove the documents were forged.

Jenner’s attorney says the story is “filled with outright lies.”

“Forbes’ accusation that

Kylie Jenner attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala in New York.

Kylie and her accountants ‘forged tax returns’ is unequivocally false and we are demanding that Forbes immediately and publicly retract that and other statements,” attorney Michael Kump said in an emailed statement. “We would not expect that from a supermarket tabloid, much less from Forbes.”

Forbes spokesman Matthew Hutchison said in a statement the magazine’s “extensively-reported investigation was triggered by newly-filed documents that revealed glaring discrepancies between information privately supplied to journalists and information publicly supplied to shareholders. Our reporters spotted the inaccuracies and spent months uncovering the facts. We encourage her attorney to re-read the article.”

his needs and preferences — in one episode they desperately search for his lost backpack — and the show’s creators hope the show can teach empathy and normalize the idea that all kids are different.

“I think it models how you can, with a few adjustments, adjust to a friend with different needs, whether it’s autism or anything else,” said Parente.

The series is designed for children ages 4-7, and premieres Monday on PBS stations, the PBS Kids 24/7 channel and PBS Kids digital platforms. Each episode runs about 11 minutes, with vibrant colors and a zany touch.

“Even though babies may not look egg-zactly like their parents, it is egg-cellent when families are together,” quips the heroes’ teacher, Mr. Sparks. “OK, enough egg jokes.”

Viewers familiar with autism and the signs of autism might pick up on AJ’s behavior, but the creators are fine if other viewers don’t notice.

They’ve purposely not directly addressed autism except for a double episode slated to run later in the series. Most of the time they just want him to be part of the group.

“There is a place for kids with autism,” Simensky said. “They’ll be a little different. They’ll have different needs. But there is a place for them and they will bring something to it as well. ”

Late-night hosts say fighting racism means more than talk

Six of America’s late-night television comedy hosts — five of them white men — turned serious after the nation’s weekend of unrest following the death of George Floyd to suggest they and others need to do more than talk about racism.

It has become a ritual — a somewhat inexplicable one, as TBS’ Conan O’Brien noted — for these comics to come on the air after acts of terrorism, school shootings or other national traumas to try and make sense of them for their audiences. Floyd died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into the handcuffed black man’s neck for several minutes, even after he stopped moving.

“Today feels very different,” O’Brien said Monday night. “It doesn’t feel right to talk about my feelings of sadness and anger. That truly feels inadequate and somehow wrong.”

Instead, O’Brien said it was important to listen to people who have direct experience with “our national crisis,” the fact that much of the black community in the United States doesn’t feel safe, seen or heard.

He brought on CNN’s Van Jones as a guest.

That’s one thing O’Brien had in common with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, James Corden and Seth Meyers: They all invited black guests or, in Corden’s case, collaborator Reggie Watts, to talk about the issue after saying their piece.

Trevor Noah of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” brought a different personal experience, having grown up in South Africa with a white father and black mother. He offered a serious, expansive monologue that touched upon the coronavirus’ impact on minorities, the New York woman who recently told police she was being threatened by an African American man in Central Park, and George Floyd.

To feel threatened by law enforcement feels to many blacks like they’re being held to a standard that some responsible for enforcing laws don’t adhere to themselves, he said. Noah said he understands the mentality that leads to looting when many whites can’t.

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Malaria drug fails to prevent COVID-19 in a rigorous study

A malaria drug President Donald Trump took to try to prevent COVID-19 proved ineffective for that in the first large, high-quality study to test it in people in close contact with someone with the disease.

Results published Wednesday by the New England Journal of Medicine show that hydroxychloroquine was no better than placebo pills at preventing illness from the coronavirus. The drug did not seem to cause serious harm, though -- about 40% on it had side effects, mostly mild stomach problems.

“We were disappointed. We would have liked for this to work,” said the study leader, Dr. David Boulware, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Minnesota. “But our objective was to answer the question and to conduct a high-quality study,” because the evidence on the drug so far has been inconclusive, he said.

Hydroxychloroquine and a similar drug, chloroquine, have been the subject of much debate since Trump started promoting them in March. Hydroxychloroquine has long been used for malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, but no large studies have shown it or chloroquine to be safe or effective for much sicker patients with coronavirus, and some studies have suggested the drugs may do harm.

Trump took a two-week course of hydroxychloroquine, along with zinc and Vitamin D, after two staffers tested positive for COVID-19, and had no ill effects, according to results of his latest physical released by his doctor Wednesday.

Federal regulators have warned against hydroxychloroquine’s use except in hospitals and formal studies because of the risk of side effects, especially heart rhythm problems.

Boulware’s study involved 821 people in the United States and Canada living with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 or at high risk of getting it because of their job -- doctors, nurses, ambulance workers who had significant exposure to a sick patient while not wearing full protective gear.

They were randomly assigned to get either the nutrient folate as a placebo or hydroxychloroquine for five days, starting within four days of their exposure. Neither they nor others involved in the research knew who was getting which pills.

After 14 days in the study, 12% on the drug developed COVID-19 symptoms versus 14% in the placebo group, but the difference is so small it could have occurred by chance, Boulware said.

“There’s basically no effect. It does not prevent infection,” he said of the drug. Even if it were to give

When could a COVID-19 vaccine be ready?

Top health officials say the end of this year would be a best case scenario. But scientists have never created a vaccine so quickly, and there’s no guarantee any under development will ultimately work.

Worldwide, testing recently started or is about to start for about a dozen potential vaccines. The most promising vaccine candidates are expected to move into larger tests this summer.

How quickly those studies can determine whether the vaccines are safe and effective depends in part on how widely the coronavirus is still spreading.

The studies will need to enroll 20,000 people or more for each vaccine candidate, with half of them getting the real vaccine and the rest getting a dummy shot.

Then it’s a matter of waiting to see how many in each group become infected with the virus.

Answers will come faster if volunteers are recruited in places where outbreaks are worsening, a trend that can be hard to predict.

One way to speed up distribution is to start manufacturing doses before test results are in. But it’s a gamble that could mean throwing away tons of vaccines that fail.

some slim advantage, “we’d want a much larger effect” to justify its use and risk of side effects for preventing illness, he said.

Results were no different among a subgroup of participants who were taking zinc or vitamin C, which some people believe might help make hydroxychloroquine more effective or fight the coronavirus.

There are some big caveats: The study enrolled people through the Internet and social media, relying on them to report their own symptoms rather than having them tracked in a formal way by doctors.

Participants were not all tested for the coronavirus but were diagnosed as COVID-19 cases based on symptoms in many cases. And not all took their medicines as directed.

The results “are more provocative than definitive,” and the drug may yet have prevention benefits if tried sooner or in a different way, Dr. Myron Cohen of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill wrote in a commentary in the journal.

Others were glad to see a study that had a comparison group and good scientific methods after so many weaker reports on hydroxychloroquine.

“This fits with everything else we’ve seen so far which suggests that it’s not beneficial,” said Dr. Peter Bach, director of a health policy

A pharmacist holds a bottle of the drug hydroxychloroquine in Oakland, Calif. center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

This study was in younger relatively healthy people, but the results “would make me very discouraged about trying to use this in older people” who are most vulnerable to serious illness from the coronavirus, Bach said. “If it does work, it doesn’t work very well.”

Dr. Dan Culver, a lung specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, said there’s still a chance that giving the drug sooner than four days after someone’s exposure to the virus may help prevent illness.

But the study “takes ‘home run’ off the table” as far as hopes for the drug, he said.

UK doctors to trial ibuprofen in COVID-19 patients with breathing difficulties

British doctors are trialling a formulation of anti-inflammatory ibuprofen to see if it reduces respiratory failure in patients with severe symptoms of COVID-19.

The trial involves a particular formulation of ibuprofen, which researchers said had been shown to be more effective than standard ibuprofen for treating severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARCS), a complication of COVID-19.

The formulation is already licensed for use in Britain for other conditions.

“If successful, the global public health value of this trial result would be immense given the low cost and availability of this medicine,”

said Matthew Hotpot, director of NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre.

The trial, known as “LIBERATE”, will be a randomised study, with recruitment of up to 230 patients expected over the coming months.

It is being run by Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London, King’s College London and pharmaceutical organisation the SEEK Group.

In March, France’s health minister said people should not use anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen if they have symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

Gilead says drug helped moderately ill coronavirus patients A California biotech company says its experimental drug remdesivir improved symptoms when given for five days to moderately ill, hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Gilead Sciences gave few details on Monday but said full results would soon be published in a medical journal.

Remdesivir is the only treatment that’s been shown in a rigorous experiment to help fight the coronavirus. A large study led by the National Institutes of Health recently found it could shorten

average recovery time from 15 days or standard care alone. Patients and to 11 days in hospitalized patients their doctors knew who was getting with severe disease. what, which limits the objectivity of

The drug is given through an the results.

IV and is designed to interfere with By the 11th day in the study, those an enzyme the virus uses to copy its on five days of remdesivir were 65% genetic material. It’s approved for more likely to improve by at least treating COVID-19 in Japan and is one on a seven-point scale that authorized for emergency use in the included measures such as needing United States for certain patients. treatment with a breathing machine, Gilead Sciences headquarters in Foster City, Calif.

The company-led study Gilead said. involved nearly 600 patients who Ten days of treatment did `among those on 10 days, and four had moderate pneumonia but did not prove better than standard care among patients getting standard not need oxygen support. All were alone. care alone. Nausea and headache randomly assigned to get five or 10 There were no deaths among were a little more common among days of the drug plus standard care, patients on five days of the drug, two those on the drug.

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LOCAL NEWS

LIFESTYLE Is it safe to order takeout during the pandemic?

Unlike some germs, there’s no indication the coronavirus can spread through food, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“This is a respiratory virus, not a foodborne virus ... you can’t catch it from eating food,” says Michelle Danyluk at the University of Florida, which published tips on food safety amid the pandemic.

The biggest concern remains personto-person contact. Contactless delivery, in which the order is left outside the recipient’s door, reduces that risk.

For take-out, the FDA advises restaurant workers and customers to stay at least six feet from others.

The risk from packaging is “likely very low,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

To be safe, Danyluk advises hand washing before and after touching food or packaging.

How should I clean and store my face mask?

Cloth face masks worn during the coronavirus pandemic should be washed regularly, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Public health experts recommend wearing a mask made from cotton fabric, such as T-shirts, or scarves and bandannas, when you are outside and unable to maintain social distancing from others.

The covering should be washed daily after use, says Penni Watts, an assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Nursing.

It is best to clean your mask in a washing machine or with soap and hot water.

The mask should be dried completely. Dry it in a hot dryer, if possible.

Watts advises storing the clean, dry mask in a new paper bag to keep it safe from germs.

The CDC has urged people to use washable cloth coverings to ensure there are enough surgical and N95 masks for medical workers.

Can I get COVID-19 through my eyes or ears?

It’s possible through the eyes, but not likely through the ears.

As with the nose and mouth, doctors say the eyes may be a route of infection if someone with the virus coughs or sneezes nearby. Infection is also possible when rubbing your eyes with hands that have been exposed to the virus.

Tears from an infected person could also spread the virus.

Frequent hand washing, social distancing and the use of facial coverings in public are ways to keep the virus from spreading, including through the eyes.

Glasses may also offer added protection, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Health care workers are advised to use safety goggles when treating potentially infected patients.

Ears, on the other hand, are not believed to be a route of COVID-19 infection, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nearly 26,000 COVID deaths in nursing homes spur inspections

Nearly 26,000 nursing home residents have died from COVID-19, the government reported Monday, as federal officials demanded states carry out more inspections and vowed higher fines for facilities with poor infection control.

The partial numbers released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are certain to go higher, as only about 80% of nursing homes have reported. Also, the federal data does not include assisted living facilities, which some states count in their coronavirus totals.

Monday’s report will add to the national soul-searching about the disproportionately high toll of the virus in nursing homes. It’s also likely to set off finger-pointing among federal agencies, state authorities and the industry over who is responsible for making things better. More than 60,000 people in nursing homes got sick as the coronavirus spread rapidly among frail residents.

Medicare and Medicaid Administrator Seema Verma told reporters that hand-washing continues to be a challenge in some nursing homes and that many states — who are charged with determining compliance with federal standards— must double down on inspections.

“There is no substitute for boots on the ground,” Verma said.

Her agency noted wide disparities among states in the percentage of homes they have inspected for infection controls since the outbreak accelerated in early March. West Virginia, for example, inspected 11% of its homes, while Colorado inspected 100%. The agency said failure to complete inspections could result in states seeing reduced COVID-19 relief funding.

The numbers showed a sobering toll among nursing home staffers, with more than 34,400 getting sick and nearly 450 dying from the coronavirus.

“This data, and anecdotal reports across the country, clearly show that nursing homes have been devastated by the virus,” wrote Verma and CDC Director Robert Redfield to governors.

Verma said 1 in 4 facilities had at least one COVID-19 case, and 1 in 5 reported at least one death. Nursing homes rated at 1 or 2 stars in the government’s 5-star rating system fared worse.

About 12,500 of some 15,400

Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Seema Verma walks to the Rose Garden to attend a briefing with President Donald Trump about the coronavirus in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. nursing homes had reported as of May 24.

CMS is expecting to post the full data for researchers and the general public later this week.

Nursing homes are also being required to report COVID cases to the families of residents. CMS will increase fines for nursing homes failing to comply with longstanding infection control requirements.

A federal watchdog report last month found a “persistent” pattern of infection control problems in nursing homes even before the coronavirus. The Government Accountability Office said that about 40% of the nursing homes inspected in each of the past two years were cited for problems with infection control and prevention.

Although the first wave of the pandemic may be easing in much of the country, that doesn’t mean nursing homes are in any less danger. Experts say in a virus rebound they can again become the stage for tragic scenes of death and despair, as well as a risk for the broader community.

“What is going on in a nursing home can be a barometer for where the virus is,” said Tamara Konetzka, a research professor at the University of Chicago, who specializes in long-term care issues. “You’ve got to be watching out and expecting a lot of cases in that community as well.”

It’s widely agreed that prompt, methodical, ongoing testing of residents and staff is the key to making nursing homes safer, but a White House recommendation for states to test all residents within two weeks failed to produce desired results. A recent AP review found a patchwork of progress, with only a handful of states meeting the goal. Nationwide, about 1.4 million elderly and disabled residents live in some

15,400 facilities.

The nursing home industry says money is one of the main obstacles to widespread testing, particularly to pay for testing of staff, who number more than 1 million people. An industry trade group, the American Health Care Association, estimates it would cost $672 million for a one-time test for all residents and staff in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. And that would not solve the problem, since public health experts recommend ongoing testing.

Mark Parkinson, head of the nursing home association, says the cost of a well-designed national testing program could reach into the billions of dollars.

“It’s very important in the next stimulus bill not to just order testing,” said Parkinson, adding that Congress needs to provide the money as well.

Federal officials at CMS have recommended a one-time test for all residents and staff, as well as weekly retesting of staff.

Facilities should retest residents weekly until none test positive.

CMS administrator Verma says states should use “extreme caution” before reopening nursing homes to visitors.

Some policy experts are hoping that the loss of life in nursing homes will lead state and national leaders to overhaul policies toward the industry, long a stepchild of the health care system.

“This is not a nursing home problem; this is a health system problem,” said Terry Fulmer, president of the John A. Hartford Foundation, which works to improve care for older adults. “Every system produces the outcome it is set up for. If you set up a system where the sickest and frailest people are in locations that are forgotten about and ignored, where the staff is paid less, why should that surprise anyone?”

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

MEDICAL DIRECTOR

POSITION SUMMARY:

This is a managerial position, which has departmental-wide responsibility for activities and direction of the Operations Department, which includes the NHIP Emergency Overseas Treatment Programme. It provides technical leadership to the Case Management and Claims Management teams.

The Medical Officer formulates policies and procedures to enhance the impact of the department; monitors patients overseas to assess their progress and report to the Chief Executive Officer; verify the eligibility of all claims, ensure staff are properly supervised and trained, customer concerns addressed; and appropriate, cost-efficient health care services with best medical practices in place are provided to NHIP Beneficiaries.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES • Manages the medical aspects of the NHIP Emergency Overseas Treatment Programme; • Manages all aspects of the Operations Department, inclusive of all staff assigned to the department.

• Manages and develops the Operations Department’s Budget with the view of ensuring that the Department’s expenditure remains within or below the budgeted ranges.

• Develops policies, procedures, standards, and controls for effective management of the Operations Department.

• Ensures statistics are collected from InterHealth Canada Limited (TCI Hospital) and the private providers as required by management and for actuarial and other health-related assessments.

• Liaises with the NIB to identify number of employment injury and occupational disease cases.

• Enforces appropriate cost-reduction strategies and recommends initiatives in the management of patient’s care; • Prepares Quarterly Performance Reports and Trend Analysis.

• Recommends and monitors systems and procedures to facilitate achievement of objectives within the area of responsibility.

• Verifies and signs-off on overseas provider claims in order to ensure veracity of claims as well as conducts value for money audits.

• Advises on the adjudication of claims by beneficiaries in special circumstances, outside the scope of usual and customary benefits, including overseas claims.

• Makes recommendations to the Board on policy decisions, such as but not limited to reimbursement and accreditation standards in line with the Health Practitioners Board or other authorized Agency.

