TC Weekly News November 19 - 25, 2022

PDM “more than ready” to govern TCI

– Will be prepared if early elections are called

– Opposition Leader

BY DELANA ISLES

The next general election is a long way off – February 2025 - but in a territory besieged with violent crime, the minds of the people have turned to the effectiveness of the current administration.

Talks have surfaced on the airwaves as to who can effectively deal with the crime situation in the Islands, leading to speculations about the next election.

Hon Edwin Astwood, Leader of the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) has stated that his party is ready to take on the governing Progressive National Party (PNP).

He said: “Something must be seriously wrong with the direction [in which] this current PNP government is leading the country.

“Something must be extremely wrong with the representation the people are receiving from this PNP government. Because the people are asking us to be ready now.”

He said less than two years into

this administration’s term in office the people are already asking these questions.

“Allow me, as Leader of the People’s Democratic Movement and Opposition Leader to give a clear and precise answer.

“The PDM is more than ready to govern the country, in terms of providing leadership and direction to address the current and future problems of our people, strongly addressing the economic and social needs of our people, and aggressively addressing the safety and security of all residents and visitors of our country, the Turks and Caicos Islands,” Astwood stated.

However, in a party with only three visible faces – Astwood, the deputy leader and party chairman – these claims of being ready are somewhat questionable.

The party leader explains: “In terms of having all 15 candidates chosen by our people and ratified by the National General Council of the Party, that process is a work in progress.

“We will work with our people throughout the Turks and Caicos on every island and constituency, to select the right candidates to help our people to realise their dreams.”

He added that should early elections be called, the PDM “can very quickly be ready to win the hearts and minds of our people”.

According to him, the PDM is further ahead in being prepared for a general election than the PNP, that is unless, they are planning to ‘run it back’.

“With the same leadership, and the same constituency, and all island representatives, and the same failed policies and plans from their manifesto,” the party leader remarked.

He said if that is their plan then he will concede that they are more prepared than the PDM.

“But if that is not the plan, and they have to conduct their leadership race, candidate selection, manifesto preparation, and platforms developed, then I would state that we the PDM are more prepared than the PNP.”

His main stance on why the PNP is not as ready as his party is that they have failed the country.

“Even if you were living outside the TCI or some twilight zone over the past 18 months, you would know that this current administration has failed on every one of their fundamental outlined points.

“They have not only not delivered, but they have made things worse for the majority of our people, with only the Premier’s inner of the inner circle, and some foreign investors benefiting.”

He stated that the people of the

TCI are disappointed by this current PNP government, “the country has changed dramatically for the worse in just under two years, the misery index has increased”.

“Far too many Turks Islanders see a visionless government and premier. One who lacks the energy and vitality for another election season, and the vigour to govern the country.

“We have to ask if that is what the voters want. And what version of the Premier and current leadership of the PNP will we get?”

Astwood is now calling on Islanders to help him and his team select the “best cadre of representatives that truly care about our people and our country”.

He said: “I come with a more powerful vision, purpose and a mission to provide stronger hope for a better future.”

Police offers $10K reward for information on Brandon Rahming

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Police have ramped up their appeal for information leading directly to the arrest of violent criminal and gang leader, Brandon Leonardo Rahming with a $10,000 reward.

The 32-year-old resident of the Bight, Providenciales, who is wanted in connection with murder, drugs and illegal firearm, is also known to reside in Freeport, Bahamas.

On Thursday, November 17, police issued another wanted bulletin with the updated monetary reward for information leading to Rahming’s arrest.

Immediately following the social media post on the Royal TCI Police Force’s page, a Facebook profile with the name ‘Brandon Lee’, which many believe to be that of the wanted man, commented with taunts to local authorities.

Urging the police to triple the

sum offered for his arrest, the commenter stated: “Triple that and stop being cheap.....ppl hurting outchea.”

He also threatened: “If 10k US is worth your entire family, go ahead and try... Just a phone call away…”

While some found the taunts funny, reacting to the comments with laugh reactions, others expressed anger that people are making light of the comments,

when many residents have lost family members in the recent spate of gun violence in the territory.

Police have alluded to Rahming playing a major part in the ongoing criminal activities that has overtaken the territory – spawning more than a dozen murders in one month.

Residents are once again reminded not to approach Rahming as he is considered “armed and extremely dangerous”.

Leader of the Opposition, Hon Edwin Astwood

Gang leader Brandon Rahming is wanted for murder, drugs

and gun offences

US Homeland Security intercepts shipments of guns heading to TCI

– Smugglers arrested

BY OLIVIA ROSE

Multiple shipments of firearms and ammunition bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands were recently seized by officers from the US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Customs and Border Protection.

The major firearms bust comes as the territory grapples with an unprecedented proliferation of serious firearm-related offences, primarily murder over the last few months.

The bust, which resulted in the arrest of suspects and disruption of the criminal network’s ability to traffic firearms, took place following an investigation in the United States and through collaborative work between officers from the Turks and Caicos Islands Customs Department and Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force.

“Officers from the US Department of Homeland Security ‘Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) and Customs and Border Protection intercepted multiple shipments of firearms and ammunition bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands”, a communique from the Government issued on Tuesday, November 15 said.

Minister of Immigration and Border Services, Hon Arlington Musgrove described the successful operation as an “important development’ in the joint fight to protect the borders of the Turks and Caicos Islands from illegal shipments of firearms and ammunition.

He said: “Our Customs Officers have a range of capabilities at our ports of entry and our partnership with our US colleagues is one of our most valued, which makes us greater than the sum of our parts.

Officers from the US Homeland Security Investigations operate with us both here, on our soil, and in the US, where these shipments were spotted. I look forward to the developments to come in these investigations”.

HSI Regional Attaché Jeffrey Grimming stressed that HSI’s top priority in the Caribbean is “countering the trafficking of firearms into the region through HSI’s Caribbean Firearms Initiative’.

He said: “Homeland Security Investigations, leveraging a robust criminal and administrative

authority, work with our international partners to identify, disrupt, and dismantle transnational criminal organisations that exploit the global infrastructure through which legitimate trade, travel, and finance move.

“HSI agents focus to dismantle these organisations both in the United States and abroad through collaborative efforts and partnerships such as the one with the Ministry of Immigration and Border Services, Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force and TCI government officials,” he added.

