TC Weekly News June 3 - 9, 2023

Government “laser-focused” on achieving food security in TCI

A team of consultants are currently working to develop a National Agriculture Strategy to propel the territory closer to its food security goals.

The strategy, when completed, will establish zones for poultry, livestock, and agro-farming, and recommend measures that can be implemented to achieve food security in the not-too-distant future.

This is according to the Minister responsible for Agriculture, Hon Josephine Connolly who said her Government is laser-focused on ensuring the territory has reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.

“Food security is a national priority and we must get it right”, she said during her recent budget address in the House of Assembly.

She acknowledged that historically, the territory has struggled with food security, but the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the territory’s heavy reliance on imported food, prompting the Government to make more strategic moves to address this problem.

Connolly underscored this issue was further compounded by the Russia-Ukraine war which adversely impacted the global supply of food, further exposing the vulnerability of the territory’s supply chain and prices to external factors.

In this vein, she underscored that prioritising the territory’s food industry has significant benefits to nation-building.

“It can lead to economic growth, job creation, poverty reduction, trade opportunities, good nutrition, and health care”, she said.

The government has taken several steps which include promoting and supporting local farmers over the last fiscal year as part of its efforts to achieve this goal.

“While this journey to food security will be long, we have made significant strides towards achieving this goal; my government is laser-focused on ensuring food security for our people.”

To this end, The Department of Agriculture has operationalised the Farmer’s Market, in Kewtown Providenciales to provide a marketplace for farmers to sell their produce and a place for people to obtain locally grown food.

She said: “The success of the opening of the farmer’s market went beyond our initial expectations.

“We not only have locally grown products available at the market, but we also have fresh fish, dried conch, and dried fish on sale.

“These are the products that our people have grown and we are determined to ensure that the farmers market serves as a source of locally grown, home food, it will be a beacon of things to come as we strive towards ensuring food security for our people”, she added.

Connolly further explained that cabinet approved the disbursement of over $180,000 in Ago-Grant Award to seven registered farmers within the TCI.

provided farmers with financial assistance and agro incentives.

She said: “following a natural disaster, insurance companies usually pay out to help individuals whose homes were impacted to rebuild. But never in the history of the Turks and Caicos Islands has there been assistance relief to our farmers whose crops were damaged as a result of a storm.

This saw some 12 farmers receiving relief funding for damages sustained to their farms during the passage of Hurricane Fiona.

“Additionally, the government provided grants to young and upcoming farmers to build their farms, fifteen such farmers benefited.”

PARTNERSHIPS

Along with these efforts, the Ministry also partnered with Invest TC in February of this year and hosted the North Caicos/ Middle Caicos Agriculture Forum to sensitise and incentivize residents in the TCI to start farming.

to $10,000 in Duty Concession and up to $10,000 in Technical Assistance.

“Again Mr Speaker, we have made history as we continue to support our farmers and we want them to succeed, their success is our success as we move closer to the goal of food security.”

The Agriculture Minister told the House of Assembly, that approval was also granted for amendments to the Agriculture Policy 2017 to include full exemption of import duties for farm vehicles and other key agriculture inputs.

Coupled with this, 16 school agriculture gardens were established last year in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

Another facet of the government’s thrust toward food security is the commissioning of the territory’s first marine and fisheries laboratory, which was established with support from the Darwin Plus Fund.

Instagram:

“Mr Speaker this is the first time in the history of the Turks and Caicos Islands that a government, and I repeat, any government have

She said: “Coming out of this forum, and working with my Ministry, Invest TC has allocated and ring-fenced as part of the MSME Programme funding to provide $50,000 support to startup farmers by providing them with up to $10,000 in Cash Grants, up

The lab named the Clifford Leroy Brooks Fisheries and Marine Laboratory in memory of a dedicated and committed individual to the Fisheries Sector in the Turks and Caicos Islands was officially opened on May 23, 2023, and is the first centre for

Minister Josephine Connolly; Health Minister, Hon Shaun Malcolm, MP for Wheeland, Hon Kyle Knowles and Permanent Secretary, Mr Wesley Clerveaux with farmers, following the presentation of grants in February 2023

Changes to TCI Status Bill puts quota and point system in place

BY DELANA ISLES

New criteria for Islander status were recently passed in the House of Assembly, establishing a point and quota system.

The Turks and Caicos Islander Status (Amendment) Bill 2023 was passed in the House on Wednesday, May 31; as such applications for this year have been delayed, facilitating familiarisation with the new criteria that must be met.

Instead of applicants submitting their documentation between June 1 and September 30, they are now required to make submissions between August 1 and November 30.

The amended bill sets out that dependent children of parents who acquired status by marriage will now be granted status automatically when their parent is granted status. These children will no longer have to apply to the Status Commission.

This is to revert to the position prior to 2016, which was the position in the former Immigration Ordinance, where dependent children could acquire grant when their parent (s) acquired TCI Status, the Bill reads.

This provision is set out explicitly in Clause 4 as a new insertion of section 4A.

Another amendment to the

Ordinance outlines that where a spouse of a person granted status by virtue of residency, if they show their spouse was endorsed in a Permanent Residence certificate, Residence Permit or Work Permit, on applying for status, they also have to show that they have lived together with the spouse for a period of ten years ending with the date of the application; and have been resident in the Islands for a period of two years ending with the same date of application.

The Ordinance is also amended to clearly show that applications will go to the Status Commission and not the Governor.

The amended ordinance sets

out clearly that applications are considered by the Commission and not the Governor, and the Commission will then make recommendations to the Governor for approval.

Therefore, the provision is amended to ensure that references within the bill are made to the Commission and not the Governor.

Section 4 is also amended by repealing the requirement for consideration to be given to the fact that the applicant suffers from any form of communicable or mental disease that would make him a danger to the community in the assessment of applications as this provision is archaic and measures

to ensure persons do not have communicable diseases are already existing for persons resident in the Islands.

This section is also amended to include an enabling provision for the evaluation criteria/point system to be provided in the regulations and for the maximum quota of persons to be granted status to be included in regulations.

The amendments in the Bill basically close loopholes existing in the Ordinance while clarifying various parts and inserting evaluation criteria for the assessment of applications while capping the number of approvals per year.

Government earmarks $12.55m to push e-governance initiatives

In an effort to make access to an array of services in the TCI easier and more convenient, the government has earmarked $12.55m in the 2023/2024 budget to catapult its e-governance initiative.

Premier Hon Charles Washington Misick, recently described the government's thrust towards e-governance as a “digital transformation” for the territory, during his recent budget address in the House of Assembly.

Misick said: “My government came to power with a Digital Transformation and E-Governance Agenda, and we are delivering.”

He stressed that the digitisation of important services will enhance the way business is conducted in the TCI, and improve access to information; while creating a platform for better interaction with the government and the citizenry.

The $12.55m allocation will form part of the territory’s MediumTerm Capital Programme and will fund information technology (IT) initiatives that will digitalise Government systems.

To this end, a total of $2m is budgeted over three financial years for the Exchange of Information and an Economic Substance Report.

Misick said: “$1.75m for consultancy services for the National Identification System.

“Land Registry Digitalisation Project – will cost $800K. $500K and $300K are allocated in FY 2023 and FY 2024 respectively.

“Immigration System E-gate –

budgeted at $1.5m in capital costs in FY 2023/24.

“This project will focus on the digitisation of border services which includes an Immigration Management System, biometrics and automation.

Coupled with this, $2m each is budgeted in FY 2023/24 and FY 2024/25 for the digitalisation of the Inland Revenue Department.

With digitalisation, a mandatory electronic identification card will be issued to residents to ensure a secure online identity to conduct business with the government.

The National ID system will be

implemented to the tune of $2.5m.

Misick said: “$2m and $500k are budgeted in FY 2023/2 and FY 2024/25 for the implementation of the National Identification Card System for all eligible persons living in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

“Mr Speaker, under this initiative, the emphasis is on digitising priority services’, he added.

Although the Government has made significant headway in digitalising various sectors, Premier Misick recently acknowledged that more

resources, money and expertise were needed to fully modernise service delivery platforms and further propel the territory into the digital age.

Electronic governance or e-governance refers to the application of information technology for delivering government services, exchange of information, communication transactions, integration of various stand-alone systems between government-to-citizen, government-to-business, as well as back-office processes and interactions within the entire

governance framework.

PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN

Since announcing its e-governance plan in 2021, the Misick-led administration has earmarked over 30 IT initiatives to help digitalise all Government systems including statutory bodies.

A number of projects have since been completed to date.

In keeping with this, business license applications and searches can be done online and applicants can now get their business license within 48-72 hours.

Along with this, over 80% of services offered by the Immigration Department can be applied for online and all staff in the registrar generals’ office and citizenship and naturalisation services on the islands of Grand Turk and Providenciales can electronically access and scan manual applications with the digitisation of the system.

Additionally, all dental records have been digitised and dental clinics connected.

The upgrades to the antiquated systems which are often bemoaned by residents who would often have to wait in long queues to access a range of Government services will also make it easier and more convenient for them to remit fees and taxes.

The online databases and connectivity among departments will further modernise procurement and contract management systems and integrate the social security network, and revenue authority.

Premier Hon C. Washington Misick

THE JOINT LAW ENFORCEMENT GROUP

TCI’s Registrar General's Office embarks on fact-finding mission to Guyana

In an effort to streamline and improve services to citizens, the Registrar General's Office of the Turks and Caicos Islands has embarked on a fact-finding mission to Guyana.

A team from the Registrar General's Office in the TCI which is responsible for managing and maintaining essential records, including births, deaths, marriages, and other vital statistics recently travelled to Guyana for a six-day visit to gain valuable insights from the Registrar General's Office of Guyana.

According to a governmentissued statement, the factfinding mission aims to make services offered at the registrar more efficient and effective. It commenced on May 27 and will conclude on June 2, 2023.

During this visit, the team from the Registrar General's Office of the Turks and Caicos Islands will have the opportunity to meet with officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs in Guyana.

The collaborative discussions will focus on sharing best practices, exploring innovative solutions, and identifying areas of improvement for the services provided by both offices.

A key highlight of the visit will be a comprehensive walk-through of the Registrar General's Office in Guyana.

“The Turks and Caicos Islands team will observe and familiarise themselves with various processes, including the registration process, data entry and verification section, preservation of records, and the scanning process. By gaining first-hand knowledge of these operations, the team aims to identify strategies to enhance efficiency and effectiveness within their office”, the Government stated.

Coupled with this, the delegation will visit the IT department of

the Registrar General's Office of Guyana, where they will observe the data management, searching, and printing processes of certificates.

“This valuable experience will enable the team to explore technological advancements that can be adopted to improve service delivery, data security, and accessibility in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

“In addition to engaging with the Registrar General's Office, the team will meet with the system developer responsible for the office's information management systems.

“This meeting presents an excellent opportunity to gain insights into developing and maintaining such systems, fostering potential collaborations and knowledge sharing”, the Government further explained.

Additionally, TCI’s delegation will visit both public and private hospitals in Guyana to broaden their perspective on the interactions between the Registrar General's Office and other institutions.

The government said: “These visits will allow the team to witness first-hand the interactions and processes between the Registrar General's Office and the healthcare sector.

“By understanding this partnership's unique challenges and requirements, the team can identify opportunities for improvement and enhance coordination between similar institutions in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

“The Registrar General's Office of the Turks and Caicos Islands is committed to providing efficient and effective services to its citizens and stakeholders.

“This fact-finding mission to the Registrar General's Office of Guyana is a testament to their dedication to continuous improvement and learning from best practices around the region.”

Seventeen government agencies have pooled their skills, knowledge and manpower to effect the reinstatement of the Joint Law Enforcement Group (J-LEG), an umbrella body to coordinate and strengthen law enforcement locally, regionally and internationally.

On Tuesday, May 23, Governor (Acting), Her Excellency Anya Williams presided over a signing ceremony among the partner agencies, signalling the reinstatement of J-LEG. A statement from her office related that the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding signifies the re-establishment of the J-LEG as the oversight body in support of a multi-agency operational compliance taskforce (MOCT) to take active steps to enforce existing TCI laws relative to participating agencies for the deployment of resources inland and the protection of the borders of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Williams stated: "As we work to ensure the continued safeguarding and protection of the Turks and Caicos Islands, the re-establishment of J-LEG is critical as it brings together essential government agencies to coordinate their resources in an efficient manner to address security concerns in land and at our borders in a more structured manner." What are your thoughts?

Hapless CIA model

This talk of assembling the “law enforcement” agency in the TCI has a look and a spark of the hapless Central Intelligence Agency, “CIA” in the United States. Copycat business. It is ominous in every respect and the public knows little of it. What is it all about? This supposed Joint Law Enforcement Group (J-LEG), comes out of ‘nowhere’. What are its terms of reference and legislative base?

It would seem that after the “cats out of the bag” that they are trying to plug the leak of illegal immigration and law enforcement. A little bit too late because the street gangs have already adapted to current law enforcement methods and have found ways around it. What then is the role of the National Security Council, (the NSC)? Wasn’t the NSC designed to coordinate, strategise and advise on Law Enforcement Policy?

That obviously hasn’t worked and ministerial input into that agency, if any, seems to be meaningless and ineffective. It is not original and the real agenda behind this J-LEG body remains hidden from the eyes of the public.

Home-grown governor needed

Congratulations to the deputy

governor for overseeing this initiative. It is really tempting to have the British confirm the appointment of the acting governor, revoke the idea of a replacement governor because of projects like this. It is time TCI gets its own native governor and the native commissioner of police.

We have to wait and see if this Joint Law Enforcement Group (J-LEG), goes anywhere. It begs the question of whether a J-LEG of this was in place before, and if it was such a great idea, why was it dismantled? It is good that it is happening under a homegrown governor. Locals tend to understand the street and the culture of crime in the islands.

Rear guard initiative

Since the interim regime and its post-local oversight, the police force has proven to be highly ineffective at fighting crime in the TCI. Former Commissioners of Police, Mr Stanley Williams and Mr Edward Hall, had crime under control in the TCI.

It seems that under the Canadian and English command in the TCI, the Royal Turks & Caicos Police Force have lost the script and strategy when it comes to crime fighting. The “newly invented” body, the “Joint Law Enforcement Group (J-LEG)” seems like a rear guard initiative to regain control of the crime-fighting agenda. All

hopes for this are not so good. This current military and security establishment in the TCI seems to be clueless.

It will be the same people advising on the same thing, offering “nothing” meaningful or new, much like the emperor's advisors, with the emperor's new clothes. At issue is the ability of the UK and Canadian police officials in leading the National Security Policy development in the TCI. They clearly do not know the script of the real agenda. It is really doubtful whether this JLEG Grouping could make any meaningful difference.

More needed

Our borders will continue being breached if more is not done. This is another layer of bureaucracy. Our governments don't care about or measure efficiency. The Labour and Immigration Departments utterly fail in their missions to destroy our economy. We just keep on growing and attracting immigrants, who somehow get in and remain.

BECOME A CONTRIBUTOR

Want to become a contributor or have a suggestion for a Talk Back topic for us? What questions do you think we should be putting to the public? And what are your thoughts on it?

Ms Kayon Cox -Registrar General of the Turks and Caicos Islands

“It only takes one!”- Minister urges residents to get storm-ready

Residents in the Turks and Caicos Islands are being urged to be proactive and take the necessary steps to prepare their homes and property for the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season.

Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development with responsibility for Disaster Management, Hon Jamell Robinson reminded residents that it only takes one hurricane to cause widespread devastation and upend lives.

Speaking at a press conference along with heads of the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies on Thursday, June 1, 2023, to mark the beginning of the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season he called on residents to get their families and property ready.

He said: “The Caribbean is now experiencing a level of hurricanes and impact that we have not seen

in a long time.

“While preliminary predictions by hurricane researchers at the Colorado State University (CSU) on April 13, 2023, suggested that the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season is expected to be slightly below average, my personal motto back from my days as National Disaster Coordinator for the TCI was “it only takes one!”.

He continued: “We cannot let our collective guards down, and we as residents must take the necessary precautions for the possibility of a major storm.”

Robinson emphasised that preparedness should remain paramount, as the potential impact of any storm can be significant.

“It is never too early to prepare so if you have not started to do your preparations for the season, I implore you to begin to do so.

“As the Minister with assigned

responsibility for the DDME, reflecting on the 2022 Hurricane Season and the impact of Hurricane Fiona, the importance of preparedness cannot be overstated. “That includes having an emergency plan for your family, securing your homes, and clearing your surroundings of loose objects that could become missiles in a hurricane.”

He further reminded residents to prepare at least three days' supply of food and water as this will give the national machinery time to roll out a rapid response.

Robinson assured the populace that the government will do everything that is within its power to prepare, respond, and recover if necessary.”

PREPARATION WORKS

In an effort to prepare the territory for any kind of severe weather

Government “laser-focused” on ...

marine and fisheries research in the Caribbean.

INVESTING IN AGRICULTURE

To further boost food security and agricultural development across the TCI, the Department of Agriculture received an additional infusion of $297,640, in the 2023/2024 budget.

The Agriculture Minister said: “Mr Speaker, when you think of food security, it is not only in respect to growing our own

food but establishing alternative and multiple trade routes which serves as redundancy for the importation of our food.

“To this end, we must improve efficiency in the process of facilitating the importation of agricultural products.”

In this regard, the Ministry and Department of Agriculture is currently working to develop and introduce an online platform for agriculture, she revealed.

“Mr Speaker, this is in line with digitisation, a platform

to receive, review and process all permits and certification applications to improve efficiency and reduce delays in the agro-permitting process for the importation of food, agriculture, and livestock inputs.”

Additionally, the government is developing and implementing a comprehensive agro-incentive programme that will seek to provide support to farmers by streamlining waivers and exemptions.

event, the Minister said work has been carried out to ensure that there are adequate shelters for persons who live in low-lying and hazardous areas.

He said: “The PWD (Public Works Department) team is on the ground with their pumps to clear any water off the ground as quickly as possible, clearing all drains and servicing of all generators.

“Building resilience and taking action is what your government, the Ministry of Infrastructure and the DDME intend to do. Our main aim is to protect and safeguard all citizens of these islands”, he added.

SHELTER READINESS

As part of the DDME’s Emergency action plan in the event persons evacuate their homes during a storm, shelter preparedness and training for shelter managers has been ongoing.

This is according to DDME’s Director, Ms Allison Gordon who said the Department embarked on training for shelter managers across the Turks and Caicos Islands earlier in the year.

She said: “So far, we have trained shelter managers across the six main islands, in Grand Turk, we have trained 12 persons and we have 15 persons to be trained coming on the next month. In Providenciales, we have trained 14 with an additional 20 to be trained.

“In North Caicos, we have trained 30; in Middle Caicos, we have trained 12; in Salt Cay 15 in South Caicos, we have trained 15 with another 19 to be trained.

“This gives us a total of 79 shelter managers that have already been trained and another 54 to be trained.”

Gordon said persons are also

being trained to conduct initial damage assessments.

“Because as we know, when an event occurs, it's very important for us to have persons to conduct that initial assessment on structures and infrastructure within the first 48 hours.”

She further pointed out that shelter inspection has been an ongoing process.

“From us, early as January, we commenced the shelter inspection process and of course, the shelter inspection team consists of representatives from the Public Works Department, we had representatives from the Environmental Health Department, Red Cross, and other NGOs and of course, we had representatives from the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies.

“Together, the team has inspected over 34 shelters and we still are in the process of inspecting more, because we want to ensure that the vulnerable areas have an adequate number of shelters.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts near-normal hurricane activity in the Atlantic this year.

NOAA’s outlook for the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, which goes from June 1 to November 30, predicts a 40% chance of a nearnormal season, a 30% chance of an above-normal season and a 30% chance of a below-normal season.

NOAA is forecasting a range of 12 to 17 total named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher). Of those, five to nine could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including one to four major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher).

Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development with responsibility for Disaster Management, Hon Jamell Robinson DDME’s Director, Ms Allison Gordon

Great speeches alone do not make you a great leader

Having the gift to speak well is a great skill. Great speeches make a significant difference in the lives of others. A great speech can encourage you, inspire you and influence you and provide you with so much hope. I encourage those individuals who have that ability to continue to use their voice to help others.

However, this article is about the selection of a leader simply because of a person’s ability to speak well. Too many times we equate great speeches with great leaders and as a result we overlook or underestimate those that are not skilled orators.

There are so many other qualities other than a great speech that make you a great leader. In the book of Exodus, Moses said that he was not an eloquent speaker, as he was slow in speech and slow in

BY DREXWELL SEYMOUR

tongue. Despite that, God chose him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

While some people may not be able to speak eloquently, they can communicate effectively and that is what is important as a leader. This involves making sure what you want is understood by all the relevant people. It also involves communicating frequently. Your communication must be clear and

concise.

A great leader should also be willing to listen to others and implement their suggestions and give credit to those who provided the ideas.

A great leader should have empathy for others. Always put yourself in the position of others. Show concern and care for others.

A great leader is more than a talker. A great leader gets things

done. Too many times, there is too much talk and no action.

A great leader should delegate. Leaders don’t have to take on everything, especially if it is an area they do not have expertise in. Even if it is a familiar area, leaders can easily get burned out, so it is best to delegate. In so doing, it makes others feel a part of the team.

Talking about team, leaders should be team players. It shouldn’t be about “I” and “me” but about us. Make people feel apart of the team. Involve them. Don’t assume they don’t have anything to bring to the table.

A great leader should not be showing favoritism to people of the same political persuasion, or the same colour, or the same race or nationality or the role people occupy. Treat everyone the same

and as important people of your organization. Everybody has a role to play, and every role is important.

A great leader should be honest. Speak the truth because when you are dishonest, it creates a lot of mistrust and unhappy people.

A great leader should not be revengeful and should not take constructive feedback personally. Constructive feedback can make you a great leader if you accept and implement the feedback. Whether you can speak well or not, you can still lead effectively. If you have those qualities listed above, you can be a successful leader. Please do not equate great speakers are as great leaders. There are some great speakers who are great leaders but not all of them. Likewise, there are some people who are not great speakers but can lead well.

Don’t let your lack of oratory skills stop you from becoming a leader Synergy of the water-energy-food nexus

Its importance in resource planning, management and security

Worldwide, major changes are emerging with over-arching ramifications for the existing disequilibria in the waterenergy-food (WEF) resource management, as climate change and social changes in population growth, globalization, economic prosperity, urbanization and social discontent posit pressures on the WEF continuum.

The TCI is not immune and these phenomena and will – in the near future – severely impact its WEF sustainability, causing disruption of lives, as our society evolves into a domain of scarce resources.

Widely known, water, energy and food are distinctly interconnected, having many trade-offs, but complex interactions. Water is

BY D MARKIE SPRING

required for almost all forms of energy production and supply. Energy is needed for transporting and treating water and both water and energy are vital for producing food, which sustains life.

The recent debated national budget in Parliament, under the theme “Delivering on the citizen’s contract: Achieving social, economic and environmental progress for all,”

fuels constructive criticisms.

But first, the budget addresses a diverse set of critical components for national development, which include funding in key sectors, such as security and safety, health, education, and other social facets of life.

Considering the recent spate of gun violence, the lack of medical care facilities, dilapidated infrastructure, and limited education opportunities across the TCI, the budget synchronizes well with these needs for growth. Especially, I laud the minister of education for her vision for instituting the special needs students’ programme.

More impressive is the $65 million earmarked for capital projects. However, there are three keys areas – considering the

depletion of the world’s resources –which were inadequately addressed: water, energy and food security.

The government recognizes the need for water availability; hence, it plans to purchase a new onemillion gallon salt water reverse osmosis plant and upgrade Grand Turk water storage and distribution facilities.

These mechanisms are vital as severe climatic conditions threaten to empty water sources. Worldwide, rivers and other fresh water sources are drying up. While there is more to be done the government should be applauded for its insight to ensure large-scale water availability.