• Conducts sample surveys of health care providers and facilities to derive baseline data on the availability, quality of services offered, the capacity and readiness to meet the demands of the NHIB. • Coordinates activities and provides advice to the NHIB team charged with the specification and costing of the service benefit package and in the development of provider payment systems.

• Convenes and takes the lead in meetings and other mechanisms aimed at defining criteria for inclusion in the NHIB Provider Network, as well as developing norms and protocols for quality assurance utilization reviews,

Page 35

access to overseas care, and modifications (inclusion and exclusion) of items in the benefit package.

• Collaborates with other members on the NHIB team in the design and implementation of activities related to accreditation of health providers.

• Collaborates with other members of the NHIB team in defining and developing contractual agreements with local and overseas providers for services within the benefit package.

• Assists in the development of detailed terms of reference and procedures for the activities of the NHIB Medical Review Committee.

• May perform other duties as assigned by the immediate supervisor or any other person authorized to give instructions or assignments.

• Any other duties deemed appropriate and consistent with the position, professional qualification and skill set as directed by the Chief Executive Officer.

MINIMUM KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED: • Principles, practices and techniques of medical case management • Principles and practices of strategic, long-term business planning • Principles and practices of effective management and supervision • Good Problem-Solving Skills • Excellent Human Relations/communication and interpersonal skills • Strong written, oral and presentation skills • Computer literacy and knowledgeable/proficient in the main processing, spreadsheet and presentation graphics programmes.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE: • Medical Doctor with at least 7 years’ experience; full time practitioner in primary care and hospital settings with the necessary competencies to effectively respond to the challenges of the job.

• Graduate Degree in Business or related field.

• Business Management Experience • Knowledge of the NHIB Ordinance and Regulations • Current (Good Standing) Registration with TCI Health Practitioners Board and other professional/regulatory body as appropriate.

• Experience with health insurance operations such as member of a medical review panel will be an asset.

Salary Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience scale $82,200 to $89,310.00 per annum.

All Applications should be addressed to: Sheena Smith-Yip National Health Insurance Board Salt Mills Plaza Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands British West Indies Email: recruitment@tcinhip.tc Please ensure the application clearly demonstrates how you meet the noted qualifications as applicants will be screened based on the information provided.

We would like to thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those who are selected for an interview will be contacted. `Deadline for submission is June 15, 2020

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CARIBBEAN WORLD

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

CARIBBEAN NEWS

NEWS NEWS

Significant demand for COVID free Caribbean islands reopening this summer

The governments of the various Caribbean Islands reacted exceptionally quickly to COVID-19. They restricted social life, closed down schools and universities, resulting in very few cases, especially in the smaller islands.

The Caribbean Regions total number of cases is less than a half percent of the worldwide cases.

The result is that many of the islands are now entirely COVID free while other nations are still battling the virus. They are happily ready to welcome tourists to experience some paradise life after being in lockdown for so long and are one of the first regions in the world ready to bring travelers back.

The Caribbean has also been quick in introducing detailed new governmentmandated protocols which include new safety standards at airports, taxis, and communal areas. Jamaica, as an example, who recently announced their reopening have developed COVID-19 health and safety protocols of over 100 pages. Property Managers have undergone extensive training in further disinfection and distancing protocols. The emphasis all around is safety and privacy.

American Airlines, Southwest, Delta, and European carriers such as British Airways have all

announced a return of some of their fleet to the region.

Many of our clients have contacted us saying how they dreaming of being on a beach with their toes in the sand or swimming in the crystal clear Caribbean.

Exceptional Villas who are the number one vacation rental company in the world on Trust Pilot have observed that clients are quicker to book vacation rentals than hotels when it comes to their first post-COVID-19 vacation.

There are many reasons for this.

There is a widespread understanding that vacation rentals are a safer option than hotels and other forms of accommodations. Villas and vacation properties have much more space with facilities such as swimming pools, tennis courts, hot tubs, gardens, gyms, and cinema rooms in many of the luxury properties. Grocery delivery is available to guests, and communal areas are not shared with any other guests ensuring a safe home away from home experience.

Vacation properties in the Caribbean have adopted extremely effective housekeeping practices. Each villa receives deep cleaning after each guest departs as well as extra days added between guests for further peace of mind. The bottom

C&W Communications Confident of 2020 Hurricane Preparedness

The start of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane line is that it is much easier season on June 1stnaturally to social distance in a villa brings increased anxiety as Caribbean residents brace for which means that until there the unpredictability of natural is a vaccine, clients can still disasters across the region. This enjoy a bit of paradise. year, however, tensions are even

Last but not least, higher as Caribbean countries according to Alexandra are battling against the spread Baradi, CEO and Owner of the COVID-19 pandemic.

C&W Communications, Exceptional Villas is offering Inge Smidts, CEO, C&W a Liberty Latin America our guests more flexibility Communications company and operator of the when booking with safety Flow, BTC and UTS brands in the and privacy at the forefront Caribbean,wants to assure the customers and communities of our properties. it serves of the comprehensive preparation measures being

The islands that are put in place for what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric ready to open to visitors Association (NOAA) have predicted will be a fairly active 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. Alreadyon May 17th, the include first named sub-tropical storm, Arthur, jumped ahead of the official season start, though fortunately it didnot gain US VIRGIN ISLANDS – sufficient strength to pose a threat to the region.

Opening June 1st

Inge Smidts, CEO, C&W Communications, said, “Connectivity has never been more critical in this region.

ST LUCIA – Opening June 4th Our networks are enabling millions of customers to stay connected at a time when physical distancing has become ANTIGUA – Opening June 4th the ‘new normal’. Our regional governments, healthcare systems and educational facilities are all relying on our services to manage their operations in a new world of ARUBA – Opening June 15th e-government, virtual meetings and online learning. We too, have had to adapt our operations to embrace the challenges JAMAICA – Opening June of COVID-19 to keep our employees safe and employed and 15th enable our customers to stay connected.”

Smidts continued, “At the same time, we are THE BAHAMAS – Opening focused on preparing our world-class networks for the 2020 hurricane season. Our teams have already begun their July 1st rigorous checks on our hurricane- tested network, which has enabled our business and residential customers in the region TURKS AND CAICOS to stay connected through much of the devastating Atlantic ISLANDS – Opening July hurricane activity over the past few years. We continue 22nd to invest in important redundancy capabilities across our vast sub-sea network and in data centers located outside of Other islands such as Barbados the ‘hurricane belt’, which provide an additional layer of and Cayman Islands will protection for connectivity in the region. The ability to stay follow shortly. Exceptional in contact with loved ones throughout natural disasters has always been important to our customers in the region and Villas has created a series of we are very proud to play this vital role.”

“Let’s Start Dreaming Videos” Across its markets, the company has already to help clients decide which completed a number of rigorous hurricane drills and has is the perfect paradise island launched its awareness campaigns encouraging customers to be vigilant and make their preparations for the 2020 season. for them.

9-year-old child tests positive for COVID-19 in Cayman Islands

A 9-year-old child has tested positive for the coronavirus in the Cayman Islands, Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee said.

The child has symptoms that Lee said could be associated with the virus, but has not been admitted to hospital. It is not clear how the child acquired COVID-19, though the case is not associated with travel. Public health officials are investigating, he said.

All of the other 72 active cases of COVID-19 in Cayman are asymptomatic.

There was one new case announced at the press briefing Tuesday. The child was one of nine cases announced Monday.

Lee said the case was “sobering” and a sign that Cayman had to continue to be vigilant and treat the virus with caution. Seven children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the crisis began, some of whom have had mild symptoms.

Premier Alden McLaughlin added that while results were generally encouraging, the case

showed Cayman could not be complacent.

“We continue to find the virus in our population,” he said.

“We are still in the suppression phase and we must remain cautious.”

He said the case of the child was important and showed why reopening schools and childcare institutions was difficult.

“As we have pointed out from the very beginning,” he said, “children are the single biggest vector of the disease.”

He added that it was much harder for children to curb the natural human instincts to touch and be close to each other.

Lee acknowledged there were concerns regarding how the lockdown was affecting the mental health of children.

“This is impacting children right across the world… we are looking forward to a time when we can let the kids go out and play together again,” he said.

Despite the fact that cases continue to emerge, McLaughlin said the phased reopening of the

economy was on track. Around 300 businesses – retailers, realtors and construction firms – got back to work on Monday.

The premier said the plan was to move slowly and carefully in two-week increments, to give health officials time to assess the impact of easing restrictions on the test results.

Diving regulations could be relaxed soon

During Tuesday’s briefing, Lee addressed concerns from the scuba diving community that the sport continues to be banned. Several divers, who spoke to the Cayman Compass, said the rationale for not allowing diving while allowing other sports, made little sense.

Lee recognised those concerns and urged people to be patient. Based on feedback, he said he would recommend that divers who own and use their own gear be allowed to get back in the water next time the regulations are changed.

The next round of regulation amendments are expected to be implemented on 22 June.

He said public health

Cayman Islands, Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee. guidance to government was based on a cautious assessment of risks.

“I seem to have been saying ‘no’ an awful lot in 2020,” he acknowledged.

He said it would be easier for him just to say ‘yes’ to every request and he recognised that people arguing for the opening of diving were doing so in an articulate and rational way. He said allowing people with their own gear to dive likely presented no risk and he would recommend that concession.

He urged people to be patient and said, “It is not yet business as usual… let us not run before we can walk.”

Lee estimates up to 15% in Cayman may have had virus

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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CARIBBEAN NEWS Debris from rocket launch found floating off Brac

Tyrone Scott has encountered some strange things in Cayman’s waters.

He once pulled in a 12-foot giant squid.

He’s seen humpback and killer whales, even a drug canoe riddled with bullet holes.

But until last Thursday he had never encountered a rocket ship.

Tyrone was fishing off the west end of Cayman Brac with his brother Larry, when they came across a piece of floating debris.

It was 18 feet by 15 feet, white and grey with a multi-coloured emblem.

There were barnacles attached, and they thought it might be the hull of a sailboat wrecked in a storm some time back.

But when Tyrone sent his pictures to his cousin Croy McCoy at the Department of Environment, they made a surprising discovery.

Tim Austin, deputy director at the department, thought he recognised the emblem as part of a space programme.

He googled the names on the debris and a few minutes later he was watching video footage of a rocket taking off from French Guiana.

You have to freeze frame the video and zoom in a few times to see it, but there, unmistakably, is the same pattern of coloured symbols.

Rockets carrying European satellites are launched frequently from the space centre in the French territory on the northeastern tip of South America.

But the only recent launch of an ANGELS nano-satellite involving the French company Hemeria group – the two names that appear on the debris – was a Russian-made Soyuz rocket that lifted off in December 2019.

According to a press release on the launch, the rocket actually carried a package of five satellites, including an Italian radar reconnaissance craft and a European Space Agency exoplanet science probe.

The floating debris that the Scott brothers encountered is the protective shell that covered the satellites, known as the payload fairings. It falls away once the rocket reaches a certain altitude.

Austin managed to reach the Hemeria group by email and a representative confirmed the debris was associated with their satellite launch programme.

Between two storms: Caribbean braces for hurricanes in coronavirus era

Ken Hutton is worried Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas where he lives is far from rebuilt after being devastated by Hurricane Dorian last year yet he is bracing for another hurricane season in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

The business consultant feels lucky to have survived Dorian, which tore the hurricane shutters off his house and sucked out the windows.

Yet there is still no running water or power in his area - he relies on a generator and a well - and many of the organizations that had been helping to rebuild suspended work because of the pandemic.

“We are still in no position to be ready for another hurricane,” he told Reuters Tuesday. Already, the Caribbean has been hit by two tropical storms before the official start of the hurricane season on June 1, one of which started right over the Bahamas, Hutton added.

“There are lots of people walking around here now with post-traumatic stress disorder,” he said.

Hurricane Dorian caused $3.4 billion in damages - more than a quarter of the annual output of the Bahamas or the equivalent of the United States losing the combined outputs of California, Texas and Florida, according to the Inter-American Development Bank.

Across the Caribbean, island nations are now facing the double whammy of a hurricane season forecast to be more active than usual combined with a pandemic that has already drained public coffers and leveled tourism, one

A man walks among the debris of his house after Hurricane Dorian hit the Abaco Islands in Spring City, Bahamas, September 11, 2019. of its top earners.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last week forecast 13-19 named storms this year, following 18 named storms last year and 15 in 2018, both above the average of 12.

But the Caribbean has used up much of the fiscal buffers it would usually have readied to respond to hurricane season, Caribbean Development Bank President Warren Smith said.

Countries have tapped typical sources of external emergency financing, like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to respond to the coronavirus crisis, further limiting their funding options.

Meanwhile, new health protocols for hurricane season prep comes at an added cost. The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) has revised guidelines to prevent the virus’ spread, including social distancing, personal protective equipment and hand cleaning facilities in shelters, said CDEMA head Elizabeth Riley.

“We can’t put as many people into a shelter (with social distancing), which means we

must have many more shelters available,” St Lucia Prime Minister Allen Chastanet told Reuters.

ECONOMIC STORM

Caribbean nations have had to absorb the high costs of managing virus outbreaks even as they have lost revenue from the stop in tourism caused by border closures and lockdowns, while also being forced to provide a welfare safety net to more people.

The economic outlook does not look set to improve any time soon, with the Caribbean facing a regional contraction of 6.2 % according to the IMF.

“Small island states rely heavily on tourism and remittances. Both are now at a standstill,” United Nations head Antonio Guterres said on Thursday. “Households that had a secure income are at imminent risk of poverty and hunger.”

He added that alleviating “crushing” debt “must be extended to all developing and middle-income countries” that request forbearance as they lose access to their main financial markets.

Coup averted in PNP Jamaica Disgruntled MPs to shelve plan to write GG requesting replacement of Phillips as Opposition leader

It now appears that the People’s National Party (PNP) could avoid a major fallout over who should lead the Opposition’s team in Parliament, but the rift between supporters of party President Dr Peter Phillips and failed challenger from a year ago Peter Bunting seems far from over.

Following increasingly loud whispers over the weekend that 15 PNP Members of Parliament (MPs) were poised to ask the governor general to remove Phillips as opposition leader, word came yesterday that two senior MPs have started to distance themselves from that group.

Reports to the Jamaica Observer are that the two MPs — who are believed to be key to any successful attempt to overthrow Phillips — have since indicated that although they signed a letter demanding that he meets with the parliamentary group, they are not part of any move to replace him.

According to PNP sources, the two have argued that they signed the

letter in support of their colleagues who are dismayed that they have not met with Phillips since it was announced that he had undergone surgery to remove a cancerous tissue from his colon, but they are not part of a plot to oust the party leader.

Late last week the leak of a letter demanding a meeting with Phillips sparked claims that the 15 Opposition MPs were preparing to indicate to Governor General Sir Patrick Allen that they had lost faith in Phillips.

“The parliamentary group of the Opposition has been made aware of your adverse medical report and the course of treatment required. We have been awaiting an opportunity to meet with you as a caucus to express our solidarity and sympathy personally. We offer our best wishes to you as you undergo treatment and wish you the best of health.

“[But] there has not been a meeting between you and the parliamentary group since we received news of your illness. We are, therefore, asking that before Monday

of next week [yesterday], you meet with the parliamentary group to discuss matters relating to the future of our party,” said the group in a letter dated Thursday, May 28 which had discernible signatures, including those of Robert Pickersgill, Ian H ayles, Angela Brown Burke, Mark Golding, Dayton Campbell, Luther Buchanan, and Peter Bunting.

In a response, Phillips, in a letter addressed to Bunting, thanked the group for their “kind wishes” and said he was doing well as far as his health was concerned.

“As you are aware, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in various legal orders and public health advisories which have limited the ability of organisations to function in a normal manner.

The effect on the party’s organs and the parliamentary group [has] been no different. Our compliance with the restrictions [has] prevented meetings,” said Phillips.

He told Bunting that he would ask General Secretary Julian Robinson to make contact with

Dr. Peter Phillips. him in light of the impending relaxation of restrictions and make the necessary arrangements for a parliamentary group meeting at the earliest opportunity convenient to all concerned.

That response obviously did not satisfy some of the disgruntled signatories to the letter, and over the weekend news emerged that letters had been drafted to be presented to the governor general, indicating that the majority of the 29 Opposition MPs had lost confidence in the ability of Phillips to lead them.

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

CARIBBEAN NEWS

Bermuda Premier refuses to write off tourist season

A defiant David Burt reiterated his stance that tourism is not dead in Bermuda — but he acknowledged that some jobs in the sector could be lost permanently.

The Premier was speaking last night as he moved to push back outspoken critics, some of them internal, that the 2020 season was a bust in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I, as Premier, am not willing to write off this year’s tourism season,” Mr Burt told the Covid-19 briefing at the Berkeley Institute cafetorium.

He added that Bermuda should “carefully reopen its borders and welcome tourists to our shores this summer”.

He said that with the island’s increased testing capacity and investment in medical technology, “we will have the means to safely reopen the airport and allow visitors to come to our shores secure in the knowledge that we can manage this virus and continue to protect our community”.

Mr Burt added: “This is essential, as there are many in Bermuda who depend on tourism for their livelihoods.”

But he warned “when we do reopen, Bermuda will be a changed place” and that “some jobs in tourism will be lost, perhaps for ever”.

Mr Burt said: “As businesses close, others will open to meet the demand of the new and transformed economy.”

The Premier told the press conference that “a number of workpermit holders will be returning home”.