Governor Nigel Dakin in an Instagram message lauded the partnership for disrupting a criminal network’s ability to traffic firearms into TCI.

He said: “When you are faced with what seems like overwhelming odds, the only viable strategy is one of partnership, it’s an important theme in our national security strategy and it’s working.

“If you’ve been tracking the news, or this IG account over the last few years, you’ll perhaps have seen how these partnerships have been both deepening and delivering results.

“This good result is also a direct consequence of another theme that we have been developingacross National Security - which is intelligence-led operations and sharing intelligence with partners.

“You will have seen changes at the airport: not everyone being stopped; no forms to hand in; but a much higher strike rate in terms of drug seizures.”

He further pointed out that the Turks and Caicos Islands now have a consistent secondment of a Department of Homeland Security Agent embedded in the Immigration and Customs Department.

He said: “Working with our teams in immigration, customs and policing, bringing US investigative capabilities with them, what a difference that will make.

“Meanwhile, US aircraft now based here, helped this weekend identify another migrant vessel that turned back.

“Putting these together: stopping firearms and migrants before they reach us, is by far the best result for TCI.

“Pushing our borders back can only be built out of partnership and

intelligence that work continues.”

Coupled with these efforts to enhance the Immigration and Customs Department, Dakin said a UK team is conducting three months of work in the territory to write the business case and prepare the tender process for “e-gates” and “e-borders”, with a focus on international data sharing.

He said: “That will allow us to focus on those who pose us the most risk while giving frictionless entry to the vast majority of residents and tourists.”

A similar joint firearms operation between Interpol and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation

Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) dubbed Operation Trigger VII, which took place from September 24 – 30 resulted in the seizure of some 350 weapons, 3,300 rounds of ammunition, and record drug hauls across the Caribbean.

An operational hub was hosted by CARICOM IMPACS in Barbados – officials with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Joint Regional Communications Center (JRCC), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and other law enforcement partners worked side-by-side to provide real-time assistance during the effort.

Operation Trigger VII, saw officers from 19 countries coordinate controls at airports, seaports, land borders, and inland hotspots, acting on intelligence pointing to organised crime groups and individuals involved in firearms trafficking.

Participating countries included; Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bonaire, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, France (Guadeloupe and Martinique), Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, Turks and Caicos, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname.

Public Appeal

The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force is appealing to any member of public who may have any information on any crimes. They can contact Chalk Sound Police Station on 338-5901 or make use of the confidential reporting system through Crimestoppers on 1-800-8477.

A Homeland Security Investigations officer on duty in the US

REASON FOR MINISTER'S DISMISSAL

Deputy Leader of the People's Democratic Movement (PDM) Mr Robert Been, says the recent Cabinet shuffle is an indication that the Progressive National Party (PNP) government is "sinking" and that early election is the way out. Been's remarks came in response to the government's recent announcement of a Cabinet shakeup which removed Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development Hon Akeirra Missick from her ministerial position. "Once again, this PNP Administration continues to demonstrate that they are incapable of governing the Turks and Caicos Islands, and it is made apparent consistently through their poor decision making", Been said in a statement on Monday, November 7. “I am certain we all questioned this move with the removal of a minister who has proven to be a key player within his (the Premier’s) team. The people demand more than a press statement about the shuffle and need to know the reasons behind it" he said. What are your thoughts?

Worrisome

Cabinet shuffles are the norm in most governments. What I cannot understand is how Shaun Malcolm got to be a minister at all, and now one with a key portfolio. That is extremely worrisome.

Still no explanation

There is a well-known and tightly observed maxim for the experienced politician in politics “when your political opponent is making mistakes, do not interrupt him”. There are clear signs, however, that the ruling PNP government is in a state of flux and they are really disconnected from the people.

These gaps lead to tensions, disagreements and fallout. The PNP is wise to keep their old guard intact and not try to reinvent the wheel. The PDM opposition on the other hand is given to change, electing new leaders and are in a constant state of change. PNP's motion is to keep the leadership of Washington Misick, not make changes and it is business as usual.

There does not seem to be any fallout from the PNP high command, party bosses, ministers and ‘those millions of backbenchers” regarding the Premier’s decision to get rid of the Hon Akierra

Misick. The party seems content and happy with his decision-making, leaving him as sole arbiter of what the Party’s constitution states and it seemingly makes ‘no difference’ that maybe a party convention should have been held to consider the decision. None of this removes the thought from the mind of the public that they are left out of the picture of governance.

There's also the native feeling left out of the serious part of the economy and divorced from the fruit of his labour. There is no real explanation for the removal of the former minister, but it was abrupt, sudden, taken on the weekend and based on the sole determination of the Premier.

They have all caved to the narrative that Ministers serve at the pleasure of the Premier. So, he appoints and disappoints those he is most comfortable with. There is enough space in the party’s constitution for this.

are regulated by laws and the decisions of the Supreme Court. Should someone in the PNP or else, want to oppose this they can easily file a motion. Left to pick up the pieces is the people.

They face rising food prices and a global cost of living climate and a government that is more cautious about the balance of the business community. The government is slow to embark on a true empowerment agenda for the people. Little reliance could be placed on the overly bureaucratic MSME programme at Investtci.

The government dithers on increasing the minimum wage for the people which should be at least $8.50 per hour giving the increase in prices. Turks & Caicos Islanders see the economy booming but very few are a part of this growth and there is the widespread feeling of being “left behind” while the outsiders come and conquer the land.

Let the Premier appoint whom he desires but force his government to focus on the people. With booming post-COVID-19 revenues, they have so many options to help the people. That is where the focus and energy must be when it comes to political debates of any nature. In sum, it begs the question who benefits from this and from any ‘duly elected government’?

Falling apart

Public debate has been muted in certain quarters. There are press statements from the PDM Opposition and a former ally of the PNP, the Hon George Lightbourne.

debate snuffed out, the sell-out of the people with the Beach Vendor’s bill, collusion with the Governor and out-of-control crime in the islands, working with the Governor against the interests of Turks & Caicos Islanders, the Hon Lightbourne gives the Premier no reprieve and nowhere to run.

“Lightbourne added that the premier’s reckless support of this failed commissioner of police, presiding over high levels of crime, shows a level of disregard and blatant disrespect for the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands. This collusion and selling the peoples’ rights comes from a place of weakness and having no legitimate claim to the leadership of this TCI.