Policymakers are also investing in farming, but considering deteriorating weather conditions, the agriculture sector must be fully developed and funded for sufficiency and local consumption. However, the budget does not adequately address this dire, urgent need.

As we know, higher temperatures engender prolong droughts and, and now, crops are struggling to survive such condition. As food prices soar, it will hamper supply;

hence, widespread agriculture should be practiced to ensure food security for the TCI.

More so, the energy sector needs massive funding and development and sadly, it did not even make it unto the capital projects list, considering that continuous drilling of oil and gas dwindle fossil fuel supplies. Meanwhile, the RussiaUkraine war and other geopolitical tensions have reshaped the international fuel market, spurring soaring crude prices.

Global conflicts will inevitably effectuate closure of strategic chokepoints and disrupt the distribution of oil and gas and this should amplify calls for an accelerated energy transition in the TCI.

While social infrastructural development is an important facet, it is water, energy and food sustainability, which should take precedence.

Be assured, no one can survive the approaching world crises without the availability of these resources and a budget, which lacks substantial financing to acquire sufficiency in these sectors, is quite unfortunate!

Drexwell Seymour is a certified public accountant and is the managing partner for HLB TCI. His favourite hobby, however, is writing. He has a personal website, www.drexwellseymour. com, where all of his writings are posted. He also has a YouTube channel where you can find inspirational videos. Drexwell has a BA in Accounting and an MBA in Finance.

D Markie Spring, a TCI resident of 15 years, is an expert in law enforcement. He worked as a detective in the Royal TCI Police Force and was director of security at Beaches Turks and Caicos.

Remember economic principles from the Book of Deuteronomy

At the church I serve, Harvest Bible Chapel, we are in a series of teachings called “Christianity’s Biggest Questions”. This week we will be looking at why the Bible is crucial for the church’s health, vitality, and mission. In other words, why is the Bible foundational to the church? Because the Bible is critical in the growth of the church, it is every believer’s job to know it and do what it says. Why? For several reasons, but primarily because the Bible is the ultimate guide for all of life.

That the Bible is life’s preeminent guide is one of the main themes of the book of Deuteronomy. The Bible as a whole, and Deuteronomy specifically, provides detailed instructions and regulations for aspects of life such as justice, social ethics, personal conduct, and worship. As such the Bible is the standard of righteousness or right living, wisdom, and human flourishing. This is why it is important to take note and make an effort to apply its principles, especially when it comes to national and personal prosperity. Deuteronomy was written to help Israel remember their God and the laws he gave them. For that reason, I want us to remember the following things.

OCTOPEN

BE THANKFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE

KENYATTA E. LEWIS

Kenyatta Lewis is the pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel, a growing church committed to taking followers of Jesus deeper and going further in their faith. Besides loving, serving, and helping people he has watched the extended Director’s cut of the Lord of the Rings trilogy multiple times.

God told the Israelites that “For forty years I led you through the wilderness, yet your clothes and sandals did not wear out.” (Deut. 29:5) It is easy to complain - about prices, low wages, high loan interest, about the cost of living – and because of that we miss the opportunities to be thankful for what we have. Things like a home and a vehicle, food in the cupboard, access to healthcare, education, and friends. God wanted the Israelites to remember their blessings, and you should spend time being thankful for what you have rather than grumbling about what you do not have. A little gratitude goes a long, long way.

BE GENEROUS WITH WHAT YOU HAVE

“But if there are any poor Israelites

in your towns when you arrive in the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward them. Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need. Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year for cancelling debts is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the LORD, you will be considered guilty of sin. Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the LORD your God will bless you in everything you do. There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.” (Deut. 15:7-11) Individuals and communities should practice compassion towards those in need. It is not the sole responsibility of the government to reduce poverty and promote social welfare, every citizen

needs to play their part in it.

BE WARNED, YOU CAN LOSE EVERYTHING

The rags to riches and riches to rags stories are compelling. On

one hand, it shows it highlights the best of humanity’s abilities and God’s provenance. On the other hand, it shows mankind’s greed and wickedness. In the book of Deuteronomy, the Israelites are warned that if they neglect God’s guidance they will suffer adversity, defeat, poverty, and exile. We need to be warned that if we neglect God’s way of doing things, misuse his resources, and exploit our fellow beings, we will suffer likewise. It is easy to lose everything, so be generous, thankful and remember to live God’s way.

Note to self

There is a tremendous power in the word “self” because when this prefix “self” is attached to a word, it changes a lot. It gives us self-absorbed and self-less. Selfcentered and self-giving_ And my all time favorite, self-awareness and self importance.

Here are a handful of selfhyphenated-words that I tend to use all the time. The first set are self-filling, the others are less attractive. I thought I would share these with you.

SELF-CONTAINED:

Not requiring help or support from anyone or anything else, complete by itself.

SELF-HELP

The use of one's own efforts and resources to achieve things

BY DAVIDSON LOUIS

Rachel Wolchin once said: “If we were meant to stay in one place, we’d have had roots instead of feet.” On this quest to self-discovery, TC Islander Davidson Louis vowed to travel, write, paint, laugh and forgive. Subsequently, he hopes to find himself and or, leave behind a few pieces of himself. Contact him at hello. octopen@tcinews.tc

without relying on others.

SELF-RESPECT

Pride and confidence in oneself, a feeling that one is behaving with honor and dignity. This has nothing to do with having a big ego.

SELF-CARE:

The practice of taking action to

preserve or improve one's own health: be mental or physical.

SELF DISCIPLINE/CONTROL:

The ability to control one's feelings and overcome one’s weaknesses, the ability to pursue what one thinks is right despite temptations to abandon it.

SELF-MOTIVATED:

Push oneself to their goals. It is needed!

SELF-MADE:

Having become successful by one's own efforts.

SELF-GIVING

The giving up of one's own interests or wishes in order to help others or advance a cause.

And here are some you should avoid.

SELF-PITY

An excessive unhappiness over one's own troubles

SELF-INDULGENT

Characterized by doing or tendency to do exactly what one wants, especially when this involves pleasure or idleness.

SELF- INTEREST

One's personal interest or advantage, especially when pursued without regard for others.

SELF-EFFACING

Make oneself appear insignificant or inconspicuous.

SELF-DOUBT

Lack of confidence in oneself and one's abilities.

SELF-CENTERED reoccupied with oneself and one's affairs.

What is your most frequently used self-hyphenated-word?

Do tell on louisedens@gmail. com.

Does TCI’s longer prison sentences prevent gun violence?

A stark increase from seven to 12 years mandatory prison sentencing for illegal firearms possession in Turks and Caicos Islands. This is the new amended law.

Possessing an illegal firearm is considered one of the most egregious crimes in TCI. Therefore, as a deterrent, word of harsh sentence add-ons should spread quickly to would-be criminals and make one think twice before arming themselves with an illegal or unlicensed firearm.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be the case. Whilst notable progress has been made with reducing violent crimes in TCI, more must be done to stem the flow of illegal weapons into the country.

Based on the continuous firearms related violence, it’s evident a number of weapons are still ending up in the hands of individuals who shouldn’t have them.

It would be remiss of me if I fail to commend the bravery of our dedicated police officers who are often confronted with these challenges in their efforts to deter and rid the streets of these illegal firearms.

Nevertheless, I have ambivalent feelings about the haste in which this amended law was implemented. It came on the backdrop of the rash of gun-related homicides several months ago that were connected to gang violence.

Furthermore, studies have shown there is little evidence to

BY ED FORBES

support the intended purposes of firearm sentencing enhancements, reducing crime rates and gun use.

In my opinion, what the courts failed to take into consideration is the negative impact it will have on the same group of young adults we are trying to help and protect.

The courts should not be callously handing down these verdicts, especially to our youth who are first-time offenders and without physically harming an individual. The impact on the individual and the community can sometimes produce absurd and unintended results.

It’s obvious this law alone is not stopping the violence or importation of illegal weapons. In addition, these felons are not serving life sentences and will eventually be released into society.

Many concerned citizens are watching and awaiting the verdict associated with the recent revelations on April 25th, 2023, of an American tourist who was arrested at the airport for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition and was subsequently granted bail.

The disposition of this case if not aligned with our strict laws, could be sending a dangerous and

Police make over 140 stops, issue over 60 tickets during “Operation Pursuit”

The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF), the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the Immigration Department conducted roadblock activities in Providenciales last week with the agenda of returning law and order to the roadways.

The activities from May 24-26 form part of “Operation Pursuit”, which involves a multi-agency operational framework, designed to locate, identify and process

persons engaged in all illegal activities within the TCI.

The operations took place along Five Cays/South Dock Road junction, Dock Yard, Tropicana Roundabout, Leeward Highway, Susie Turn and the Seven Stars Roundabout.

Overall there were 142 traffic stops/vehicle checks. Some 39 tickets were issued for using

conflicting message to potential visitors, as ignorance of the law should not be an excuse.

The outcome will also highlight the glaring contradiction as it relates to the recent sentencing of local individuals for similar offenses. Hopefully, it will prompt legislators to take a second look at the law and display a willingness to consider how they might more reasonably revise it.

If not already in place, this should include creating some sort of a safety net that allows judges to sentence below the mandatory minimum for first-time offenders, and give them a second chance if doing so will not endanger the public.

There are others, but I can cite one example of an incident that was brought to the public attention that still raises some questions or lacks follow-up information.

A few years ago, a mechanic/ boat operator was arrested for firearms found on a luxury yacht in Turtle Cove. If I’m not mistaken, he is not serving a seven-year minimum sentence which was the law at the time. It goes to show that those in the upper echelon of society always have the advantage.

It is time for our judicial system

to take a hard look at how this law is negatively impacting the marginalised communities, and stop pretending that the penalties for illegal possession of a firearm apply universally across this country.

I have absolutely nothing personally against the mechanic/ boat operator or the American tourist, but does the law only apply to some? If there are legal loopholes in the law, let’s make every effort to close them.

Apart from the fact that there could be inherent biases in the laws, are we conducting our own intensive research to see why more and more of our youth are illegally arming themselves?

Could it be because of the recent rise in gang violence and their fears of insecurity? Did the pandemic contribute to increasing social anxiety? Have they lost confidence in our law enforcement's ability to resolve reported crimes within a reasonable timeframe?

In an interview with a recently released felon, he expressed his remorse for his involvement in a crime he was convicted of. The challenge facing him now is a struggle to find an employer who is willing to give him a second chance.

These are all valid and real concerns and must be dealt with in this country. With that being said, we should not make our young men the scapegoat of our broken

society. Until we can effectively tackle the source, it will only result in a mass incarceration problem. Since there is no cookiecutter approach to these types of challenges, I think it’s extremely important that before any country mimic or adapt the laws or policies of others, it’s imperative that they conduct their own thorough research and analysis to determine the impact.

The fact of the matter is, TCI is not in the position as some of the other developed countries in terms of having the necessary available resources to deal with this growing problem.

The government must dig deeper, and invest in more community-driven social programmes such as pre-release job training services and work release programmes for ex-felons etc. Once released, without real intervention, rehabilitation and support, this could result in the perpetuation of criminal behaviour.

Despite the controversial nature of this law, I appeal to our young men. We understand due to certain circumstances beyond your control, be it mental or emotional, many of you are struggling with the temptation to do the wrong thing.

We hear you, I can assure you that your life is worth more than any problem you are facing. Think twice, Stop the senseless killings— don’t throw away your freedom with the mere possession or use of an illicit firearm.

A concerned citizen of Grand Turk

The operations took place along Five Cays/South Dock Road junction, Dock Yard, Tropicana Roundabout, Leeward Highway, Susie Turn and the Seven Stars Roundabout

Police presence returns to Salt Cay

Police Constable Stanley Been Jr. has been tasked with keeping law and order on Salt Cay, making this the fulfilment of a years-long request for police presence on the family island.

An official welcome ceremony was hosted on Tuesday, May 30, in Salt Cay, an occasion that also saw the appointment of the new district commissioner Asha Thomas.

Present at the event were Her Excellency, the Governor (Acting)

Mrs Anya Williams; Hon. Premier Charles Washington Misick; Deputy Premier Hon Erwin Jay Saunders, Opposition Leader Hon Edwin Astwood; Deputy Commissioner of Police Rodney Adams, members of government, superintendent of police (for community policing and divisions) Dwight Gardiner, past and present permanent secretaries and residents of Salt Cay.

Presenting Constable Stanley Been as the officer in charge of the Salt Cay community, DCP Adams said: “PC Been has over six years of service in the Royal TCI Police Force and is a dedicated and experienced police officer who has been assigned to serve your community.

“We are confident that he will provide the necessary support to ensure the safety and security of the island.”

The acting top cop called on Constable Been to serve without fear or favour, noting that policing requires trust and honesty every day.

In closing, Adams told Been: “You now represent the senior leadership of the force.

“Your decisions or indecisions will have a lasting impact on not just yourself, but the police service as well. You have a team of professionals, supervisors and managers to support you.

“Please make use of them from day one. We are all here to support you as you take on this new challenge.”

Governor Williams, in her address, expressed gratitude to the RTCIPF for heeding the call of residents for a police presence.

Premier Misick stated: “Salt Cay has been asking for a police presence and now that we have one, we are doing all we can to empower the police and ensure they have the manpower.”

Hon. Astwood welcomed the police presence saying it is long overdue and applauded Constable Been, saying: “Salt Cay you have a wonderful young man, he will guide and protect you.”

Salt Cay’s staunchest advocate for police presence, outgoing District Commissioner Almaida Wilson said: “It feels good leaving the island with a police officer present. I have done all I can to get Salt Cay what was needed. My promise has been fulfilled.”

Entertainment for the event was provided by the Police Force band and students at the Mary Robinson Primary School, while Sergeant Huntley Forbes Jr. served as the master of ceremonies.

Group photo- (l-r) PC Stanley Been, ag Commissioner of Police Rodney Adams, Hon Governor (Acting) Anya Williams, Premier Hon Charles Misick, Superintendent Dwight Gardiner and Insp Dominic Missick.

PC Stanley Been introduces himself to

of Salt Cay

Forty-three years ago, JAGS McCartney inspired a nation – Islanders urged to never forget, forge ahead in love and unity

The Turks and Caicos Islands paid tribute to its National Hero, the late Right Most Excellent James Alexander George Smith McCartney in fine fashion this past Monday.

In the nation’s capital residents and members of the government and opposition gathered for an hours-long celebration which included musical selections, a twenty-onegun salute, an inspiring keynote speech by Devon Cox and other cultural selections in memory of the late hero.

The theme for this year’s JAGS McCartney Day is ‘Lest We Forget, the Passion, the Drive, the Reason’.

In attendance at the memorial event were the offspring of the late national hero, residents, Her Excellency acting Governor, Anya Williams; Premier Hon. Charles Washington Misick and his wife

Mrs. Delthia Russell-Misick; Leader of the Opposition Hon. Edwin Astwood, senior Cabinet ministers and the Commissioner of Police, Trevor Botting.

In her remarks to honour the late national hero, Governor Williams stated: “We recognise, honour and pay tribute to our first Chief Minister the Right Most Excellent James Alexander George Smith McCartney, our first and only National Hero of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

“Lest we never forget the invaluable contributions of our first and only national hero who at the tender age of 31 became the youngest in-office leader in the Commonwealth; and as the first Chief Minister of the Turks and Caicos Islands was instrumental in the establishment of the first ministerial form of internal self-

government in the TCI.

“Lest we never forget that JAGS’ hard work, dedication and sacrifice paved the way for many of us including myself, to hold the positions that we do today.

“Lest we never forget that the tourism economy we boast of today, was initially assisted by the Right Most Excellent JAGS McCartney who was instrumental in the development of the first major hotel in the Turks and Caicos Islands, Club Med Hotel which is still in operation today.”

She said the TCI has made great strides during the last 40 years since JAGS’ passing, but Islanders should never forget their history, the contributions of those that came before and how they got to where they are today.

“Let us as Turks and Caicos Islanders

work together in partnership to ensure that we accomplish the true and most important goal of the Right Most Excellent JAGS McCartney which is to have a unified Turks and Caicos Islands that works together for the future benefit of the people of our beautiful by nature Turks and Caicos Islands.”

She urged: “Let us live to accomplish his dreams not just by offering key words and catch phrases each JAGS McCartney Day, but every day thereafter by not tearing down each other through words and actions, but by truly working together to build the TCI through love and through respect for one another as we work to keep our first national hero’s dream alive.”

A public holiday marked the contributions of the territory’s only national hero.

(DELANA ISLES)

The children of the late Hon. JAGS McCartney lay a wreath in his memory (TCIG photo)

Cultural and other observances in honour of the late National Hero were observed last Monday (TCIG photos)

Salt Cay bids farewell to district commissioner Almaida Wilson

as new DC takes up post

The quaint island of Salt Cay came together this week for a farewell and appreciation ceremony for outgoing district commissioner Almaida Wilson in honour of her exemplary service and commitment to the community.

On Tuesday, May 30, residents of the community, joined the Governor and members of the government for a welcome and farewell event.

Mrs. Wilson dedicated over 30 years of service to the TCI Public Service and has served as district commissioner for the island of Salt Cay since 2016; leading the island through several serious hurricanes, through the Covid-19 pandemic and numerous other challenges during the period.

In brief remarks, the governor stated: “As an outspoken advocate for the island of Salt Cay and a former police officer herself, Mrs. Wilson advocated quite frequently during her tenure for the reestablishment of the police outpost on the island.”

The last one was dismantled five years ago to centralise police operations. At Wilson’s farewell and appreciation ceremony, residents also welcomed back police presence on the island, in the person of Officer Stanley Been Jnr.

In making his remarks on the opening of the police outpost and Wilson’s retirement, Deputy Commissioner of Police Rodney Adams commended Wilson’s persistent advocacy.

“She fought for the return of a

police officer on the Island of Salt Cay for her entire time in post.

“We have had many visits to the Island looking at accommodations and office space in the last year. There were times in the earlier years of her tenure when it might have seemed as if her calls were getting nowhere. However, she stayed focused and relentless in her calls for an officer to be posted on the Island. Thanks, D.C. Wilson, for showing that consistency pays off,” Adams stated.

Wilson’s replacement is Aisha Thomas, who was also present at the event.

Commenting on Wilson’s retirement, acting Governor, HE Anya Williams said: “We express our profound thanks to District Commissioner Wilson who in her farewell remarks stated that it felt good to be leaving the island with a police officer present and that she had done all that she could to get Salt Cay what was needed and that her promise had been fulfilled. Well done DC Wilson.”

She added: “We extend congratulations and best wishes to our new District Commissioner Mrs. Aisha Thomas as she ushers in a new chapter of her public service career as the new District Commissioner for the island of Salt Cay and wish Officer Been well as he works to keep the tranquil island of Salt Cay safe and well protected.”

The Governor said this is the start of a new chapter for Salt Cay. (DELANA ISLES)

The incoming and outgoing District Commissioners of Salt Cay (Photo courtesy of Governor’s Office)

Governor (Acting) Her Excellency Anya Williams presents retired District Commissioner of Salt Cay Almaida Wilson with a token of appreciation (RTCIPF photo)

PDM urges unity and service in observance of JAGS Day

HON EDWIN A. ASTWOOD

Leader of PDM and the Opposition

On this auspicious occasion of honouring our first, and only national Hero to date, The Right Most Excellent James Alexander George Smith (JAGS) McCartney, I believe that it would be quite fitting to speak to the unity of, and service to, our country and our people.

The Right, Most Excellent McCartney, was very much known to be one who saw beyond political parties, as it has been documented, and confirmed, that his decisions were based on what was best for Turks and Caicos Islands and not just on the political persuasion of individuals.

It is also well documented about his efforts to bring our islands and our people together, where back then a common phrase used was ‘back of the buoy’ representing a separation between the Turks Islands and the Caicos Islands.

And because of connotations and the then stigma associated with the statement, Hon. McCartney, along with others removed the buoy, which physically marked the separation of our Islands, signalling the promotion of national unity.

Are we still divided as a people? Are negative connotations still in use for some of our Islands? How do many of our politicians now view our capital Grand Turk? Is there a renewed movement to ‘cut the lights off’? So, what is unity? And how do we achieve the national unity that we so desire?

In order to reach this unity, we must first identify our collective truths, qualities, and beliefs.

Beliefs are our perspectives of the world, which build our idea of it, and how we are living in the world, how we are living in our countries, and how we are living in our communities.

The qualities are those aspects that we have awakened in ourselves, or that which we are searching for, in order to act in relation to those established beliefs. And the methods by which we move, and express, those qualities within our beliefs...will be called your truths.

The difference between a truth and a belief is that the belief implies a certain expectation, and intention, that things will happen as you expect them to. Instead, the truths are the ones you simply accept in the present.

So how can we change the current reality we see in our country? I strongly believe it can be done by each of us, or certainly, the majority of us, recognizing

how useful we are in this reality. This is what we refer to as service.

Putting ourselves at the service of our Country, at the service of others, and at the service of life, is to allow ourselves to expand and share our qualities with others.

If our beliefs have shaped our perception of the country, our qualities would be the tools we use in this existence, and the truth would be what we assimilate from it, making it our own.

Therefore, my people, I believe that it is past time that we put those tools which each of us has assimilated from our perceptions of this reality, at the service of our people and our country.

Putting oneself at the service then implies, recognizing how you are useful in life.

Likewise, if you try to do things you are not good at, you will not only bother and delay others, but you would also be wasting your potential and your time.

Therefore, more than anything, we must all identify how we consider ourselves useful.

Recognising this will help us realize how our inner feelings and energies flow, whether it is applicable or not, and whether it provides solutions to others, or not.

In the realisation of this, there should be no feelings, emotions, or actions, but simply the concepts that one has formed of oneself.

So how are we useful? We must recognise, then, that everything we believe about ourselves generates the qualities that we project into the world, which allow us to assimilate our truth, and thus, we can put ourselves at the service of it. Therefore, we must know how we consider ourselves useful, and

recognize the negative and positive flows of our personalities and abilities.

In other words, we should not only ask ourselves; how am I useful, but we should also ask ourselves; how do I consider myself useless? For example, we could say, that we all have the potential to do everything in life, which is really true. But, having the potential to do everything in life, does not mean that you can do, or can be, everything now.

You have the potential to be a doctor, but you will have to commit yourself to the education and training process needed to be qualified as a doctor, then you will become one.

Today we all have certain active potentialities, and it is in the recognition of them, that would make you focus on trying to balance them.

Seeing how we are useful, and how we consider ourselves to be useful, will help us to understand very well where the tools, with which we will fulfil our missions and purposes in life, are located.

And likewise, seeing in which aspects we consider ourselves useless, will help us to recognize in which things we need to have a complementary relationship or situation with others.

We know that in our society we consider useless to be a pejorative insult, and something very negative.

It is only negative if you take it as such. But it is not if you don’t take it negatively.

The word ‘Useful’ comes from the Latin concept uti’ (which means to use, or to serve), and ilis (which means possibility), therefore, when

useless for? And surely there are many other things for which we are useful, and many things for which we consider ourselves useless, at least at this moment in time think about it meditate on them.

In totality, remember it is all service of the heart.

Therefore, we should identify both aspects as part of our abilities to give something to others, what we perceive that we can give of ourselves, and what we cannot give of ourselves in relation to others.

In doing this exercise we should not judge ourselves. We all have this polarity. This is exactly what makes us build families bonds, have friends, and colleagues, form groups, join organizations, be a part of teams, and live in a society.

combined, refers to the possibility of being used in certain cases.

The prefix in useless means that it is not possible to be used in specific cases. That doesn’t make you useless overall, just useless for this activity. It means that you are good for other things, just not good for this one. And, in what we do not serve, or do not possess, lies the strength of the team.

If we all knew how to do everything, then there would be no human civilizations. There would only be a few humans scattered around the world.