He called on Bermudians left unemployed by the months-long clampdown caused by the pandemic to step into new roles.

Mr Burt was joined by Zane DeSilva, the tourism and transport minister, Kim Wilson, the health minister, and Wayne Caines, the national security minister.

Mr DeSilva echoed the Premier, saying “we are now closer than ever” to reopening Bermuda to commercial air travel.

He said the resumption of air service would be “gradual” ¬— advising that a flight on Friday repatriating residents from Toronto was almost full.

Ms Wilson revealed that a single new positive case of the Covid-19 disease had been found out of 355 test results received since Sunday, bringing total cases to 141.

There were 20 active cases of Covid-19, 12 of which are under public health monitoring, with eight people in hospital.

There are no Covid-19 patients in critical care, and 112

people have fully recovered from the disease.

The cumulative total of tests for the virus, including retests, was said to be 2,923 for Helix Lab, and 4,581 at the Southside facility.

Ms Wilson also announced the launch of a scorecard, based on “an easy-to-read traffic light system” using 11 categories to show “where we’re doing well and where we’re not” in gradually reopening the economy.

The service is to be updated “once or twice a week, she added.

Mr Caines praised the majority of people who went out to enjoy the long holiday weekend, but said police had intervened at “serious instances of antisocial behaviour at a couple of locations”.

It was also announced last night that ferries were taking only 25 per cent of their normal capacity, while the public bus capacity had been upped from nine passengers to 17, with strict social-distancing.

Mr Burt also responded to a call made yesterday in The Royal Gazette by Dennis Fagundo, the president of the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, for the Government to change the cut-off from layoff to redundancy mandated in the Employment Act.

At present, the threshold is four months, which Mr Fagundo

Three months after he was paralyzed in Barbados shooting, Calgary man finally home More than three months after a shooting during a Barbados vacation left him a paraplegic, Calgarian Ken Elliott has finally returned home.

It’s a home and a life that has been dramatically transformed since the retired city worker was shot during an attempted robbery Feb. 22 at a holiday residence in the town of Christ Church on the Caribbean island.

“It’s quite a variance from being in the hospital for 97 days,” said Elliott, 65.

After the shooting, in which family members chased off a pair of attackers, the man was treated in hospitals in Barbados and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., before being flown to Calgary and the Foothills Hospital on March 5.

While in Fort Lauderdale, a visit by his wife, Linda Brooks, was cut short by a bomb scare, while visits at the Foothills ended April 2 as a COVID-19 precaution.

“It’s been a triplewhammy,” said Brooks.

“But (Wednesday night) was the first time I was able to sleep without taking medication.”

After weeks of hospital food, Elliott savoured pizza for his first dinner at home.

“I’m making him steak tonight,” said Brooks.

Elliott’s Lake Bonavista home was reshaped by a nearly $100,000 renovation to accommodate his new life in a wheelchair. Upgrades to the four-level split — completed in one month — include

Ken Elliott, his wife Linda Brooks and their dog Roxy in their renovated Lake Bonavista home. two wheelchair lifts, ramps, removals of walls and a fireplace, bathroom alterations, widened doors and new flooring.

“The contractors delayed job completions at other projects to make us a priority,” said Elliott, adding adult children also selflessly pitched in to ensure the transformation went as smoothly as possible.

“There’s been some major reconstruction and a lot of help with it.”

On Thursday, Elliott said the couple is still getting the kinks out of one of the lifts.

Nearly half the cost of the renovations was covered by about $42,000 raised through GoFundMe.

That, and the efforts of physiotherapists and others have made best of an otherwise demoralizing situation, one whose origins Elliott still recalls vividly.

“When I was shot, I hit

a coffee table with my head and the first thing I said was ‘I can’t feel my legs,’ ” he said.

“If I’d have known that would happen I would never have gone, but we’d had happy vacations in sunny places before that.”

The couple had gone to Barbados to enjoy a family reunion with an eye on spending time with Elliott’s ailing older brother.

Six days into the vacation, two men armed with a handgun and machete barged into their residence just after Elliott, Brooks and family members had finished dinner and a game of Scrabble.

During the 20-second melee, a bullet sliced through Elliott’s lung and lodged in his spine, injuries that required surgery in Fort Lauderdale.

While he has use of his arms, Elliott said has no feeling below his chest.

David Burt Premier of Bermuda said could cause cash-strapped businesses to go under from redundancy payouts.

Mr Burt said the Act had been “a signature achievement” of the first Progressive Labour Party administration.

He said the Cabinet, which meets today, would consider a variety of recommendations.

Mr Burt added: “We’re not going to use this pandemic to relax protections on workers.”

He said the protections of the Employment Act would not be watered down, and said the Government would be “thoughtful” on any changes it examined.

Mr Burt said: “We are collectively building a new future, and each of us has a role to play in shaping that future together.”

Antigua airport reopens

Antigua and Barbuda became the first Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country to re-open its international airport on Monday amid stringent health protocols to prevent any reoccurrence of the coronavirus (COVID-29).

“With the re-opening of the Antigua and Barbuda economy, international travel is crucial.

But the safety of our valuable employees and members of the travelling public is foremost. The measures we have put in place are intended to keep everyone safe as they transit our facilities,” said Euletta Francis, the chief executive officer of the Antigua and Barbuda Airport Authority.

In a statement, the Authority said that the health protocols that cover the diverse range of operations at the VC Bird International Airport will be in full effect to coincide with the opening of the island’s borders on Monday.

It said the guidelines were subject to the scrutiny of major stakeholders and shared with employees and operators across the VC Bird International Airport through a series of virtual meetings.

The Antigua and Barbuda Airport Authority said it will be restricting traffic through the terminal to travellers and airport staff and that they will all be subject to the agreed protocols, which include all passengers being required to wear masks during the arrival and departure process.

In addition, all arriving passengers will be asked to complete a health declaration form following which Port Health authorities will administer health and screening checks and that all airport staff who have to interface with the travelling public must wear PPEs as per the standard health protocols.

“A rigorous regime of cleaning and sanitization has been operationalised for all points of contact to include restrooms, check in counters, doors, security area, baggage claim etc. (and) a limited number of doors will be used for exit from and entry into the terminal and these will be manned by airport personnel to ensure adherence to protocols.”

The statement noted that only travellers and employees will be allowed entry into the terminal and that travellers will be encouraged to make use of online check in.

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

NEWS

Global airlines add flights; U.S. carriers target the great outdoors

Airlines from America to Australia are ramping up flights in June and July, boosting hopes for a pickup in tourist traffic even as biggerspending business and global travel remains sluggish during the ongoing pandemic.

American Airlines and United Airlines each announced more flights to key U.S. business and leisure destinations where national parks and outdoor recreational spaces are reopening after months of lockdowns and travel curbs, sending their shares sharply higher.

Chicago-based United is adding more non-stop flights as well as servicing markets like

Aspen, Colorado and Jackson Hole, Wyoming where it said “social distancing is a natural feature” in the scenic landscapes.

“Leisure travel has been the most missed activity during lockdown across age and income demographics, even more so than things like restaurants,” said Jason Guggenheim of Boston Consulting Group, which has surveyed consumers in the United States and Europe.

“But it’s going to take business travel longer to come back,” he said, noting workfrom-home models will remain in place for some time.

Even with the schedule increases, analysts expect overall U.S. airline capacity will remain

drastically lower this year; and without business travel, yields will likely remain negative, they said. Yield is the revenue an airline makes per mile flown.

Australia’s Qantas Airways Ltd and Air New Zealand Ltd outlined plans on Thursday for significant boosts to domestic capacity, while Emirates and Etihad Airways are restarting transit flights through hub airports in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

In Europe, Iberia - part of the International Consolidated Airlines Group - told customers on Thursday it is starting a schedule of regular flights from Spain in July as a first step to building back a full service.

US unemployment drops unexpectedly to a still-high 13.3%

The U.S. unemployment rate fell unexpectedly in May to 13.3% — still on par with what the nation witnessed during the Great Depression — as states loosened their coronavirus lockdowns and businesses began recalling workers faster than economists had predicted.

The government said Friday that the economy added 2.5 million jobs last month, driving unemployment down from 14.7% in April.

For weeks, economists had been warning that unemployment in May could hit 20% or more, rivaling what was seen during the depths of the Depression in the 1930s.

Once again, the Labor Department acknowledged making errors in how it classified people as employed and said the real May rate is worse than the numbers indicate. But the government made the same mistakes in April, and together the figures still show the job market is improving.

The May job gain, which confounded economists’ expectations of another round of severe losses, suggests that thousands of stores, restaurants, gyms and other companies reopened and rehired more quickly than many analysts had forecast.

Stocks surged on Wall Street on the news, with the S&P 500 gaining 2.2% within 15 minutes.

“We are witnessing the easiest phase of growth as people come off temporary layoffs and come back to their employers,” said Harvard University economist Jason Furman, who led the White House Council of

A customer walks out of a U.S. Post Office branch and under a banner advertising a job opening, in Seattle.

Economic Advisers during the Obama presidency. “And once employers are done recalling people, the much harder, longer work of recovery will have to proceed.”

Most economists expected rehiring to kick in as shutdowns were increasingly lifted and people gradually resumed shopping and eating out.

“The surprising thing here is the timing and that it happened as quickly as it did,” said Adam Kamins, senior regional economist at Moody’s Analytics.

Economists had expected the government to report that employers shed 8.5 million more jobs last month on top of 21.4 million lost in March and April.

Instead, nearly all industries added jobs, a sharp reversal from April, when almost all cut them. Hotels and restaurants added 1.2 million jobs in May, after shedding 7.5 million. Retailers gained 368,000, after losing nearly 2.3

million in the previous month.

Construction companies added 464,000 after cutting 995,000.

The unemployment rate is still at its highest level since the 1930s era of bread lines and soup kitchens.

Friday’s figures raise a key question for businesses and unemployed workers: How fast will the rebound proceed? For hiring to continue at a solid pace, businesses will probably need to see signs that consumers are starting to resume their preoutbreak habits of shopping and dining out.

The crisis has also exposed wide disparities: While the unemployment rate for white Americans was 12.4% May, it was 17.6% for Hispanics and 16.8% for African-Americans.

Even with the surprising gain in May, it may take months for all those who lost work in April and March to find jobs.

Some economists forecast the rate could remain in doubledigits through the November elections and into next year.

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On the spot where George Floyd died, his brother urges calm

An emotional Terrence Floyd is comforted as he sits at the spot at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, Minneapolis, Minn., where his brother George Floyd, encountered police and died while in their custody, Monday, June 1, 2020.

George Floyd’s brother pleaded for peace in the streets Monday, saying destruction is “not going to bring my brother back at all.”

Terrence Floyd’s emotional plea came as the United States braced for another night of violence in response to Floyd’s killing a week ago.

Chants of “What’s his name? George Floyd!” filled the air as a large crowd gathered at the spot where the black man who became the latest symbol of racial injustice in America lay handcuffed and dying as a white police officer pressed his knee into his neck.

Wearing a face mask with Floyd’s image on it, his brother dropped to his knees at the storefront that has been turned into a memorial covered with flowers and signs. As he kneeled silently, many who were around him joined him on the ground.

The memorial site was a space of calm compared to the devastation left in the wake of fires and violence that paralyzed the city for days last week before it spread nationwide.

“I understand y’all are upset. I doubt y’all are half as upset as I am,” said Terrence Floyd, who lives in New York. “So if I’m not over here blowing up stuff, if I’m not over here messing up my community, then what are y’all doing? What are y’all doing? Y’all doing nothing. Because that’s not going to bring my brother back at all.”

George Floyd, 46, died last week after he was arrested in Minneapolis, accused of using a forged $20 bill to pay for goods at a grocery store. The white officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with murder.

Terrence Floyd took several minutes sitting in the spot where the officer pinned his brother, and he sobbed.

Addressing the crowd, he said he did not understand why the other three police officers who arrested Floyd and were fired with Chauvin have not been charged.

Still, he said, the Floyd family, which he described as “peaceful” and “God-fearing,” wants calm protests at this time with hopes that justice will follow.

“In every case of police brutality, the same thing has been happening. Y’all protest, y’all destroy stuff. ... Let’s do this another way,” he said, encouraging the crowd to vote and to educate themselves. “Let’s switch it up, y’all.”

In contrast to the peaceful message, President Donald Trump took a tough tone later in the day in the White House Rose Garden, threatening to mobilize “thousands and thousands” of U.S. soldiers if state governors don’t deploy the National Guard to “dominate the streets” and halt the protests. As he spoke, tear gas canisters could be heard exploding just a block away as police and National Guard soldiers worked to force people protesting the death of Floyd back.

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WORLD NEWS

Obama steps out as nation confronts confluence of crises

Former President Barack Obama is taking on an increasingly public role as the nation confronts a confluence of historic crises that has exposed deep racial and socioeconomic inequalities in America and reshaped the November election.

In doing so, Obama is signaling a willingness to sharply critique his successor, President Donald Trump, and fill what many Democrats see as a national leadership void. On Wednesday, he held a virtual town hall event with young people to discuss policing and the civil unrest that has followed the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Obama rejected a debate he said he’d seen come up in “a little bit of chatter on the internet” about “voting versus protests, politics and participation versus civil disobedience and direct action.”

“This is not an eitheror. This is a both and to bring about real change,” he said during the town hall hosted by his foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, which supports young men of color. “We both have to highlight a problem and make people in power uncomfortable, but we also have to translate that into practical solutions and laws that could be implemented and monitored and make sure we’re following up on.”

Obama called for turning the protests over Floyd’s death into policy change to ensure safer policing and increased trust between communities and law enforcement. He urged “every mayor in the country to review your use of force policies” with their communities and “commit to report on planned reforms” before prioritizing their implementation.

“We’re in a political season, but our country is also at an inflection point,” said Valerie Jarrett, a longtime friend and adviser to Obama.

“President Obama is not going to shy away from that dialogue simply because he’s not in office anymore.”

During the roundtable, Obama drew parallels between the unrest sweeping America currently and protest movements of the 1960s. But he said polls show a majority of Americans supporting today’s protesters and forming a “broad coalition” in a way much of the country didn’t back then — despite some of the recent protests “having been marred by the actions of a tiny minority that engaged in violence.”

Still, he warned, “at some point, attention moves away” and “protests dwindle in size” so “it’s important to take that moment that’s been created as a society, as a country, and say let’s use this to finally have an impact.”

Obama was already beginning to emerge from political hibernation to endorse Joe Biden’s Democratic presidential bid when the coronavirus pandemic swept across the U.S., killing more than 100,000 people, and the economy began to crater. The crises scrambled the Biden campaign’s plans for how to begin deploying Obama as their chief surrogate ahead of the November election, but also gave the former president a clear opening to start publicly arguing what he has signaled to friends and associates privately for the past three years: that he does not believe Trump is up for the job.

Addressing graduates of historically black colleges and universities last month, Obama said the pandemic had “fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing.” And in a nationally televised broadcast celebrating graduating high school seniors, Obama said many “so-called grown-ups, including some with fancy titles and important jobs,” do only what’s convenient and feels good.

Floyd’s death, however, has drawn a more visceral and personal reaction from the nation’s first black president.

Former President Barack Obama speaks Wednesday, June 3, 2020, during virtual town hall event with young people to discuss policing and the civil unrest that has followed the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.

Floyd, a black man, died after a white police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for several minutes even after he stopped moving and pleading for air.

In a lengthy written statement last week, Obama said that while he understood that millions of Americans were eager to “just get back to normal” when the pandemic abates, it shouldn’t be forgotten that normal life for people of color in the U.S. involves being treated differently on account of their race.

“This shouldn’t be ‘normal’ in 2020 America. It can’t be ‘normal,’” Obama wrote.

Tensions across the country have escalated further in the days since the former president’s statement. His town hall on Wednesday will mark his first in-person comments since law enforcement officers aggressively cleared peaceful protesters from a park outside the White House so Trump could walk across for a photo opportunity at a nearby church.

Obama grappled with police brutality against minorities as president, including in Ferguson, Missouri, where clashes broke out after the death of Michael Brown, a black 18-year-old. After Brown’s death, Obama’s Justice Department moved to enact broad policing reforms, though most were halted under the Trump administration.

Ex-defense chief Mattis rips Trump for dividing Americans

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis listens to a question during his appearance at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.

In an extraordinary rebuke, former defense secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday denounced President Donald Trump’s heavy-handed use of military force to quell protests near the White House and said his former boss was setting up a “false conflict” between the military and civilian society.

“I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled,” Mattis wrote.

The criticism was all the more remarkable because Mattis has generally kept a low profile since retiring as defense secretary in December 2018 to protest Trump’s Syria policy. He had declined to speak out against Trump, saying he owed the nation public silence while his former boss remained in office.

But he’s speaking out after this past week’s protests in response to the death of George Floyd in police custody.

Trump responded on Twitter Wednesday evening by calling Mattis “the world’s most overrated General.”

“I didn’t like his ‘leadership’ style or much else about him, and many others agree,” Trump tweeted. “Glad he is gone!”

Mattis had a scathing description of Trump’s walk to a historic nearby church Monday to pose with a Bible after law enforcement forcibly cleared Lafayette Square of mostly peaceful protesters.

He said he never dreamed troops “would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens — much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside.”

“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people —does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us,” Mattis wrote in a statement published by The Atlantic. “We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort.

We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership.”

Mattis called on Americans to unite without Trump. “This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children,” he wrote.