Anyone who could openly breach his party’s constitution, and unlawfully attain the leadership, has no respect for the party, the people and the very office he holds. He said it was, therefore "natural, predictable, and inevitable that from this position the Government would start to fall apart.”

Machiavellian move

“You” as a member of the public will never know what is behind this decision. There are too many back-channel narratives from within the PNP spinning the yarn that the Premier “had no choice” in removing the Hon Akierra Missick, who served

It is clear that in local politics that the leader of the Party is the “King of His own Domain” and it matters not who dismissed who and why the ‘untimely dismissal’ took place. Justified or not, TCI political parties

In his press statement, Hon George Lightbourne strips the Premier of legitimacy and threw a litany of reasons and issues at his feet. These echo in many ways the language of the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon Edwin Astwood and his Deputy, Robert Been.

Apart from stating there is "no democracy” in the PNP or the Cabinet,

A Weekly

News column that puts you on the spot for your opinions on the issues of the day

Where do we go from here?

Deputy Leader of the People's Democratic Movement (PDM) Mr Robert Been

Former Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development Hon Akeirra Missick

Improving housing and transportation on the front burner

– says new PPID Minister

New Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development (PPID) Hon Jamell Robinson said he will be working assiduously to improve the housing and transportation sectors in the TCI.

Picking up the baton from Hon Akeirra Missick, Robinson said his focus will be geared toward implementing several policies to enhance and transform the housing and transportation sectors in the territory.

“When it comes to my new ministry, the first thing I'm going to do is an overall assessment because I know Hon A.K [Akeirra] would have done a lot of work in terms of the policy”, he said during an interview on Radio Turks and Caicos, First Edition show with

host Ms Cheryl-Ann Forman.

He continued: “So we would have already completed the Physical Development Plan framework that was ongoing so she would have accomplished that.

“We basically, like 90%, complete when it comes to the housing policy, which is very important.”

He explained that significant focus will be placed on upgrading the territory’s transportation network.

“Also, I'll be looking at the transportation network, you would have seen guys on the road surveying from time to time in the recent past.

“So things like that even housing in general, in terms of

legal housing, those are things that the regular migrant committee and stuff would be reviewing.

“The stage is set for me to move from the policy standpoint to go into the implementation of these policies, so that’s going to be my focus—on implementation now.

“And we'll continue to push and deliver on everything that we promised in the campaign.”

The National Housing Policy is aimed at developing sustainable communities in which housing is available to Turks and Caicos Islanders through home ownership, equitable rental arrangements, and TCIG-housing developments.

Robinson, the former Minister for Health and Human Services who was sworn into his new

ministerial position early last week, said he is “excited” to be at the helm of the Ministry of PPID.

He said: “What I'm taking into PPID is leadership, because ministers aren't technocrats so I don't need to know the details of the nitty gritty, what I need to

know is policy direction, and what I believe as a result because going in, I just want results, that's it.

“So if we agree at the beginning of the week, at these other results, we want to see by the end of the

Continued

in more than one PNP Cabinet. It is a Machiavellian move at best.

Really a situation where the Premier was faced with a ruthless, up-andcoming firebrand who found favour with youth and is wildly popular with certain supporters of the PDM opposition. She’s too hot to handle. She’s too hot to handle. Fallout from the 2016 elections, relatives of former Premier, the Hon Rufus accused the former Minister of campaigning and undermining Premier Ewing’s campaign, leading to the loss of the government and his ‘at large seat’.

These unanswered allegations go nowhere to answer current PNP musings that she was “rude to washy”, disrespectful and such ‘public displays of disrespect could not be taken anymore. With street appeal, and support among the youth, the former minister’s bravado, ambitions and aspirations to higher office began to show.

Some people call her ‘Machiavellian’ but her Machiavelli was no match for that of the Premier who is much more experienced at political craft and maintaining the ‘reins of power’. They refer to the former minister as a strident and a voice in cabinet against the machinations of the Governor.

If so, it was perhaps not an easy decision to get rid of her. It seems that despite all of this subterfuge against the people of the TCI by the Governor that

no-one in the PNP regime is willing to stand out, expose him and take the side of the people. So, Minister Akierra Missick did not distinguish herself in this way but chose to fall on “Washy’s sword”.

Yes, there are signs that the PNP is in trouble and deep-seated divisions are beginning to surface. Let former Premier, Sharlene Cartwright Robinson tell you, it only takes one minister and the “beginning of the end” begins. The people move against you and there is "nothing you can do about it". The ship of state has moved on and at the next election, 'you're out".

Sign of division

There is poor decision making as Mr Robert Been, deputy PDM leader states. The PNP has always been seen as the party of the business community and in bed with them. The Government is falling apart and that’s true from a policy position. Riding into office on the promise of egovernment, which the Leader of the Opposition reminds that aspects of it was already being implemented, that agenda and momentum seem to have been lost by this Government. People are still waiting six months to get a police record.

Waiting time for a Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate or Death Certificate

takes months and “forever”. It is no surprise that things are going awry and that the tensions and impatience among ministers will filter to the point of an untimely and abrupt dismissal. It is a sign of division and infighting.

Lazy and entitled civil service

The challenge all TCI governments face is a lazy, entitled civil service. Even elementary administrative tasks take ages. Rumours of minor corruption should not be ignored. This is an example of our broken labour market. A proper democracy would probably help. The civil service is a high proportion of the electoral minority.

Third world dictator

It is an “I told you so” moment for Former Minister of Education, the Hon George Lightbourne, who in a recent press statement declared that the PNP Premier "never had any legitimacy of its own”, and his recent decision "reflects certain realities and the fact that this Premier is not a duly elected party leader”. These are stingy words on the part

of the Hon Lightbourne. He alleged and stated that “with court corruption and "deliberate breaking of party rules, Washington Misick remains as PNP putative leader and ultimately Premier”.

The Hon Lightbourne went further to state that "his position and tenure, tenuous as best, are not safe. It is from this illegitimate position he is ruling as a third world dictator, with an iron hand, iron fist and standing on feet of clay and in the context of a banana republic.”

A sharp rebuke from a former political colleague, brother in arms, the Hon Lightbourne’s reaction to the dismissal was not so kind. He utters policy issues that the PNP may confront. "The national executive of his governing party was also clearly ignored. Clearly, in his eyes, they do not exist.