The strength of cultures, countries, and civilizations is precisely the uselessness of their individuals, which leads to symbiosis, collaboration, association, complementarity, putting oneself at service, and being a community.

Remember everyone has something to give, that the others do not have. Hence, putting our qualities to service will transform our collective truth and our belief.

So, I ask again to everyone: what do you consider yourself useful for? And what do you consider yourself

For whenever you recognise what you are useful for, those who need you, will appear, and whenever you recognise what you are useless for, those who can help you, will appear.

Many of us had to learn the hard way, that in the irrational human search to appear strong, to be all-powerful beings, capable of doing things alone many times, we lose ourselves in pride, in not recognizing that we need help.

Therefore, if we want to truly transform our communities, truly transform our Islands, and truly transform our country, we must understand that we must start with ourselves, affirming that I put myself at the service of others and I allow myself to be helped by the others around me.

Hence, the greatest key to being of service from the heart is the ability to open up to the community by giving and receiving. I hope today that we all call leave from this ceremony, having the ignition, or a renewed commitment, to the Unity of, and Service to, our country and our people.

Affirming that ‘I allow myself to be useless and receive from the hearts of others and I allow myself to be useful and give to others from my heart’

Hon Edwin A. Astwood, Leader of PDM and the Opposition

Government ramps up measures to clamp down on poaching

The Turks and Caicos Islands government is ramping up measures to combat illegal fishing in its territorial waters.

Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing otherwise known as “poaching” has been a major threat to the fisheries resources in the Turks and Caicos Islands as it relates to the conservation of marine biodiversity and management of fish stocks.

Minister of Fisheries & Marine Affairs Hon Josephine Connolly, during her recent budget address in the House of Assembly, said poaching “impacts the sustainability of fisheries, the livelihoods of fishers and coastal communities and the protection of marine ecosystems.”

In an effort to boost the Department’s ability to continue combatting these illegal activities, the government has committed in this year’s budget $110,000 for a vehicle and $500,000 as a capital project to procure a patrol vessel for the Department of Fisheries and Maritime.

Connolly said: “This vessel will increase our maritime assets within the department and thus enable the department to permanently position an Offshore Patrol Vessel on the Island of Grand Turk.

“This repositioning of assets will enable the department in partnership with the marine police to have greater reach and capabilities to effectively patrol the Turks banks and the Mouchoir Bank and protect our fishermen's livelihood.”

The Minister revealed that

over the last year, the Department of Fisheries and Maritime in collaboration with the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force successfully apprehended 24 foreign nationals for illegally fishing within our waters, resulting in the confiscation of marine products.

“My government and my

ministry remain steadfast and committed to protecting our national borders and our marine resources”, she added.

As another layer of protection for the territory’s diverse environment, the government has approved the first Biosecurity Policy for TCI. This policy considers the management of invasive species,

plant pests, and animal diseases, along with other threats to the territory’s biodiversity such as poaching.

She said: “You would have heard from the recent debate in the House of Commons in the UK, the Overseas Territories, in particular, the Turks and Caicos Islands has some of the highest biodiversity

and in combination puts the UK and it’s overseas territory as the third most diverse countries in the world.

“We have to protect our environment, and its biodiversity.” The policy will serve as the foundation for the development of the appropriate legislation which is currently in draft.

Saturday night crime spree results in four violent robberies – vehicles, cash and valuables stolen

Four robberies in under one-hour last Saturday night left some victims injured and all deprived of vehicles, cash and or valuables after heavily armed criminals went on a rampage.

The first incident, as reported by police, occurred sometime around 9:22 pm, when they were alerted to a robbery on Sandbar Street in Five Cays.

Preliminary reports from police indicate that the male and female victims of the robbery were inside a parked vehicle when another vehicle

pulled alongside them, and four armed men exited. The armed men proceeded to rob the victims of their valuables and the vehicle.

The second incident occurred sometime around 9:27 pm when another male victim was driving his vehicle behind the Paradise Baptist Church. He reported to police that he was stopped by three heavily armed men wearing ski masks. The robbers brandished their way into the victim’s vehicle, pointed a gun at him, placed him in the back seat

and drove off.

The victim managed to jump out of the moving vehicle and escaped.

Then at 9:50 pm, the police control room received the third call of a robbery in progress at a Bar located along Academy Way in Downtown Providenciales. Officers were dispatched to the scene, where witnesses reported that two armed men entered the establishment and proceeded to rob the patrons. Two men were struck on the head with firearms by the robbers, who then made

good their escape in a silver vehicle.

A fourth robbery report was made to police at about 10:07 pm.

Police said officers responded to a report of a robbery along Aviation Drive, where they encountered a male victim. The man told police that sometime after 9pm he drove to Glass Shack to drop off someone and in doing so was approached by four armed men who proceeded to rob him of his vehicle.

The victim stated he was

struck and placed to the back of the said vehicle and driven to a financial institution to withdraw money from his account. He managed to escape.

Police stated that at this stage the offences are being linked and a dedicated investigation team has been established.

The public is urged to notify the closest police station and give any information regarding these robberies or any illegal activity anonymously.

The crime stoppers number is 1-800- -8477.

A large quantity of fish seized from poachers - (RTCIPF photo)

Residents urged to take advantage of Crown Land Amnesty

Holders of registered Residential Conditional Purchase Leases are being encouraged to take advantage of The Crown Land Arrears and Mesne Profit Amnesty which is limited to a period of two years only.

This comes as Amendments to the Crown Land Ordinance, designed to assist Turks and Caicos Islanders to better access and utilise Crown Land, came into effect on Thursday, June 1, 2023.

The Crown Land Unit, Lands Division of the Attorney General’s Chambers on Thursday announced that the provisions of the Crown Land (Amendment) Ordinance 2023 and Crown Land (Residential Conditional Purchase Lease) (Arrears and Mesne Profit) (Amnesty) Ordinance 2023 were now in force.

The Crown Land (Residential Conditional Purchase Lease) (Arrears and Mesne Profit) (Amnesty) Ordinance 2023 is a new piece of legislation creating a new amnesty for persons who owe arrears for Crown land.

This new amnesty seeks to provide for an amnesty period of two years to allow persons to choose one of the new terminal options recommended by the Crown Land Review Report to regularise residential conditional purchase leases and to write off the arrears and mesne profit in respect of residential conditional purchase leases.

Following the amnesty period, strict compliance and enforcement action will be taken to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Crown Land Ordinance so that

land is available for use by other Turks and Caicos Islanders.

The Crown Land Unit in a statement said the amendments to the ordinance now “permits the exchange of land in cases whether the Government has used private land, or a private landowner has used Crown land under a mistaken belief that there was an entitlement to that land and had relied on that mistaken belief to its detriment, subject to certain conditions set out in the Crown Land Ordinance.”

The changes also extend the period during which a successful applicant is given to accept an

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offer letter for the purchase of the freehold title Crown land from three months to six months.

The amendments also make provision for where the holder of an expired Registered Residential Conditional Purchase Lease has passed away, the Executor or Administrator of the deceased’s estate to apply to regularise the land, provided that the property was being used as the primary residence of the deceased.

To this end, for a period of two years commencing today, June 1, 2023, a person who holds a current registered residential CPL

or a person whose residential CPL has expired but who remains the registered leaseholder or the Executor or Administrator of the Estate of the registered leaseholder, will be able to apply to the Crown Land Unit to; Convert a CPL to Freehold title without having to pay anything owed to the Crown (arrears and mesne profit).

“Pay for a freehold title in instalments, subject to certain conditions.

“Convert a CPL to a long lease subject to certain conditions.

“Shrink, reconfigure, or in exceptional cases, exchange

parcels as a preliminary step to exercise one of the other terminal options to acquire freehold title.

“Apply for a Utility Service Certificate, where he/she is the holder of a registered but expired CPL holder to apply in order to apply to a utility authority for utility, telecommunication and other services,” the Crown Land Unit said.

Commenting on the changes stated, Hon Attorney General Rhondalee Braithwaite Knowles OBE KC said: “It has been a long and challenging road to arrive at this watershed moment in working with the TCIG and the UKG over three administrations to realise the Turks and Caicos Islands Government’s desired goals in this area.

“We look forward to continuing to roll out other advancements during this financial year as we operationalise more sustainable policies for the use of Crown Land while at the same time establishing more user-friendly processes to enable Turks and Caicos Islanders to benefit from Crown Land, especially to improve housing security in the Islands.”

Echoing similar sentiments, Premier Hon Charles Washington Misick said: “I welcome this first step in a series of actions taken to regularise and facilitate access to residential Crown land by qualifying Turks and Caicos Islanders. While it has taken a while, I am happy to have achieved this step. I encourage qualifying Turks and Caicos Islanders to act quickly to avail themselves of these opportunities during the two years that are being offered.”

Motor Vehicle

without Proper Identification Plates; while 17 Tickets were issued for unlicensed motor vehicles; six for tinting of windows and windscreens and one in contravention to the seat belt regulation.

Ten vehicles were also towed; while two drivers voluntarily removed illegal window tints.

In addition, seven vehicles were without insurance.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ag) Randy Ellis said the operations will be conducted throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands on a regular basis.

“We urge all motorists to familiarise yourselves and comply with the law. Far too often we are seeing motorists flagrantly breaching the law. When some are stopped, they feign ignorance of the law by not knowing it’s an offence driving without a permit or insurance. There is no legitimate reason why drivers and users of vehicles do not have registration plates. It is an offence under the Road Traffic Ordinance to drive a motor vehicle on the road, whilst not displaying registration plates on the front and back of the vehicle. Road safety is everyone’s responsibility.”

Meanwhile, the RTCIPF in a release reminded motorists that vehicle windows must have the following minimum levels of visible light transmittance:

Front windscreen: Above 50 per cent, Each front window; driver and passenger side windows: above 50 per cent; rear windows and windscreen: above 30 per cent.

If your vehicle’s tint does not meet these requirements, then under the Road Traffic Ordinance you have committed a traffic violation and must pay $250 per window.

Hon Attorney General Rhondalee Braithwaite Knowles OBE KC

Ten vehicles were also towed; while two drivers voluntarily removed illegal window tints

Climbing that mountain!

Gutsy Saltans, fine art and the little ship that could

The American writer Jack Kerouac wrote, “Because in the end, you won’t remember the times you spent in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that g*damn mountain.” The story you’re about to read is about climbing that mountain or in our case crossing that sea.

Before I delve into my nautical tale, I must share an exciting achievement. The recent column “From Jerusalem to Cockburn Town”, which explores the history of donkeys has set a new record for the most widely read piece to date. The outpouring of letters from readers reenforced why the article struck a chord. A Grand Turk resident aptly remarked, “This has to be shared with the Tourist Board and the Primary/High Schools as a part of TCI history...A lot of people here don’t know of the history of the donkeys and how they came to these islands and from where and what was their purpose was. If you asked some of the younger generation about this, they couldn't tell you because it is not taught in our schools anymore as a part of our history”. Similarly, a reader from Austria expressed their pleasure, stating, “A very amusing and interesting article about the

BY TITUS DE BOER

history of the donkey on the Turks Islands and the world. It was a lot of fun to read, and I learned a lot about the intelligence of donkeys; I didn't know that they can open doors!”

On a tranquil Saturday morning, as the first rays of the sunlight danced above the horizon, I found myself standing at Salt Cay Harbour looking at the MV Brittany Leigh, affectionately known as The Salt Cay Ferry, gracefully swaying at its mooring, getting ready to steam west of the buoy, across the Turks Islands Passage to Providenciales. At 6:45 am this reliable vessel, boasting over four decades of service, embarked on its westward voyage. Captain Allan Dickenson, known fondly as “Shyne” due to his enthusiasm and unwavering confidence, remarked, “We really couldn’t have picked a better day.”

“Sometimes I really need this”, says the Captain as he looks over a calm, dark blue sea, towards South Caicos. “It’s therapeutic” and I couldn’t agree more. As we reach Long Cay, just south of South Caicos, the colour the sea wondrously turns from a majestic dark blue, to a deep emerald green which eventually gives way to the glorious light, translucent turquoise for which the Caicos Islands are so well known.

You may, quite rightly, be wondering why we find ourselves aboard the Salt Cay Ferry, on a Saturday morning, making the five-hour, eighty-mile journey to Providenciales. The answer is Art. Or to be precise, the relocation of a unique collection of fine art from Providenciales to the Turks Islands. This was an undertaking that had been planned for several months and which was, for

obvious reasons, reliant on calm seas and good weather. Timing is everything.

By mid-afternoon we arrived at our berth, secured our vessel, and settled down for some welldeserved rest. As Sunday morning dawned, two large moving vans pulled up beside the Salt Cay Ferry at Provo’s South Side Marina. A team of highly professional individuals swiftly went to work, loading nearly two hundred pieces of fine art onto our “vintage” floating moving van from Salt Cay. As I glanced out at the sea and the sky above a hint of unease crept over me, or perhaps I just wished that we could be in Grand Turk already with the entire collection safely stored away. But here we were and in the words of Lao Tzu, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” With renewed determination the MV

Brittany Leigh heads out once again onto the turquoise waters of the Caicos Banks.

As the Salt Cay Ferry makes its way back to the Turks Islands, resembling at this point more a floating art gallery, a light-hearted joke circulates amongst the crew and helpers, “How do you ship an art collection of almost two hundred paintings on the Salt Cay Ferry?” Answer: “You just do”. “There’s always a first time”, the good humoured Captain chimes in, and I am reminded of a scene from Raiders of the lost Ark, “Indiana Jones: Meet me at Omar's. Be ready for me. I'm going after that truck. Sallah: How? Indiana Jones: I don't know, I'm making this up as I go!”

Sunday evening, some 36 hours after our departure, the Salt Cay Ferry reaches the Nation’s capital. As our precious cargo begins the final leg of its journey along the now dark roads of Grand Turk, I am genuinely relieved that things have gone so smoothly. The next adventure beckons. And what will that be, you may be inclined to ask? All we can say, dear reader, is “watch this space”. Here’s to new adventures and climbing that mountain!

The Salt Cay Ferry being loaded with ‘artistic’ cargo in Provo’s South Side Marina.

Captain Allan “Shyne” Dickenson and Titus aboard the MV Brittany Leigh, better known as The Salt Cay Ferry.

The Salt Cay Ferry resembling a floating art gallery, as she makes her way back to the Turks Islands.

FTX chief’s fate lies in Bahamas’ hands

THE FATE of embattled FTX chief, Sam Bankman-Fried, rests in The Bahamas’ hands in determining how many criminal charges he will ultimately face over the crypto exchange’s multibillion dollar implosion, it was revealed yesterday.

US federal prosecutors, in legal filings with the southern New York district court, disclosed they will not proceed with multiple counts and charges against Mr BankmanFried unless they obtain the Bahamian government’s “consent” to move ahead with them.

Should The Bahamas not grant permission, this will result in the US Justice Department abandoning multiple fraud, bribery and corruption-related charges against the FTX founder. Those subject to being discontinued include “conspiracy to commit bank fraud”; “conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act’; “conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmission business”; commodities fraud; securities fraud; and US campaign finance law violations.

Such an outcome would result in close to half the charges against Mr Bankman-Fried being dropped, and would represent a major weakening of the criminal case against him over the massive losses suffered by FTX clients and creditors. The federal authorities’ legal documents confirm that The Bahamas’ permission has been requested, and a response from the Davis administration is now awaited.

Given the nature of The Bahamas’ relationship and economic dependency on the US, the source market for 90 percent of its tourists and 85 percent of the country’s imports, it would be a stunning development if this nation refused to grant the

“waiver” sought by the US Justice Department and its prosecutors.

However, the fact the US has had to revert back to The Bahamas for permission to proceed further highlights the haste with which both the criminal case against Mr Bankman- Fried was put together and his extradition from this nation sought. Many will also interpret it as a tacit admission that the former FTX chief and his attorneys had a case with their arguments that multiple charges should be dropped because the US violated The Bahamas’ Extradition Act and treaty.

The development also places an unwanted spotlight back on The Bahamas, temporarily at least, given that much of Mr BankmanFried’s fate once again rests in this nation’s hands. Many had hoped his extradition to New York would have diverted much of the unwelcome publicity surrounding FTX’s collapse away from these shores.

The FTX chief and his legal advisers are arguing that many of the charges brought against him subsequent to his extradition run afoul of The Bahamas- US extradition treaty, and specifically its Article 14. Known as the “rule of specialty”, this stipulates that someone being extradited from The Bahamas “may only be detained, tried or punished” in the US “for the offence for which extradition was granted”, while setting out other criteria.

The alleged breach occurred because of the charges added following Mr Bankman-Fried’s extradition, and the US is now moving to correct this by seeking The Bahamas’ permission to proceed with the new grounds.

“There is no basis for dismissal of any counts at this stage of the proceedings because the US treaty

with The Bahamas does not place limits on charging a defendant with new offenses post-extradition,” federal prosecutors alleged.

“The treaty expressly reflects only an agreement between the two countries that the extradited person will not be ‘detained, tried, or punished’ without the consent of the executive authority of the extraditing country..... Accordingly, the mere fact that the [latest] indictment contains new charges cannot violate the rule of specialty.”

Confirming that The Bahamas’ permission to move ahead with the additional charges has been sought, and a reply is now awaited, the US prosecutors added: “The Government has notified The Bahamas, which is the only party that would have standing to object on specialty grounds to trying, punishing or detaining the defendant on new charges, of the additional charges in the [latest] indictment and is seeking a specialty waiver from The Bahamas.

“The country’s response will be dispositive: The [US] government

will proceed on the new charges in the [latest] indictment if The Bahamas consents to trial on these charges, and will not proceed on those counts if The Bahamas denies the government’s request. Because the decision whether to waive the rule of specialty is for the extraditing country to make, the second circuit has long held that a defendant lacks standing to assert the rule of specialty.”

The new charges not included in original extradition warrant for Mr Bankman-Fried, but which were added subsequently, involve the alleged bank fraud, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and unlicensed money transmission business violations. However, these are not the only counts in peril if The Bahamas’ “consent waiver” is not obtained.

“The [latest] indictment also adds substantive charges of commodities fraud and securities fraud, in addition to the charges of conspiracy to commit these crimes that were in the original indictment,” US prosecutors add.

“In his motion, the defendant does not challenge the inclusion of

these counts. However, the US is also seeking a waiver of the rule of specialty from The Bahamas with respect to these counts and will proceed only if The Bahamas consents.”

The same applies to the alleged US campaign finance law violations. “In an abundance of caution, the US has conveyed to The Bahamas its understanding that the omission of the campaign finance charge was inadvertent, and informed The Bahamas that, absent timely information to the contrary from The Bahamas, the US intends to proceed on this charge. If The Bahamas objects, the government will not proceed on this charge,” prosecutors added.

Acknowledging that Mr Bankman-Fried had sought the US campaign finance charge’s dismissal because it was not included in the extradition “surrender warrant”, prosecutors nevertheless asserted it was incorporated into the original indictment that formed the basis for seeking his removal from The Bahamas as well as the “diplomatic note” presented to the Davis administration.

“Taking the extradition record as a whole, including the fact that the defendant specifically consented in Bahamian court to be extradited on this charge, it would not violate the rule of specialty to proceed to trial on this charge and, in any event, the defendant lacks standing to raise this issue,” they argued.

Among the Bahamian government ministers likely playing a key role in the decision on the “consent” will be Fred Mitchell, minister of foreign affairs, and who signed Mr BankmanFried’s “warrant of surrender”, and attorney general Ryan Pinder KC. (Tribune242)

Bahamas: Munroe rejects criticism on MP rape claim investigation

BAHAMAS National Security

Minister Wayne Munroe rejected criticism this week about the length of the police investigation into a woman’s allegations of abuse involving a sitting MP.

Bjorn Ferguson, the lawyer of a woman who filed a complaint against the MP, recently said the length of the investigation shows a double standard in how police treat matters involving prominent people versus less influential

people.

Mr Munroe countered yesterday that the length of investigations is driven by the facts of each case, not who a person is.

“So if you have an allegation with, we had them with tourists with the spring break things, it’s fairly simple: they say they were raped, they come immediately to the police station. They’re carried to the hospital. All of that happens in a short compass. Whether the

person in that instance is rich, powerful, famous, doesn’t really matter.”

“I did one with a young baseball phenom from the US. That happened quickly because the female made the complaint right away. There have been others where if the longer it takes for you to come forward, then the more period of time that the police are investigating. That just stands to reason.

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried

National Security Minister Wayne Munroe

Haiti’s deadly vigilante movement sees decline in gang violence, report says

Violence by armed gangs has fallen “drastically” since the emergence of a vigilante justice movement that has seen at least 160 suspected criminals killed in the last month, a report by local human rights research group CARDH said on Sunday.

The situation in the Caribbean country remains extremely volatile as heavily armed gangs continue to drive a humanitarian crisis that has displaced tens of thousands amid frequent kidnappings for ransom, gang rapes, tortures and murders.

The vigilante movement, known as “Bwa Kale”, began after residents of the capital Port-auPrince lynched and set fire to over a dozen suspected gang members

in the early morning of April 24.

CARDH said “almost no” kidnappings had been recorded in the last month and counted 43 gang-linked murders, down from 146 in the first three weeks of April.

“Without making a value judgment, the ‘Bwa Kale’ movement has in just one month produced convincing, visible results; fear has changed sides,” CARDH said in the report. “Both kidnappings and gang-related killings have fallen drastically.”

Port-au-Prince, which CARDH estimates is now 60% controlled by armed gangs, sits in Haiti’s Ouest Department where most of vigilante killings that it recorded

BVI moves to ensure schools are safe following Guyana’s deadly dorm fire

– including lynchings, stonings, beatings and burnings – took place.

Bwa Kale, CARDH said, likely emerged from the extreme cruelty inflicted by gangs, the ineffectiveness of the government, police and army and lack of international action.

Haiti’s government and national police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Haiti’s government requested a “rapid” international force help bolster its police last October, but countries have been wary of supporting the unelected government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who has in turn said fair elections cannot be held under the current insecurity.

Education Minister, Sharie de Castro, said the British Virgin Islands would work to prevent tragedies similar to the Mahdia Secondary School girls’ dormitory fire from occurring on the territory.

De Castro made the comment as she sent condolences to the families of the 19 children (now 20) killed in the fire and the people of Guyana.

“As the Minister for Education, I am deeply saddened by the news of the recent fire in Guyana that claimed the lives of 19 students. My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of those affected by this tragedy. We offer our condolences and stand in solidarity with the people of Guyana during this difficult time. We urge all school authorities to take necessary

measures to ensure the safety and well-being of their students, and we will continue to work with our international partners to prevent such incidents from happening again in the future,” de Castro said in a statement.

An investigation by the Guyana Fire and Rescue Service found a student deliberately set the blaze. Police said the girl set the fire after her cell phone was confiscated by school administrators when they discovered she was having a relationship with an adult man. Fifty-six students were in the dormitory when the fire broke out shortly before midnight.

Guyanese President Dr Mohammed Irfaan Ali has ordered a commission of inquiry (COI) into the incident.

As a new minimum wage is introduced this week, one community advocate is praising the Government for trying, but said it has not gone far enough.

The rule coming into effect on Thursday requires employers to pay their employees $16.40 an hour, inclusive of any applicable gratuities.

“At least it is an attempt to control the outright exploitation of workers,” said Sheelagh Cooper, chair of Habitat for Humanity Bermuda. “However, by my calculation someone working a 40hour week making this prescribed minimum wage [after paying the mandatory HIP and even before other deductions] would take home less than $550. Does anyone think

wage in Bermuda?”

“We must first address the cost of living for individuals who are working for minimum wage,” Ms Laws said. “For individuals to be healthy and whole, one must receive sufficient medical and dental benefits, housing and utilities, food, childcare, mental health support, transportation, gas, clothing, education and a realistic savings opportunity.”

She said the lack of most of these resources are a contributing factor to why some domestic violence victims remain stuck in bad relationships.