Mattis said of the protesters that Americans should not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. He said they are rightly demanding that the country follow the words of “Equal Justice Under Law” that are on display at the U.S. Supreme Court.

DC Episcopal bishop: ‘I am outraged’ by Trump church visit

The bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington sharply criticized President Donald Trump on Monday for staging a visit to the historic St. John’s Church across from the White House, where he held up a Bible after authorities had cleared the area of peaceful protesters.

The Rev. Mariann Budde, whose diocese St. John’s belongs to, said in a statement that she was “outraged” by Trump’s visit and noted that he didn’t pray while stopping by the church, a landmark known for its regular visits from sitting presidents since the early 19th century.

“He took the symbols sacred to our tradition and stood in front of a house of prayer in full expectation that would be a celebratory moment,”

Budde said in an interview after her statement on Trump’s visit was posted to the diocese’s Twitter account.

“There was nothing I could do but speak out against that,” she added, calling for a focus on “the deeper wounds of the country” amid ongoing demonstrations against racial injustice.

Budde said the church was “just completely caught off-guard” by the visit, with “no sense that this was a sacred space to be used for sacred purposes.” In order to facilitate Trump’s statement there, she said, she believed tear gas was used in the area between the White House and the church.

As protests nationwide flared

following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, St. John’s suffered minor damage Sunday night from a fire in the church basement.

Budde said “our suffering was minimal” compared with businesses that were destroyed by recent looting, even as she defended the goals of peaceful protesters responding to Floyd’s killing.

“We can rebuild the church.

We can replace the furnishings of a nursery,” she said, referring to the damaged area. “We can’t bring a man’s life back.”

The presiding bishop of the President Donald Trump holds a Bible as Episcopal Church, Michael Curry, he visits outside St. John’s Church across issued his own statement saying that Lafayette Park from the White House Monday, Trump had “used a church building June 1, 2020, in Washington. and the Holy Bible for partisan political purposes.”

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WORLD NEWS

Ricketts concerned virus will flare again with protests

Nebraska could see another flare-up of coronavirus cases because of the demonstrations over the death of George Floyd, but state officials concluded that allowing protesters to peacefully vent was more important than concerns about the pandemic, Gov. Pete Ricketts said Monday.

His comments came as new, lighter virus restrictions went into effect throughout most of the state.

The restrictions approved by Ricketts allow bars, zoos, swimming pools and other public venues to reopen, with crowd limits based on a venue’s occupancy.

Protests in Omaha and Lincoln have each drawn more than 1,000 people, often clustered into large groups as they confront law enforcement officers. Some protesters and officers haven’t worn masks, ignoring the recommendation of public health officials.

“We’re certainly concerned about that potential for additional spread of the coronavirus,” Ricketts said at a news conference. “If you’re out at the protests, it would be a good idea to wear a mask.”

Ricketts said he discussed concerns about the virus with other public officials, but decided that

the protesters’ free-speech rights “outweigh the concerns about the pandemic.”

He said the protesters are justifiably angry about the death of Floyd, a black man who died after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed a knee against his neck for more than eight minutes.

Chauvin, who is white, has since been fired and charged with thirddegree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Officials in Omaha and Lincoln have imposed overnight curfews, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., after a violent weekend that included widespread vandalism and numerous arrests in both cities. Ricketts has dispatched the Nebraska National Guard as well to help local and state law enforcement.

Tensions increased Monday when the top prosecutor in Omaha, Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine, announced that he wouldn’t file charges against a white bar owner who fatally shot a black man during the weekend protests.

Kleine said Jake Gardner, who owns two bars near where the shooting happened, fired the fatal shot during a scuffle with protesters

outside of one of his bars. Kleine said Gardner feared for his life before the shooting, which killed 22-year-old James Scurlock.

On Monday, Ricketts and Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert implored protesters to stay peaceful and respect the curfew.

The new virus restrictions went into effect Monday in 89 of Nebraska’s 93 counties, despite the looming public health threat. State officials confirmed another 196 new cases on Sunday, bringing the statewide total to 14,101. Of that number, 170 people have died from the virus. More than 103,800 people have been tested so far.

Hospitals statewide Gov. Pete Ricketts continued to have adequate capacity, spreading and overwhelming the with 45% of hospital beds, 49% of state’s hospitals. intensive care unit beds and 77% of Some restrictions were also ventilators still available for use. eased in hard-hit Hall, Hamilton,

The new rules will also allow Merrick and Dakota counties, but to non-contact sports such as baseball, a lesser extent. softball and volleyball to resume For some infected people, practices on Monday, and games can especially older adults and people begin on June 18. Rodeos can also with existing health problems, the resume Monday, but contact sports virus can cause severe illness or such as football, basketball and death. But for most people, it causes wrestling will remain prohibited. mild or moderate symptoms, such as

Ricketts imposed the rules to fever and cough, that clear up in two try to prevent the coronavirus from to three weeks.

Biden blasts Trump’s ‘narcissism’ in new phase of campaign

Joe Biden mounted one of his most aggressive attacks against President Donald Trump on Tuesday, deriding the commander in chief’s disregard of core constitutional values and blistering him for being “more interested in power than in principle.”

“He thinks division helps him,” the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee said in a speech at Philadelphia’s City Hall. “This narcissism has become more important than the nation’s well-being.”

Biden seized on police driving back peaceful protesters near the White House on Monday so Trump could briefly pose with a Bible in front of nearby St. John’s Church.

“If he opened it instead of brandishing it, he could have learned something,” Biden said as he chided authorities for using “tear gas and flash grenades in order to stage a photo op.”

Biden said Trump “might also want to open the U.S. Constitution. If he did, he’d find the First Amendment. It protects the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

Trump senior advisor Kellyanne Conway denied that the president directed authorities’ actions to move back the protesters and bristled at suggestions the church visit was merely a photo op. She countered that Biden and other critics had no basis to secondguess what was in the president’s heart and his intentions.

Still, Biden’s address

war between the American ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh reality that racism has long torn us apart.”

“The honest truth is both elements are part of the American character,” he said.

Since the early days of his candidacy, Biden has framed the election as a “battle for the soul of the nation.” He went into greater detail on Tuesday about what that meant and the questions voters should ask themselves.

“I ask every American to look at where we are now and think anew: Is this who we are?” he said. “Is this who we want to Democratic presidential candidate, be? Is this what we pass on to former Vice President Joe Biden speaks our kids’ and grandkids’ lives? in Philadelphia, Tuesday, June 2, 2020.

Fear and finger-pointing rather marked a new phase of a than hope and the pursuit of presidential campaign that had happiness? Incompetence and been effectively frozen for more anxiety? Self-absorption and than two months by the spread selfishness?” of the coronavirus. The former The tone was part of vice president is now emerging Biden’s effort to cast himself from his Delaware home to as a “consoler in chief” in confront Trump and using in- stark contrast to Trump’s blunt, person appearances to offer confrontational style. While direct competition with the he noted that his anguish over president, rather than relying on the death of his son Beau five virtual events that often failed years ago from cancer isn’t to garner a lot of attention. the same as the sadness felt by

Biden spoke as upheaval those protesting police brutality, in the wake of George Floyd’s he said he understood the death has spread around the hopelessness that can come country. While Biden spoke, with grief. the National Guard maintained “Like many of you, I a visible presence to defend know what it’s like to grieve,” public buildings as Philadelphia Biden said. “I know what it feels continues to face sustained like when you’re thinking you violent protests.

Several can’t go on.” buildings adjacent to City Hall, He said “bad cops should including banks, convenience be dealt with severely and stores and hotels, were boarded swiftly” and offered examples up. of how he might ease racial

He spoke of the “tug of tensions and govern.

UK’s Johnson offers visas for millions in Hong Kong

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Tuesday he would offer millions of Hong Kongers visas and a possible route to UK citizenship if China persists with its national security law.

“Many people in Hong Kong fear their way of life -- which China British Prime Minister Boris pledged to uphold -- is Johnson. under threat,” he wrote in an article for The Times newspaper and the South China Morning Post.

“If China proceeds to justify their fears, then Britain could not in good conscience shrug our shoulders and walk away; instead we will honour our obligations and provide an alternative.”

About 350,000 people in Hong Kong currently hold British National (Overseas) passports, which allow visa-free access to Britain for up to six months, Johnson wrote.

Another 2.5 million people would be eligible to apply for one.

“If China imposes its national security law, the British government will change our immigration rules and allow any holder of these passports from Hong Kong to come to the UK for a renewable period of 12 months and be given further immigration rights, including the right to work, which could place them on a route to citizenship,” he wrote.

The new law was brought in after a wave of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, and approved by Beijing’s rubber-stamp parliament as necessary to tackling “terrorism” and “separatism”.

Opponents fear it will lead to political oppression in the financial hub, eroding freedoms and autonomy supposedly guaranteed in the 1997 handover from Britain to China.

Johnson said the Hong Kong law would “curtail its freedoms and dramatically erode its autonomy”.

If implemented, “Britain would then have no choice but to uphold our profound ties of history and friendship with the people of Hong Kong”, he wrote.

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WORLD NEWS

Lockdowns ease across Europe, Asia with new tourism rules

The first day of June saw coronavirus restrictions ease from Asia to Europe on Monday, even as U.S. protests against police brutality sparked fears of new outbreaks. The Colosseum opened its ancient doors in Rome, ferries restarted in Bangladesh, golfers played in Greece, students returned in Britain and Dutch bars and restaurants were free to welcome hungry, thirsty patrons.

Countries around the Mediterranean Sea tentatively kicked off a summer season where tourists could bask in their famously sunny beaches while still being protected by social distancing measures from a virus that is marching relentlessly around the world.

“We are reopening a symbol. A symbol of Rome, a symbol for Italy,” said Alfonsina Russo, director of the Colosseum’s archaeological park. “(We are) restarting in a positive way, with a different pace, with a more sustainable tourism.”

Greece lifted lockdown measures Monday for hotels, campsites, open-air cinemas, golf courses and public swimming pools, while b eaches and museums reopened in Turkey and bars, restaurants, cinemas and museums came back to life in the Netherlands.

“Today, we opened two rooms and tomorrow three. It’s like building an anthill,” Athens hotel owner Panos Betis said as employees wearing face masks tidied a rooftop restaurant and cleaned a window facing the ancient Acropolis. “We can’t compare the season to last year.

We were at 95% capacity. Our aim now is to hang in there till 2021.”

A long line of masked visitors snaked outside the Vatican Museums, which include the Sistine Chapel, as they reopened for the first time in three months. Italy is eager to reboot its tourism industry, which accounts for 13% of its economy.

Visitors admire the Sistine Chapel as the Vatican Museum reopened, in Rome, Monday, June 1, 2020.

The Vatican Museums’ In Asia, Bangladesh famous keyholder — the restarted bus, train, ferry and “clavigero” who holds the keys to flight services Monday, hoping all the galleries on a big ring on that a gradual reopening his wrist — opened the gate in revives an economy in which a sign both symbolic and literal millions have become jobless. that the Museums were back in Traffic jams and crowds of business. commuters clogged Manila as

Still, strict crowd the Philippines tried to kickstart control measures were in place its economy. at both landmarks: visitors Around 6.19 million needed reservations to visit, infections have been reported their temperatures were taken worldwide, with over 372,000 before entering and masks were people dying, according to a tally mandatory.

by Johns Hopkins University.

“Having the opportunity The true death toll is believed to see the museums by making to be significantly higher, since a booking and not having to many died without ever being wait in line for three hours is tested. an opportunity,” said visitor In the U.S., the oftenStefano Dicozzi. violent protests over the death

The Dutch relaxation of George Floyd, a black man of coronavirus rules took place pinned at the neck by a white on a major holiday with the Minneapolis police officer, are sun blazing, raising immediate raising fears of new outbreaks fears of overcrowding in popular in a country that has more beach resorts. The new rules let confirmed infections and deaths bars and restaurants serve up than any other. to 30 people inside if they keep The U.S. has seen nearly social distancing, but there’s no 1.8 million infections and over standing at bars and reservations 104,000 deaths in the pandemic, are necessary. which has disproportionately

Britain, which with affected racial minorities in over 38,500 dead has the a nation that does not have world’s second-worst death toll universal health care. behind the United States, eased Protests over Floyd’s restrictions despite warnings death have shaken the U.S. from health officials that the from New York to Los Angeles. risk of spreading COVID-19 was Demonstrators are packed cheek still too great. Some elementary by jowl, many without masks, classes reopened in England and many shouting or singing. people could now have limited The virus itself is dispersed by contact with family and friends, microscopic droplets in the air but only outdoors and with when people cough, sneeze, talk social distancing. or sing.

Brazil toll tops 30,000 as Italy reopens borders

Brazil surpassed 30,000 deaths from the coronavirus outbreak as the disease continued to rip through Latin America, while Italy -- at one point the hardest-hit country -- prepared to reopen its borders in time for the European summer.

After chalking up devastating human losses in Europe, the virus has now taken a firm grip in Latin America, where Brazil surpassed a chilling landmark late Tuesday.

The latest official COVID-19 death toll of 31,199 is the fourth-highest in the world, after the US, Britain and Italy.

The figures come as some Brazilian states began to emerge from weeks of economicallystifling quarantine measures despite warnings from the WHO and epidemiologists it is too much, too soon.

“In the current situation, relaxing the measures is adding gasoline to the fire,” Rafael Galliez, an infectious diseases expert at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, told AFP.

Yet surfers and swimmers streamed back to the beach in Rio de Janeiro as the city started easing lockdown measures, allowing the reopening of places of worship and water sports.

“I think that here, in the water, there is no risk. It’s not like in the stores,” said Cesar Calmon as he delighted in the waves off Ipanema beach.

In Europe, most countries have flattened their initial infection curves and are gradually easing out of confinement as they try to curb the economic fallout of the shutdowns.

Italy reopened its borders to travellers from Europe Wednesday, three months after the country went into lockdown, with hopes for economic revival pinned on reigniting its tourism industry.

But there were fears many foreign tourists will be put off visiting a country where 33,000 people died of the disease.

“Come to Calabria. There’s only one risk: that you’ll get fat,” the southern region’s governor Jole Santelli said as the race began to lure big-spenders -- or any spenders -- back to Italy’s sandy shores.

In a symbolic victory in the French capital, Parisians reclaimed beloved cafe terraces that were allowed to sprawl across pavements to accommodate social distancing measures.

“Coffee on a terrace, that’s Paris!” said Martine Depagniat, among those enjoying the new freedom after 10 weeks of closures.

Schools, swimming pools, pubs and tourist sites are steadily reopening across the continent to ease the economic pain, and stock markets rose on European optimism, despite fears of a second wave of infections.

New York under curfew as looters hit luxury stores

New York was under a curfew that would last until early Tuesday morning, officials said, after looters raided stores in central Manhattan, targeting some of the city’s top retailers.

Upmarket fashion store Michael Kors on Fifth Avenue was among the luxury outlets hit, along with Nike, Lego and electronics shops across Midtown, before the 11:00 pm to 5:00 am curfew came into effect, AFP journalists said.

Groups of young people moved from block to block around the district, usually bustling with tourists but deserted due to the coronavirus, with entire streets blocked by police.

Images from local NY1 television showed some young people running out of a Best Buy electronics store

before being apprehended by the police.

Stores in the south of Manhattan suffered a similar fate, according to an AFP photographer.

The New York Times reported that the flagship Macy’s department store had also been targeted by looters.

Police did not immediately confirm this, simply saying that “numerous stores were hit” and arrests made “in the hundreds” across the city.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said a lot of stores around Madison Avenue had been hit and the situation was “really not acceptable.”

As a result he said the curfew would start from 8:00 pm on Tuesday instead of 11:00 pm.

“The city is fully under

control, and overwhelmingly calm and peaceful,” he nevertheless insisted on NY1.

The imposition of the curfew had been announced a few hours earlier by the mayor and New York state governor Andrew Cuomo after protests and looting during the weekend -- notably in the trendy SoHo district.

The mayor tweeted late Monday that “protesters were overwhelmingly peaceful today” but that some people were out to damage property and steal.

“We support peaceful protest in this city. But right now it’s time to go home,” de Blasio said.

“Some people are out tonight not to protest but to destroy property and hurt others -— and those people are being arrested. Their actions are

Looters hit stores in New York where the mayor has imposed an overnight curfew. unacceptable and we won’t allow them in our city.”

New York, the economic capital of the United States, and around 40 other cities across the country have imposed curfews after violent protests against police brutality triggered by the death of African-American George Floyd in Minnesota.

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

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WORLD NEWS

UK eases lockdown restrictions but many flout guidelines

The U.K. eased more lockdown restrictions Monday despite warnings from some health officials of another spike in coronavirus infections, especially if Britons persisted in flouting the new guidelines.

Most of the changes were in England, where a number of schools reopened to some — but not all — younger children for the first time since they closed in mid-March.

The easing of the lockdown, particularly in England, has raised concerns that it is taking place too soon for economic rather than health reasons, given a still-high level of coronavirus infections and a lack of evidence showing that the recently rolled out track and trace system is working properly.

Even in Scotland, there are worries over another spike in infections. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned that her government may reverse course if people contravened the rules as they

did over another sunny weekend.

She said police in Scotland dispersed 797 groups on Saturday alone for not abiding by the guidelines, five times higher than the previous Saturday. She also said road use on Sunday was up 70% on the week before.