"No session or gathering was convened to gain the feeling and consensus of the people in their ranks." It is again the course of dealings you could expect from a Premier who is intent on ruling with an iron hand and like a third-world dictator. Outdated politics at its best.”

The former minister said that in situations like this, there is always the issue of graft and under-the-table deals.

Opining that it is possible that the former minister has information on this Premier so incriminating that it can bring him down any day.” It seems that the dismissal did no favours for the Premier.

Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development (PPID) Hon Jamell Robinson

Newly appointed PPID Minister hits the ground running

Newly appointed Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development (PPID) Hon Jamell Robinson, accompanied by MP for Blue Hills, Hon Randy Howell and the Acting Permanent Secretary, Mrs Bridgette Newman began a number of familiarisation visits.

The series of visits kicked off in

the Nation’s Capital, Grand Turk on Thursday, November 10, where the team met with staff in the ministry’s departments namely the Department of Planning, Estates Management and Public Works, all divisions.

While in Grand Turk, the Minister also took the opportunity to visit the sites of proposed

projects.

In a recent statement to the Weekly News, Robinson said: “I look forward to working with this small but mighty team, this Ministry is filled with hardworking, skilled individuals and I know that together we could accomplish great things for The Turks and Caicos Islands.

Twenty undocumented migrants arrested in Immigration crackdown

– couple charged with assaulting ranks

Intense immigration and police operations are continuing around the territory, all aimed at ridding the islands of undocumented persons.

In the latest joint operations, 20 persons were arrested and detained.

The multi-agency operations saw officers from the Tactical Unit of both TCI and Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Immigration Department, and Response and Operations Unit descending in an area located behind Caicos Lodge and the Lower Bight Road at around 5 am on Saturday, November 12.

The intelligence-led operation –aimed specifically at apprehending illegal migrants – saw a total of 20 undocumented persons being arrested, 13 men and seven women, all of whom were transported

to the Detention Centre to await deportation.

Police reported that during the operation, ranks were confronted by a man and a woman, leading to a physical altercation.

Whilst being arrested, police said the man became violent and assaulted four officers. One police officer received head injuries and a suspected broken finger.

While two other officers suffered serious hand injuries, and one immigration officer suffered a minor hand injury.

Other officers present used force to restrain the suspect, including the deployment of a taser. All the injured officers required hospital treatment.

The male suspect sustained injuries to his left eye and was transported to the Cheshire Hall

Medical Centre for medical attention.

Both subjects were arrested for assault on police officers.

Commenting on the operation and the assault on ranks, Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting said: “I salute the courage of the police officers and immigration officers in the face of sustained violence from those persons who were resisting arrest.

“We will not be deterred from the work to keep the TCI and its borders safe and secure.

“People who assault members of law enforcement now face up to seven years in prison, you have been warned.

“This is a timely reminder of the threats faced by police and immigration officers as they protect their communities.”

This is a critical-thinking and problem-solving Ministry; collaborative efforts are being made to make decisions on projects and policies that are already in the pipeline, as well as some that are on the horizon.

“I am excited for the jobs and revenue that the people of The TCI will benefit from due to the efforts of my Ministry.”

Minister Robinson will continue his visits to all other Islands within the coming weeks.

Improving housing and transportation on the ...

FROM  7

week, we will assess whether those results happen and then either they've happened and we're happy, or they haven't, and then we will assess why not, and see where we can make the adjustments.”

“But from the technocratic standpoint, I'm a former director of the civil service department in asset management, so I know the ins and outs of what they're going through.

“And while my background might be generally disaster management, geography and chemistry… I was the industrial arts student of the year for CSEC, so woodworking technical drawing, is my foundation.”

Under his ministry, Robinson will also be responsible for the conduct of the physical planning board, including responsibility for the administration of the following departments of government; physical planning and technical support, public works programme management, public works department, mechanical services division, maintenance division and project management division, physical planning and development department,

estate management department, housing and community renewal infrastructure development.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

When asked about unfinished business in his former Ministry and some of the areas he would have liked to improve during his tenure, Robinson pointed to the long-standing issue of solid waste management.

He said: “Given the circumstances and the abruptness of the change, there were things that I wanted to see through to the end, but I'm sure Hon Malcolm will continue those things.

“Seeing to the end, a resolution for the waste management system in Providenciales was one of the things. But left in place, the tender is going on for the short-term solution as well as we are continuing with the CDB project.

“ So all things being considered we will have that resolved in our terms, so even though it wouldn't be me as the Minister cutting the final ribbon or doing the official ground-breaking for bringing in whichever company that is successful on the overall bid, as long as it happens during our term I will be fine with that.”

CONTINUED

Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development Hon Jamell Robinson, kicks off familiarisation visits in Grand Turk.

Blue Hills man charged with Brian Williams’s murder

Jouvly Inelus, a 30-yearold resident of Blue Hills, Providenciales has been arrested and charged with the murder of Brian Leon Williams Jr.

Police slapped the murder charge on Inelus last Saturday, November 12, following investigations into the November 3 murder of the young father.

The shocking display of violence was discovered after neighbours reported hearing shots being fired at a location known as Enid Forbes

Yard, in Hopeland Close in the Blue Hills community.

Calls were made to the police, alerting them of the shots sometime around 4:35 pm.

When police arrived on the scene, they found the young man slumped in a chair, in a prone position, bleeding from a gunshot wound.

Inelus also faces four counts of firearm-related offences, namely: discharging a firearm, discharging ammunition, carrying a firearm, and carrying ammunition.

Police ramp-up raids and road operations across TCI

A massive law enforcement operation across the Turks and Caicos Islands has resulted in the arrest of six people for crime and five for immigration matters.

On Wednesday, November 16, 2022, The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force embarked on rigorous raids of criminal hideouts and black spots in Providenciales, as part of ongoing operations to flush out criminals.

In a national address on Wednesday afternoon, Commissioner of Police Mr Trevor Botting said the Police operations were carried out to tackle “crime and criminality through visible policing and covert operations”.

He said: “During the early hours

Public Appeal

The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force is appealing to any member of public who may have any information on any crimes. They can contact Chalk Sound Police Station on 338-5901 or make use of the confidential reporting system through Crimestoppers on 1-800-8477.

of this morning (Wednesday 16th November), a large overt policing operation was undertaken in the Dock Yard and the Bight areas of Providenciales.”