“Sufficient resources aren’t provided for individuals receiving a livable wage, not to mention individuals receiving a minimum wage,” she said.

Juliana Snelling, founder of food giveaway programme Grateful Bread, had a different take. She said as an attorney she has witnessed the attempted financial abuse of low-level, unrepresented workers.

“A minimum wage is a good and necessary thing for our island’s employees,” she said. “As for the amount of $16.40, I am no economist, but we have to start somewhere. The amount feels about right in terms of trying to strike a balance between workers getting paid enough and employers trying to keep everyone employed.”

The situation in Haiti remains extremely volatile as heavily armed gangs continue to drive a humanitarian crisis

The Dorm Fire in Mahdia, Guyana, resulted in the loss of 20 young lives

From June 1, employers are required to pay their employees at least $16.40 an hour

have access

that affords the basic necessities. Tina Laws, relationship coach

World News

Donald Trump recorded saying he kept classified file after leaving office

US prosecutors have obtained an audio recording of Donald Trump in which he acknowledges keeping a classified document after leaving the White House.

CNN first reported that investigators had the tape, and people familiar with the matter later told the BBC’s US partner CBS this was the case.

The justice department is investigating Mr Trump’s handling of classified material. He denies wrongdoing.

The inquiry is reported to be nearing its end and could result in charges.

The audio recording is said to be from a meeting at Mr Trump’s New Jersey golf club in July 2021, which is around six months after he left office.

Two people familiar with the matter told CBS that Mr Trump can be heard acknowledging there

are national security restrictions on a military memo because it details a potential attack on Iran.

He says it is still classified and should have been declassified before leaving the White House, one person said.

Mr Trump also says he wants to share information from the document but knows his ability to declassify it is limited because

he is no longer president, CNN reported.

It is not clear whether Mr Trump had the document during the meeting or was just describing it to several aides who were there. Other reports suggest the sound of rustling paper can be heard.

The tape appears to contradict Mr Trump’s repeated argument that he declassified all material he removed from the White House. It could also prove to be a key piece of evidence if prosecutors seek to show the former president was aware he should not be in possession of classified documents.

Neither the BBC or CBS News have listened to the audio and it has not been made public.

It has been handed over to justice department investigators who are being overseen by special prosecutor Jack Smith.

Their investigation, which has ramped up in recent weeks, is examining the removal of hundreds of classified government documents from the White House

which were then taken to Mr Trump’s Florida estate, Mar-aLago, after he left office.

Investigators are assessing how these documents were stored and who may have had access to them. They are also examining how his team responded to a request for security footage from his Florida estate.

Mr Smith will ultimately decide whether the former president should face criminal charges. Among other statutes, the justice department believes Mr Trump may have violated the Espionage Act by keeping national security information after he left office.

Mr Trump, who is running for president again in 2024, faces several other legal investigations. He was recently indicted in New York over hush money payments made to a porn star. He has pleaded not guilty.

He is also the subject of an investigation in Georgia over his alleged efforts to try and overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state. (BBC)

Zimbabwe passes bill to punish ‘unpatriotic acts’

ZIMBABWE’S parliament has voted in favour of a controversial bill to punish citizens for “unpatriotic acts”, including imposing heavy fines or even the death penalty on them.

Critics have called it a dark day for democracy.

The so-called patriot clause of the Criminal Act targets those who harm the “national interest of Zimbabwe”.

It includes any citizen who meets a representative of a foreign country with the aim of encouraging sanctions against Zimbabwe or overthrowing the government.

Many senior government officials and state-owned companies are under Western sanctions over alleged human rights abuses, They’ve long blamed the

opposition for this and want to stop meetings between the opposition and foreign officials.

Parliament voted 99 to 17 in favour of the law - one of the most controversial of Emmerson Mnangagwa’s presidency.

It will now go to the senate before it is signed into law.

Critics say the legislation is unconstitutional as it would violate freedom of association and the right to free speech.

An opposition official told the BBC that the way to end sanctions is to uphold human rights, not to criminalise criticism.

The controversial changes were passed as part of a series of amendments to the Criminal Act.

Law makers also voted in favour of minimum sentences for rape. (BBC)

Woman who accused Biden of sexual assault seeks Russian citizenship

An American woman who accused US President Joe Biden of sexually assaulting her has flown to Moscow and is seeking Russian citizenship. Speaking to a state-run Russian news outlet, Tara Reade, 59, said she felt safe in the country and wanted to stay.

Ms Reade alleged Mr Biden assaulted her while she was working in his congressional office in 1993.

He strongly denied her allegation. “Unequivocally it never, never happened,” he said.

Ms Reade worked as an assistant to Mr Biden when he was a senator for Delaware. She made headlines in 2020 as his presidential

campaign was getting under way, when she claimed that he assaulted her in a Capitol Hill corridor when she was 29.

She accused him of forcing her against a wall and putting his hands under her shirt and skirt.

“When I got off the plane in Moscow, for the first time in a very long time I felt safe, and I felt heard and felt respected,” The Guardian newspaper quotes Ms Reade as saying during an interview with Sputnik.

She said she left the US after a Republican politician told her she was in physical danger.

“[I’d] like to apply for citizenship in Russia, from the president of

the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin... I do promise to be a good citizen,” Ms Reade said, adding that she hoped to keep her US citizenship.

Ms Reade was one of several women who came forward in 2019 and 2020 to accuse Mr Biden of inappropriate touching, hugging or kissing. She said she had filed a complaint, although no record of this has been found and it is unclear if her claim was formally investigated.

A spokesperson for Mr Biden said he believed women “have a right to be heard” but that the alleged incident “absolutely did not happen”. (BBC)

Emmerson Mnangagwa became president after forcing Robert Mugabe to step down in 2017

The justice department is investigating Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents after he left office

Tara Reade alleged Mr Biden assaulted her while she was working in his congressional office in 1993

World News

Debt ceiling deal: US House overwhelmingly passes bill

The House of Representatives has approved a deal to allow the US to borrow more money, days before the world’s biggest economy is due to start defaulting on its debt.

The measure easily passed the chamber by a vote of 314-117, despite some defections on both sides of the aisle.

The Senate must vote on the bill later this week before President Joe Biden can sign it into law.

The government is forecast to hit its borrowing limit on Monday 5 June.

That has left little margin for error as lawmakers race to avoid the US defaulting on its $31.4tn (£25tn) debt, which underpins the global financial system.

A default would mean the government could not borrow any more money or pay all of its bills. It would also threaten to wreak havoc on the global economy, affecting prices and mortgage rates in other countries.

On Wednesday evening, 165 Democrats joined 149 Republicans in approving the 99-page bill to raise the debt ceiling, allowing it to pass the House by the required simple majority.

and Democrats holding sway in the upper chamber and White House, a deal had proven elusive for weeks until President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy inked a bipartisan compromise over the weekend.

In a statement, Mr Biden thanked the Speaker, saying he had negotiated in good faith.

the responsibility of governing.”

The agreement suspends the debt ceiling, the spending limit set by Congress which determines how much money the government can borrow, until 1 January 2025.

The legislation would result in $1.5tn in savings over a decade, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said on Tuesday.

both parties voiced opposition.

Ultra-conservative Republicans complained they had secured too few concessions in exchange for raising the debt limit.

Democrats objected to provisions raising work requirements for Americans on federal food aid, and restarting student loan repayments.

Emanuel Cleaver, a Missouri Democrat, said he would vote for the bill, even though he viewed it as the “second serving of Satan’s sandwiches”.

The leader of the House Democrats, Hakeem Jeffries, said his party had politically bailed out the Republican Speaker.

“Once again, House Democrats to the rescue to avoid a dangerous default,” said the New York congressman.

Eli Crane, an Arizona Republican who had vowed to stop the bill, tweeted: “More Democrats voted for this ‘historic conservative victory’ than Republicans.

“What a joke.”

He framed the package as “the biggest cut and savings this Congress has ever voted for”.

The bill is not yet assured of passage. It now heads to the Senate, where some combination of Democratic and Republican votes may again be needed.

One conservative Republican, Mike Lee of Utah, has already threatened to use “every procedural tool” to stall consideration of the deal.

Left-wing Senator Bernie Sanders also came out against the bill on Wednesday, saying he cannot “in good conscience” support it.

Both Democratic and Republican leaders in the Senate are working to ensure that a bill reaches Mr Biden’s desk for his signature this weekend before a default can occur.

The last time the US came this close to overshooting its debt ceiling, in 2011, the credit agency Standard & Poor’s downgraded the country’s rating, a move that has yet to be reversed.

“Neither side got everything it wanted,” said the president. “That’s

But the bill’s passage had been in jeopardy after lawmakers from

Republicans control the House by a narrow 222-213 majority, but Speaker McCarthy was able to push the bill over the line with support from political centrists on both sides of the aisle.

Before Wednesday’s vote, US stock markets ended the day down a little, with the Dow closing 0.4% lower, while the S&P and Nasdaq both dipped by 0.6%. (BBC)

UK: House prices fall at fastest pace in nearly 14 years, says Nationwide

With Republicans in control of the lower chamber of Congress UK house prices fell at their fastest annual pace for nearly 14 years in May, the Nationwide has said.

The building society said prices in the year to May dropped by 3.4%, the biggest decline since July 2009.

It also warned that more rises in mortgage interest rates could hit the housing market.

Mortgage rates have risen recently on expectations that the Bank of England will have to lift interest rates again because of stubbornly high inflation.

As a result, the Nationwide said “headwinds to the housing market look set to strengthen in the near term”.

House prices edged down by 0.1% in May itself, the Nationwide said, and the average property price now stands at £260,736.

Average prices are still 4% below their August 2022 peak, it added.

A drop in house prices would generally be welcomed by firsttime buyers, who have watched property values continue to climb in recent years, even during the pandemic.

owever, rising interest rates means that mortgage costs are now

higher than many people looking to get on the housing ladder might have planned for.

New figures from the Bank of England showed the amount of mortgage debt borrowed was at its lowest level on record in April, excluding the period since the beginning of the Covid pandemic. Overall, borrowers repaid £1.4bn more on their mortgages than banks lent out.

The Banks also said net mortgage approvals for house purchases fell to 48,700 from 51,500 in March.

Official figures last week showed the UK inflation rate - which charts rising prices - slowed in April by less than expected to 8.7%.

That led analysts to predict that the Bank of England will have to raise interest rates above their current level of 4.5% to as high as 5.5% to try to slow price rises.

In the wake of the inflation data, a range of lenders increased their mortgage interest rates, with Nationwide making the most significant move with a rise of up to 0.45 percentage points.

Figures released earlier this week also showed that nearly 10% of UK mortgage deals have been taken off

The

the market since last week.

Nationwide noted that interest rates were also projected to remain higher for longer.

“If maintained, this is likely to exert renewed upward pressure on mortgage rates,” said Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s chief economist.

However, he said that the building society was not expecting a dramatic downturn in the housing market, given that “labour market conditions remain solid and household balance sheets appear in

relatively good shape”.

Recent figures have indicated that the number of property sales has been falling. According to HM Revenue and Customs data released on Wednesday, the number of transactions in April was 82,120, down 25% from a year earlier.

Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at Hargreaves Lansdown, said the recent changes in mortgage costs and availability may well have brought confidence in the property market “crashing down”.

since July 2009

While she said we would not see a repeat of the turmoil seen in the wake of last year’s mini budget, mortgage rates are likely to rise in “the immediate future”.

“We can expect this to filter through into less demand, lower sales, and weaker prices.”

She added that the latest mortgage lending figures from the Bank of England made “miserable reading”.

“It reflects just how property sales have dried up at the start of 2023.” (BBC)

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy celebrated the bill’s passage

building society said prices in the year to May dropped by 3.4%, the biggest decline

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DOMESTIC WORKER

DOMESTIC WORKER

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Cleaning the house, laundering sheets, towels and personal clothing and other housework.

Salary: $8.00 hourly

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Applicant must be honest, reliable, and willing to work.

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Salary: $8.00 Hourly

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MANAGER

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TURKS AND CAICOS TOURISM

Tourism Statistics Specialist

Job Title: Tourism Statistics

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Purpose: Collect, analyse and reporting all statistical data which will allow the DMO to profile the tourism offer and demand in TCI. The data collected and elaborate will be extremely important for the definition and implementation of the tourism development policies and strategies

KEY RESULTS AREAS:

1. Statistics / Database Development and Management

2. Marketing, including Market Research / Market Intelligence

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Collaborate with the Director of TI Unit to define and monitor DMO KPIs and other tourism indicators.

• Carry out all tourism analysis, including trend and impact analysis, surveys, data collection and elaboration, etc.

• Manage Tourism Information Management Systems.

• Identify data intelligence tools to assist the CEO and CMO in developing marketing and promotional strategies and maximise ROI public relations, marketing and sales promotions.

• Enter information into databases or software programs

• Prepare and present statistical reports related to the tourism performance of the destination and the TCI-DMO.

• Identify all sources of tourism statistical data that would be of interest for the DMO

• Assist the Director of TI Unit for the preparation of market research budget for surveys and all type of statistical analysis.

• Check source data to verify completeness and accuracy.

• Assist with the compilation of reports, charts, or graphs that describe and interpret findings of analyses.

• Collaborate with the Press and Communication Unit to publish statistical reports and news releases.

• Develop and maintain updated all databases and archives related to the tourism product and servicesand demand in TCI.

• Collaborate with the Marketing and Sales Unit for the identification of marketing activities to be implemented for tourism markets and segments.

DOMESTIC WORKER

Cleaning the house, laundering sheets, towels and personal clothing and other housework.

Salary: $8.00 Hourly

Cleaning outside the property with sweeper, pick up yard waste and collect leaves, dispose of trash, clean windows, and doorframes.

Salary: $8.00 Hourly

• Make recommendations to the CEO and Chief Marketing Officer about tourism trends of the international tourism markets and segments that are (or could be) of interest for TCI.

OTHERS:

• Elaboration of graphs and infographics that make easier the interpretation of the tourism statistics.

• Attend, if needed, training courses on tourism statistics.

• Participate to international symposiums / meetings / forums about tourism statistics and impacts, training courses about tourism indicators and data programs.

• Any other duties assigned by the CEO, Chief Marketing Officer and Director of Tourism Intelligence.

SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS/ COMPETENCIES:

• At least a Bachelor’s Degree in Statistics, Economics or related fields

• At least five (5) years working experience in tourism statistics elaboration and development

• Extensive knowledge of data analysis, strong analysis skills, problem solving and statistical inference, etc.

• Excellent knowledge of statistical programs, including SPSS or SAS (or similar), Excel and other databases

• Excellent oral, written, communication and presentation skills.

• Excellent interpersonal communication skills and ability to work as a team player to effectively interact with staff, service providers, Government Agencies and officials.

• MS Suite Proficient e.g. MS Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• A results-driven environment

• A dynamic work environment

• Interface with various government ministries and departments, the private sector and nongovernmental organizations and agencies

• Ability to travel

• Goal accomplishment within a multi-disciplinary, changing and evolving environment

• Work hours may extend to evenings, weekends and holidays.

APPLICATIONS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO THE INTERIM CEO, TURKS AND CAICOS DESTINATION MARKETING AND MANAGEMENT COMPANY, GRAND TURK. APPLICATIONS CAN BE SENT VIA EMAIL TO: CAREERS.DMO@GOV.TC

CONTACT: 231-3273

BELONGERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY TO THE LABOUR BOARD

LABOURER

Cleaning outside the property with sweeper, pick up yard waste and collect leaves, dispose of trash, clean windows, and doorframes.

Salary: $8.00 Hourly

CONTACT: 244-0065

BELONGERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY TO THE LABOUR BOARD RENEWAL

DOMESTIC WORKER

Cleaning the house,sheets,laundering towels and personal clothing, and housework.other

Salary: $8 per hourly

CONTACT: (649) 342-0840

BELONGERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY

CAICEDO CLEANERS

2 CLEANERS

Clean exterior and interior surfaces. Must be able to work weekends and holidays.

Basic Salary: $8.00 hourly

CONTACT: 649-332-4404

BELONGERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT THEIR RESUME TO

CONTACT: 232-4595

BELONGERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY TO THE LABOUR BOARD

STORE CLERK

Selling products, providing customer service, guide customers in finding products. Maintain outlook of the store by cleaning and restocking shelves.

$14.50 per hour

CONTACT: 346-9197

BELONGERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY TO THE LABOUR BOARD RENEWAL

LABOURER

Cleaning outside the property with a sweeper, picking up yard waste and collecting leaves, disposing of trash, cleaning windows, and door frames.

Salary: $9 per hourly

CONTACT: (649) 331-3449

BELONGERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY

ELCIE D. HINSON

DOMESTIC WORKER

Responsible for performing domestic duties around the home.

Must be able to work some weekends

Basic Salary: $8.00 hourly

CONTACT: (649) 332-4404

BELONGERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT THEIR RESUME TO THE LABOUR BOARD.

DOMESTIC

TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS GAMING COMMISSION DEPUTY DIRECTOR

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Turks and Caicos Gaming Commission seeks a Deputy Director to assist with the daily operations of the Commission. The Deputy Director will assist the Managing Director in planning, managing, and coordinating the daily operations of the General Counsel, Chief Financial Officer and Director of Enforcement and Investigations. The candidate will ensure the protection and integrity of gaming related activities and that all policy and procedures are in compliance with all laws, regulations, policies and code of Ethics.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES WILL INCLUDE:

• Assists the Managing Director in training, performance review, and disciplining staff.

• Develops internal programs and policies, and assists with the development of strategic plans and risk assessment as required.

• Promotes the activities of the Commission, its programs and goals to ensure Commission objectives align with applicable laws, regulations policies and code of ethics.

• Reviews all change requests to approved internal controls, table games, regulations, and gaming equipment submitted by gaming operators. Determines if any changes would most effectively promote gaming integrity or the efficiency of regulatory oversight.

• Reviews audit and financial reports and oversee the investigations related to findings or the deficiencies.

• Review and oversee reports and matters of Compliance and Enforcement

• Reviews Responsible Gaming Coordinator reports and programs goals and performance

• Oversees investigation and resolution of guest disputes concerning gaming. This includes the initial investigation, interviews of witnesses, data analysis, forensic investigations, and securing evidence.

• Recommends and develops training programs for staff.

• Ensures a clean and safe environment is maintained for Commission staff.

• Performs other duties as assigned by the Managing Director.

THE POSITION QUALIFICATIONS INCLUDE:

1. Must possess a Bachelor’ degree in related field preferred in business management, finance, economics, law, accounting, organizational management, public policy or other applicable degree: Or;

2. 5-7 years’ experience as a Gaming Regulator in a management position or closely related management experience demonstrating the ability to perform the functions of this position

Salary $89,000.00 per annum

• Adhere to STRICT CONFIDENTIALITY in reference to all Commission information in trust and confidence and shall not disclose confidential Commission information to any third party without written consent of the Commission.

• Must have the ability to learn, understand, and apply the applicable laws, rules, and regulations.

• Must be able to travel and work weekends, holidays, and rotating shift schedules (day, swing, and graveyard), as assigned.

• Must accept and comply with Commission Personnel code of Ethics requirements.

• To resolve problems as they arise and handle situations in an expedient manner.

• Must have excellent organizational skills in order to work effectively with frequent interruptions, work on multiple tasks simultaneously, and establish priorities and organize workload.

• Must be able to tolerate a smoke-filled environment when at those sites.

• Must be able to travel as required. Travel to multiple gaming operation sites is required.

• Must be able to develop and maintain positive peer relationships and provide assistance in a friendly, helpful manner to all employees, visitors, and staff.

• Must have developed ability to be a “team player” and work within a team structured environment.

• Must possess analytical skills in researching various data, identification or area sensitive applications, problem areas, and ability to present and apply solutions.

• Must possess the ability to present reports to the Gaming Board.

• Must have knowledge of financial investigations, including fraud, record searching, and white-collar criminal investigations EST.

• Must possess the ability to write clear and concise investigative and financial reports.

• Must have the ability to carry out assignments discreetly, effectively, and efficiently, in sensitive, confidential circumstances.

• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills

• Must possess strong organizational, prioritizing, recordkeeping and time management skills.

While we appreciate your interest, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

‘The Little Mermaid’ makes box office splash with $95.5m opening

“THE Little Mermaid” made moviegoers want to be under the sea on Memorial Day weekend.

Disney’s live-action remake of its 1989 animated classic easily outswam the competition, bringing in $95.5 million on 4,320 screens in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The film starring Halle Bailey as the titular mermaid Ariel and Melissa McCarthy as her sea witch nemesis Ursula is the fifth-biggest Memorial Day weekend opening ever.

It displaces “Fast X” in the top spot. The 10th instalment in the “Fast and Furious” franchise starring Vin Diesel has lagged behind more recent releases in the series, bringing in $23 million domestically for a two-week total of $108 million for Universal Pictures.

In its fourth weekend, Disney and Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” made an estimated $20 million in North America to take third place. It’s now made $299 million domestically.

The performance of “The Little Mermaid” represents something of a bounce-back for Disney’s animated-to-live-action remakes, and makes it likely they will keep coming indefinitely. Poor reception and the pandemic had some recent reboots either performing poorly or skipping theatrical releases for Disney+, including “Dumbo,” “Mulan” and “Pinocchio.”

The film had an A CinemaScore, and according to exit polling had more ticket buyers between ages 25 and 34 than children, suggesting nostalgic adults were essential.

Directed by Rob Marshall with a reported budget of $250 million before marketing, “The Little Mermaid” tells the story of a yearning, wayward daughter who cuts a devil’s deal to swap her fins for a pair of legs. It features the songs from Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, including “Part of Your World” and “Under the Sea,” that helped the original film spark a Disney animation renaissance in the 1990s.

Fourth place went to Universal’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which keeps reaching new levels in its eighth weekend. Now available to rent on VOD, it still earned $6.3 million in theaters. Its cumulative total of $559 million makes Mario and Luigi the year’s biggest earners so far.

Diddy says Diageo neglected his tequila due to race

Rapper Sean Combs, known as Diddy, has accused drinks giant Diageo of breaking the terms of their business partnership and neglecting the tequila brand they bought together because he is black.

In a complaint filed in New York, he said the company invested in competing brands, while depriving DeLeon Tequila the same level of support.

He also said Diageo limited the drinks’ distribution to “urban” neighbourhoods.

Diageo denied the allegations and said it would defend itself “vigorously”.

“This is a business dispute, and we are saddened that Mr Combs has chosen to recast this matter as anything other than that,” a spokesman for the company said in a statement.

“Our steadfast commitment to diversity within our company and the communities we serve is something we take very seriously.”

The lawsuit comes after years of partnership between UK-based Diageo and Mr Combs, who rose to fame as a music executive and rapper in the 1990s before branching out into acting and other business ventures.

It ranks as the fifth-biggest Memorial Day weekend opening ever

Sean “Diddy” Combs at the 2023 Met Gala in New York earlier in May

CONTACT: 649-342-9434

BELONGERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY TO

DOMESTIC WORKER

Mixes

CONTACT: 247-1413

Prepare and service tables for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Provide guest services, check in and check out, and arrange activities. Salary: $2,500.00 Monthly

CONTACT: 347-3630

BEACH HELPER

property with sweeper, pick up yard waste and collect leaves, dispose of trash, clean windows, and doorframes. Salary: $8.00 an hour

IS URGENTLY LOOKING FOR A FLORIST

Applicant must have experience as a Floral Assistant or Florist. Must have extensive knowledge of tropical flowers, foliage and potted plants, including their names, seasonal availability and lifespan. Candidates must have experience using current styles in floral design while at the same time understanding the traditional use of certain flowers for weddings, funerals etc. salary commensurate with experience.