Sturgeon said the rules will be tightened “if there is continued evidence of even a minority not abiding by these guidelines and travelling unnecessarily, if people meet up in larger groups or if they’re making journeys which risk spreading this virus.”

Over the weekend, as the U.K. basked in warm sunshine, beaches and parks were packed, with many people clearly not observing social distancing guidelines to stay 2 meters (6 1/2 feet) apart.

The four nations that make up the U.K. — England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — are moving at different speeds out of the lockdown that began March 23.

England has gone furthest.

As well as reopening primary schools, groups of six people are now able to meet up outdoors, including in gardens, provided social distancing guidelines are observed. Those people considered vulnerable, who have been asked to remain indoors and stay away from other people since March, are now also able to go for a walk.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who legislates on the changes in England, sought A father walks his twins to the Little Darling to counter concerns while saying Childcare after nurseries and primary schools the government would tighten partly reopened in England after the COVID-19 restrictions on a local level in the lockdown, in London, Monday, June 1, 2020. event of a flare-up. since March 27.

“The data show that He also said the U.K. recorded we’re winning the battle against 111 new coronavirus-related deaths, coronavirus,” he said. “Today, we’re the lowest daily total since the therefore able to make some cautious lockdown was put in place on changes to the lockdown rules March 23. However, figures released carefully and safely.” on Mondays have throughout the

Hancock pointed to the fact pandemic been artificially low that the confirmed number of new because of a lag in reporting deaths daily infections was 1,570, the lowest during the weekend.

Medical examiner: Floyd’s heart stopped while restrained

A medical examiner on Monday classified George Floyd’s death as a homicide, saying his heart stopped as police restrained him and compressed his neck, in a widely seen video that has sparked protests across the nation.

“Decedent experienced a cardiopulmonary arrest while being restrained by law enforcement officer(s),” the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a news release. Cause of death was listed as “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint and neck compression.”

Under “other significant conditions” it said Floyd suffered from heart disease and hypertension, and listed fentanyl intoxication and recent methamphetamine use. Those factors were not listed under cause of death.

A Minneapolis police officer was charged last week with third-degree murder in Floyd’s death, and three other officers were fired. Bystander video showed the officer, Derek Chauvin, holding his knee on Floyd’s neck despite the man’s cries that he can’t breathe until he eventually stopped moving.

A separate autopsy commissioned for Floyd’s family also called his death a homicide.

It concluded that that he died of asphyxiation due to neck and back compression, said the family’s attorney, Ben Crump, who called for the charge against Chauvin to be upgraded to firstdegree murder and for three other officers to be charged.

He didn’t say what the charges against the other officers should be.

That autopsy, by a forensic pathologist who also examined Eric Garner’s body,

found the compression cut off blood to Floyd’s brain, and that the pressure of other officers’ knees on his back made it impossible for him to breathe, Crump said.

Both the medical examiner and the family’s experts differed from the description in last week’s criminal complaint against the officer of how Floyd died. The complaint, citing preliminary findings from the medical examiner, listed the effects of being restrained, along with underlying health issues and potential intoxicants in Floyd’s system. But it also said nothing was found “to support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation.” Neither side has released its full autopsy report so far.

The family’s autopsy found no evidence of heart disease and concluded he had been healthy.

Floyd, a black man who was in handcuffs at the time, died after Chauvin, who is white, ignored bystander shouts to get off Floyd and Floyd’s cries that he couldn’t breathe. His death sparked days of protests in Minneapolis and around America.

The complaint provided no details about intoxicants. In the 911 call that drew police, the caller described the man suspected of paying with counterfeit money as “awfully drunk and he’s not in control of himself.”

Floyd’s family and attorneys, like the families of other black men killed by police, commissioned their own autopsy because they didn’t trust local authorities to produce an unbiased report.

The family’s autopsy was done by Michael Baden and Allecia Wilson. Baden is the

This undated file photo provided by Christopher Harris shows George Floyd. former chief medical examiner of New York City, and was hired to do an autopsy of Garner, a black man who died in 2014 after New York police placed him in a chokehold and he pleaded that he could not breathe.

Baden also did an autopsy at the family’s request for Michael Brown, an 18-yearold shot by police in Ferguson, Missouri. He said Brown didn’t reveal signs of a struggle, casting doubt on a claim by police that a struggle between Brown and the officer led to the shooting.

Dr. Judy Melinek, a forensic pathologist from the San Francisco Bay area who blogs about the subject and is not connected with the case, said the key difference between the medical examiner’s conclusions and those of Baden and Walker are the official finding of “significant” conditions for Floyd, including heart disease and drugs in his system.

Baden and Wilson acknowledged on a conference call with reporters that they didn’t have access to the tissue samples that the medical examiner kept that might have given more information on his health. Nor did they have their own toxicology results yet.

Trump Denies, Then Admits, Going to White House Bunker During Protest

WASHINGTON — President Trump on Wednesday first denied and then acknowledged that he had gone to a secure bunker in the White House as protesters demonstrated nearby but said he went there for an “inspection,” not because of concerns over his safety.

“Well, it was a false report,” Mr. Trump said during an interview with Brian Kilmeade of Fox News Radio, who had asked if he had been brought to the bunker along with his family as protests continued.

But then Mr. Trump reversed himself, and said he had gone to the bunker. But he did not say when he went to the bunker or with whom. “I wasn’t down — I went down during the day, and I was there for a tiny little short period of time, and it was much more for an inspection, there was no problem during the day.”

Mr. Trump added that he had been there “two, two and a half” times before because he had “done different things” related to inspecting the bunker.

The president’s account was contradicted by a person with firsthand knowledge who told The New York Times in a report published Sunday that on Friday night, Secret Service agents nervous for his safety abruptly rushed him to an underground bunker used in the past during terrorist attacks.

A second official familiar with the events said the agents acted after the White House’s security status was changed to “red” amid the protests, a warning of a heightened threat. Officials said the president was never really in danger, but that he and his family were rattled by the sometimes violent protests near the White House.

Mr. Trump’s concern over the perception that he was hiding prompted him on Monday to tell his staff that he wanted to take some kind of action to address that impression. After a discussion over whether to send the military into American cities, he decided instead to walk across Lafayette Square to a church damaged by fire the night before, but not before law enforcement officers used-riot control tactics, including pepper spray and other chemical irritants, dispersed a crowd of demonstrators to clear his path.

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JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

the Commissioner of Labour& Work Permit Board Zone 2 Salary Range:$50,000 – $60,000 per annum DATE OPEN: June 4, 2020 START DATE: ASAP POSITION: Pool and Beach Supervisor PROPERTY:West Bay Club

OPEN JOB POSITION DATE OPEN: June 4, 2020 START DATE: ASAP POSITION: Director of Spa & Boutique, GBR PROPERTY: Grace Bay Resorts Job Summary:Accountable for the day to day operations of The Anani Spa & Boutique outlets with the responsibility of the department and area.

Ensure that Grace Bay Resorts (GBR) Values and Mission are understood and practiced in all outlets by maintaining a well-trained, efficient and professional staff whose focus will be on providing a memorable guest experience while perfecting the basics and creating spontaneous handmade experiences. Maintain a financially efficient operation with a keen focus on revenue generation, inventory turn, and profitability.

Essential Function •Ensure all guests are being treated in an efficient and courteous manner and that all GBC standards are being applied and exceeded.

•Responsible for the hiring, training, and direction of new & existing department Associates. Ensure all Associates are being mentored, coached, and developed. (Inclusive of Forbes & Leading Hotels of the World).

•Responsible for the generation of revenues and obtaining yearly budgeted goals for revenue and profitability. Work in conjunction with accounting to maintain an accurate inventory, timely invoice payments, accurate expenses and accurate payroll. Conduct quarterly physical inventory counts.

•Ensure that The Anani Spa & Boutique service standards are complied with and that policies and procedures are consistently applied.

•Attend all required Operational Meetings, Rooms Meetings, HR Meetings/Activities and Trainings.

•Assist in the daily maintenance and organization of the outlets to achieve optimal levels of revenues while maintaining high levels of guest expectations.

•Ensure the timely completion of performance appraisals.

Job Requirements •Responsible for budgeting, forecasting, financial planning and management of The Anani Spa & Boutique Operations.

•Responsible for sales to guests through The Anani Spa & Boutique areas (performance indicators are sales, profits, growth, turnover, etc.)

•Responsible for the implementation and training of standard operating policies (SOPs) for The Anani Spa & Boutique.

•Responsible for promoting the product and services to the targeted guests. Develop promotional programs, point of sales materials, merchandising activities for The Anani Spa & Boutique.

•Responsible for enhancing the product and service for the GBC guest.

Recommend changes to the product and services. Research innovative ways to better the services of The Anani Spa & Boutique.

•Responsible for maintaining quality of product and ensuring consistency in its delivery/standards.

•Any other duties as assigned by the Executive Assistant Manager – Rooms.

•Additional duties as necessary and assigned.

Specific Job Knowledge, Skills and Abilities •Must be able to speak, read, write and understand English in the workplace.

•Must be able to read and write to facilitate the communication process.

•Requires good communication skills, both verbal and written.

•Must possess basic computational ability.

•Must possess solid computer skills.

•Ability to supervise subordinate staff, including, but not limited to, assignment of duties, evaluating service and taking disciplinary action when necessary.

•Ability to solve problems and make rational decisions.

•Knowledge of Resort operations, its services, and facilities.

Physical Demands •Most work tasks are performed indoors, but includes outdoor functions.

•Position requires walking and giving direction most of the working day.

•Must be able to exert well-paced ability to reach different outlets and other departments of the Resort on a timely basis.

•Must be able to exert well-paced ability in limited space.

•Must be able to bend, stoop, squat and stretch to fulfill cleaning tasks.

•Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs. on a regular and continuing basis.

•Talking and hearing occur continuously in the process of communicating with guests, supervisors and subordinates (including attending Company Socializing Events like Managers Cocktail Party).

•Requires manual dexterity to use and operate all necessary equipment.

This position is currently held by an expatriate worker Qualified Islanders need only to apply copying applications to

Job Description: Directs and organizes the activities of the Pool & Beach departments to maintain the high standards of the Pool & Beach and food and beverage quality. Plans and directs the functions of administration and planning of the Pool & Beach department to meet the daily needs of the operation. Implements effective controls of labor costs. Ensures compliance with health, safety, sanitation and alcohol awareness standards.

Interviews, trains, supervise, counsels, schedules and evaluate staff.

Adherence to establish policies, standards and procedures are required at all times in order to achieve high levels of customer satisfaction, quality service, compliance with corporate policies and procedures and local regulations.

Job Requirements: •Manage and oversee pool and beach attendants: Plan and organize workloads and staff assignments for staff •Meet regularly with staff for briefing and training •Monitor time sheets and prepare payroll reports •Ensure that all equipment and tools are available and to give the guests the best vacation possible This position is currently held by an expatriate worker Qualified Islanders need only to apply copying applications to the Commissioner of Labour& Work Permit Board Zone 2 Salary Range: $1,500 - $1,700 per month DATE OPEN: June 4, 2020 START DATE: ASAP POSITION: Senior A/C Technician PROPERTY: Grace Bay Club Job Overview:Air-conditioning and Cooler Technician or A/C Technician is responsible in conducting maintenance check and repairs for air-con and other cooling or heating system.

Responsibilities: •Conduct maintenance check for air-con, heaters and coolers •Install Air-con and heaters.

•Repair damage and dysfunctional air-con, heaters and coolers •Check its functions and status •Change spare parts •Document the reported damage of the air-con, heaters or cooler •Check the its major parts •Conduct daily routine for inspections •Check leakage Requirements: •Must have at least 5 years’ experience as a A/C Technician Full time. Weekend and holiday work may be required.

This position is currently held by an expatriate worker Qualified Islanders need only to apply copying applications to the Commissioner of Labour& Work Permit Board Zone 2 Salary Range:$9.50 - $10.20 per hour DATE OPEN: June 4, 2020 START DATE: ASAP POSITION: Waiter (2) PROPERTY: Grace Bay Club

Job Overview: Prepare tables with special attention to sanitation and order. Attend to customers upon entrance. Present menus and help customers select food/beverages. Take/serve orders and answer questions or make recommendations for other products. Deal with complaints or problems with a positive attitude. Issue bills and accept payment. The individual must be well groomed, clean and polite. Previous experience is a must and should be able to speak and write English. Shifts varies. Full time. Weekend and holiday work may be required.

This position is currently held by an expatriate worker Qualified Islanders need only to apply copying applications to the Commissioner of Labour& Work Permit Board Zone 2 Salary Range: $6.75 - $7.25 per hour DATE OPEN: June 4, 2020 START DATE: ASAP POSITION: IT Professional PROPERTY: Grace Bay Resorts Requirements:IT Systems Administration experience; Strong knowledge of VMWare, NAS, SQUID, WEBMIN; Strong knowledge of In-House Surveillance camera systems; Knowledge of Microsoft 2xxx Server architecture such as roles, networking etc.; Knowledge of Microsoft Active Directory; Knowledge of SAN/NAS storage system; Knowledge of Remote Desktop; Knowledge in Linux operating system; Knowledge in configuring squid proxy access policy; Knowledge in Virtual Private Network (VPN); Experience in Point of Sale Jonas system and Jonas Accounting software; Experience in Micros OPERA administration; Experience in SaflokDoorlock system administration; Basic Knowledge in Electronics system; Experience

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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This position is currently held by an expatriate worker Qualified Islanders need only to apply copying applications to the Commissioner of Labour& Work Permit Board Zone 2 Salary Range: $6.25 - $6.50 per hour DATE OPEN: June 4, 2020 POSITION: Line Cook

OPEN JOB POSITION in Avotus Call Accounting system; Basic Knowledge in Night Audit Daily activities:Be responsible for server infrastructure support and maintenance (Linux Ubuntu) and Windows Server and workstation; Responsible to troubleshoot electronics systems (TV, Sound Systems, PA Systems); Responsible to troubleshoot Doorlock systems; Responsible to troubleshoot Guest internet and Office internet connection; Provide email configuration and support; Responsible daily POS transaction and report; Responsible OPERA PMS operation; Responsible surveillance camera system This position is currently held by an expatriate worker Qualified Islanders need only to apply copying applications to the Commissioner of Labour& Work Permit Board Zone 2 Salary Range:$40,000 - $50,000 per annum DATE OPEN: June 4, 2020 START DATE: ASAP POSITION: Housekeeper PROPERTY: Point Grace Job Overview:We are looking for a professional Housekeeper able of attending to our facilities with integrity and attention to detail. The goal is to create a clean and orderly environment for our guests that will become a critical factor in maintaining and strengthening our reputation.

Responsibilities: •Perform a variety of cleaning activities such as sweeping, mopping, dusting and polishing •Ensure all rooms are cared for and inspected according to standards •Protect equipment and make sure there are no inadequacies •Notify superiors on any damages, deficits and disturbances •Deal with reasonable complaints/requests with professionalism and patience •Check stocking levels of all consumables and replace when appropriate •Adhere strictly to rules regarding health and safety and be aware of any company-related practices

START DATE: ASAP PROPERTY: Grace Bay Club

Job Overview:A Line Cook’s major responsibility is to prepare food, help the kitchen workers in the preparation of food items and set up allocated stations for menu, as instructed by Chef and compliant with standards.

They also arrange, prepare and break down the stations while maintaining the uppermost hygienic standards. Shifts vary. Full time. Weekend and holiday work may be required.

This position is currently held by an expatriate worker Qualified Islanders need only to apply copying applications to the Commissioner of Labour& Work Permit Board Zone 2 Salary Range: $6.75 - $7.25 per hour DATE OPEN: June 4, 2020 POSITION: Houseman

START DATE: ASAP PROPERTY: Grace Bay Club

Job Responsibilities:A houseman’s primary job duties include cleaning and maintaining guest rooms, bathrooms, work areas, furnishings and carpets. Cleaning rooms includes duties such as changing bed linens and emptying trash as well as vacuuming carpets and dusting furniture. You’ll also replenish guest supplies, such as hand soap and shampoo. Your duties don’t end with guest rooms, however, because you’re responsible for cleaning common areas, such as banquet and meeting rooms. Secondary duties may include shoveling snow from walkways, assisting bellmen, answering guest questions and helping the front desk person.

This position is currently held by an expatriate worker Qualified Islanders need only to apply copying applications to the Commissioner of Labour& Work Permit Board Zone 2 Salary Range: $6.25 - $7.10 per hour Interested persons can contact our Human Resources Department no later than June 18, 2020 @ (649) 946-5050 Ext. 1020 Email: humanresources@gracebayclub.com Fax: (649) 946-5758 P.O. Box 128 Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, British West Indies

GOVERNMENT VACANCIES (APPLICATION DEADLINE: 12TH JUNE 2020) JOB REFERENCE NO: JOB TITLE: MINISTRY: DEPARTMENT: LOCATION: SALARY:

APB1-20-74 Registrar Education, Youth, Culture, Social and Library Services TCI TVET Institution Providenciales Grade 6 - $33,415.00

JOB SUMMARY: Reporting to the Director/Principal, the Registrar is responsible for the administration of policies and procedures to guide the admission, registration, records management and student affairs/services activities of the Campus.