Botting explained that the operation, comprised 45 officers from the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, the Royal Bahamas Police Force and TCI Immigration enforcement with support from United States Law Enforcement partners with air support.

“As a result of this operation, six persons were arrested for crime and immigration matters, one of the arrests is regarded as particularly significant in relation to the recent surge in shootings.”

On the heels of this exercise, a significant number of road checks were carried out across Providenciales with officers from the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, colleagues from the Bahamas, Immigration enforcement and road safety officials.

He said: “The road checks resulted in a further five persons being detained for immigration offenses, six vehicles were seized and towed, 33 fixed penalty tickets were issued and a number of vehicles had their illegal tints removed from their windows.”

Botting stressed that these operations will be ongoing as police work to tamp down on the upsurge in criminal activities across the islands.

“Such operations will continue and we will be relentless and

100% committed to hunting down the criminals who we believe are responsible for the serious crime that is blighting the lives of our communities.”

Botting assured residents that the police force is leaving no stone unturned in its pursuit to bring those seeking to disrupt peace and tranquillity in the Turks and Caicos Islands to justice.

“It is only a matter of time before they are apprehended.

“Again, we are grateful to our US colleagues for the support in the skies above the TCI.

“I want to thank my officers from the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force and our colleagues from the Royal Bahamas Police Force for their hard work and commitment to keeping our communities safe.

“ I also want to thank our TCI partners and colleagues from the US Customs and Border Protection who work with us in joint operations; together we provide a unified, joined up and intelligenceled approach to the safety and security of the Turks and Caicos Islands and its borders.

“Thank you again to our community for their patience during the road checks, your help and support via the information you are giving to us; what you are telling us really makes a difference.

“I am appealing to anyone who has information on crime and those carrying it out, to tell us, if you know something, say something”, he added.

Brian Williams Jr was shot and killed on November 3

Police and Immigration officers conduct road checks

Where is the love?

“Love thy neighbour as thyself”

There is so much hatred in the world even among Christians. How can we say we are Christians, yet we do not love one another? The second commandment is “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

The thing is, if we love one another, there will be peace and less violence in our societies. You see when you don’t love others, you tend not to care or have any compassion about them. Therefore, you may pass people by and don’t show any love towards them.

We have developed so much hatred and dislike towards others simply because of their political persuasion, their nationality, their achievements and the colour of their skin.

I grew up in a neighbourhood where we loved one another even though we never used the word love. However, our actions said so because we looked out for each

BY DREXWELL SEYMOUR

other and shared with one another. We did not go to bed hungry for our neighbours were there to provide support in the form of food and food supplies such as sugar, lard, salt, rice, and bread. We also credited groceries from some of the stores and paid later. Some neighbours fought but later they would reconcile and continue to demonstrate love and so we did not have the issues we have today. My neighbours were like family. In fact, we were closer with our

neighbours than our biological family.

Now your neighbour does not necessarily mean the person living next door to you. Your neighbours are the people who come in your path which is illustrated below in Luke 10:30-37

In reply, Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31

A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do

likewise.

Now that we know who our neighbours are, let us love everyone. Show kindness towards others. Do not be revengeful. Do not keep people down. If you can help others, help them. Do not attack people, especially their personal lives. Be happy for one another. Encourage one another. Do not be envious or jealous of others. Stop letting politics cause you to hate your neighbour. Stop loving only the people with the same nationality or colour as you.

Do you wonder why we are in the state we are in? It is because we do not love our neighbours. If you love your neighbours, you will not kill them, you wouldn’t be talking bad about them, you would not be plotting evil against them, and you will not rejoice in their downfall. Therefore, let us fix the issues in this world by loving our neighbours.

The urgency of instituting the “TCI Uber” in Providenciales

Providenciales is quickly emerging as an island city. Its human capital is the engine of the nation’s growing economy and every day thousands of people take to the streets en route to their various jobs. While many people can afford to own a car, many more are unfortunate and must rely on other means to get around the island.

The absence of public transportation has left commuters with the option of buying their own vehicles. However, commuters without automobile are finding it extremely challenging to move

around – especially, those travelling at night, they are bound to either stand for extended periods, walk half the way home or reach late for work.

Still, in this sprawling business

district that is highly dependent on car travel, the transportation problem, which exists is impacting scores of people – not only workers – but those accessing healthcare, education and leisure.

So, what can be done about this harrowing situation? I believe, citizens should press the government into legislating and approving the “TCI Uber Inc,” a sustainable transport option, which mimics that of other countries and a personal transportation network, which connects approved drivers with passengers who need a lift through a simple smartphone app.

The corollary is, both the government and communities stand to benefit enormously from this initiative, as the “TCI Uber” can effectively bridge the transport

service gap, which impacts so many people in Providenciales.

Undoubtedly, there are extraordinary reasons to introduce the “TCI Uber” as an alternative to car transport. Such a system will enable hassle-free travels – reducing travel costs and saving waiting time, while improving community mobility.

As is known, the current transit culture, forces everyone to own a car; hence, the overcrowded highway and other major roads. Establishing this mobility service will certainly reduce congestion. More so, congestion affects everyone and; hence, it reduces productivity because of the long waiting periods it create.

On a broader scale, the “TCI Uber” will promote selfemployment among the populace and lessen the Government’s obligation to generate jobs for its citizens; in addition to, using “TCI Uber” for food and grocery deliveries from restaurants and supermarkets to private homes.

We expect this move to stimulate economic growth and social development. The transportation

system – partnering with restaurants and supermarkets – can generate tens of thousands of dollars in economic value for the government, drivers and delivery people.

Too many vehicles in such a small space can create negative environmental impacts and result in major expenses for the government. Experts say a commuter who utilises public transports over driving his/her own car reduces annual carbon emissions by 20 pounds per day.

This transit system can also positively influence fiscal policy on roads and infrastructural development. Less cars on the roads mean less maintenance and repair work. More so, it reduces the demand for additional roads networks, which would allow the government to invest in other meaningful projects; in addition to, lessening the demand for fossil fuels.

It is inconceivable, in the 21st century, residents in Providenciales do not have access to public transportation; however, I believe the “TCI Uber” is the answer to this ongoing plight.

We welcome letters from all members of the public on a variety of topics

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.

BY D MARKIE SPRING

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.

Caribbean paradise needs a beautician

Destinations that ignore or neglect beautification will not make it in any top-five or even top-ten rankings and will just be considered ordinary and mediocre. Such will become their reputation and they will not attract more visitors regardless of how high the tourism promotion budget is.