CONTACT: 231-3788

CONTACT: 231-2029

MASON BLUE HILLS CONSTRUCTION

Mixes mortar; lays bricks and stones, perform repairs. $10.00 hourly

Build and install many steel construction materials and steel bars. $10.00 hourly

CONTACT: 332-6740

Blue Hills, Providenciales Is seeking to employ a

CONSTRUCTION LABOURER

Operated cleaning equipment and utilized cleaning materials. Perform post-construction site cleanup.

ENCOURAGED TO APPLY TO THE LABOUR BOARD RENEWAL

36801

WATERSPORTS MANAGER

Must have at least 5 years of experience in watersports and dive operations with a proven track record in scuba training/safety, boat diving operations, and retail sales. Must be a current Scuba Instructor (PADI, NAUI, or SSI); Captain’s License and STCW certificate are preferred. Must have boat, compressor, and repair and maintenance experience. Must be competent in Microsoft Office, Property Management Software, Blue Bison, TCP, and POS Systems and possess a valid Driver’s License. Salary Range – $35,000-$50,000, depending on experience.

ASSISTANT WATERSPORTS MANAGER

Must have at least 5 years of experience in dive operations with a proven track record in scuba training/safety and retail sales. Must be 100% customer forward and current Scuba Instructor (PADI, NAUI, or SSI) Captain’s License and STCW certificate preferred. Boat, compressor, and maintenance experience is a plus. Competency in Microsoft Office, Property Management Software, Blue Bison, TCP, POS Systems, and a valid Driver’s License required. Salary Range – $25,000-$40,000, depending on experience.

encouraged to apply.

3 KITCHEN HELPERS

CONTACT: 232-2272 EMAIL: BARBARA@NVTCI.COM

CONTACT: 347-0883

ELECTRONIC DIESEL MECHANIC

CONTACT: 341-2773

CLEANER WILSON GIBSON

CLEANER

DOMESTIC WORKER

GARDINER HELPER

Blue Hills

Contact: 232-7124

Soil cultivation, digging, forking, mulching, watering, raking, weeding, edging, pruning, seed sowing, bed preparation and planting.

Salary: $8.00 hourly

HELPER

CONTACT: 243-0137

36809 BELONGERS ARE TO APPLY TO THE LABOUR BOARD. RENEWAL

SALARY: $1,200.00 per month Hours: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

ETEK CONTRACTORS

Blue Hills

Contact: 243-5482

Tune-up equipment, run lines for power tools, erect scaffolding, layout tools, pouring of concrete foundation and assist with ongoing construction.

Salary: $8.00 hourly

Salary: $5,000/mo.

Acting in behalf of: EMPIRE BRANDS & COMMUNICATIONS 36742

THIS POSITION IS A RENEWAL. PLEASE EMAIL RESUMES TO WILLIAMSDONTE70@HOTMAIL.COM BELONGER’S ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.

IBO Plaza 258 Leeward Highway, Providenciales Is seeking to employ an

$1200.00 Monthly

BELONGERS APPLY TO THE LABOUR BOARD. RENEWAL

PLEASE SUBMIT AN APPLICATION NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 2023 TO: KORNELL@MISICKSTANBROOK.TC CARETAKER Is seeking to employ a EASYWAY EMPLOYMENT SERVICES 36783

WALKIN

Hours 40-44 hrs. per week

Salary: $12.00 per hour. Must be willing to work Overtime if required. Minimum of 10 Years’ Experience. CONTACT: (649) 231-0088

BELONGERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT A COPY OF THEIR RESUME TO THE LABOUR BOARD. 1 DRIVER South Dock Road, Providenciales Is seeking to employ an WARD’S CONSULTANCY 36808 CLASS CAR WASH INTERNATIONAL Kischo Leeward Highway, Providenciales Cleaning and Stock and maintain supply rooms. $8.00p/h COYABA RESTAURANT 14 Caribbean Paradise Inn, Grace Bay Tel: 946-5186 Do various manual tasks. $8.00 p/h VILLA DEL MAR Bonaventure Cres, Grace Bay Tel: 649-941-5160 Perform minor fixes such as repairing broken locks, filling gaps on walls etc. $10.00 p/h BELONGERS CAN SEND RESUME TO THE LABOUR BOARD. RENEWAL CLEANER LABOURER MAINTAINER Acting on behalf of: DE PATRONES BAR AND GRILL CONTACT: 649-346-1125 36849 BELONGERS APPLY TO THE LABOUR BOARD. RENEWAL Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons. Ensure customers are enjoying their meals and correct any problems. Salary: $8.00 Hourly WAITRESS Behind The Ball Park, Kew Town, Providenciales Is seeking to employ a KECHIE PROVO STEVEDORE 36848 BELONGERS ONLY APPLY/RENEWAL Cleaning yard, dispose of trash, clean windows, etc. $12.00 hourly LABOURER Acting on behalf of South Dock Port, Providenciales Is seeking to employ a CONTACT: 941-8975

C & J CONSULTANCY

DIVERSITY IMPACT BEAUTY SALON

2 NAIL TECHNICIANS

Miracle Cl., Millennium Highway Acting on behalf of makes and repairs steps and plasters.

- $10.00 Hourly

Basic manicures, artificial nails, gel nails, hand massages, nail fills, and nail polishing.

CHARLES BARBER SHOP

BARBER - $8.00 Hourly

Cutting, shampooing, and styling hair, trimming beards, or giving shaves.

SNR CONTRACTUAL SERVICES

MASON - $10.00 Hourly

Mixes mortar; lays bricks and stones and/or concrete sidewalks;

CONTACT: 241-5138

PAINTER - $10.00 Hourly

Apply paints, stains, and coatings to interior and exterior walls, new buildings, homes, offices and other structural surfaces.

WILLIAM CONSTRUCTION

PAINTER - $10.00 Hourly

Apply paints, stains, and coatings to interior and exterior walls, new buildings, homes, offices and other structural surfaces.

2 LABOURERS - $8.00 Hourly

Cleaning the property.

BELONGERS ONLY APPLY

THE HELP DESK VARIOUS

MODERN DAY CONSTRUCTION

(241-4108)

9 Moonstone Road, Providenciales

Salaries $9.00 hourly

DRYWALL INSTALLER - Install

drywall, taping, measure etc

PAINTER – painting, mixing paint, remove old paint etc

MASON – plastering, laying blocks etc

J & W CONSTRUCTION LTD

Unit#9 Storage Office Building

Long Bay Road, 231-4519

CONSTRUCTION LABOURERS

$9.00 hourly

Clean construction sites, tools etc

BELONGERS

ISLAND DRILLING LTD.

186 South Dock Road, Providenciales Is seeking for

(3) TRUCK DRIVERS, (2) MECHANICS, (2) CONSTRUCTION FOREMAN, (1) LABOURER

*TRUCK DRIVERS

Starting Salary-$12.00/hr

Duties include support the logistics department with the movement of tools and supplies from the yard to jobsite and materials from the port to storage space.

*MECHANIC

Starting Salary-$12.00/hr

Duties include routine maintenance of the company’s fleet of vehicles.

*CONSTRUCTION FOREMAN

Starting Salary-$15.00/hr

36721

PAINTER $9 hourly – painting, mixing paint, etc

SELVERADO BUILDERS

#9 Walker Lane, Kewtown Providenciales

CABINET MAKER $9.00 hourly

constructing cabinets, repairing furniture etc.

ANDREW GARDINER (244-5638)

Juba Sound, Providenciales

LABOURER $8.00 hourly – clean yard, vehicle etc

OJ CAICOS GLASS (231-6260)

Industrial Business Park, Providenciales

LABOURER - $8.00 hourly clean shop, Load and offload materials etc

Duties include coordinating and supervising grading and paving crews to perform the construction tasks and activities.

*ASPHALT LABOURER

Starting Salary-$12.00/hr

Duties include cleaning and preparing the job site for installation of asphalt, loading and delivering materials.

TO WORK 6 DAYS WEEKLY. SALARY BASED ON EXPERIENCE.

CONTACT: 1-649-244-4007 EMAIL: ISLANDDRILLINGLTD@GMAIL.COM

BELONGERS ONLY APPLY

VACANCIES

BLUE HILLS CONSTRUCTION

CONSTRUCTION HELPER

$8-10 hourly

Assist mason, carpenter, etc.

Wilson Cl.

Tel: 649 346 0002

DANIEL ST. FLEUR

LABOURER: $8 hourly

Clean yards, cut trees, wash car, etc.

516 North Side

Tel: 649 242 4617

REAL CLEAN CAR WASH CAR WASHER: $8.00 hourly

Wash cars inside & out, etc.

Handfield street, Blue Hills

Tel: 343 3564

WMW CONSTRUCTION

CARPENTERS: $10-12 hourly

Installing structure as frames & cabinets

354 Bay Rd, Blue Hills

Tel: 345-6297

WILBERT JEANTY

DOMESTIC WORKER

$8.00

36803

Stocking designatedsupplyingandfacility areas,sweeping,dusting, mopping,vacuuming,restroom cleaning etc. $8.50

CONTACT: 347-6436

CONTACT: 346-7379

Setting up workstations with all needed ingredients and cooking equipment. Preparing ingredients to use in cooking. Cooking food in various utensils or grillers. $12.00

CONTACT: 331-9854

2 DOMESTIC WORKERS

Sweeping, mopping, clean bathrooms, toilets, kitchen, living room, laundering sheets, towels, personal

CONTACT: 231-5109

CONTACT: 344-2171

DOMESTIC WORKER

Sweeping, mopping the floor, clean bathrooms, toilets, kitchen, living room, laundering sheets, towels and personal clothing and housework.other

CONTACT: 243-1642

HANDYMAN

Painting indoors and outdoors, painting exteriors and interiors of the building using spray guns, brushes, and rollers, residential and

CONTACT: 241-5286

CONTACT: 348-2374

LABOURER

Cleaning outside the property with sweeper, pick up yard waste and collect leaves, dispose of trash, clean windows, and doorframes.

Salary: $8.00 Hourly

CONTACT: 341-0900

JOB JULIEN

LABOURER

LABOURER

Cleaning outside the property with sweeper, pick up yard waste and collect leaves, dispose of trash, clean windows, and doorframes.

Salary: $8.00 Hourly

CONTACT: 241-4341

DOMESTIC WORKER

garments on customers

and

determine required alterations. Sew garments, using needles and thread or sewing machines. Measure parts such as sleeves, and mark or pinfold alteration lines. Salary: $8.00 Hourly

CONTACT: 347-3638

BELONGERS ONLY APPLY/RENEWAL

THE LABOUR BOARD Sweeping, mopping the floor, clean bathrooms, toilets, kitchen, living room, laundering sheets, towels and personal clothing and other housework. Salary: $8.00 hourly Blue Hills Is seeking to employ a MAGASANI ATELIER & UPHOLSTERY

Cleaning outside the property with sweeper, pick up yard waste and collect leaves, dispose of trash, clean windows, and doorframes.

Salary: $8.00

Cleaning outside the property with sweeper, pick up yard waste and collect leaves, dispose of trash, clean windows, and doorframes.

Salary: $8.00 hourly

2 DOMESTIC WORKERS

Stocking and supplying designated facility areas, dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, restroom cleaning etc.

Salary: $8.25 Hourly

STORE CLERK

Selling products, providing customer service, guide them in finding products for purchase. $8.00 Hourly

Cleaning property with sweeper, collecting yard waste, trash disposal, clean windows, and doorframes. $9.00 Hourly

CONTACT: 342-7743 36694

BELONGERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY TO THE LABOUR BOARD

Back Salina, Grand Turk Is seeking to employ a

Salary: $8.00 Hourly

TO APPLY

TO

CONTACT: 346-6914 36648

CONTACT: 342-2986

BELONGERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SEND A COPY OF THEIR RESUME TO THE LABOUR BOARD

MARTIN DERESTABLE

Kew

Town Is seeking to employ a

cleaning

ARE ENCOURAGED TO SEND A COPY OF THEIR RESUME TO THE LABOUR BOARD

Salary: $10 Hourly

TO

APPLY TO THE LABOUR

36633

BELONGERS APPLY TO THE

CONTACT: 342-2986 36701

Kew Town Is seeking to employ a

BELONGERS ARE

Cleaning property with sweeper, pick up waste, trash disposal, clean windows, and doorframes.

$8.00 hourly

FINISH

Trimming wooden structures, ornaments and complete final details, finishing rough edges. $12.00 hourly

CONTACT: 649-331-9854

Performing a variety of cleaning activities such as sweeping, mopping, dusting and polishing.

Ensuring all rooms are cared for and inspected according to standards.

Salary: $8.00 hourly

CONTACT: 345-2931

JEWELRY REPAIR HELPER

Ensure to repair any jewelry on a high level of attention and detail.

To work 9 to 5, 6 days a week.

Salary: $8.00 hourly

CONTACT: 343-9260

BELONGERS ONLY APPLY/RENEWAL

Cleaning outside the property with sweeper, pick up yard waste and collect leaves, dispose of trash, clean windows, and doorframes. Salary: $8.00 hourly

Cleaning outside the property with sweeper, pick up yard waste and collect leaves, dispose of trash, clean windows, and doorframes.

Salary: $8.00 Hourly

CONTACT: 231-5109

CONTACT: 241-0540

LABOURER

Cleaning outside the property with sweeper, pick up yard waste and collect leaves, dispose of trash, clean windows, and doorframes.

Salary: $8.00 hourly

CONTACT: 333-0014

WENDELL EWING

DOMESTIC WORKER

Sweeping, mopping the floor, clean bathrooms, toilets, kitchen, living room, laundering sheets, towels and personal clothing and other housework.

Salary: $8.00 hourly

CONTACT: 241-9128

EUROPEAN HAIRSTYLIST

• Hairdresser for men and women, haircut, styling, color and wedding styles.

• European training , haircut and color diploma

• 5 years’ experience

• Available to work 9am-7pm weekends and holidays (schedules changes)

• Bilingual French or Spanish

• Must have own vehicles and a valid driver’s license

Salary: $1,700 per month

CONTACT: MAXIME 649-946-5093

LABOURER

Cleaning outside the property with sweeper, pick up yard waste and collect leaves, dispose of trash, clean windows, and doorframes.

Salary: $8.00 Hourly

CONTACT: 343-1958

BELONGERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY TO THE LABOUR BOARD

C & S PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

JOJO BOUTIQUE

CASHIER

Greets customers, receive payment by cash, checks and credit cards, Issue receipts, and change due to customers.

Salary: $8.00 hourly

CONTACT: 946-5757

Cleaning the house, laundering sheets, towels and personal clothing and other housework.

$8.00 Hourly

Cleaning property, pick up yard waste and collect leaves, dispose of trash, clean windows, and doorframes. $8.00 Hourly

CONTACT: 346-7783

Sweeping, mopping the floor, clean bathrooms, toilets, kitchen, living room, laundering sheets, towels and personal clothing and housework.other

Salary: $8.00 hourly

CONTACT: 241-9128

CUSTOMER SERVICE / RECEPTIONIST

This is a junior front of house position, the successful applicant will oversee customer enquiries, reception duties as well as assist with data input and general office duties.

REQUIRED SPECIFICATIONS AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• Must have typing skills

• Computer literate with understanding of windows applications, excel, word etc.

• Basic understanding of accounts practices, quick books knowledge would be an advantage.

• Customer service experience and polite mannerism is a

must.

• Reports to Senior office administration and the CFO.

• First aid training is an advantage.

• Knowledge of the maritime industry and boats not essential but would be a benefit.

Salary for this position will be in the range of $9 to $11 an hour.

ARSENE LIMPERVIL Blue Hills Tel: 348-3497

LABOURER $8.00

Pick up waste and maintaining upkeep of apartments and property.

TAINO

Blue Hills Tel: 245-9190

COOK $12.00 hourly. Cook and prepare function menu.

FRANCIETTE F. JOSEPH ALCE

Five Cays, Residence Tel: 343-5726

DOMESTIC WORKER $8.00

Cleaning the house, make beds, cook, wash, iron and care for children.

PIERRE BORGELLA

# 56 Behing Mara Tel: 432-8459

MAINTENANCE MAN $8.00

Maintain upkeep of apartments and assist with ongoing construction

ALL STARS BAR & RESTAURANT

Leeward Highway Tel: 342-9434

CHEF $10.00 hourly Setting work station, preparing

ingredients, prepare menu for events and restaurant cooking.

TCI WASTE DISPOSAL SERVICES LTD.

Wheeland Tel: 243-5094

LABOURER $8.00

Keep the company compound clean and collect waste.

PASSION BEAUTY SALON Airport Road Tel: 333-1236

HAIR BRAIDER $8.00

Braiding men and women hair, styling all type of hair, braids children hair.

CLEANER $8.00 Hourly

Cleaning the clothing store, the salon, mopping, sweeping, cleaning the stations, mirrors, dusting products, bathroom and maintain area at all times.

JEAN REMY

Blue Hills Tel: 342-1471

DOMESTIC WORKER $8.00 hourly cleaning the house, washing dishes, clothes, linen and caring for children and home

v SOUTH BANK MARINA LTD

Is seeking suitably qualified candidates to fill the following position at its location in Long Bay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands.

DOMESTIC WORKER

Stocking and supplying designated facility areas, dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, cleaning ceiling vents in the restaurant, restroom cleaning etc.

To work 6 days per week.

Salary: $8.00 per hour

CONTACT: 946-5369 EMAIL: COCOBISTRO@TCIWAY.TC

• Maintenance of building and property upkeep.

• Removes debris from around the building.

• Takes care of the garden; watering the garden, planting and transplanting of plants.

Salary: $8.00 per hour

CONTACT: 946-5369 EMAIL: COCOBISTRO@TCIWAY.TC

CAICOS ECO SAFARIS

28 Dolphin Lane, Long Bay Hills, Providenciales Caicoscatalyst@gmail.com | 649-431-6287

Caicos Catalyst is looking for 2 new employees to join our team. We are looking for a full time Scuba dive instructor and a full time kiteboard instructor.

JOB DESCRIPTION AND REQUIREMENTS:

KITEBOARD INSTRUCTOR

- required for a well-established watersports company in Providenciales. This position entails working as a kite guide and/or kite instructor for our kite safari boat tours between our 3 boats. Other duties include: boat maintenance, supply run, stocking of boats and delivery of advertisement materials. Employees will be expected to work flexible long hours and on holidays.

DIVE INSTRUCTOR

- This position entails working as a Dive Instructor between 3 boats as well as guiding small group diving and teaching beginners to dive. Other duties include: boat maintenance and maintaining Dive equipment, stocking of boats. Employees will be expected to work flexible long hours

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR BOTH POSITIONS:

• 4 years’ experience in tourism industry

• First aid and CPR certification

• Exemplary employment/work record with organizational skills/experience.

• Valid driver’s license and own vehicle.

• Fluent in English, spoken and written, and excellent communication and customer service skills.

• Preference will be given to Turks Islanders meeting the foregoing qualifications.

• preference will be given to an individual with a current captain’s license

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR KITEBOARD INSTRUCTOR:

• IKO or PASA Instructor certification or higher

• Minimum of 4 years kiteboarding experience

• Salary/Hourly compensation: $35,000 per annum or $17.50/hour.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR DIVE INSTRUCTOR:

• Padi or SSI dive instructor

• Minimum of 4 years teaching diving

• Salary/Hourly compensation: $38,000 per annum or $20/hour.

Cleaning outside the property, pick up yard waste and collect leaves, dispose of trash, clean windows, and doorframes.

Salary: $8.00

Lift heavy equipment and tools, clean working area and tools, etc.

Salary: $8.00

CONTACT: 649-232-2001

BELONGERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY TO THE LABOUR BOARD. RENEWAL

CONTACT: 649-232-3286

POSITIONS NEEDED:

REQUIREMENTS:

Qualified applicants for all positions must be a born-again Christian, active in their church, known to their Pastor and believe in the work of the Holy Spirit; Must be of good moral character and reputation; Must have excellent communication skills and the ability to adapt to a flexible working environment; Must be enthusiastic and creative with an excellent work ethic, and a willingness to build character and Christian values in students

Please submit resume and three references with telephone numbers and addresses including one from current Pastor. Salary packages start at - $1,500.00 per month

Positions are held by work permit holders. Interested islanders should submit copy of resume to the Labor Board.

COCO BISTRO

JOB VACANCY

The Somerset Resort Management Ltd. is seeking to fill the below mentioned position. The ideal candidate will possess extensive high-end luxury resort experience, be professional in attitude, demeanor and must read and speak English fluently. Position requires a flexible schedule which includes holidays, weekends, evenings, and extended hours on occasion.

HOUSEMAN

JOB SUMMARY:

• As a Houseman, you are responsible for cleaning guest rooms, carrying linen and replenishing amenities to deliver an excellent Guest and Member experience.

• Requirements:

• A Houseman is always working on behalf of our Owners, Guests and working with other Team Members.

• Must speak, read, write, and understand the primary language (English) used in the workplace.

• Must work PM shifts as business demands according to the operations policy.

• Must work weekends and holidays

Base salary range: $8.00 / hour to commensurate with qualification & experience. Benefits: Service gratuity, vacation & employee meals. The above position is currently held by a Work Permit Card Holder.

QUALIFIED BELONGER CANDIDATES CAN COMPLETE AN APPLICATION FORM IN PERSON AT THE SOMERSET ON GRACE BAY OR E-MAIL YOUR RESUME AT TWILLIAMS@THESOMERSET.COM. FOR QUESTIONS CALL (649) 339 5900. THE CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS IS JUNE 24TH, 2023.

Executive Chef

Experienced chef to provide culinary direction to all areas of Hummingbird Management hospitality, including (but not limited to): luxury villa private chef and event catering services. The successful candidate must be able to create expertly designed menus with elevated flavours and presentation for in-house villa guests at a luxury villa estate while overseeing service and staff and upholding quality and safety standards. The candidate will have experience and knowledge in safe food preparation and handling, sanitation, presentation, sourcing and purchasing. Experience in events catering is a must. A proven ability to train and lead a team as well as a formal degree from an accredited culinary institution with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in an executive chef role is essential.

KEY FUNCTIONS INCLUDE:

• Develop fine dining menus that meet the needs of villa guests and catering clients

• Knowledge of diverse cuisines and cooking styles as well as vegan, vegetarian, religious cuisines and guests with dietary needs

• Train sous chefs/cooks/helpers and other kitchen staff in culinary techniques, cooking procedures, sanitation and safety

• Work with housekeeping and grounds staff to enhance the guest experience

• Work with purchasing agents and vendors to ensure quality

• Administer and follow regulatory agency and food safety standards

• Assist in monitoring and caring for the cooking equipment and inventory

• 5-10 years’ experience in an Executive Chef role

Starting salary $48,000 per year based on experience and references.

ATRIUM MANAGEMENT LTD.

The Atrium, 180 Governor’s Road, Leeward, Providenciales. Is seeking a:

HOUSEKEEPER

• Sanitize, disinfect, and clean guest rooms, including but not limited to kitchens, bathrooms, counters, furniture, patios/balconies, glass doors and windows, making beds, sweeping, vacuuming, dusting, polishing, and mopping

• Stock supplies in guest rooms, such as shampoo, soap, toilet tissue, etc.

• Sanitize, disinfect, and clean common areas, including but not limited to hallways, stairs, elevators, glass railings, front desk/reception, offices, public bathrooms, garbage rooms, gym, and any other interior/exterior areas of the property

• Maintain the laundry storage room in a clean and orderly manner

• Inform management of any problems noted that require attention

SALARY:

$8.00 per hour. Must be able to complete heavy lifting and working on feet for extended periods of time both indoors and outdoors, doing manual and physical labour. Must be able to work effectively and efficiently, while maintaining attention to detail. Must be willing to work up to 6 days per week, including weekends. Must be fully vaccinated for Covid-19.

Contact: 333-0119, Email: theatriumresort@hotmail.com

Belongers are encouraged to send a copy of their resume to the Labour Board. This ad is for a work permit holder.