JOB REFERENCE NO: JOB TITLE: MINISTRY: DEPARTMENT: LOCATION: SALARY:

APB1-20-74 Dean Education, Youth, Culture, Social and Library Services & TCI TVET Institution Providenciales Grade 5.1 - $26,650.00

JOB SUMMARY: The Dean is responsible for providing effective leadership in the implementation of strategic and operational plans and policies; directing the academic, financial and administrative functions of the TVET Institution. The Dean is therefore responsible for managing the administrative and academic functions of the Campus, ensuring the delivery of quality training programmes in preparing a pool of certified, competent workers for the development and maintenance of the Turks and Caicos workforce at excellent standard. Additionally, the Dean is also responsible for establishing and managing the income generating, micro Training Based Enterprises.

For full details regarding this position please visit our website at https://www.gov.tc/government-vacancies Please note: (Applications that are not accompanied by all required supporting documents will not be processed).

(APPLICATION DEADLINE: 12TH JUNE 2020)

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS GOVERNMENT

The Judicial Service Commission The Judicial Service Commission of the Turks and Caicos Islands invites applications for the positions of 2 MAGISTRATES SALARY PER MAGISTRATE: $59,552.52 per annum (tax free) The 2 post-holders will each be responsible for the conduct of: (1) The Magistrate’s Court in Grand Turk, with additional responsibility for court sittings at South Caicos Magistrate’s Court.

(2) The Magistrate’s Court at Providenciales.

Both magistrates will handle cases regarding criminal, traffic, youth justice, juvenile (care and protection), guardianship and custody of children, maintenance/ affiliation, civil matters and coroner’s inquests in their respective courts.

RENUMERATION PACKAGE: PROFESSIONAL ALLOWANCE - $6,000 per annum TELEPHONE ALLOWANCE - $1,800 per annum TRANSPORTATION ALLOWANCE - $ 2,760 per annum HOUSING ALLOWANCE – $120,250.00 per annum Please submit completed applications to: James Astwood Secretary, Judicial Services Commission Waterloo, Grand Turk Turks and Caicos Islands Applications can be sent by facsimile to 649 946-2903 or sent by email to Jaastwood@gov.tc with the subject line : MAGISTRATE APPLICATION. If sent by courier, envelopes should have the subject: MAGISTRATE APPLICATION clearly marked on the front.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ONLY SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED FOR INTERVIEWS. Closing date: 15th June 2020

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RAFAEL CASTILLO

Maclean Robinson

Heywood McIntosh

Location: Bay Road, Wheeland, Blue Hills, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands Is seeking a Domestic Worker Must be able to do general cleaning, speak English, honest and trustworthy To work 5 days a week Salary is $250.00 weekly Please Contact: 243-4580 / 244-5274 This position is currently held by a Work Permit Holder Interested Belongers must submit their application to the Labourer Board

Location: 38B Leeside Avenue, Long Bay, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands Is seeking a Domestic Worker Must be able to do general household cleaning, honest and hardworking To work 5 days per week Salary $6.25 per week Please Contact: 241-6277 This position is currently held by a Work Permit Holder Interested Turks and Caicos Islanders are encouraged to apply directly and submit a copy of their application to the Labour Board

Location: 41 Jupa Sound, Morris Street, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands Is seeking a Domestic Worker Must be able to do general cleaning, speak English, honest and trustworthy Must be able to work 5 days a week Salary is $7.00 an hour Please Contact: 245-3339 / 241-0113 This position is new Interested Turks and Caicos Islanders are encouraged to send a copy of their application to the Labour Board

#195241

Sharper Image

#195238

GRACE BAY MEDICAL CENTER

POSH SALON

K2 Construction

Location: 30 Dock Yard Kewtown, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Seeking employment for the following: 2- Masons - $9.00 per hour 2- Carpenters - $9.00 per hour 1 – Painter -$9.00 per hour Duties: Install structures and fixtures, such as windows and molding. Measure, cut, or shape wood, plastic, and other materials.

Duties: Prepares surfaces prior to beginning work. Fabricates, alters, repairs, and maintains walls, sidewalks, street curbs, floors, bathroom showers, sink counters, partitions, manholes, and other related structures or surfaces. Lays blocks or bricks following blueprints, plans, or drawings.

Duties: Mixing matching, and applying paints and other finishes to various surfaces Must be able to work 5 days per week Position is vacant and Belongers are encouraged to apply Please contact: 246-4008 All application must be submitted through Labour Department

WILCA LTD

Florice Forbes Location: 215 Blue Hills, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands Is seeking (1) Labourer Duties include general cleaning Must be able to work 5 days per week Salary is $6.25 Per Hour Please Contact: 247-7819 This position is currently held by a Work Permit Holder Interested Belongers must submit their application to the Labourer Board #195236

Lyndon Robinson /Wet-Spot Bar

Location: Airport Hotel Plaza, Providenciales Is seeking one (1) Barber Utilize clippers, combs, rushes, scissors, and blow-out guns to style and cut hair To work 6 days per week Salary $7.00 per hour Please Contact: 232-6695 This position is currently held by a Work Permit Holder Interest Turks & Caicos Islander applicants must send a copy of their resume to the Immigration Board on Airport Road in Providenciales

Location: Five Cays Rd, building 7, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands The salon is need of the following: •2 stylist •2 braiders •2 nail techs •1 Esthetician All positions require cosmetology and or esthetician certificate from accredited institution, and work portfolio.

Job duties: Hair, nail, and or skin care procedures. Training benefits.

Please Call 649-345-8631 for inquiries or email keisher46@yahoo.com.

These positions are New / Commission base salaries/ 3 day minimum week/ 9am - 6pm Interested Belongers must submit their application to the Labourer Board

Location: Neptune Plaza, Providenciales TCI Is seeking to employ a Registered Massage Therapist Requirements and Duties: •Provide Massage Therapy for injured patients •Minimum of 6 years working at a Wellness Centre •Post-Secondary degree or equivalent •Ability to provide preventative care •Be proficient in Therapeutic Massage •Ability to assess range of motion and muscle strength Monthly salary $2800.00 to $4000.00 depending on experience BELONGERS ONLY NEED TO APPLY The position is currently held by a work permit holder Email: cynthia@gracebaymedical.com phone: 649-941-5252 fax: 649-946-8243

Location: Unit 12 La Vista Azul, Turtle Cove, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands Is seeking an INSURANCE ADJUSTER First time Work Permit Nature of position: Qualified Candidates must have Recognized Loss Adjusting Qualification, must hold an Engineering or Construction Degree and have International Experience.

The Candidate must also have a minimum of 25 years Adjusting Experience and must also have Catastrophe Adjusting Experience.

The applicant must have a Drivers License and a Clean Police Record. This position is Commission based remuneration.

Interested Persons should submit resume and references to Unit 12 La Vista Azul, Turtle Cove, Providenciales

Location: 85 Five Cays, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands Is seeking a Bar Maid Duties include preparing alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages for bar and patrons.

Interacting with customers, taking orders and serving and drinks To work 5 days a week Salary is $6.50 per hour Please Contact: 231-8448 This position is currently held by a Work Permit Holder Interested Belongers must submit their application to the Labourer Board #195242

KALOOKI’S

Belle Femme Rose

Henn Holdings Ltd.

Provo Discount Ltd.

TC Industrial Services LTD

Location: #1 Le Vele Plaza, Grace Bay Rd, Grace Bay, Providenciales, TCI Is seeking a COOK Salary $7.00 p/h Duties: Cleans food preparation areas as determined by law and company policy. Prepares foods to the specifications of the Client Please Contact: Tel: 649-332-3388 Belongers are encouraged to send a copy of their resume to the labour board.

This position is currently held by work permit holder

Location: La Vista Azul, Unit #14, Turtle Cove, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands Is seeking Two (2) Nail Technician Duties: Perform manicure/ Pedicure, Nail Polishing, Acrylic nails and must be able to treat each client with excellent services To work 6 days a week Salary is $6.25 per hour Please Contact: +1 (649) 232-9275 This position is currently held by a Work Permit Holder Interested Turks and Caicos Islanders are encouraged to send a copy of their application to the Labour Board

dba Shay Cafe Lounge Location: Grace Bay, Providenciales, TCI Looking for a CHEF Must have experience & excellent communication skills Must be flexible and willing to work early mornings, weekends and holidays.

Must be dependable, willing to work with a flexible schedule between the hours of 5am-4pm.

Must have excellent physical condition and stamina for fast paced environment.

Salary based on experience.

Position held by work permit holder Please forward resume to: hennholdings@gmail.com Interested Belongers must submit their application to the Labourer Board

Location: Unit 1, Central Square, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands Seeking: Four (4) Domestic Workers Duties: Operate Cash Register with POS system, Greet Customers, Inventory, Stock and Tidy Store Salary: $6.25/hr Positions currently held by work permit holders CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS IS JUNE 15, 2020 Applications can be dropped off at the office, Immigration Board, and/or emailed to pdl@tciway.tc

Caicos Bakery & Retail LTD

Agnes Jestina Swann

Linley Goldman

Oswald Wilson

Location: #295 Governors Road, Grace Bay Road (behind Caicos café), Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands Is seeking suitable qualified applicants to fill the following position: Baker & Pastry Chef Specialized in gluten free and organic products Have 5yrs experience in similar position Excellent Interpersonal skills Excellent written & verbal communication Ability to work within a team Must be a team player Suitable qualified candidates should apply in writing or send resume to: Phone (649)242-2266(Eric) Please Email: bakerytc@gmail.com These positions are currently held by Work Permit Holders Applicants who are Turks and Caicos Islanders should also send copies of their application to the Labour Board #195245

Location: North Caicos, Turk and Caicos Islands Is seeking a Maintenance Worker To deliver quality grounds maintenance services at the highest standard Must be able to work 5 days week Salary is $9.00 per hour Please Contact: 246-7382 This position is currently held by a work Permit Holder Interested Belongers must submit their application to the Labourer Board

In South Caicos Is seeking a Labourer To assist with masonry work Must work 5 days per week Salary: $8.00 per hour Please contact 241-7477 This position is currently held by a work permit holder Interested Turks and Caicos Islanders are encouraged to send a copy of their application to the Labour Board

Is seeking one Fisherman On the Island of South Caicos Pay is $300.00 per week Applicants must be able to fish, swim, clean and pack seafood products This positon is currently held by a Work Permit Holder Please contact 343 – 0456 Interested Turks and Caicos Islanders must submit copied of their applications to the Labour Board

Norman Cox/ Seaview Market / Ocean and Beach Resort Is seeking Domestic workers, Laborers, Bar Maid and chef/cook Applicants must be able to clean, wash, iron, left at least 50lbs, mix drinks and serve Pay is minimum wage These positions are currently held by Work Permit Holders Please Contact 232 – 4554 Interested Turks and Caicos Islanders must submit copied of their applications to the Labour Board

Diosa Haven

Alden Durham

Kasey N. Pierre

CARL AND MARJORIE SIMMONS

#195247

Of South Dock Road in Providenciales Is seeking the services of a HOUSEKEEPER General Duties: Cleaning and maintenance of the residential dwelling to include meal preparation and service Basic requirement: Experience in a similar role is necessary as well as the ability to speak and write English fluently Starting Salary is $6.50 per hour for six days a week Please Contact (649) 331-5396 or email msimmons@ tciway.tc to arrange an interview or send copies of application to the Labour Board Application Deadline: June 16th, 2020.

This position is currently held by a work permit holder #195244

Location: #64 yellow Elder Street, Leeward Palms, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands Is seeking One (1) MAID Duties: For the above position, applicants must have a willing, positive and personable attitude as well as they should also enjoy working with people and be willing to learn Include General Cleaning To work 6 days a week Salary is $6.50 per hour Please Contact: 1 (649) 431-8452 This position is currently held by a Work Permit Holder Interested Belongers must submit their application to the Labourer Board

Is seeking one Domestic Worker On the Island of South Caicos Pay is $300.00 per week Applicants must be able to clean, wash, iron and cook This position is currently held by a Work Permit Holder Please contact 331 – 4000 Interested Turks and Caicos Islanders must submit copied of their applications to the Labour Board #195249

Location: #32 Industrial Park, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands Is seeking One (1) 5- year experience GAS TECHNICIAN With knowledge of residential, commercial, industrial and service call This position is available immediately Salary is $600.00/week This position requires a flexible schedule (to include holidays and weekends) and extended hours on occasion Applicants are required to submit applications to Joseph Simms of Tc Industrial Services Via email tcisimms@yahoo.com or contact 941-4051 or call: 232-0088 and the Immigration Boards Zone 1 CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATION: JUNE 15TH, 2020 #195246

Is seeking one Fisherman On the Island of South Caicos Pay is $300.00 per week Applicants must be able to fish, swim, clean and pack seafood products This position is currently held by a Work Permit Holder Please contact 346 – 5216 Interested Turks and Caicos Islanders must submit copied of their applications to the Labour Board

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LIFE STYLE WORLD NEWS

Nevada betting on health safety as Las Vegas casinos reopen

After 78 days of historic quiet, cards will be cut, dice will roll and jackpots can jingle again 12:01 a.m.

Thursday at casinos in Las Vegas and throughout Nevada.

There will be big splashes — even amid ongoing protests over the death of a man in police custody in Minnesota — and big hopes for recovery from an unprecedented and expensive shutdown prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.

“There’s a tremendous amount on the line, not only for casinos, but for the community and the state,” said Alan Feldman, a longtime casino executive now a fellow at the International Gaming Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “This is an extremely important moment.”

Casino resorts that had been famously always open were shuttered in mid-March — idling Nevada’s key tourism and hospitality industry nearly 89 years to the day since gambling was legalized in 1931.

Gov. Steve Sisolak’s emergency order closed non-essential businesses to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Now, property owners, state regulators and Sisolak, a Democrat who has been criticized for the closure, are balancing those concerns against the loss of billions of dollars a month in gambling revenue and almost half a million unemployed workers.

They are betting that safety measures — disinfected dice; hand sanitizer and face masks everywhere; limited numbers of players at tables; temperature checks at entrances to some resorts; touchless cellphone check-ins — will lure tourists back.

A worker looks over an electronic slot machine as chairs have been removed from some machines to maintain social distancing between players at a closed Caesars Palace hotel and casino in Las Vegas.

They know it will look different.

“I’m optimistic that customers will see that gaming properties invested time and effort to welcome them back to a safe and entertaining environment,” state Gaming Control Board chief Sandra Douglass Morgan said Wednesday.

The regulatory board required detailed health safety plans by last week, before giving the goahead to reopen.

Morgan didn’t specify if any plans were rejected, saying agents “communicated concerns or asked for clarification” from an unspecified number of the state’s 459 licensed casinos. The board also regulates nearly 2,000 bars, restaurants and convenience stores that have no more than 15 slot machines.

It won’t quite be business as usual when the iconic Bellagio fountains dance back to life at dawn Thursday. Analysts like Feldman think it will take a long time to recover.

“This is going to be a pretty

Can the coronavirus survive on money?

Yes, but experts say the risk of getting the virus from cash is low compared with person-toperson spread, which is the main way people get infected.

Still, many businesses worldwide have banned cash transactions and governments are taking extra precautions.

When it’s an option, use touch-free payment methods, such as purchasing goods over the phone or online, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you must use cash or a debit card, the agency recommends using hand sanitizer immediately after paying.

A study in March found

Illustration by Peter Hamlin. the virus can live on cardboard for up to 24 hours, but it did not test how long it survives on paper money. And using a plastic credit or debt card instead doesn’t eliminate risk either. The study found the virus can live on plastic for up to three days, though the work doesn’t prove that anyone has been infected by touching contaminated surfaces.

Can COVID-19 survive on my phone?

Yes. That’s why a daily wipe down of “high-touch” surfaces like phones, keyboards and tablet computers is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A scientific test shows the virus can live on plastic or stainless steel for two to three days.

To clean your phone, first turn it off and unplug it from cables. Tech companies say you’ll want to avoid getting moisture inside the phone so don’t put it into cleaning solutions or spray it

directly.

You can gently use disinfectant wipes, like Clorox wipes, or anything with 70 percent alcohol to clean your device.

Phone carrier AT&T recommends wringing out disinfectant wipes before using them on a phone.

Paper towels work, too, if you spray them with disinfectant.

Google says you can dip a cloth in soap and water to clean off your phone.

long, slow climb,” said Feldman, who was with MGM Resorts when Las Vegas experienced an abrupt air travel stop after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, and later a crippling plunge in business during the Great Recession over a decade ago.

Recovery took years — reaching best-ever numbers last January and February: taxable casino winnings at $1 billion each month; unemployment at an all-time low of 3.6%.

By April, casino winnings were a fraction of 1% of a year earlier, and unemployment reached 28.2%, topping figures in any state even during the Great Depression.

“I’m hopeful it is a consistent climb, without setbacks,” Feldman added, “better than a surge and then a setback.”

UBS gaming analyst Robin Farley noted for investors that the biggest casino operators, MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, won’t immediately open all their properties.

Wynn Resorts, the Venetian and Palazzo are slated to open Thursday morning, along with the landmark STRAT casino and tower, Derek Stevens’ downtown properties and others around Las Vegas owned

by Boyd Gaming and Red Rock Resorts.

Station Casinos properties are using slot machine icons with customer advisories to “Touch buttons. Not faces, and “Stay Reel Healthy.”

The first visitors are expected to be area residents, then motorists from nearby U.S. states and then air travelers.

“The market still relies heavily on air traffic, and the longer stays in Vegas are usually tied to mass social gatherings, including conventions ... concerts and fights, all of which may take longer to recover,” Farley said.