The perfect paradise destination doesn’t need much of a budget, because the dream bliss will be cherished by eagerly visiting travel journalists who are writing articles with the most amazing expressions of adoration. Their word gets out to broad audiences that are interested in finding the sizzling hot spot for a next vacation, or maybe even interested in a form of investment for repeat visits.

The published awesome descriptions of the reporter’s experiences will stick in the mind of potential visitors like a stroke of magic. The preference and subsequent arising demand will be noticed by travel agents as well as the route analysts and planners of airlines. Courting travel agents and airlines which some consider the right strategy, may be a weak effort

BUD SLABBAERT

if the destination’s tourism product is just about average or less. At the end is all about what individual visiting guests desire and yearn for, a tropical paradise.

The destination beautician is the person whose job it is to improve the appearance of the destination by using the beauty features of nature. This beautician is the angel from paradise who will be the guiding light for the stakeholders of hospitality and tourism at a destination. The beautician is a nature aesthetician who focuses on keeping a destination looking phenomenally idyllic, with a view to establishing the meaning and validity of the dream of a lifetime

destination for stayovers, as if it is to be applicable to the fine arts of life.

Unfortunately, no destination has such an explicit paradise beautician on the payroll or as a consultant. Probably never thought of it that such a person could exist who could actually do some magic that others lack. Maybe creating such a proficient position should be a top priority to advance uniqueness, class, and style for increasing a destination’s attraction level. The beautician can be a stylist to create a particular kind of stunning magnificence of a destination that may set it apart from others.

The valued wealth of a destination lies mainly in its natural beauty. The dream getaway par excellence must be the embodiment of the ultimate tropical paradise retreat with breathtaking decor and scenery, reminiscent of the natural beauties displayed by lush verdant vegetation and tropical flowers galore. Look around you. Is that what you see now? What is missing? Maybe an ecosystem depicting grace, serenity, sacredness, and beauty at the same time?

People are living in a world that ought to be better and they need help to find a way. When times are rough, an escape is desired. All the

unpleasantness of the world can best be forgotten in the beauty of nature! People want to rejuvenate; the word rolls off the tongue easily, like a gentle tropical breeze. Nothing makes its way more directly to the soul than beauty. And as for beauty being only skindeep…, that is baloney. It is not just what is seen with the eyes, but also with the heart and emerging emotions.

Let visitors get into an ecosystem to be soothed and healed, and to have their senses put in order. The location should have the words “come and unwind in paradise” written all over and it should not disappoint.

Beautification is much about creating a space in which to enjoy relaxing moments and focus on one’s well-being while surrounded by plants and exotic flowers that give an original paradise touch to a dreamy tropical garden appearance. The Caribbean climate is beneficial, as it allows tropical flowers and fruits to thrive. There’s something about tropical blossoms

No room for self-doubt

Every now and then, I find myself holding back and clouded by selfdoubt, I submit to far-too-many “I cannot”. But enough is enough!

For all of you who struggle to overcome self-doubt, to see your value and self-worth, the time has come to flip the script and give yourselves reasons why you should go for it, whatever “it” may be. After all, who will give you a seat amongst the Great, if you do not see it for yourself?

I wish not to give you a list of embellished, diluted and feelgood theories. I came to accept that tough love isn’t that bad after all and maybe you too can use it.

Here are eight ways to combat some of your self-doubts:

DON’T CARE ABOUT PEOPLE (EVEN THEY DON’T)

The bottom line is that no one feeds, clothes and shelters you, why then, should you live by their prescription of you?

Dismiss them. Do what brings you happiness, accept that people will criticise you, they always will.

A DOSE OF OPTIMISM

When you wake up in the morning, take comfort in knowing

that you have worked hard to get where you are today and a lot more is to come with a dose of optimism.

CELEBRATE THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Achieved something you wanted to? Then you must have overcome self-doubt already! Get yourself a tub of ice cream and some snacks because even

the smallest step means a lot for bigger goals.

YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE IF YOU HAVE JUST FAILED

Failure is never a permanent setback, you have just explored a path not to be walked again. Setbacks happen to give you another chance. Instead of doubting yourself and making it your identity, buckle up because the game is still not over.

SELF-DOUBT TO SELF-LOVE

This is important, so listen. Self-love and compassion also mean to be kind to yourself and find peace and greater life satisfaction even if you fail. Though hard, take pride in failed attempts because you did in fact give it a go. Now, get back up and do it again.

LOOK BACK

Every now and then, look back at what you achieved. You’ll be amazed that you’ve come so far.

DON’T BEAT YOURSELF UP

I am guilty… but I am trying. I would be lying if I say, I do not beat myself over the slightest setback. But I have learnt that growth requires one ingredient… resilience.

TALK TO SOMEONE

Most of the time, you just have to say it out loud to hear how pathetic things are. Talk to someone and you soon realise that you have all of the reasons to keep going.

What topic would you like me to cover next? Send to louisedens@gmail.com, I am excited to see what you pick.

Commander Bud Slabbaert from Sint Maarten is the initiator and chairman of the Caribbean Aviation Meetup conferences.

Throughout his professional activities, he was involved in international aviation promotion, development and management matters in the region and in Europe.

Bud has written numerous articles and columns for international and regional magazines. As a specialist in strategic communication, he aims to ensure that the essential information is noticed by the senses, sticks in the mind, and affects thinking, behaviour, or activities of an audience.

CDR

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

Participants at the certificate celebration on Friday, November 11, 2022.

Over 400 hospitality & tourism workers get ‘service-centred’ training from CHTA

A record 415 hospitality & tourism employees across the Turks & Caicos Islands have completed a 24-day intensive training programme facilitated by the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) Education Foundation.

This comes as the Foundation in partnership with the Turks & Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association (TCHTA) conducted its largest “Caribbean Supercharged Service”

training series in 36 years on the Turks & Caicos Islands.

The training sessions led by instructors Louise John and Suzanne Shillingford-Brooks got underway on October 11, 2022, according to a statement from the CHTA.

The five-week programme provided hands-on, servicecentred training for housekeepers, maintenance technicians, pool and beach specialists, groundsmen, front-of-house team members,

Caribbean paradise needs a beautician

that just screams “paradise.” The striking blooms with exotic shapes of the endemic exotic flora come in various colours, from vibrant yellows and oranges to deep reds and purples.