PREMIER SOLUTIONS

DATABASE DESIGNER

36619

We are looking to recruit a Database Designer whose responsibilities will be the strategic development and maintenance of digital libraries, data reporting and analytics for online statistics and data modeling, and development of multi-channel design assets. The successful candidate must have technical experience in working with system infrastructures, business intelligence software, brand development and demonstrate advanced design skills with digital asset creation for multi-channel roll-out.

SKILLS REQUIRED:

• A minimum of 8 years’ experience in developing and managing large database systems and coordinating multiple digital libraries.

• A minimum of 5 years’ experience in data reporting and analytics for business related statistics and data modeling.

• Working experience with website development and consultation skills with proficient knowledge of CSS, HTML5 and templating engines.

• Integration of database elements with client assets and deployment experience in Linux and FreeBSD environments.

• Experience of following W3C web standards to address accessibility specifications.

• Analytical and project management experience of multiple digital product libraries as a Product Coordinator or similar role.

• Advanced working knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud Suite in particular UI/ UX apps and Design/Layout apps.

• Experience in corporate brand development and multi-channel strategy rollout of new creative digital and non-digital assets.

• A bachelor’s degree in Multi-disciplinary Design or closely related fields.

• Experience with billing, tracking, invoicing and client management.

SPA TROPIQUE

UNIQUE TOURS & RENTALS

BAY ROAD, BLUE HILLS Is seeking to employ a

SPA ACCOUNTS CLERK

REQUIREMENTS:

Is Seeking for analysis,

• Minimum 5 years experience in operations/coordination role,

• Excellent English verbal and written skills,

• Comprehensive experience using Spa scheduling software and QuickBooks for financial accounting, reporting and

• Accounts receivable and Accounts payable reconciliation,

• Willing to work irregular hours including weekends and holidays as needed,

• Qualification in accounting is preferred,

• Starting salary $2,300 per month.

ALL PROSPECTIVE APPLICANTS TO EMAIL A COPY OF THEIR RESUME AND COVER LETTER TO SPA TROPIQUE: ADMIN@SPATROPIQUE.COM SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS WILL BE NOTIFIED VIA PHONE OR EMAIL FOR AN INTERVIEW.

2 EQUINE HANDLERS

• Ensure that each horse is properly excerised, receiving adequate care and ready for work.

• Watching their charges closely for soundness and health changes.

• Administering prescribed medications.

• Renewal Salary: $8.00 Hourly

CONTACT: 441-8687

36620

BEACH HELPER

PERSONAL ASSISTANT

• Assist with coordinating vet visits

• Will Have to Travel

• Assist with Budgeting

• Scheduling staff members

• Assist with maintenance or repair work

• Assist with inventory

• Assist with horsemanship

• Assist with liaising with vendors, suppliers and guest.

• Must be able to work weekends, holidays and long hours.

Salary: $8.00 Hourly

BELONGERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SEND A COPY OF THEIR RESUME TO THE LABOUR BOARD

MAINTENANCE MAN

DUTIES: Assisting the property manager and maintaining the upkeep of the properties. Tasks will vary daily.

REQUIREMENTS:

5 -6 years of experience working in the Property Management Sector; must be flexible and have a driver’s license.

SALARY: $1600.00 per month, 6 days a week

CONTACT: 649-247-4109

GOVERNESS

Ensuring a safe environment, preparing and giving meals, bathing and dressing children, administering medicine, doing housework, and disciplining children when necessary.

CONTACT: 241-2179

CONTACT: 343-5854

GTC LIMITED/BELLA LUNA

• Must have 5 years experience on the line with Italian Cuisine.

• Must be willing to work weekends, evenings and holidays.

• Must be available 6 nights a week.

• Must speak, read and write English.

• Must work well with others and work well under pressure.

• Must have a clean police record.

Salary: $10 hourly

CONTACT: 331-6763

DOMINIQUE HAIR CENTER

MAKEUP ARTIST-$8.00 hourly

Perform makeup style, techniques, and skills to enhance a client's features.

AESTHETICIAN - $8.00 hourly Perform cosmetic skin care treatments and services.

SALON HELPER - $8.00 hourly

Cleaning the salon and serving drinks.

HAIR DRESSER $8.00 hourly Shampooing, cutting, and styling

provide hair treatments, deep conditioning, permanents, hair

CONTACT: 345- 5137

36616

TURKS AND CAICOS TOURISM HR Specialist

Job Title: HR Specialist

Department: Finance and Operation

Department

Hours: 40 hours

Unit: Administration

Classification: Employee Salary Grade: $37,500

Reporting Supervisor: Chief Finance and Operation Officer Probationary Period: 6 months

Positions Supervised:

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Purpose: Will be responsible for managing every aspect of the talent recruitment process, including orientation and training of new staff members on DMMO’s policies and procedures. Responsible for identifying ongoing team building training and development of staff throughout the fiscal year. He / she will recruit, support and develop talent through developing policies and managing procedures.

KEY RESULTS AREAS:

• Ensure that the DMO continues to produce and prosper thanks to its staff.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Support the development and implementation of HR initiatives and systems.

• Provide counseling on HR policies and procedures.

• Be actively involved in recruitment by preparing job descriptions, posting ads and managing the hiring process.Responsible for managing with respective department heads, annual assessment and develop Personal Improvement Plans (PIPs) where needed for respective team members.

OTHERS:

• Report directly to the CEO and CFO about the characteristics, needs and expectations of the entire DMO staff

• Assist the CEO in the management of the staff, especially referring the resolution of potential conflicts between TCI-DMO employees

• Work closely with other senior leaders to buildstrong internal networks ito support the delivery of the TCI-DMO’s key priorities.

• Any other duties assigned by the CEO and Chief Financial Officer.

SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS/COMPETENCIES:

• At least a Bachelor’s Degree in in business administration, human resources, or a relevant field.

• A minimum of five (5) years of proven experience in a similar role.

• Strong knowledge of labor legislation and payroll processes in TCI.

• Good understanding of the full recruitment process.

• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills.

• Solid problem-solving and team management abilities.

• MS Suite Proficient e.g. MS Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• A dynamic work environment.

• Interface with relevant government ministries and departments and tourism private sector entities.

• Ability to travel.

• Goal accomplishment within a multi-disciplinary, changing and evolving environment.

• Work hours may extend to evenings, weekends and holidays.

TURKS AND CAICOS TOURISM

LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE DESTINATION OFFICE ZONE #1

Job Title: Local Representative

Destination Office Zone #1

Department: Destination

Development Department

Hours: 40 hours

Unit: Product Development Unit

Classification: Employee Salary Grade: $37,000

Reporting Supervisor: Director D&P

Unit

Positions Supervised:

JOB DESCRIPTION

Probationary Period: 6 months

Job Purpose: Representing the DMO in the destination, facilitating the relations between the tourism stakeholders of a destination and the DMO, with the primary purpose to accelerate the development of new tourism products in each destination.

KEY RESULTS AREAS:

• Product Development

• Product mapping

• Relationships with tourism operators

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Collaborate with the Senior Product Development Experts and the Tourism Linkages / Facilitator to identify, design and develop new tourism products. Upgrade existing products, provide consultation and support to tourism businesses in the destination.

• Permanent monitoring of the needs and expectations of the tourism stakeholders in the destination and identification of potential tourism product development projects in cooperation with local tourism stakeholders.

• Collaborate with the Tourism Intelligence Unit to collect tourism data.

• Assist the Product Development Unit Manager and all other DMO Departments and Units in the implementation of any activities in the destination.

OTHERS:

• Collaborate on develop marketing and promotional activities.

SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS/COMPETENCIES:

• At least a Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism, Public Relations, Marketing or a related field with a minimum of 5 years of experience in the travel/tourism industry

• Management skills including ability to supervise and motivate employees

• Ability to multi-task and establish priorities

• Exhibits initiative, responsibility, flexibility and leadership

• Good social and interpersonal skills

• Good health and high energy level

• MS Suite Proficient e.g. MS Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• A dynamic work environment.

• Interface with relevant government ministries and departments and tourism private sector entities.

• Ability to travel.

• Goal accomplishment within a multi-disciplinary, changing and evolving environment.

• Work hours may extend to evenings, weekends and holidays.

APPLICATIONS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO THE INTERIM CEO, TURKS AND CAICOS DESTINATION MARKETING AND MANAGEMENT COMPANY, GRAND TURK. APPLICATIONS CAN BE SENT VIA EMAIL TO: CAREERS.DMO@GOV.TC

clothing and other housework.

DOMESTIC WORKER PAINTER

Apply paints, and coatings to interior and exterior walls, new buildings, homes, offices and other structural surfaces.

Salary: $8.00-$9.00 Hourly

DOMESTIC WORKER

Is Seeking to employ a helpful way

• Follow all health & safety policies

• Flexibility with working hours including weekends and public holidays

• Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Oversee assigned Villa’s services ensuring compliance with company policies, procedures and service standards:

u Guest Services

u Housekeeping

u Food & Beverage Service

u Pool & Beach Service

u Light Maintenance

• Consistently offer professional, friendly and engaging service

• Assist guests regarding Villa services and facilities in an informative and

• Passion for guest service

• Excellent written and verbal communication, interpersonal skills

• Fluency in English

• Minimum of 2-year previous experience in a similar capacity

• Must have the ability to handle a multitude of tasks and Guest requests

• Ability to work independently and prioritize responsibilities

• Basic First Aid

• Ability to Swim

ANNUAL SALARY $25K

EXPERIENCED CAPTAIN

Seeking professional captain and fishing first mate for the position of captain on board 50ft sport fishing vessel. Applicant must have a minimum of 10 years experience in offshore and inshore fishing as well as a minimum of 5 years experience operating vessels 50ft and over.

The position requires extensive knowledge and experience working

Is Seeking to employ a the cockpit of a professional sport fishing charter vessel, rigging lures, repairing and maintaining reels, vessel systems, as well as handling fish and working alongside novice and experienced guests alike. The applicant should have good knowledge of vessel maintenance and upkeep. Valid STCW and Captain's license required. Hourly wage up to $15/hr. based on experience and qualifications.

CONTACT: 000-0000

NOTICE

REGULATION 8 OF THE PHYSICAL PLANNING (DEVELOPMENT PERMISSION) REGULATIONS, 2018

An Application, REGISTERED PR 16739, by Romanza on Grace Bay Ltd for A TOWNHOUSE DEVELOPMENT. The proposed townhouse development contemplates thirty-two (32) four-bedroom standard units, swimming pools, poolside bar, restaurant, reception/ gym building, staff building, tennis and sport court, garbage enclosure, boardwalk and gate house. The townhouse units are proposed 3-4 storeys typologies, has been submitted to the Department of Planning for consideration of Development Permission on Block & Parcels 60900/258 which is 4.89 acres of land located at Leeward Going Through (Grace Bay), Providenciales.

Anyone wishing to make representation(s) may do so in writing to the Director of Planning, South Base, Grand Turk or through the Department of Planning, Emily House, Leeward Highway, Providenciales, within twenty-eight (28) days of publication of this Notice. You may also make representation(s) via video conferencing at the sitting of the Physical Planning Board when this application would be considered. If you are desirous so to do via video conferencing, contact the Secretary of Physical Planning Board.

Dated June 1, 2023

PAPA J TOURS

TWO GENERAL WORKERS, (UNSKILLED)

to carry out daily activities associated with tours provided to mainly cruise ship guests, at the beach and other locations.

ONE GENTLE ORGANIZER

to assist the Operations Manager, with the preparation and executing of customer service activities for all cruise ship guests.

All candidates must be honest, hardworking, customer focused and speaks English. They will be responsible for the daily tour operations, where Safety is First! and will also be required to keep accurate records of Guests information and inventory. They must be willing to carry out any other duties deemed necessary by management.

HOURS OF OPERATION-

Primarily Cruise Ship schedule and others tasks assigned by management. General Workers - starting salary is $1,200.00 and General Organizerstarting salary is $1,500.00.

OFFICE ESSENTIALS PLUS

ONE STORE CLERK

to manage and properly record all daily transactions, to prove excellent customer service to all customers. To keep record of inventory as directed by management. They must be willing to carry out any other duties deemed necessary by management. Starting salary is $1,500.00.

JULINE HIGGS

ONE DOMESTIC WORKER to care for basic household chores, without supervision. Payment is at $8.00 hourly.

TURKS AND CAICOS TOURISM Event Organizer Specialist

Job Title: Event organizer specialist Hours: 40 hours

Department: Marketing and Sales Department Unit: Marketing and Sales Unit

Classification: Employee Salary Grade: $44,000

Reporting Supervisor: Marketing and Sales Unit Manager Probationary Period: 6 months

Positions Supervised:

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Purpose: Develop, Implement and Organise cultural and entertainment events throughout the destination. Create signature event(s) that are promoted by the DMMO in source markets and an annual calendar event for travel and leisure.

KEY RESULTS AREAS:

EVENTS AND PROMOTION

Essential Duties:

• Continue to execute the Weekly Fish Fry and enhance product offerings and activities.

• Identifying requirements and standards for each event.

• Ensuring all events meets the DMMO Brand Guidelines for Events.

• Brainstorming and implementing event concepts and themes.

• Preparing event budgets and processing invoices.

• Collaborating with the other Destination Development Department to develop the tourism value chain related to the organization of events.

• Collaborate with the Finance and Operations Department to design and implement fundraising activities related to the organization of the events.

• Supporting and coordinating the activities of the service suppliers and other businesses involved in the organization of the events.

• Coordinating all logistical elements related to the events.

• Anticipating attendee needs and making preparations against potential risks.

• Developing post-event reports on the effectiveness of each event.

• Any other duties assigned by the CEO and Chief Marketing Officer.

Skills/Qualifications/Competencies:

• Degree in hospitality, public relations, management, or related field

• Dedicated interest in the organization and implementation of events related to the tourism industry or cultural sector

• Budget management experience, with the ability to meet planned budgets, adhere to DMMO procurement policies and processing of payments for vendors.

• Excellent project management and organisation skills with the ability to multitask under pressure

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills

• Creative, out-of-the-box thinking

• Meticulous attention to detail

• Expert time management skills

• MS Suite Proficient e.g. MS Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point.

Working Conditions:

• A dynamic work environment.

• Interface with relevant government ministries and departments and tourism private sector entities.

• Goal accomplishment within a multi-disciplinary, changing and evolving environment.

• Work hours may extend to evenings, weekends and holidays.

APPLICATIONS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO THE INTERIM CEO, TURKS AND CAICOS DESTINATION MARKETING AND MANAGEMENT COMPANY, GRAND TURK. APPLICATIONS CAN BE SENT VIA EMAIL TO: CAREERS.DMO@GOV.TC

2023

• Perform maintenance and repair on customer vehicles.

• Identify problems with vehicles using the diagnostic equipment.

• Explain automotive repairs and issues and provide great customer service.

• Plan repair procedures using chart manuals and experience.

• Test the functionality of parts and systems

• Perform basic auto care and maintenance tasks such as oil changes,

• Repair and replace brake pads, wheel bearings, sensors, and other parts.

• Perform routine maintenance and general mechanic work on vehicles.

• Prepared to get the additional certification as needed.

• Willingness to learn with hands-on training.

• Help keep repair shops clean and organized.

• Keep a professional appearance.

SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Plan and supervise a wide range of construction projects from start to finish, experience in managing large scale vertical construction projects is necessary. You will organize and oversee construction the construction team procedures and ensure they are completed in a timely and efficient manner.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Collaborate with engineers, architects etc. to determine the specifications of the project.

• Negotiate contracts with external vendors to reach profitable agreements.

• Determine needed resources (manpower, equipment, and materials) from start to finish with attention to budgetary limitations.

• Plan all construction operations and schedule intermediate phases to ensure deadlines will be met.

• Acquire equipment and material and monitor stocks to timely handle inadequacies.

• Hire contractors and other staff and allocate responsibilities.

• Supervise the work of all construction team members and give guidance when needed.

• Evaluate progress and prepare detailed progress reports.

• Ensure adherence to all health and safety standards and report issues.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Proven experience as construction project manager, minimum 10 years’ experience managing projects greater then USD $15 MIL.

• In-depth understanding of construction procedures and material and project management principles

• Familiarity with quality and health and safety standards

• Good knowledge of MS Office, MS Projects

• Familiarity with construction/ project management software Procore and Blue Beam

• Outstanding communication and negotiation skills

• Excellent organizational and time-management skills

• A team player with leadership abilities

Salary: $2000/weekly

Belongers are encouraged to send copy of their resume to Labour Board

TURKS AND CAICOS DESTINATION MARKETING AND MANAGEMENT COMPANY

Chief Internal Auditor

Job Title: Chief Internal Auditor Hours: 40 hours per week

Department: Board of Directors Unit:

Classification: Employee Annual Salary: Up to $100,000 per annum

Reporting Supervisor: Chairman of the Board of Directors and, more in general, all members of the Board Probationary Period: 6 months

Positions Supervised: None

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Purpose: The Chief Internal Auditor would report its reviews, concerns, risk related to the financial administration of the DMMO to the Directors at regular meetings.

KEY RESULTS AREAS:

• Auditing, accounting, risk management.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Overseeing all financial activities carried out by the Finance and Operation Departments

• Conducting risk assessments, including identifying and assessing the risks that could impact the DMO’s objectives, operations, and financial reporting.

• In collaboration with the Chief Financial and Operations Officer, design and execute a risk-based audit plan that covers all aspects of the DMO’s operations, including financial reporting, internal controls, compliance, and operational efficiency.

• Developing and implementing internal audit policies and procedures, including maintaining a comprehensive internal audit program that adheres to professional standards and regulatory requirements.

• Reviewing and evaluating internal controls, ensuring that the DMO has effective internal controls in place to mitigate risks and ensure the reliability of financial reporting.

• Reporting audit findings directly to the members of the Board of Directors and the permanent Finance, Audit and Compliance Committee, providing recommendations for corrective action as needed.

OTHERS:

• Attending to regular meetings with the Board of Directors.

• Any other duties assigned by the CEO and Chief Financial Officer to support on island activities or events.

SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS/COMPETENCIES:

• Master’s Degree in Finance, Economics or similar, ACCA Certification, Chartered Public Accountant.

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in auditing and financial monitoring.

• Extensive Knowledge of Accounting Systems e.g. QuickBooks

• Previous experience in similar positions in NPS in TCI is highly preferred.

• Extensive knowledge of the financial legislation of TCI is compulsory.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to interact with stakeholders and industry partners.

• Strong strategic planning and analytical skills to analyse financial and accounting data

• Strong negotiation skills.

• Knowledge of the tourism industry in TCI or in the Caribbean region.

• MS Suite Proficient e.g. MS Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• A dynamic work environment

• Interface with relevant government ministries and departments and tourism private sector entities

• Ability to travel

• Goal accomplishment within a multi-disciplinary, changing and evolving environment

• Work hours may extend to evenings, weekends and holidays

Applications should be addressed to The Interim CEO, Turks and Caicos Destination Marketing and Management Company, Grand Turk. Applications can be sent via email to: careers.dmo@gov.tc

TURKS AND CAICOS TOURISM

CEO’s Executive Assistant

Job Title: Executive Assistant to the CEO Hours: 40 hours

Department: EXECUTIVE Unit: EXECUTIVE

Classification: Employer Salary Grade: $33,000

Reporting Supervisor: CEO Probationary Period: 6 months

Positions Supervised: N/A

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Purpose: The Executive Administrator to the CEO is responsible for providing administrative support and managing the CEO’s schedule and communications. The goal is to help the CEO in their day to day activities, problem solve and follow direction,

KEY RESULTS AREAS:

Assisting CEO in DMO direction, priorities, goals and objectives

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Managing the CEO’s schedule, including managing the CEO’s calendar, scheduling appointments, meetings, and travel arrangements.

• Answering and managing phone calls and emails.

• Coordinating meetings with internal and external stakeholders, take notes, and prepare minutes.

• Acting as a liaison between the CEO and other staff members, clients, and business partners, facilitating communication and ensuring that everyone is kept up-to-date.

• Managing incoming and outgoing correspondence, including drafting letters, emails, and memos.

• Conducting research various topics and preparing reports or summaries for the CEO.

• Managing office operations, such as ordering supplies, filing documents, and maintaining the CEO’s office.

• Any other duties assigned by the CEO.

SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS/COMPETENCIES:

• Bachelor’s Degree with a minimum of 3 years of experience in supporting managerial figures

• MS Suite Proficient e.g. MS Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point.

• Project Management

• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written

• Ability to multi-task and establish priorities

• Exhibits initiative, responsibility, flexibility and leadership

• Good social and interpersonal skills

• Good health and high energy level

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• A dynamic work environment

• Regularly operates a computer, telephone, copier, scanner and other standard office equipment

• Interface with departments and tourism private sector entities

• Ability to travel

• Goal accomplishment within a multi-disciplinary, changing and evolving environment

• Work hours may extend to evenings, weekends and holidays

APPLICATIONS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO THE INTERIM CEO, TURKS AND CAICOS DESTINATION MARKETING AND MANAGEMENT COMPANY, GRAND TURK. APPLICATIONS CAN BE SENT VIA EMAIL TO: CAREERS.DMO@GOV.TC

APPLICATION DEADLINE: June 23, 2023

TURKS AND CAICOS TOURISM

Chief Quality Assurance Officer

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Purpose: The individual will work to improve the quality of tourism services in TCI through the development of international partnerships with organisations that promote international tourism quality labels.

In addition, it will aim to facilitate access to information on TCI tourism legislation for all national and international tourism businesses.

KEY RESULTS AREAS:

- Quality Assurance and Operational Standards for TCI Tourism product and services providers.

- Quality improvement of TCI tourism services and facilities

- Networking with international organizations promoting tourism quality labels.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

- Developing and Implementing the One-Stop-Shop road map to ensure excellent customer service and excellent communication of the process for TCI Tourism Industry Stakeholders.

- Develop and Manage the Quality Assurance Department and its staff.

- Ongoing analysis of the most important international tourism quality standard programs, including best practices for business operations, that can be implemented for the different sectors of the TCI Tourism Industry.Develop and Implement Quality Assurance Standards for all sectors of the TCI Tourism Industry. For example but not limited to:

• Tourism Accommodation Inspections

• Attraction Inspections

• Taxi Operator and their vehicles

• Tour Operator and their vehicles

• VIP and Concierge Services and their Vehicles

• Dive Operators

• Water Sports Operators

• Restaurants and Bars

• Craft Vendors

- Working Knowledge of Turn Key Solutions to assist TCI Tourism Stakeholders (SMEs) increase their competitiveness and potential visitors access their product and or services e.g. Creating a website or domain name using GoDaddy, Mobile Point of Sales and Accounting Apps for managing income and expenditure.

- Ongoing Networking Sessions with all TCI Stakeholders to ensure buy-in for the development and implementation of quality assurance standards.

- Develop networks with all potential partners that could enable the TCI-DMMO to implement voluntary international quality standard programs

- Supervise the activities related to the design of international quality standard programs to be financed by international organizations.

- Coordinate the activities related to the design of tourism quality programs to be financed by international organizations with the Fundraising Specialist (Finance and Operation Department) and Business Support Services and Training Unit

- Supervise all DMO activities related to the implementation of the international quality programs for the different sectors of the TCI Tourism Industry.

- Inform the CEO and the Board of Directors about the results of the international quality programs implemented by the DMMO and assist the CEO to present these results to the Minister of Tourism and the Department of Tourism Regulations.

- Collaborate with the Tourism Intelligence Unit to identify specific indicators and collect related data to be used to monitor the impacts generated by the implementation of international standard tourism quality programs by TCI tourism businesses.

- Supervise all monitoring activities to control if and how tourism businesses are implementing / adopting the voluntary international tourism quality standards.

- Supervise the exchange of information from the Ministries of the TCIG and the One-Stop-Shop.

OTHERS:

- Develop annual work plan and budget for the Quality Assurance Department.