The message will be, “Thank you for coming and believing and trusting us. We’re excited to have you here,’ ” MGM Resorts International chief executive Bill Hornbuckle said during a recent walk-through of the Bellagio casino floor.

Plastic partitions will separate mask-wearing dealers and three players at blackjack tables.

Employees and guests will be able to use newly installed handwashing stations.

Convention halls, nightclubs, swimming pool parties and arena spectacles will remain mostly dark.

“It may be a little different,” Hornbuckle said. “But I think it will be memorable, personable and special.”

Masks and social distancing work, new analysis finds

Masks and social distancing can help control the coronavirus but hand washing and other measures are still needed, a new analysis finds.

Researchers concluded single-layer cloth masks are less effective than surgical masks, while tight-fitting N95 masks provide the best protection. A distance of 1 meter (more than 3 feet) between people lowers the danger of catching the virus, while 2 meters (about 6 1/2 feet) is even better.

Eye protection such as eyeglasses or goggles can help too.

None of the strategies work perfectly and more rigorous studies are needed, according to the analysis published Monday.

With the coronavirus still new, health officials have relied on studies involving its cousins, severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome.

The findings come from a systematic review of 44 studies, including seven involving the virus causing COVID-19. The remaining focused on SARS or MERS.

“This puts all that information clearly in one place for policymakers to use,” said study coauthor Dr. Derek Chu of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

A man and woman wearing masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus walk past a cartoon advising people to wash their hands on a boarded up storefront in San Francisco.

Still to come are results from more rigorous experiments in Canada and Denmark that are testing masks in randomly assigned groups of nurses and the general public.

Until then, the new study in the journal Lancet provides reassurance that masks do help.

Public health officials have given conflicting advice about masks.

The World Health Organization, which funded the new analysis, has said healthy people need to wear a mask only if they are caring for a person with COVID-19.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wants everyone to wear at least a cloth mask when grocery shopping or in similar situations where keeping distance is difficult.

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BUSINESS &

WORLD NEWS BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

TECHNOLOGY SpaceX Crew Dragon delivers two NASA astronauts to International Space Station

Nearly 24 hours after launching from Florida, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule delivered NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station on Sunday, marking the first U.S. space capsule to do so with a crew since 2011.

The space station’s current crew welcomed them aboard with hugs and handshakes on schedule at 1:25 p.m. EDT, after executing a critical spacecraft docking milestone and kicking off the crew’s potentially months-long stay in the orbital laboratory.

Applause could be heard from the station’s downlink to mission control in Houston, Texas as Behnken, 49, and Hurley 53, became the first American astronauts launched to the station from U.S. soil in nearly a decade.

“I will tell you, the whole world saw this mission, and we are so, so proud for everything you have done for our country and in fact to inspire the world,” NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said on a phone line through mission control.

“It’s great to get the United States back in the crewed launch business, and we’re just really glad to be on board this magnificent complex,” Hurley said.

Saturday’s launch by SpaceX, the private rocket company of billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, represented another milestone for the reusable rockets it pioneered to make spaceflight less costly and more frequent.

It also marked the first time that commercially developed space vehicles - owned and operated by a private entity rather than NASA - have carried Americans into orbit.

Behnken said he and Hurley were able to get a few hours’ sleep during their 19-hour orbital journey, telling the administrator that “the first night is always a little bit of a challenge, but the Dragon is a slick vehicle and we had good airflow so we had an excellent evening.”

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at 3:22 p.m. EDT on Saturday for the journey to the space station. Just before liftoff, Hurley said, “SpaceX, we’re go for launch. Let’s light this candle,” paraphrasing the famous comment uttered on the launch pad in 1961 by Alan Shepard, the first American flown into space.

The Falcon 9 took off from the same launch pad used by NASA’s final space shuttle flight, piloted by Hurley, in 2011. Since then, NASA astronauts have had to hitch rides into orbit aboard Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft.

With rare candor, employees protest Facebook’s Trump policy

Facebook employees are using Twitter and Facebook’s internal communications tools to register their frustration over CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to leave up posts by President Donald Trump that suggested protesters in Minneapolis could be shot.

Twitter flagged and demoted Trump’s tweet about the protests when he used the phrase “when the looting starts the shooting starts.” Facebook has let it stand, and Zuckerberg explained his reasoning in a Facebook post Friday.

“I know many people are upset that we’ve left the President’s posts up, but our position is that we should enable as much expression as possible unless it will cause imminent risk of specific harms or dangers spelled out in clear policies,” Zuckerberg wrote.

Angry demonstrations have spread across the U.S. over the past week, creating some of the most widespread racial unrest since the 1960s. The protests, which have been met by violent police action in many cities, were spurred by the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after he was pinned to the pavement by an officer who put his knee on the handcuffed man’s neck until he stopped breathing.

Trump’s comment evoked the civil-rights era by borrowing a phrase used in 1967 by Miami’s police chief to warn of an aggressive police response to unrest in black neighborhoods.

On Monday, dozens of Facebook employees staged a virtual “walkout” to protest the company’s decision not to touch the Trump posts according to a report in the New York Times, which cited anonymous senior

employees at Facebook. The Times report says dozens of Facebook workers “took the day off by logging into Facebook’s systems and requesting time off to support protesters across the country.”

Workers also expressed frustration in other ways, including posting on Twitter, speaking to managers and writing on Facebook’s internal communication network.

Though virtual, this was the first time that Facebook workers have staged a walkout in the company’s history.

Employees at the social media giant have been less outspoken than their counterparts at other tech companies such as Google and Twitter.

“I work at Facebook and I am not proud of how we’re showing up. The majority of coworkers I’ve spoken to feel the same way. We are making our voice heard,” tweeted Jason Toff, a director of product management at Facebook who’s been at the company for a year.

Toff, who has a verified Twitter account, had 131,400 “likes” and thousands of retweets of his comment. He did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on Monday.

“I don’t know what to do, but I know doing nothing is not acceptable. I’m a FB employee that completely disagrees with Mark’s decision to do nothing about Trump’s recent posts, which clearly incite violence.

I’m not alone inside of FB. There isn’t a neutral position on racism,” Facebook design manager Jason Stirman tweeted.

Stirman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

Sara Zhang, a product designer at the company,

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at the Paley Center in New York. tweeted that Facebook’s “decision to not act on posts that incite violence ignores other options to keep our community safe. The policy pigeon holes us into addressing harmful userfacing content in two ways: keep content up or take it down.”

“I believe that this is a self-imposed constraint and implore leadership to revisit the solution,” she continued. Zhang declined to comment to The Associated Press.

“We recognize the pain many of our people are feeling right now, especially our Black community.

We encourage employees to speak openly when they disagree with leadership.

As we face additional difficult decisions around content ahead, we’ll continue seeking their honest feedback,” Facebook spokeswoman Liz Bourgeois said in a statement Monday.

Facebook moved a weekly employee question and answer session with executives to Tuesday from this coming Thursday to respond to workers’ concerns.

Late Sunday, Zuckerberg again posted on Facebook, pledging a $10 million donation to racial justice groups. But he made no mention of Trump’s posts. Instead, he highlighted Facebook’s role in the spreading of the video of Floyd’s death.

UN agency recommends health guidelines for airlines

Mask wearing, temperature board, which led the “task force” controls, disinfection of aircraft: debate, said in a statement. the International Civil Aviation The changes being suggested Organization on Monday published are the most important for air travel a series of health recommendations since security measures put in place for the pandemic-hit airline industry after the September 11, 2001 attacks as it relaunches air travel. on the United States.

The protocol was drawn The recommendations -up by an international task force adopted Monday evening by the formed by the Montreal-based ICAO ICAO’s executive committee, are with the help of other UN agencies intended to serve as a “framework” like the World Health Organization for assuring the safety of passengers and the powerful International Air and workers on planes and at Transport Association (IATA). airports.

“These guidelines will On their arrival at airports, travelers facilitate convergence, mutual should present a health certificate recognition and harmonization of and undergo an initial temperature aviation COVID-19 related measures check, under the guidelines. across the globe,” Philippe Bertoux, Online check-in before France’s representative on ICAO’s arriving at the airport should be

given priority, and passages through inside aircraft and terminals, where security should be re-thought to physical distancing of at least three limit physical contact and waiting feet (one meter) should be respected. in lines.

Terminal access will be limited to

Mobile tickets are advised, passengers and their companions, as well as other forms of no-contact such as those accompanying technology, such as facial or eye disabled travelers, and airport scans. personnel.

“This will eliminate or Aboard planes, passengers greatly reduce the need for contact should wear masks, move as little as with travel documents between staff possible within the cabin, and not and passengers,” the protocol said. line up outside toilets to lessen the

Passengers are encouraged risk of infecting other passengers. to travel as light as possible, with People will be assigned specific toilet just one small piece of hand luggage. stalls on the plane in relation to Newspapers and magazines will no where they are seated. longer be allowed on board, and Flight attendants will be duty-free sales will be limited. provided with personal protective

The wearing of a mask or equipment that could include visors, face covering should be obligatory gloves and medical masks.

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BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY WORLD NEWS

Zoom booms as pandemic drives millions to its video service

Zoom Video Communications is rapidly emerging as the latest internet gold mine as millions of people flock to its conferencing service to see colleagues, friends and family while tethered to their homes during the pandemic.

Tuesday’s release of the once-obscure company’s financial results for the February-April period provided a window into the astronomical growth that has turned it into a Wall Street star.

Zoom’s revenue for its fiscal first-quarter more than doubled from the same time last year to $328 million, resulting a profit of $27 million — up from just $198,000 a year ago.

Members of the Vermont House of Representatives convene in a Zoom video

The numbers exceeded conference for its first full parliamentary online session in Montpelier, Vt. analysts’ already heightened expectations, providing another last year. For its full fiscal year, that subscribe to a more lift to a rocketing stock that has Zoom now expects revenue of sophisticated version of its service more than tripled in price so far about $1.8 billion, nearly tripling that traditionally has been used for business meetings among this year while the benchmark in a year.

Zoom’s boom has come employees working in offices far Standard & Poor’s 500 index has despite privacy and security apart from each other. fallen 5%.

But the pandemic-driven

After a big run-up problems that enabled outsiders to leading up to Tuesday’s highly make uninvited — and sometimes shutdown turned Zoom into a anticipated announcement, crude — appearances during other tool for employees who once worked alongside each other, but Zoom’s stock initially rose even people’s video conferences.

The concerns prompted have been doing their jobs from higher in extended trading. But it abruptly reversed course and some schools to stop using home during the past few months.

Zoom ended April with fell more than 3% after company Zoom for online classes that executives acknowledged during have become widespread since 265,400 corporate customers a video discussion that some of February, although the company’s with at least 10 employees, more its newfound users might depart efforts to introduce more security than quadrupling from the same during the second half of the year protection has brought some back time last year. About 30% of the if health worries caused by the to the service. More than 100,000 company’s revenue in the most schools worldwide are now using recent quarter came from users novel corornavirus dissipate.

Even if the shares Zoom for online classes, according with fewer than 10 employees, up from 20% in the Novembertrade in similar fashion during to the company.

Overall, Zoom now has January period.

Wednesday’s regular session, the Although Zoom remains stock will still be hovering around more than 300 million daily $200 — more than five times the participants attending a meeting focused on servicing its corporate company’s initial public offering held on its service, up from 10 customers, Yuan is hoping to price of $36 less than 14 months million five months ago. Those figure out ways to make money numbers include people who join from the all the socializing and ago.

The surge left Zoom multiple Zoom meetings during learning that is happening on with a market value of about $59 the same day, something that has the service, too. Some analysts billion through Tuesday — greater been happening more recently in have speculated that eventually may involve showing ads on the than the combined market values recent months.

But the once-weak free version of Zoom, although of the four largest U.S. airlines, which have seen their businesses privacy controls also helped make the company hasn’t given any hammered by the coronavirus Zoom extremely easy to use, one indication it will do that. “There outbreak that has dramatically of the reasons it became such are a lot of opportunities ahead of a popular way to hold online us,” Yuan said in Tuesday’s video curtailed travel.

“Videoconferencing is going classes, business meetings and conference without elaborating.

If it hopes to continue to to become a mainstream virtual cocktail hours after most service,” predicted Zoom CEO of the U.S. began ordering people expand, Zoom also will also will Eric Yuan, who co-founded the to stay at home in effort to reduce likely have to do a better job of company nine years ago. He the spread of the coronavirus that protecting the privacy of its video conferences. To help achieve that made the remarks during the causes COVID-19.

Zoom also offers a free goal, Yuan has been consulting video conference that at one point attracted more than 3,000 version of its service, another since April with Alex Stamos, a participants, a reflection of the factor in its popularity at a time highly respected online security intense interest in the company when about 40 million people in expert who previously worked the U.S. have lost their jobs since at Yahoo and Facebook. Both and its hot stock.

In a sign that the company mid-March, raising the specter of those companies encountered still expects phenomenal growth the worst economic downturn their only security and privacy in the months ahead, Zoom since the Great Depression of the problems, too.

Zoom’s success is also forecast revenue of roughly $500 1930s.

The San Jose, California, drawing stiffer competition from million for its current quarter ending in July, more than company has always made most much larger companies, including quadrupling from the same time of its money from companies Microsoft, Google and Facebook.

Google postpones Android 11 unveiling amid U.S. protests Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google on Saturday said it has postponed next week’s planned unveiling of the beta version of its latest Android 11 mobile operating system in light of protests and unrest in the United States.

“We are excited to tell you more about Android 11, but

now is not the time to celebrate,” “soon,” without specifying any Google said in a message posted dates. on its Android developers Protests have spread website. across the United States over

The event was originally the killing of George Floyd, a scheduled to take place virtually Minneapolis black man who on Wednesday, according to the died after being pinned by website. In a tweet, it said that the neck under a white police it will announce more details officer’s knee. on the new version of Android

Snapchat to stop ‘promoting’ Trump amid uproar over tweets

An introduction page for Snapchat shown in a mobile phone displayed at Apple’s App Store in Chicago.

Snapchat will stop “promoting” President Donald Trump on its video messaging service, the latest example of a social media platform adjusting how it treats this U.S. president.

Last week, Twitter placed fact-check warnings on two Trump tweets that called mailin ballots “fraudulent” and predicted problems with the November elections. It demoted and placed a stronger warning on a third tweet about Minneapolis protests that read, in part, that “when the looting starts the shooting starts.”

Snapchat’s action is more limited. It means only that the president’s posts will no longer show up in the app’s “Discover” section, which showcases news and posts by celebrities and public figures. Trump’s account will remain active on Snapchat and visible to anyone who searches for or follows it.

The decision, which Snap — the owner of Snapchat — says was made over the weekend, puts the Santa Monica, California-based company in Twitter’s camp after that company escalated its actions against Trump.

Facebook, meanwhile, has let identical posts stand, although the company and CEO Mark Zuckerberg face growing criticism over the decision.

“We will not amplify voices who incite racial violence and injustice by giving them free promotion on Discover,” Snap said in a statement Wednesday. “Racial violence and injustice have no place in our society and we stand together with all who seek peace, love, equality, and justice in America.”

Snapchat has 229 million daily active users. Twitter, by comparison, has 166 million.

Unlike Twitter and even Facebook, Snapchat is generally used as a private communications tool, with friends sending each other short videos and images and, to a lesser extent, following celebrities and other accounts.

In a tweet, Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale said Snap CEO Evan Spiegel “would rather promote extreme left riot videos & encourage users to destroy America than share positive words of unity, justice, and law & order from our President.”

Shiney’s Bakery

In Leeward Palms, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands Is seeking 1 Artisan Baker Duties include, baking bread, Cake decorating, working with fondant, chocolate and Pull sugar Must have 10 years experience To work 6 day Per Week Salary is $10.25 an hour Please Contact: 247-8206 or email to shineysbakery@gmail.com This position is currently held by a Work Permit Holder Interested Turks and Caicos Islanders must submit copied of their applications to the Labour Board

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FUN & GAMES

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WORLD

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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FUN & GAMES

SPORTS

‘Plain angry’ Jordan joins sports world’s call for change after Floyd death

NBA legend Michael Jordan decried “ingrained racism” in the United States as the sports world’s reaction to the death of unarmed black man George Floyd leapt leagues and continents.

“I am deeply saddened, truly pained and plain angry,” Jordan said Sunday, as protests over Floyd’s death on May 25 spawned violence and looting across the US. “I stand with those who are calling out the ingrained racism and violence toward people of color in our country.

“We have had enough,” added Jordan, who was famously reluctant to comment on social issues during his playing career.

Floyd died after a white policeman in Minneapolis held his knee on the handcuffed man’s neck for several minutes.

“We need to continue peaceful expressions against injustice and demand accountability,” Jordan said.

Jordan joined a chorus of voices from the NBA, NFL and other US sports demanding change for black Americans, but the demands went far beyond America.

World champion driver Lewis Hamilton lashed out at “whitedominated” Formula One for failing to speak out against racism.

Hamilton warned “I know who you are and I see you” as the

Briton accused his fellow drivers of “staying silent in the midst of injustice” following Floyd’s death.

French footballer Marcus Thuram and England international Jadon Sancho both mounted individual protests calling for justice for Floyd after scoring in Germany’s Bundesliga on Sunday.

Thuram took a knee after his goal for Borussia Moenchengladbach in a match against Union Berlin, while Sancho marked one of his three goals for Borussia Dortmund against Paderborn by lifting his jersey to reveal a T-shirt bearing the words “Justice for George Floyd”.