Let it be a space where tasty tropical coconut water is discovered and if so desired enhanced by a whiff of spirit as a sweet combination for love and rehydration. Mind that nature’s purpose of this liquid is to serve as a suspension for the endosperm of the coconut during the nuclear phase of development. Just imagine what that can do, that an ice-cold ‘rum-coke’ with or without a cocktail cherry cannot do.

Too often there is an aim to create a destination that is a kindergarten for grownups with adrenaline-spiking adventure rides. Every so often existing valuable beauty goes unnoticed because of being too busy trying to create a cheap sensation

with no lasting value. Losing is always tragic but losing because of thoughtlessness is quite deplorable. Great beauty can be found in the simplicity and sustainability of nature and at almost no expense. It mainly needs tender loving care, sun and water.

Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty. - Albert Einstein

Let the beautician be the angel from paradise who creates a fabulous way to immerse oneself, literally, into the destination’s breathtaking scenery, where visitors will find themselves at one with the secrets of life itself, feel what heaven feels like, and capture it in their hearts. It will leave them longing for more and more often. Simply translated in hospitality vocabulary, becoming loyal repeat stayovers.

F&B servers and bartenders, supermarket personnel and the TCI Border Force.

Commenting on the success of the training course, TCHTA’s CEO, Stacy Cox described the programme as timely as tourism and hospitality workers are preparing to welcome thousands of guests during the peak season.

She said: “The island is now ablaze with all the positive comments regarding Caribbean Supercharged Service Training.

“Our members’ feedback shows great appreciation for this timely positive energy and servicefocused boost that we are proud to have partnered with the CHTA Education Foundation to deliver immediately before high season.

“We will certainly partner with the Education Foundation again next year for more energetic, effective service magic”, she added. Education Foundation trainer Louise John explained that while the foundation has a menu of standardised training programmes developed for the Caribbean’s hospitality sector, the programs were tailored to suit TCI’s needs.

She said: “What makes it so impactful is that we are able to deliver based on where the island is in its service journey.

“Having that flexibility increases the participants’ ability to grasp and quickly implement what they have learnt.”

Raushan Smith, The Shore Club Beverages Supervisor, said his team was a mix of new employees who needed exposure to the food and beverage training.

“We’re going to be consistent and enforce what we learned. Some of them have never done a wine tasting and now they know.”

Diane Higgs, Human Resource Manager of Ocean Club Resorts, the original condo resort on Grace Bay, was thrilled with the training provided to her team.

She said: “The impact of the work by the CHTA Education Foundation trainers Louise and Suzanne will be

felt for a very long time. Caribbean Supercharged Service training has been an incredible opportunity for all our team to participate; the pertinence of the message, combined with the passion and knowledge of the trainers, has encouraged, and lifted us all.”

Karolin Troubetzkoy, Chairwoman of CHTA Education Foundation, said: “We are incredibly proud of this milestone in our 36-year history and pleased that the Education Foundation was able to deliver a five-week comprehensive training in partnership with TCHTA and the various properties, businesses and government across the Turks and Caicos Islands.

“The open and honest communication with the team at the TCHTA enabled us to deliver training that met the needs of their member properties and hospitality workers that participated in the programme.”

The interactive sessions were delivered under several thematic areas including; “Heartfelt Guest Care”, “Happy Housekeepers”, “Realistic Leadership”, “F&B Knowledge & Service Basics”, “Roving Guest Ambassadors”, and “007 Secret Care Agents”.

The work of the CHTA Education Foundation is made possible through partnerships with national organisations, annual fundraising drives such as the Online Caribbean Hotel Raffle, Caribbean Travel Auction, and industry sponsors.

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Education Foundation (the Education Foundation) was established 36 years ago as a stand-alone 501(c) non-profit, taxexempt organisation, through which scholarships and special assistance are available for the education of Caribbean Hospitality and Tourism Industry personnel and students pursuing careers in hospitality and tourism.

The Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association represents a wide range of members from resorts and villas to insurance companies and financial service providers, water sport operators, catering outlets, taxi drivers, artisans, and sundry tourism service providers.

The association aims to assist organisations through networking opportunities, training, promotional activities, and representation at all levels of decision-making in the Turks and Caicos Islands and the region.

Prof Mike Hampton, CHTA Education Foundation Trustee, with Hon Josephine Connolly, Minister of Tourism, and Stacy Cox, CEO of TCHTA.

FRONTIER AIRLINES HONORS SANDALS

Sandals Resorts International (SRI) founder, the late Gordon “Butch” Stewart, was honored yesterday by Frontier Airlines (NASDAQ: ULCC) with the naming of a new aircraft to be delivered in 2023. Citing his work to strengthen and foster tourism in Jamaica, Frontier Airlines will name the plane tail “Stewart the Red-Billed Streamertail,” honoring Stewart and incorporating Jamaica’s national bird, the red-billed streamertail – locally known as the doctor bird, to Frontier’s signature plane tails program.

The new design was unveiled by Frontier Airlines President and CEO Barry Biffle at a ceremonial event held at Sandals Montego Bay.

“Sharing Jamaica with the world was my father’s joy and our hearts are filled with immense pride with the introduction of ‘Stewart the Red-Billed Streamertail’ to the Frontier fleet. I know that my dad would be so proud to have our Jamaican doctor bird flying once again,” said Adam Stewart, Executive Chairman of Sandals Resorts International. “Thank you, Frontier – we are honored that you have chosen to pay tribute to him in this

extraordinary way. His legendary spirit will now continue to soar over his beloved Jamaica.”

“We present this new design in recognition of the work that Mr. Stewart, and indeed the entire Stewart family, has done for tourism in Jamaica,” said Biffle.

A fierce champion of tourism to Jamaica since entering the industry in 1981, Gordon “Butch” Stewart’s leadership helped resurrect Jamaica’s travel industry at the time, earning him the respect of his peers and the admiration of his countrymen. He was elected President of the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica in 1989 and was inducted in its “Hall of Fame” in 1995. He served as a Director of the Jamaica Tourist Board for a decade and as President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association in the mid-80s, ably balanced government and private sector priorities, reconciled the concerns of large and small Jamaican hotels and raised public understanding of the tourism industry. Understanding the critical need for consistent lift to his island destination, in 1994, Stewart led a group of investors to take leadership of Air Jamaica, the Caribbean’s largest regionally based carrier.