- Conduct annual or biannual assessments of the quality assurance team and develop Performance Improvement Plan for those respective teams that it is required.

- Collaborate, if requested, with the Department of Tourism Regulations (Ministry of Tourism) for the improvement of the tourism quality standards for the tourism businesses in TCI.

- Collaborate with the CEO and all other members of the executive team for the definition of the Annual Report about the DMO performances and impacts on the tourism industry in TCI.

- Any other duties assigned by the CEO.

SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS/COMPETENCIES:

- MastersDegree in Tourism Product Development, Business Administration, Economics or similar

- Ten (10)) years in tourism quality standards for sectors such as accommodation, food service providers, transport service providers, tour guides etc.

- Working Knowledge of the tourism quality standards/policies applied by other tourism destinations in the Caribbean Region and by international organizations such as UNWTO, UNESCO, etc.

- Conduct research and analysis.

- Understanding of how to develop and implement official evaluation systems for tourism businesses.

- Excellent project management and organizational skills.

- Ability to network very well with local stakeholders.

- Ability to develop and carry out training sessions with all local stakeholders.

- Must be able to work under constant deadline pressure and manage multiple projects across multiple sectors.

- Strong leadership and management skills.

- Excellent oral and written communication skills.

- MS Suite Proficient e.g. MS Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

- A dynamic work environment.

- Interface with relevant government ministries and departments and tourism private sector entities.

- Ability to travel.

- Goal accomplishment within a multi-disciplinary, changing and evolving environment.

- Work hours may extend to evenings, weekends and holidays.

CONTACT: 245-4898

CONTACT: 649-347-3018

CONTACT:

Stocking and supplying designated facility areas, dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, restroom cleaning etc.

$8.00 Hourly

STOCKER

Stocking Shelves in store. $8.00

CONTACT: 241-1490

BELONGERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO

DOMESTIC WORKER

Sweeping the house, mopping the floor, clean bathrooms, toilets, kitchen, living room, laundering sheets, towels and personal clothing and other housework.

CONTACT: 246-1072

BELONGERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SEND A COPY OF THEIR RESUME TO THE LABOUR BOARD

Cleaning outside the property with sweeper, pick up yard waste and collect leaves, dispose of trash, clean windows, and doorframes.

Salary: $8.00 Hourly

CONTACT: 242-6987

BELONGERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY TO THE LABOUR BOARD RENEWAL

DOMESTIC WORKER

CONTACT: 341-1734

DOMESTIC WORKER

Cleaning the house, laundering sheets, towels and personal clothing and other housework.

Salary: $8 per hour

CONTACT: 347-9970

DOMESTIC WORKER

Sweeping the house, mopping the floor, clean bathrooms, toilets, kitchen, living room, laundering sheets, towels and personal clothing and other housework. Salary: $8.00 Hourly

VLADIMIR

HAIRDRESSER

Ensuring

DOMESTIC WORKER

Duties: Regular household chores, And Laundry. SALARY: $8.00 per hour

CONTACT: 232-1400

CONTACT: 243-1972

TRADESMAN

Shampooing, cutting, and styling hair, provide hair treatments, including deep conditioning, permanents, hair coloring, and weaving.Salary:

CONTACT: 344-2867

CONTACT: 342-7447

CONTACT: 247-8751

CONTACT: 1-649-342-0496

STORE CLERK

Person must be able to work flexible hours up to six days weekly

DUTIES:

• Conduct sales in a courteous and appropriate manner

• When shopping is complete they must: total bill payment and provide appropriate change and receipt

• Must log all sales

Salary: $8.00 hourly

CONTACT: 231-9919 EMAIL: ROXBURTSIM26@HOTMAIL.COM

BELONGERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SEND RESUME TO LABOUR BOARD

• Must be able to move heavy furniture and equipment

• Must be available for long hours at short notice including weekends and holidays

• Must have proper etiquette when working with high net worth clients and high-end properties

• Must speak fluent English

Salary: $8.50 Hourly

MINISTER

EXAMPLE OF CHRIST CHURCH

Assisting pastor with church ceremonies. $8.00 hourly

SECURITY OFFICER

V&M SECURITY LTD.

Secures premises and personnel by patrolling property; monitoring surveillance equipment; inspecting buildings, equipment, and access points; permitting entry.

CONTACT: 241-5138

Ensuring a safe environment, preparing and giving meals, bathing and dressing children, administering medicine, doing housework, and disciplining children when necessary.

Salary: $8.00 hourly

CONTACT: 342-6856

MAINTENANCE WORKER

The job description includes: Minor repairs to hotel rooms including plumbing, painting and basic repairs. Salary: $8.25 per hour, 44 hours per week.

CONTACT: 1-649-344-8558

PAINTER MASON

Apply paints to walls, new buildings, homes, offices and other structural surfaces.

Mixes mortar; lays bricks and stones; makes and repairs steps and plasters.

• Assist with personal care, which may include bathroom functions, bathing, grooming, dressing, and eating.

• Ensuring the client’s home is organized according to their needs and that safety measures are in place. You may also be expected to assist with some light housework.

• Dusting and polishing furniture and fixtures.

• Cleaning and sanitizing.

Salary: $10.00 hourly

CONTACT: 649-347-7437

BELONGERS ONLY APPLY / RENEWAL

PRIVATE CHEF

• A highly experienced private chef

• specialising in authentic Italian cuisine specifically from Rome.

• The person must be trilingual: Italian, English and Spanish.

• The person is expected to

work long hours, including weekends.

• The applicant must be able to put together creative and dynamic Italian food menu tailored to specific dietary and allergies requirements.

Salary: $8.50 Hourly

ADAMS & ELIS SECRETARY OFFICE & SERVICES

2 CLEANERS

Stocking and supplying designated facility areas, dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, restroom cleaning etc. $8.50 hourly

CONTACT: 332-6174

BELONGERS ARE ENCOURAGED

TURKS AND CAICOS TOURISM Certification Specialist

Job Title: Certification specialist Hours: 40 Hours

Department: Quality and Assurance Department

Unit: One Stop Shop

Classification: Employee Salary Grade: $33,000

Reporting Supervisor: Chief Quality Assurance Officer

Positions Supervised: N/A

JOB DESCRIPTION

Probationary Period: 6 months

Job Purpose: to offer a comprehensive information service to national and international tourism businesses on TCI tourism legislation and opportunities that make it easier for TCI tourism businesses to comply with TCI tourism legislation, stimulating investments and quality development.

KEY RESULTS AREAS:

• One-Stop-Shop established.

• Easy access and understanding for tourism businesses to TCI tourism legislation.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Provide all information about DMMO progammmes, Donor Assistance Grants, Turn keyTurnkey solutions for operations and accounting, Incentives, Tourism Regulations and Policies for all local stakeholders.

• Facilitate business development through detailed information about deadlines and procedures to be followed by tourism businesses.

• Coordination with all other TCIG Ministries to receive the information needed to answer to the information requests of the tourism businesses.

• Manage all operations and processes of the One-Stop-Shop.

OTHERS:

• Collaborate and exchange with all the units of the Quality Assurance Department, the Regulation Department and other governmental entities.

• Any other duties assigned by the CEO and Chief Quality Assurance Officer

SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS/COMPETENCIES:

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Tourism, Training, HR or a related field with a minimum of 5 years of experience in the travel/tourism industry.

• Working knowledge of tourism legislation in TCI.

• Ability to analysis problems and find solutions

• Quick thinking/learning

• Good attitude towards teamwork

• Self-confidence/resilience

• Ability to make quick judgements and decisions

• Good ability to plan and organise activities

• Excellent result/quality orientation

• Excellent personal motivation

• Good flexibility/adaptability to work requirements

• Good initiative/independence in work

• Excellent communication skills

• MS Suite Proficient e.g. MS Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• A dynamic work environment

• Interface with relevant government ministries and departments and tourism private sector entities

• Ability to travel

• Goal accomplishment within a multi-disciplinary, changing and evolving environment

• Work hours may extend to evenings, weekends and holidays.

VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY!!

v WARD’S CONSULTANCY

FACE AND FINGER #12 Courtyard Plaza, Providenciales

Contact: 941-4411

COSMETOLOGIST $8.00 p/h

Cut, trim and shape hair.

COMPLETE CONSTRUCTION, #53, P.O. Box 68, Blue Mountain, Provo Contact: 231-0337

CONSTRUCTION LABOUR

Salary $15.00 p/h

Operate a variety of hand and power tools.

CAICOS VILLA MANAGEMENT

Banana Boat Tel: 3466132

HOUSEKEEPER $8.00 p/h

Ensuring all rooms inspected according to standards.

LUIS A. FREITES

Tel: 343-6168

STEELMAN $8.00 p/h

Construct, install, and repair steel structures.

VILLA DEL MAR

Bonaventure Cres, Grace Bay Tel: 941-5160

LAUNDRY ATTENDANT

$0.00 p/h

Keep an updated inventory of laundry.

J&V FASHION VARIETY

STORE CARLINE

Blue Hills, Provo Tel: 242-2880

HELPER $8.00 ph

Dusting and wiping shelves and other furniture.

BELONGERS CAN SEND RESUME TO THE LABOUR BOARD. RENEWAL

36704

GRACE BAY CAR RENTAL SERVICE ADVISOR/ CONCIERGE CLERK

Learn about the key requirements, duties, responsibilities, and skills that should be in a service advisor job description.

The service advisor communicates with appointments customer and Concierge customers to determine their vehicles problems and the repair timeline and provides the technicians with accurate repair descriptions about the customers' concerns. Also, to ensure our Concierge customers’ vehicles are delivered on time to the airport upon their arrival.

• Greeting customers when coming to our service Department.

• Consulting with mechanics regarding necessary repairs and possible alternatives to expensive repairs.

• Using your knowledge of our products and services to set or provide in-depth information about available parts and service options to customers.

• Answering questions about service outcomes and scheduling and booking appointments, vehicle dropoff, and vehicle pick-up.

• Providing customers with information and advice on warranty protections, potential cost savings, and the advantages of trading in versus fixing their car.

• Calling customers to advise them about service changes or car pick-up times.

v

#1216 Leeward Highway, Providenciales

to employ

TRIPOINT CONSTRUCTION

Juba Sound

Contact: # 649-246-6927

Perform general labourer duties around the job sites. Assist mason with laying blocks and mixing cement.

Basic Salary: $8.00 hourly

LABOURER CLEANER

BLUE LADDER

Blue Hills

Contact: # 243-1294

Perform basic cleaning duties. Cleaning both exterior and interior surfaces.

BELONGERS

TRIPOINT CONSTRUCTION

Juba Sound

Contact: # 649-246-6927

Perform all cleaning duties around office. Clean both interior and exterior surfaces.

DOMESTIC WORKER LABOURER

OVANDO CONSTRUCTION

Kew Town

Contact: # 331-9354

Perform general labourer duties around the job sites. Assist mason with laying blocks.

TURKS AND CAICOS TOURISM

LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE DESTINATION OFFICE ZONE #2

Job Title: Local Representative

Destination Office Zone #1 Hours: 40 hours

Department: Destination Development

Department Unit: Product Development Unit

Classification: Employee Salary Grade: $37,000

Reporting Supervisor: Director D&P

Unit

Positions Supervised:

JOB DESCRIPTION

POSITIONS AVAILABLE

The Turks and Caicos Islands oldest and leading publishing house is in need of additional staff to fill the following posts:

WRITERS/ PHOTO JOURNALIST

Candidates must have at least five (5) years’ experience working full-time for daily newspapers and/or news/features magazines, reporting on hard news, features and parliamentary/court proceedings. Salary paid weekly will commensurate with experience.

FOR MAGAZINES AND OTHER PERIODICALS GRAPHICS PRODUCTION DESIGNER/ PAGINATOR

This position requires someone with at least five (5) years’ experience working with Macintosh or PC computers. Must be skilled in the make-up of advertising and pagination. Proficiency using InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop software for print is essential. Some technical, networking and web design knowledge an asset. Salary paid weekly will commensurate with experience.

COURT REPORTER

College or high school graduate with at least five (5) years’ experience in community reporting. Ability to drive and use a camera a desirable asset. Salary paid weekly will commensurate with experience.

ADVERTISING SPACE SALES PERSON

Candidates must have had actual hands-on experience selling advertising space for newspapers and magazines. Ability to assist clients with the writing of copy for ads and gathering of collateral an asset. Salary is commission based.

Probationary Period: 6 months

Job Purpose: Representing the DMO in the destination, facilitating the relations between the tourism stakeholders of a destination and the DMO, with the primary purpose to accelerate the development of new tourism products in each destination.

KEY RESULTS AREAS:

• Product Development

• Product mapping

• Relationships with tourism operators

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Collaborate with the Senior Product Development Experts and the Tourism Linkages / Facilitator to identify, design and develop new tourism products. Upgrade existing products, provide consultation and support to tourism businesses in the destination.

• Permanent monitoring of the needs and expectations of the tourism stakeholders in the destination and identification of potential tourism product development projects in cooperation with local tourism stakeholders.

• Collaborate with the Tourism Intelligence Unit to collect tourism data.

• Assist the Product Development Unit Manager and all other DMO Departments and Units in the implementation of any activities in the destination.

OTHERS:

• Collaborate on develop marketing and promotional activities.

SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS/COMPETENCIES:

• At least a Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism, Public Relations, Marketing or a related field with a minimum of 5 years of experience in the travel/tourism industry

• Management skills including ability to supervise and motivate employees

• Ability to multi-task and establish priorities

• Exhibits initiative, responsibility, flexibility and leadership

• Good social and interpersonal skills

• Good health and high energy level

• MS Suite Proficient e.g. MS Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• A dynamic work environment.

• Interface with relevant government ministries and departments and tourism private sector entities.

• Ability to travel.

• Goal accomplishment within a multi-disciplinary, changing and evolving environment.

• Work hours may extend to evenings, weekends and holidays.

Applications should be addressed to The Interim CEO, Turks and Caicos Destination Marketing and Management Company, Grand Turk. Applications can be sent via email to: careers.dmo@gov.tc

APPLICATION DEADLINE: June 23, 2023

36736

ARE ENCOURAGED TO SEND THEIR RESUME TO THE LABOUR BOARD.

Science & Technology

Peas that don’t taste like peas could help the planet

Scientists in the UK are developing peas that don’t taste like peas.

No, this isn’t a crafty plan to get children to eat their veggies.

As more and more people turn to plant-based food, they are hoping to produce a more planetfriendly, home-grown alternative to importing soya beans.

Peas are high in protein, but it is hard to mask their taste when they are used as a meat substitute in large amounts in vegan dishes.

Scientists discovered a gene for pea flavour 30 years ago. The research was stopped as there was no use for it. Now it could be the basis of a new industry.

“The world has changed. People increasingly want plant-based protein in their diets rather than from animals. So flavourless peas have suddenly become flavour of the day,” said Prof Claire Domoney of the John Innes Centre (JIC) in Norwich, one of the scientists working on the project.

The UK imports four million tonnes of soya a year for food and animal feed, with half a million tonnes used for vegan and vegetarian foods, according to Innovate UK, the government’s innovation agency.

Most of it comes from South America where soya production has been linked to destruction of rainforests.

The project is part of a government scheme that links up industry with academic researchers to produce new projects with a benefit to society. It is among a number of research programmes announced by the government on Wednesday aimed at boosting food production while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

It is being led by a Belfast-based plant breeding company, Germinal.

“We have an unsustainable habit for soya and we need to try and break that habit,” said the firm’s UK managing director, Paul Billings.\

PLANT-BASED DEMAND

Demand is growing at 30% a year for meat alternatives, 50% for dairy free milk and 40% for cheese alternatives, according to Innovate UK. Increased pea production by UK farmers could fill that gap.

Peas have great environmentfriendly credentials. Crops don’t require nitrogen rich fertilisers, which are energy intensive to produce. In fact, they put nitrogen and other nutrients back into the soil, further reducing the need for fertiliser as farmers rotate their crops.

But while many people love them, their flavour can be a turnoff in plant-based products. Even if you are trying to wean yourself

Prof Claire Domoney was among the team that made the initial flavourless pea breakthrough in the 1990s

off meat, you might not want your vegan burger to taste like peas.

Prof Claire Domoney was a young researcher at the John Innes Centre in the 1990s as part of a team that made the initial flavour breakthrough.

The scientists discovered a gene in pea plants that produced a chemical made peas taste less fresh after they were picked, and then Prof Domoney identified a wild pea plant found in India where that gene did not function.

Pea producers were delighted by the possibilities of longerlasting, fresher-tasting peas and began a breeding programme, but in the mid-2000s, Prof Domoney bumped into one of the breeders by chance and learned it had been scrapped.

“He said ‘this isn’t going

anywhere, because we end up with fresh peas with no flavour whatsoever!’” she explained.

Then last year, Germinal contacted the John Innes Centre to see if they could help develop a UK-grown soya alternative. Prof Domoney’s project fitted the bill perfectly. She still works at the JIC and her project was restarted.

‘’It just goes to show,’’ she said with a broadening smile, ‘’that science is never wasted’’.

The aim is to produce a commercially viable alternative to soya that also has higher levels of digestible protein and is easier to harvest than current varieties.

This will be done using traditional breeding methods: cross-fertilising the wild Indian plant with other varieties chosen for their yield, high protein content

and ease of picking by mechanical harvesters.

Once a suitable variety has been identified it will undergo field trials to see if it really can be grown and make money for farmers under real world conditions. The trials will be carried out by the Processor and Growers Research Organisation. Its CEO, Roger Vickers says that farmers are already starting to grow more peas because it reduces the amount of fertiliser they need.

“If farmers want to control their costs and act in an environmentally responsible manner, growing peas ticks both boxes. If there is an environmental focus on new government regulations then these crops are very well suited to these, and farmers are recognising that.” (BBC)

Eating foods with flavanols may help boost your memory

New research, published May 30 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that consumption of flavanols—a chemical compound found in foods like cocoa—could boost memory in some older adults.

The study included more than 3,500 people and spanned three years.

Flavanols are a common type of chemicalTrusted Source found naturally in a variety of foods including cocoa, tea and grapes

WHAT THE STUDY FOUND

The study was conducted by researchers at a variety of institutions including Columbia University, Harvard University, New York University, and the University of Reading in the UK.

Participants were divided up into two roughly equal groups.

One received a flavanol dietary supplement while the other received a placebo.

Researchers used tools including Alternative Health Eating Index (aHEI) scores and the Modified Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (ModRey) test to identify baseline health and memory scores.

Participants were followed over a 3-year period.

The biggest improvements were found among those with the lowest aHEI scores (below 38) which, according to the researchers, “reflects a diet quality ranging from the US average to slightly below average.”

They found that those who had a poor diet, but who received a flavanol pill had a sustained increase in baseline memory levels as compared to those who received

are a common type of chemicalTrusted Source found naturally in a variety of foods including cocoa, tea and grapes

The study was partially funded by the Mars Inc. food company.

focus on “cognitive aging” instead of Alzheimer’s disease

Dr. Adam Brickman (PhD) one of the authors of the study, says

Science & Technology

Strong leg muscles may be linked with better outcomes after heart attack, study suggests

Growing evidence shows that building muscle strength can have benefits for your heart, even leading to better outcomes after a heart attack.

Having a higher level of leg muscle strength appears to be “strongly associated” with a lower risk of developing heart failure after a heart attack, according to new research presented this month in Prague at the Heart Failure 2023 scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology.

The findings have not been published in a peer-reviewed journal, but they highlight the importance of regular exercise and maintaining muscle strength in older age, as muscle mass can diminish with age, possibly affecting cardiovascular health, said Kensuke Ueno and Dr. Kentaro Kamiya, researchers in the Department of Rehabilitation at Kitasato University School of Allied Health Sciences in Japan and authors of the new research.

Kamiya said that after a heart attack, medically known as a myocardial infarction, the heart can go through a process called myocardial remodeling or cardiac remodeling, in which fibrous tissue accumulates, causing an enlargement of the heart. But emerging evidence suggests that exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation can alter the course of such remodeling in a way that improves heart function.

“Cardiac remodeling is the main cause of the onset of heart failure after myocardial infarction,” Kamiya said. And myokines, which are peptides or chains of amino acids released by muscle

fibers, may play a role.

“Exercise could help to attenuate cardiac remodelling,” he said. “In addition, recent studies have shown that skeletal muscle itself also releases myokines, cytokines that have various effects, such as preventing the progression of atherosclerosis, stabilizing blood pressure and preventing the development of age-related diseases. Maintaining skeletal muscle itself could be associated with a reduced risk of developing heart failure via this myokine, but the detailed mechanism is unclear.”

STRENGTH TRAINING

The researchers analysed the strength of the quadricep muscles – in the fronts of the thighs – of 932 people ages 57 to 74 who had been hospitalized due to heart attack between 2007 and 2020.

They found that the incidence rate of subsequent heart failure was higher, at 22.9 per 1,000 personyears, among the patients whose quadriceps measured as having low strength, compared with an incidence rate of 10.2 per 1,000 person-years among those with high quadriceps strength. Personyears are a measurement that represents the number of people in a study multiplied by the years following them.

“Quadriceps strength is easy and simple to measure accurately in clinical practice. Our study indicates that quadriceps strength could help to identify patients at a higher risk of developing heart failure after myocardial infarction who could then receive more intense surveillance,” Ueno said in a news release. “The findings need to be replicated in other studies,

but they do suggest that strength training involving the quadriceps muscles should be recommended for patients who have experienced a heart attack to prevent heart failure.”

This isn’t the first time scientists have studied the association between muscle strength and the prognosis for people with cardiovascular disease. In 2016, Kamiya and his colleagues said in a study published in the American Journal of Cardiology that muscle mass in the upper arms could be associated with rates of surviving heart disease.

HOW TO PREVENT ANOTHER HEART ATTACK

The new research on leg strength validates what’s known about managing heart disease, in that muscle strength may play a role in

reducing certain risks after cardiac events. But more can be learned about why some people may be more affected after a heart attack than others, said Dr. Shaline Rao, director of heart failure services at NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island, who was not involved in the new study.

“Perhaps what this signal in the quadricep muscle is showing is that there are variations amongst people that might help us target therapies better. So I don’t think it’s a complete answer in any way. But I think it’s a helpful thing to understand,” Rao said.

“This is another added data point that may help us better understand those individuals and also make an argument for who’s going to be best served with strength training, in general, after an event or hospitalization,” she said. “These are ways to kind of mix frailty plus muscle strength and really think about how you’re going to help older adults living with chronic disease or suffering acute illness to really target their rehabilitation appropriately.”

After a heart attack, there are many steps people can take to avoid further heart problems. The American Heart Association recommends taking medications as prescribed, attending follow-up doctor appointments, participating in cardiac rehabilitation, getting support from loved ones or connecting with other heart attack survivors, and managing risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes by staying on medications, not smoking, eating healthy and getting exercise. (CNN)

Eating foods with flavanols may help ... CONTINUED

it’s important to keep in mind that while a lot of research into memory in older adults tends to focus on conditions like Alzheimer’s, research like his and his team’s is more keyed in on what is called “cognitive aging.”

“I think that, based on the experiments that we’ve done over the past 15 years or so, we’re tapping into a memory system that we think changes with normal aging…In a segment of normal, relatively healthy, older adults, there’s been depletion of

flavanol levels.”

Those whose test results included medium and high aHEI scores did not see the same improvements with the pill.

Kelsey Costa (MS, RDN) says that research like this can have a significant impact in the field, as practitioners and clients come to understand more of how diet can impact cognitive performance.

“Just as certain nutrients are crucial for developing brains, certain nutrients are essential for maintaining cognitive function as we age. It’s critical

to prioritize preventive nutrition that promotes healthy aging, and incorporating dietary flavanols is an integral part of this strategy.”