Thuram’s gesture echoed the protest against US racism spearheaded by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, whose decision to kneel during the national anthem at games in 2016 sparked outrage.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver sent an internal memo to the league’s employees saying it shares “the outrage” at the death of Floyd -- which comes in the wake of the police killing in Kentucky of emergency health worker Breonna Taylor in her home, and the fatal shooting of unarmed black jogger Ahmaud Arbery.

“We are being reminded that there are wounds in our country that have never healed,” Silver said in the memo published by Yahoo.

Balotelli’s ‘mind no longer’ with Brescia, says club president

Mario Balotelli’s future with Brescia remains uncertain after the Italian club’s president said his “mind is no longer” with his hometown club.

“Mario is an unusual boy and it is also obvious that his mind is no longer with us, nothing different from what he has always been,” Massimo Cellino told Telelombardia.

“I love him, I hoped that the air of home and the desire of the national team would do him good. We are all disappointed.”

Balotelli, who has 36 caps for Italy, joined Brescia last summer, as he targeted a return to the national side for Euro 2020, which has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But the 29-year-old scored just five goals in 19 matches, with the Lombardy club sitting bottom of Serie A when the championship was suspended on March 9.

The former Inter Milan, Manchester City and Liverpool

Mario Balotelli striker has not always been present at training since it resumed in Italy on May 4.

He was targeted by racist chanting in Verona earlier this season, threatening to walk off the pitch.

“It would be a mistake to blame everything on Mario. But there is disappointment, probably on his side too,” added Cellino.

Balotelli, who was born in Sicily but adopted and raised just outside Brescia, agreed a threeyear deal with last season’s Serie B champions after being released by Marseille last June.

“Racism, police brutality and racial injustice remain part of everyday life in America and cannot be ignored.”

With US pro sports on hold during the coronavirus pandemic, American athletes had no chance to demonstrate on the field of play.

Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown drove 15 hours to lead a peaceful protest march in Atlanta, Georgia.

“First and foremost, I’m a black man and I’m a member of this community,” the Georgia native said.

- ‘Too many tragedies’ Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers, himself the son of a policeman, said that as violence escalated it was imperative to keep Floyd’s death at the forefront.

“The response we are seeing across the nation, to the murder of George Floyd, is decades in the making,” Rivers said in a statement.

“Too often, people rush to judge the response, instead of the actions that prompted it.

“We have allowed too many tragedies to pass in vain. This isn’t an African-American issue. This is a human issue,” Rivers said.

US tennis great Serena Williams posted an Instagram video featuring a young African-American girl overcome by emotion as she addressed a public meeting, finally

NBA legend Michael Jordan. able to force out the words: “We are black people, and we shouldn’t have to feel like this.”

Teenage tennis phenomenon Coco Gauff had a simple question on her Instagram post: “Am I next?”

And two-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka, whose mother is Japanese and father Haitian, reminded her social media followers: “Just because it isn’t happening to you doesn’t mean it isn’t happening at all.”

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the violent protests “reflect the pain, anger and frustration that so many of us feel”.

With Kaepernick still unable to find a job in the NFL, not everyone was convinced by Goodell or by San Francisco 49ers chief executive Jed York, who pledged $1 million to combat systemic racial discrimination.

Former 49er Eric Reid, who knelt alongside Kaepernick, tweeted: “Nobody wants your money Jed. We want justice.”

Mayweather offers to cover funeral costs for George Floyd Boxing great Floyd Mayweather has offered to cover the funeral expenses for George Floyd, the 46-year-old African-American man whose death while in police custody in Minneapolis prompted protests across the United States.

The former five-division world champion’s promotional company, Mayweather Productions, confirmed on Twitter that he had made the offer, and several local media reports have said the family have accepted.

Mayweather Productions and the boxer’s agency have yet to respond to a request for comment.

Derek Chauvin, the 44-yearold Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on Floyd, has been arrested on third-degree murder and seconddegree manslaughter charges. Three other officers involved in the arrest have not been charged.

The incident has prompted an outcry across the United States and abroad, with numerous pro athletes and leagues speaking out,

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Floyd Mayweather. including NBA great Michael Jordan and golf’s 15-times major champion Tiger Woods.

Steve Bisciotti, the owner of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens, pledged $1 million for social justice reform and said a group of former and current players would decide which organisations benefit.

“We must all discover new ways to unite. We must all work to break the cycle of systematic racial injustice,” Bisciotti said in a statement.

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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Former tennis star still shaken by encounter with cop in ’15

Nearly five years later, former tennis star James Blake says he never suspected the large man running toward him was a plainclothes New York City policeman.

Blake was in town that day for the U.S. Open and standing outside a Manhattan hotel.

“I thought someone was running at me that was a fan, someone that was going to say, ‘Hey I saw you play so and so, I was at this match, my kid plays tennis,’” Blake recalled. “I’m smiling with my hands down.”

But Blake, who is black, had been mistakenly identified as a suspect in a credit card fraud scheme. Video showed the undercover officer grabbing him by the arm, throwing him to the sidewalk face down and handcuffing him.

All of which intensified Blake’s reaction to video of George Floyd’s death shortly after being detained by Minneapolis police last week.

“I went to bed very sad and very deflated, seeing this over and over again,” Blake said Tuesday from his home in San Diego. “I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t stop my mind from racing, thinking about the events that took place there, the events that took place with me in 2015. ...

“It saddens me to see

that kind of policing is still going on, that kind of brutality, particularly how often it is aimed at the black and brown community.”

Blake, a Harvard alum who reached a career-high ranking of No. 4 and is now tournament director of the Miami Open, said the 2015 episode transformed him into an “accidental activist.” He began using his celebrity to speak more openly about racism and police brutality.

Voting is one way forward, he said, including in local elections. He supports peaceful protest, and said it’s possible no arrest in the Floyd case would have been made without the recent demonstrations in Minneapolis and elsewhere.

He also favors police reform, including higher pay, better training and independent bodies to investigate wrongdoing by officers. As punishment in the Blake case, the policeman who tackled him was docked five vacation days.

“I don’t think someone like that should have a badge,” Blake said.

He said the scars from his experience probably can’t be erased, and he thinks about it often.

“I would love to change this, but for the rest of my life,

Former tennis star James Blake discussing his mistaken arrest by the New York City Police Department during an interview in New York.

I’m probably going to be more nervous about any encounter I have with a police officer,” he said.

Blake said Floyd’s death underscored how lucky he was to walk away from his own ordeal. He’s grateful no one was with him at the time, including his daughters, now 6 and 7.

“I haven’t shown them the video of me getting taken down, because I don’t know if they would understand it quite yet,” Blake said. “With what has been on the news the past week, my wife and I have started thinking about when we’re going to start talking with them about a lot of these issues — police brutality and racism and what goes on in this country.”

Jamaican bobsleigh team push a Mini to keep Olympic dream alive

The Jamaican bobsleigh team is used to training without snow, but the coronavirus lockdown has seen its male athletes resort to pushing a car around the streets of an English city to stay in shape, with an eye on Olympic qualification.

Some residents of Peterborough have offered their help to Shanwayne Stephens and Nimroy Turgott as they push a Mini down the road, before realising it is part of a new training regime to work around the closure of gyms in England.

“We had to come up with our own ways of replicating the sort of pushing we need to do. So that’s why we thought: why not go out and push the car?” Stephens, 29, told Reuters.

“We do get some funny looks. We’ve had people run over, thinking the car’s broken down, trying to help us bump-start the car. When we tell them we’re the Jamaica bobsleigh team, the direction is totally different, and they’re very excited.”

The couple said they had been inspired by the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics men’s bobsleigh team, immortalised in the 1993 film Cool Runnings.

But they said they aimed to qualify for the Beijing

Jamaica bobsleigh team members Shanwayne Stephens and Nimoy Turgott push a mini Cooper.

Winter Olympics in 2022 and then outperform the 1988 team, who did not officially finish the four-man bob competition after crashing.

“Those guys set a legacy, and a movie came out of it. For me personally, I want to surpass that level, and even go beyond that,” Turgott, 27, said.

Turgott, who normally lives in Jamaica, has been staying with Stephens since January, and the pair had always planned to do summer training in Britain, albeit in gyms rather than on roads.

“If you’re able to do the

India’s Bumrah seeks ‘alternative’ to saliva on cricket ball

same sort of training without the same equipment, then you should be able to achieve more with the right equipment,” he said.

The pair are focused on qualifying for Beijing 2022.

While the woman’s team competed for the first time in 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea, the men’s team failed to qualify.

“The last Olympics, we missed it by one slot. And now we are using that experience as our motivation moving forward,” Turgott said.

Indian paceman Jasprit Bumrah.

Indian paceman Jasprit Bumrah said cricket should seek an “alternative” for shining the ball if the game’s governing body ban the use of saliva during the coronavirus pandemic.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is likely to implement a ban for the game’s return when they meet next week after receiving medical advice that spit poses a COVID-19 transmission risk.

Handshakes, celebratory high-fives and hugs are also likely to be off-limits when international cricket resumes with safety protocols in place.

“I was not much of a hugger anyway, and not a high-five person as well, so that doesn’t trouble me a lot,” Bumrah said in an ICC video chat with the former West Indies pace bowler Ian Bishop and the ex-captain of South Africa, Shaun Pollock.

“The only thing that interests me is the saliva bit,” added the 26-year-old Bumrah.

“I don’t know what guidelines that we have to follow when we come back, but I feel there should be an alternative.

“If the ball is not well maintained, it’s difficult for the bowlers. The grounds are getting shorter and shorter, the wickets are becoming flatter and flatter. So we need something.”

Pace bowlers usually try to make the ball swing through the air by shining one side on their clothing aided by using sweat or saliva and leaving the other half to become scuffed.

Anil Kumble, chairman of the ICC cricket committee that recommended banning saliva, insisted the move was only an “interim measure”.

Australian cricket ball manufacturer Kookaburra is developing a wax applicator that allows players to shine the ball without using saliva or sweat.

But its use would need a change in the laws of cricket which forbid the use of any artificial substance to alter the ball.

Test players have in the past been accused of using lozenges, petroleum jelly and resin to keep the shine on the ball, and also scuffing it with bottle tops, trouser zippers, grit or fingernails.

The most notorious recent incident was in 2018, when Australian players attempted to alter the ball with sandpaper during a Test against South Africa in Cape Town, resulting in lengthy bans for the three involved -- Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.

Bumrah, who has emerged as India’s lead paceman since his Test debut in 2018, has claimed 68 wickets in 14 Tests and 104 scalps in 64 one-day internationals.

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JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

WORLD SPORTS FIFA, WHO and European Commission launch #SafeHome campaign

FIFA, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission have joined forces to launch the #SafeHome campaign to support women and children at risk of domestic violence. The campaign is a joint response from the three institutions to the recent spikes in reports of domestic violence as stay-at-home measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have put women and children experiencing abuse at greater risk.

Almost one in three women worldwide experience physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner or sexual violence by someone else in their lifetime. In a majority of cases, that violence is committed by a partner in their home - indeed, up to 38% of all murders of women are committed by an intimate partner.

It is also estimated that one billion children aged between two and seventeen years (or half the world’s children) have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence or neglect in the past year.

There are many reasons why people perpetrate domestic violence, including gender inequality and social norms that condone violence, childhood experiences of abuse or exposure to violence and coercive control growing up. Harmful use of alcohol can also trigger violence. Stressful situations, such as those being experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and economic instability, exacerbate the risk. Moreover, the current distancing measures in place in many countries make it harder for women and children to reach out to family, friends and health workers who could otherwise provide support and protection.

“Together with the World Health Organization and the European Commission, we are asking the football community to raise awareness to this intolerable situation that threatens particularly women and children in their own home, a place where they should feel happy, safe and secure,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “We cannot stay silent on this issue that negatively affects so many people.

Violence has no place in homes, just as it has no place in sports. Football has the power to relay important social messages, and through the #SafeHome campaign, we want to ensure that those people experiencing violence have access to the necessary support services they need.”

“Just as physical, sexual or psychological violence has no place in football, it has no place in the home,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization. “We are so pleased that our partners today are joining us to draw attention to this critical issue. As people are isolated at home because of COVID-19, the risks of domestic violence have tragically been exacerbated.”

“Violence has no place in our societies,” said Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. “Women’s rights are human rights and should thus be protected. Often abused women and children are afraid to talk by fear or shame.

This ‘window’ to speak-up and seek help is, during confinement, even more restricted. As a matter of fact domestic violence has seen an increase since the outbreak of COVID-19. It is our responsibility as a society, as institutions to speak up for these women. To give them trust and strength. This is the purpose of this joint campaign which I am honoured to be part of.”

“We call upon our member associations to actively publish details of national or local helplines and support services that can help victims and anyone feeling threatened by violence in their locality,” added the FIFA President. “We also call upon our members to review their own safeguarding measures using the FIFA Guardians toolkit to ensure that football is fun and safe for everyone in our game, especially the youngest members of the football family.”

Nike says “Don’t Do It” on racism

Nike has taken a stand against racism with a “Don’t do it” campaign, a twist on its famous catch phrase, as protests against police brutality spread across the United States.

“For once, Don’t Do It... Don’t pretend there’s not a problem in America,” the US sports apparel giant said in a video posted to Twitter late Friday.

The message came as protesters across the United States took to the streets against the treatment of George Floyd, an African American who died in the hands of police in Minneapolis earlier this week.

In a rare sign of from us. Don’t make any solidarity, competitor Adidas more excuses. Don’t think this retweeted the video, with a doesn’t affect you,” Nike said message stating: “Together in the video, in which white is how we move forward. words appear across a black Together is how we make background. change.”

The campaign hardly

Floyd’s death on marks the first time Nike, Monday was captured in a whose “Just Do It” slogan is horrifying cellphone video known worldwide, has waded now seen around the world, into US social justice issues. in which a white police officer In September 2018, pressed his knee on Floyd’s Nike made waves when neck for nearly nine minutes it released an advertising until well after he went campaign featuring US motionless, while three other football player and activist officers stood by.

Colin Kaepernick, criticized

“Don’t turn your for kneeling during the US back on racism. Don’t accept national anthem at games in innocent lives being taken protest at racism.

NBA great Michael Jordan speaks out on death of George Floyd: ‘We have had enough’

Basketball great Michael Jordan voiced outrage on Sunday over the death of George Floyd, a black man shown on video gasping for breath as a white policeman knelt on his neck in Minneapolis, an incident that has triggered violent nationwide protests.

Jordan said his heart went out to the family of Floyd and others who have died through acts of racism.

“I am deeply saddened, truly pained and plain angry,” Jordan, a Basketball Hall of Famer and owner of the National Basketball Association’s Charlotte Hornets, said in a statement. “I see and feel everyone’s pain, outrage and frustration.

“I stand with those who are calling out the ingrained

racism and violence toward people of color in our country.

We have had enough.”

The comments from Jordan came as many U.S. cities were bracing for another night of unrest after cleaning up streets strewn with broken glass and burned-out cars as curfews failed to quell confrontations between protesters and police.

Jordan, a six-time NBA champion who was at the heart of the Chicago Bulls’ dynasty in the 1990s, called on people to show compassion and empathy and never turn their backs on senseless brutality.

“We need to continue peaceful expressions against injustice and demand accountability,” said Jordan.

“Our unified voice needs to put pressure on our leaders

Michael Jordan to change our laws, or else we need to use our vote to create systemic change.

“Every one of us needs to be part of the solution, and we must work together to ensure justice for all.”

Australia set dates for COVID -threatened India cricket tour Australia announced today,” Roberts said in a statement. November 21. dates for India’s lucrative Test “But we’ll be doing India have said they are cricket tour as the centrepiece of everything we can to get as much prepared to undergo quarantine a busy home season on Thursday, international cricket in as possible to make the series happen. but admitted that plans remained this summer.”

Australia’s borders are currently in flux because of the coronavirus.

The men’s Tests against closed to non-residents as a

Cricket Australia CEO India are scheduled to start in measure against coronavirus.

Kevin Roberts said the picture Brisbane on December 3, followed “We are engaged in was “evolving every day” as he by Adelaide from December 11, ongoing discussions with federal unveiled men’s fixtures against the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and state governments, our Zimbabwe, the West Indies and and Sydney from January 3. venues and the touring nations Afghanistan, as well as India.

Australia this month to continually understand and

Australia are also due to dethroned India as the world’s monitor the situation in front of host the men’s Twenty20 World top-ranked Test team, setting up us, which is evolving every day,” Cup in October and November. the series as a blockbuster.

Roberts said.

Australia’s women, Crucially, it would also Final details of the men’s crowned T20 world champions generate hundreds of millions three-match one-day international in Melbourne in March -- as the of dollars for a host organisation series with Zimbabwe, scheduled pandemic closed in on world struggling during the coronavirus to start on August 9, will be sport -- will host New Zealand and shutdown. confirmed at a later date, CA said.

India.

Revenue from the Australia’s men then “We know that series is so important to Cricket welcome the West Indies for three circumstances or events beyond Australia that it has proposed T20s from October 4, before three our control could mean that the adding a fifth Test, which would T20s against India, followed by final schedule potentially may mean ditching the one-off Test the Afghan Test and the India Test look different to the one released against Afghanistan in Perth from series.

JUNE 5TH, 2020 – JUNE 12TH, 2020

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