HOW TO EAT MORE FLAVANOLS

While the designers of the study chose cocoa-based flavanols, there are many other options including tea, berries, and grapes. Maya Feller (MS, RD, CDN) says that, in order to increase your flavanol levels, it’s important to make sure you choose a method that is accessible to you.

“Flavanols are found in a wide variety of plants including fruits, vegetables, tea, cocoa, and fermented grapes. I generally recommend that people start with plants that are affordable, accessible, culturally relevant, and tasty as an entry point to incorporating them into their pattern of eating. Canned, fresh, frozen, boxed, and jarred are all options for adding more plants to a person’s pattern of eating.”

SOME EXPERTS REMAIN SKEPTICAL OF BENEFITS

It’s important to note that some in the field are less sure that the study shows significant benefits tied to increased flavanol levels outside of those with less-thanideal diets.

Dr. Naveed Sattar, Professor of Metabolic Medicine, University of Glasgow, said in comments shared by the Science Media Centre, that studies like this can give the “illusion of benefit” and that it’s much better for the general person to not immediately go and seek out a drastic increase in their flavanol intake.

Having a higher level of leg muscle strength appears to be “strongly associated” with a lower risk of developing heart failure after a heart attack

Science & Technology

Iron deficiency could be making your mental health symptoms worse

As evidence of a link grows, people with depression, anxiety, and other mental health symptoms may want to get tested and eat iron-rich foods or take supplements.

Most people these days understand that mental health issues have their roots in physical differences in our brains, genes, and bodies, and differences in our life experiences.

But what you eat, and how your body uses the nutrients in your food, also matters to mental health.

A growing amount of research suggests that one key nutrient –iron – plays an important role, and that having too little of it can affect mental health symptoms.

Yet many people who have mental health conditions like depression or anxiety, and the health providers who treat them, may not know about this link, says Stephanie Weinberg Levin, M.D., a psychiatrist at Michigan Medicine and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

She dove deep into the topic while doing a fellowship in integrative psychiatry. Recently, she and former psychiatry resident Theresa Gattari, M.D., summarised the current state of knowledge in a review article for their fellow psychiatrists.

The bottom line: eating iron-rich foods is important for everyone,

A growing amount of research suggests that one key nutrient – iron – plays an important role, and that having too little of it can affect mental health symptoms

and many people don’t get enough iron as it is. But people with mental health conditions may specifically want to ask their doctor or other health provider to order a blood test that measures their iron levels in a particular way.

If the result on that test – called a ferritin test – is low, it’s important to increase iron in the diet, and to take iron supplements if a health care provider recommends them.

“Iron is the most common nutrient deficiency and can have a big impact,” said Levin. “You can be iron-deficient without having anemia, but many mental health

Neuralink: Elon Musk’s brain chip firm wins US approval for human study

Elon Musk’s brain-chip firm says it has received approval from the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) to conduct its first tests on humans.

The Neuralink implant company wants to help restore vision and mobility to people by linking brains to computers.

It says it does not have immediate plans to start recruiting participants. Mr Musk’s previous ambitions to begin tests came to nothing.

The FDA said it acknowledged Neuralink’s announcement.

An earlier bid by Neuralink to win FDA approval was rejected on safety grounds, according to a report in March by the Reuters news agency that cited multiple

current and former employees.

Neuralink hopes to use its microchips to treat conditions such as paralysis and blindness, and to help certain disabled people use computers and mobile technology.

The chips - which have been tested in monkeys - are designed to interpret signals produced in the brain and relay information to devices via Bluetooth.

Experts have cautioned that Neuralink’s brain implants will require extensive testing to overcome technical and ethical challenges if they are to become widely available.

Mr Musk has also previously suggested that the proposed technology could help ease concerns about humans being

mental health complement growing knowledge about the importance of stress, sleep habits, and physical activity.

So, she encourages people who have a diagnosis of a mental health condition to talk with their healthcare team about getting tested and potentially taking supplements.

In addition to its well-known role in helping red blood cells perform the critical function of ferrying oxygen around the body, iron helps your body make the molecules that are needed to make key brain chemicals.

studies in people experiencing their first episode of psychosis also suggests a link between how severe their symptoms were and lower iron levels.

Low iron levels are also known to be associated with fatigue, which is one of the symptoms that can combine with others to qualify someone for a diagnosis of depression.

care providers aren’t aware that iron deficiency by itself has been linked to worse symptoms, or that supplementation has been linked to improved symptoms. But there is evidence there.”

Primary care providers may also not order tests of iron levels unless someone has symptoms of anemia, or a health condition or medical treatment that’s known to affect the body’s iron levels, she notes.

“We don’t always go looking for nutrient deficiencies, but they can really take a large toll on well-being,” said Levin, who also emphasizes that nutrients’ roles in

Specifically, iron plays an important role in how your body makes the neurotransmitters called serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine – all of them important in mental health.

Research suggests a connection between low iron levels and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia, Levin and Gattari write.

This includes surveys of large numbers of people that showed a higher percentage of people with depression also reported having a history of iron deficiency anemia, and a large study that showed higher rates of anxiety disorders, depression, sleep disorders, and psychotic disorders in patients with iron deficiency anemia. Smaller

In addition to studies that have looked at the relationship between iron levels and symptoms, other studies have evaluated what happens when people with mental health conditions receive iron supplements.

A review of the evidence in 2013 showed iron supplementation was associated with improvement in mental health symptoms in three studies published before that year, and others showed improvements in thinking ability.

Multiple studies in people with and without mental health diagnoses have showed improvements in mood and fatigue after iron supplementation, even if they didn’t meet the criteria for iron-deficiency anemia. One study showed improvement in half of those whose ferritin was below 100 nanograms/milliliter, which is above the level of 30 ng/ml often used to define iron deficiency. (Scitechdaily.com)

displaced by AI.

Announcing Thursday’s news on Twitter, Neuralink talked of an “important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people”.

The approval was “the result of

incredible work by the Neuralink team in close collaboration with the FDA”, it said.

The firm promised more information “soon” on plans to sign up trial participants.

Its website promises that “safety,

accessibility and reliability” are all priorities during its engineering process.

The company - which was cofounded by Mr Musk in 2016 - has repeatedly overestimated the speed at which it can execute its plans.

The Neuralink implant company wants to help restore vision and mobility to people by linking brains to computers

Sports International

Ryan Crouser breaks own shot put world record in Los Angeles

Olympic and world shot put champion Ryan Crouser has broken his own world record.

Crouser threw 23.23m and 23.31m at a track-and-field meet in Los Angeles before setting the new best with an effort of 23.56m.

The previous record was 23.37m, which the 30-year-old American set in Eugene in 2021.

Crouser won the 2016 and 2020 Olympic titles and claimed his first World Championship last year.

In the Los Angeles meet on Saturday he posted 23.23m, 23.31m, 22.94m, 23.56m, 22.80m and 22.86m in what World Athletics called the best shot put series ever. (BBC)

Former US Open Champion

Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu has split with coach Sebastian Sachs, her fifth coach in less than two years.

Sachs joined the Briton’s team in December after former coach Dmitry Tursunov warned of “red flags”.

Raducanu was forced to miss the French Open and will not return for Wimbledon this year as she recovers from minor surgeries on her ankle and hands.

The 20-year-old has now dropped out of the top 100 in the women’s world rankings.

“I have really enjoyed Seb’s coaching and working with him, it’s unfortunate that circumstances made it unfeasible for both of us to continue right now and we have decided to part ways,” Raducanu posted on her Twitter account.

“I wish Seb all the best moving forwards.”

Raducanu’s 2021 US Open win is her only singles title as she has struggled with injuries and a

PSG manager Christophe Galtier confirms Messi’s departure

Lionel Messi will play his final game for Paris St-Germain against Clermont on Saturday, says manager Christophe Galtier.

BBC Sport reported in May that the 35-year-old Argentina forward would leave when his contract ends this summer.

“I had the privilege of coaching the best player in the history of football,” said Galtier.

“This will be his last match at the Parc des Princes and I hope that he will receive the warmest of welcomes.”

Messi, who joined on a free

transfer from Barcelona in July 2021, helped PSG win two successive French Ligue 1 titles.

He and PSG reached an agreement in principle to extend his stay by a year before they changed their minds. (BBC)

Raducanu splits with fifth coach in less than two years

revolving door of coaching staff.

She has played only 10 WTA Tour matches in 2023, winning just five, with three of those victories coming at Indian Wells before a defeat by Polish world number one Iga Swiatek.

The lack of match wins has resulted in Raducanu’s drop to 107 in the rankings, meaning there are no longer any British women in the top 100. She will not qualify automatically for this year’s US Open and would need to either progress through qualifying or be given a wildcard to compete there - providing she is fit enough to do so.

The absence of British talent in the singles at this year’s Roland Garros has drawn criticism as only three men and no women qualified for the main draws. Britain’s highest seed Cameron Norrie, the world number 13, is the lone remaining competitor after Dan Evans and Jack Draper bowed out in the first round.

Draper is another promising

Messi, who joined on a free transfer from Barcelona in July 2021, helped PSG win two successive French Ligue 1 titles

Crouser won shot put gold at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics

Emma Raducanu withdrew from this year’s Madrid Open because of injury

young British player who has been hampered by a series of injuries, having retired from his first-round match In Paris against Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry with a shoulder issue. (BBC)

Sports International

FA Cup final: Double-chasing Man Utd desperate to destroy Man City’s Treble dream

Whoever lifts the FA Cup on Saturday will have even more to celebrate than usual.

As well as local bragging rights being at stake, Premier League champions Manchester City and League Cup holders Manchester United know the winner of a first major cup final between the two will be celebrating a rare double.

City also have the dream of a Treble, knowing victory against their neighbours would leave them just needing to beat Inter Milan in next Saturday’s Champions League final to match a feat achieved by only one other club in English football.

And that team to win a Premier League, FA Cup and European Cup in one season? Yep, Manchester United - and the desire to keep their historic achievement in 1999 to themselves is obvious.

It all makes for some cup final.

‘GIVING IT EVERYTHING’ TO STOP CITY’S BID FOR GREATNESS

Pep Guardiola’s men are now just two games away from becoming the 10th European side to sweep the board - and it certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed among the red half of Manchester.

Even before United’s semifinal win against Brighton, former

goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel - a key member of that 1999 squad - joked: “That is why it is so important that we now beat Brighton, so we can stop them.”

Another member of that side, Gary Neville, told Sky Sports: “Man Utd want the opportunity to take away the Treble.”

The question about the importance of ‘stopping the Treble’ was posed to manager Erik ten Hag several times in the immediate aftermath of their semi-final win.

“We will give everything and, when I say everything, it’s everything… the fans can rely on that,’’ said the Dutchman. “We

want to give that against City. We want to go and give the fans that.”

For the United fans, you get the feeling that stopping City is almost as important as their own cup double - having already won the Carabao Cup - with songs often sung around Old Trafford about their proud boast of being England’s only Treble winners, United have been in this position before.

In 1977, they faced a Liverpool side who had won the league and had a European Cup final to follow four days after the FA Cup final. United won 2-1 at Wembley to end Liverpool’s Treble hopes.

They did go on to beat Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1 in Rome.

Liverpool fans will be quick to remind of their two trebles - the European Cup, League Cup and First Division title in 1984 and FA Cup, League Cup and Uefa Cup triumphs in 2001. In 2019 City became the only English men’s team to win a domestic treble of league, FA Cup and League Cup.

But, with just four trebles of various make-ups in the history of English men’s football, City know they are on the verge of true greatness.

‘MAN UTD’S PREEMINENCE IS UNDER THREAT’

BBC Sport’s Simon Stone: It is almost certain if Manchester United win the FA Cup final, one of the first songs they will sing after the final whistle will be related to the Treble and the fact they have won it and Manchester City have not.

Nearly half a century on, United fans, who are old enough, still look back with pride on 21 May 1977 when they overcame the odds to beat Liverpool at Wembley to ensure the FA Cup was the final piece of silverware to elude them that season.

As City’s success and dominance

continues and their trophy cabinet gets bigger, United’s pre-eminence is under threat.

They remain the only English club to win the Treble and they want to keep it that way.

HOW HARD IS A DOUBLE?

With all the talk about trebles, it would be easy to forget the ‘double’ that is also up for grabs for both teams at Wembley on Saturday.

History, though, suggests it is an achievement not to be sniffed at.

In 2019, City became the first side to win the FA Cup and the Premier League in the same season since Chelsea did it in 2009-10 and they are only the eighth club to do so.

Their Carabao Cup triumph over Chelsea in February 2019 meant they became only the fourth club to hold the League Cup and the FA Cup simultaneously - with Liverpool adding their name to that particular roll of honour last season.

The other teams to achieve it are Chelsea (2006-07), Arsenal (199293) and Liverpool (2000-01). Manchester United could join that list on Saturday.

And there have been only 10 instances of a side winning the English top flight and League Cup in history. (BBC)

Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers will step down after playing a key role in constructing one of NBA’s most successful teams, the team announced on Tuesday.

During his time with Golden State, the Warriors won four NBA titles and made the Finals six times – including five straight – as he helped transform the team into a perennial contender and one of the league’s most exciting teams.

Myers’ contract expires near the end of June and he has reportedly declined a new deal.

At a press conference on Tuesday, the 48-year-old said it was “just time” to move on but that it was a “tough” moment.

“I’ve only known how to do things one way my whole life,”

Myers explained. “It doesn’t feel right to do something when I can’t give it everything. And that’s what it takes to do what we’ve done over the last, for me, 12 years.”

Having been hired in 2011 as assistant general manager before being promoted to general manager a year later, Myers’ arrival ushered in a period of unrivalled success for the Warriors.

He drafted Draymond Green in 2012, who would go onto become a key cornerstone for the franchise, and hired head coach Steve Kerr in 2014.

Paired with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson who were already with Golden State, the team became one of the NBA’s most successful

United manager Erik ten Hag and City boss Pep Guardiola know the winner in Saturday’s FA Cup final will complete a double

During Myers’s time with Golden State, the Warriors won four NBA titles and made the Finals six times

Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers stepping down

Sports International

Ashes summer can breathe life into Test cricket - Jonathan Agnew

ENGLAND’S match against Ireland kicks off an Ashes summer that is incredibly important for Test cricket.

The Test format is increasingly being squeezed, but another chapter in the ultimate contest is a real opportunity for everyone to be reminded exactly what it is all about. An Ashes series that is every bit as compelling and thrilling as we think it might be can breathe some life into the longest form of the game.

The collective sense of anticipation we are all feeling for the battle between England and Australia is higher than at any point since the famous series of 2005, when Michael Vaughan’s side regained the urn in an epic contest.

The excitement comes from the way England have been playing over the past year under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, not only winning 10 of their past 12 Tests, but doing so in such buccaneering style.

It has brought high rewards but also comes with high risks, and this Australia team will be the best team that Stokes’ England have come up against. That brings a sense of trepidation.

We have the two-week build-up of England’s four-day Test against Ireland at Lord’s followed by the World Test Championship final between Australia and India at The Oval. These two matches will give us a better picture of where the two teams are at.

Last time England played Ireland in a Test, they were given a real scare in being bowled out for 85 before recovering to win.

This time, against an Irish side who are placing more importance on their upcoming World Cup qualifying tournament, Stokes’ men should be looking to put them away with ruthless efficiency to set a marker for what’s to come.

Australia could arrive at Edgbaston on 16 June buoyed by their crowning as the best Test team in the world. Similarly, they could be trying to pick themselves up from the disappointment of a final defeat.

Amid all the unknowns of how the series will unfold, what we know for certain is that Australia have not won the Ashes in this country for 22 years - a remarkable statistic when you consider how dominant they were from 1989 to 2001.

That shows what a big ask it is for the visiting team to win an Ashes series, albeit if the tourists will start with an advantage when it comes to retaining the urn because they are the holders.

The first Test will be so important. Australia don’t really rate Bazball and think they will blow England away. If they get hammered in the first Test, how

will they respond?

Similarly, if England try to get after the Australians and it doesn’t work, they won’t change their approach - they will probably go even harder.

If Australia leave Birmingham knowing England are serious challengers, having to rethink their plans, then that really sets up the summer. If England recklessly give away the first Test, it could be tough to turn around. Whereas there are lots of questions to be answered in one of this summer’s Ashes series, there is a degree of certainty about another. We know that Heather Knight’s England will start as massive underdogs as they look to regain the urn for the first time since 2015, even if the all-conquering Australians are without influential captain Meg Lanning. Australia barely lose a game. They are world champions in the

50-over and 20-over formats, and won Commonwealth gold last summer when England fell apart in the semi-finals.

I like the multi-format style of the series, with points on offer for the one-off Test, three one-day internationals and three T20s. This year, for the first time in the UK, the women’s Test will be five days, meaning more chance of a result, therefore more likely that one team opens up a big lead. That really raises the stakes.

There is a huge, unprecedented platform for the Women’s Ashes this summer. Already more than 70,000 tickets have been sold, a record for a women’s international season in this country. Venues like Lord’s, Edgbaston, The Oval and Trent Bridge are all being used.

This comes on the back of the England women’s rugby union team winning the Six Nations in front of a record crowd at

Twickenham, and the Lionesses doing marvellous things for women’s football in this country, both through success on the pitch and the number of eyes they are attracting to the game.

There is a massive opportunity for the women’s cricket team to do the same thing, but they face formidable opponents in Australia. If England can somehow pull off a series win, it would be a remarkable achievement.

It seems a long way off now, but the end of the summer will see England’s men building up to their defence of the 50-over World Cup, won so memorably at Lord’s in 2019.

Though Jos Buttler’s team were also crowned T20 world champions last year, it has been a strange time for the 50-over side, who have seen lots of their series crammed in as games were rescheduled from the Covid era.

They have won only one of their past five series - against Bangladesh in March - but have rarely had their first-choice team available. That should change when they take on New Zealand and Ireland in September in preparation for the World Cup in India in October and November.

There are some unanswered questions. Might Jofra Archer come into consideration - England haven’t completely ruled him out of the World Cup despite the stress fracture in his elbow. Can Stokes be coaxed out of one-day retirement? That feels unlikely, but why wouldn’t he want to be at the World Cup?

For now, all the focus is on Test cricket at the beginning of a sixmonth period that contains two Ashes series, a World Test Championship final and a World Cup.

What more could a cricket fan want? Let’s hope it lives up the hype. (BBC)

Golden State Warriors general manager ...

CONTINUED 

teams with its unique style ripping through the league.

The Warriors won the title in 2015, ending a 40-season drought between NBA titles, before setting the single-season mark for regular season wins (73) the next year.

The team went onto to win three more rings, in a large part down to the savvy moves Myers was able to make to keep the core together while also beefing up the facilitating players.

He was able to retain Curry, Thompson, Green and Kerr, while also bringing in key contributors throughout the years through the draft – Kevon Looney and Jordan Pool – trades (Andre Iguodala and Andrew Wiggins) and free agency (Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins).

Myers was twice named the NBA’s Executive of the Year for his work in constructing a title-winning team.

Warriors owner Joe Lacob said the team hasn’t identified a replacement for Myers

yet.

“I will say that we do have a very strong organization, and there’s a good possibility it could be an internal candidate,” Lacob told reporters. “But haven’t made a decision, so can’t really give you an answer. We are going to work on that.”

Curry, who won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award twice while Myers was with the team, posted a heartfelt tribute on his Instagram, including a series of photos with Myers as well as the caption:

“Before the trophies and the memories over this run, I remember I told you: ‘You better get this right!’ And you did.

“The (general manager) role was great and you did your thing, but forever grateful for you as a friend forever. Changed each other’s lives! Enjoy the next chapter my guy. Thank you Bob!”

Iguodala, the NBA Finals MVP, also paid tribute to Myers on Twitter, writing: “To more life Robert, appreciate you!” (CNN)

England have won 10 of their 12 Tests since Brendon McCullum (left) became head coach with Ben Stokes (right) as captain

Sports National

Fenelus lights up Taiwan Football Premier League

NATIONAL footballer Marco

Fenelus continues to dominate the Taiwan Football Premier League.

He is looking to go seven of seven in the seventh season of the league.

If he wins, it will be his fourth consecutive season with Tainan City FC, prior to this, he had won three titles with Tatung FC.

So far, his side has won nine of their 11 games with one draw and a loss.

Fenelus is also the top scorer in the clash with seven goals and three assists.

BACK SURGERY

The 30-year-old had back surgery (Disc herniation injury) in December and he was nervous when he started in April, but he has managed to return to form.

“There was a lot of nerves returning to the game but with the Grace of God, everything went well.”

Fenelus said he has had to do “more recovery, physical therapy, massages and taking it game-bygame. The back is not 100% yet but the physical therapy is helping.”

Despite his shortcomings, the forward feels that his team is on the right track.

Chennai have equalled Mumbai’s record tally of five IPL titles

IPL 2023: Kings claim last-ball victory over Titans in thrilling final

Chennai Super Kings hit 10 off the last two balls to beat Gujarat Titans by five wickets and win the Indian Premier League for a fifth time.

Sai Sudharsan’s 96 had helped put the Titans in a commanding position as they finished their innings on 214-4.

A rain delay saw the Super Kings’ innings reduced to 15 overs and set a target of 171.

And Ravindra Jadeja struck the decisive runs, a six and final-ball four, to settle a thrilling encounter.

“I was just trying to swing

hard because every ball was important,” Jadeja said of the dramatic finale.

“I knew anything could happen, so I was trying to swing hard and hit it straight.”

There was much talk beforehand that the match would be the last of Chennai’s 41-year-old captain MS Dhoni’s career.

He entered the fray late in his side’s innings, but was out for a first-ball duck, briefly resulting in stunned silence, before Chennai rallied to seal victory in dramatic fashion.

Marco Fenelus continues to be the most dominant player in the league

Marco Fenelus has already scored seven goals to go with three assists.

Sports National

Gilley’s Enterprises Hornets win Caribbean 19-and-Under Tournament of Champions

Gilley’s Enterprises Hornets ensured that the spoils stayed in Providenciales when the Caribbean 19-and-Under Tournament of Champions (2023) was held at the Gustarvus Lightbourne Sports Complex court last week.

In the final, the Hornets, coached by Walken Gedeon, and supported by Ciaran O’Neill and Roshawn Jake Been, were able to get past the 242 Ballers from Nassau by four points 74-70.

In the clash, point guard Tamiko

Robinson led the attack with 18 points. He was also named MVP of the tournament.

The Hornets made up of a number of local players, also had the services of 6’ 6” Austin Bowler from England and 6’ 8” Vladimirs Korps from Latvia.

Bowler had decent numbers throughout the tournament, while Korps was injured on the opening night and did not play the other games.

Prior to the final, the Hornets got the better of the defending

champions Basic Basketball out of Freeport.

According to O’Neill, the coaches “are really proud” of the team. He said that he was pleasantly surprised that they were able to gel so fast with only a few days of practice as a unit.

Among the sponsors from the Rising Stars Basketball Club event, were Got U Covered, SeaScape, TCI Airport Authority, Fortis TCI, Ocean Club Resort, Long Bay Express, the Tides and HLB TCI Ltd.

Eagles win PPL Knockout Cup

THE Academy Eagles edged out the SWA Sharks in the Provo Premier League (PPL) Knockout Cup final to deny them a clean sweep of the silverware for the season.

In the final of the event, on Saturday evening at the TCIFA National Academy, it took a Jean Innocent strike in the dying moments of the clash to separate the two sides.

Kevern De Bellot had carried the Sharks ahead with a goal in

the 15th minute before Innocent scored in added time in the first half to equalise.

In the second half, the Sharks retook the lead via a Ledson Jerome strike in the 70th minute of play, before Christopher Louisy equalised in the 82nd minute.

Another added time goal (90+3 minutes) from Innocent carried the Eagles to victory.

The PPL is expected to start again in September 2023.

The Hornets are the 2023 champions

The Hornets players with the championship trophy

Eagles registered a 3-2 win in the final