TCI remembers fallen heroes on Remembrance Day

Two poignant ceremonies were held this year to commemorate Remembrance Day in the Turks and Caicos Islands, alongside another in London.

On November 11 every year, commonwealth member countries pay homage to those who lost their lives in the line of duty in World War 1.

The day is also referred to as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy.

Remembrance services were held simultaneously at the Cenotaph at St Mary’s Pro-

Cathedral in Grand Turk and at St Monica’s in Providenciales.

His Excellency Governor Nigel Dakin was joined by Deputy Commissioner of Police at the Grand Turk service, while Premier Hon Charles Washington Misick was joined by the Commissioner of Police in Providenciales.

As reported by the Governor following the events, in Grand Turk, Hon Otis Morris representing the Government, and the Leader of the Opposition Hon Edwin Astwood laid wreaths alongside those representing the police,

regiment, cadets, ministries, civic society and youth groups. Following which a cadet read from the Old Testament and a scout from the New.

The Governor, who also laid a wreath, read a scripture, psalm 46.

“A poignant moment came in Grand Turk when Mr Bobby Fulford read the roll of honour of those lost in the Second World War.

“Hearing him so clearly say ‘they shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: age shall not weary them, nor the years

condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we shall remember them’ was made only more powerful knowing he is their one surviving comrade - our link in TCI to that extraordinary time and the generation it produced,” the Governor remarked.

“There can’t, as an aside, be many more beautiful spots to stand before a cenotaph and spend two minutes, in silence, reflecting on others service and sacrifice: our family - mine and Mandy’s - from a different generation; friends from our own; and of course the

extraordinary numbers of people unknown to us who aren’t growing old, as we are. The sound of the ocean lapping against the beachthat isn’t going to be silenced - but is incredibly soothing - a meditative backdrop to these thoughts,” he reflected.

Alongside the ceremonies in TCI, the territory was represented at the Cenotaph, in Whitehall by Tracy Knight, TCI Government’s representative in the UK.

There, she joined the UK, Realm and Commonwealth in the ceremonial laying of wreaths.

Remembrance Day is when the country stops for two minutes of silence, to pay respects to those who gave their lives and our veterans who fought for our freedom.

FLOW has something for everyone this Christmas

Flow TCI’s “Jingle All the Way Home with Flow” promotion promises to be packed with deals, giveaways and big savings for customers who sign up for the new bundled offers.

On Tuesday, November 15, Flow TCI launched its 2022 Christmas promotion.

“This Christmas season at Flow is full of prizes and surprises, over $30,000 in giveaways to our customers and community, data-rich family mobile plans, doubled internet speeds for new and existing customers, and a gift every time customers make a purchase at our store while supplies last,” Joanne Missick, Flow TCI Country Manager revealed during a press launched at the company’s headquarters, located along Leeward Highway in

“Our customers deserve the best and we certainly plan on giving them nothing less.”

With promises to reach every customer, Head of Retail, Demeika Quant said customers paying their bills will automatically be entered to win one of two shopping sprees; with new post-paid customers receiving a free iPhone 13; customers bundling internet and mobile winning a free laptop; 50% off the Samsung A03, and free speed upgrades for all new and existing customers with speeds up to 600Mbps.

In addition to these giveaways, the telecoms company is also set to host a live Christmas concert on November 25, with headline recording artiste and musician, Janardo Laporte and company

at the Ritz Carlton Turks and Caicos.

Residents from around the TCI will be able to stream the concert via Flow’s Facebook Page starting at 8 pm.

“I’ve always been a part of the Flow family and I am happy to see this powerful brand supporting local artiste and entertainers once more this Christmas season,” Janardo Laporte, who attended the press launch this week, said.

Flow has also partnered with six local influencers, who will join the Flow family to promote Flow’s products and services.

They include soca-recording artiste GEMMA, local promoter Willah Gray, young entrepreneur Codee Coalbrooke, DJ Young Squad and TV and podcast host, Loren Hall.

Grand Turk ‘Fish Fry’ returns with a bang

The weekly Thursday night ‘Fish Fry’ has returned to Grand Turk, after being suspended for more than two years due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

At 7 pm this past Thursday, November 17, residents and tourists alike thronged to the Lester Williams Park for a cultural extravaganza.

The event – both in Grand

Turk and Providenciales – is put on by the Ministry of Tourism, Agriculture, Fisheries, Heritage, Environment and Religious Affairs in collaboration with the Turks and Caicos Tourist Board.

In a joint statement on Thursday, the ministry and the board said they understand the need to bring the event back to help stimulate the economy in

the island.

“We understand the extensive preparation and investment made into the event that is designed to stimulate the local economy and showcase our culture.

“We wish the event great success and encourage all the residents and visitors of Grand Turk to support our local entrepreneurs and creatives.”

Providenciales.

FLOW TCI launches exciting Christmas promotion with lots of prizes up for grabs.

Flordelis de Souza: The lawmaker who had her husband killed

A GOSPEL singer turned politician has been sentenced for ordering her children to kill her pastor husband in a case which has shocked Brazil.

A court sentenced exCongresswoman Flordelis dos Santos de Souza to 50 years in jail for the murder of her husband, pastor Anderson do Carmo.

She planned the shooting after attempts to poison him had failed, prosecutors said.

Her lawyer said she would appeal against the conviction.

The court said that the length of the sentence reflected the “hatred, cold-bloodedness and disrespect for human life” de Souza had demonstrated by having her husband shot dead at the home the two shared with the dozens of street children they had adopted.

Two of de Souza’s sons are already serving time for the pastor’s murder and a daughter was also found guilty on Sunday.

EVANGELICAL

POWER COUPLE

Flordelis dos Santos de Souza was 32 when she met the teenage Anderson do Carmo in 1993.

She had just separated from her previous husband and was looking after her three biological children as well as five street children she had taken in.

According to one of her adoptive sons who gave testimony at the trial, do Carmo, who was still underage, moved in with the family as another adoptive son.

However, his adoption was never made official and in 1998, the 21-year-old do Carmo married de Souza.

The couple continued taking in street children and in total looked

after 55 children over the years.

Do Carmo became a charismatic church leader and de Souza’s career as a gospel singer prospered after her first album was launched in 2010.

Together, they founded an evangelical church named Flordelis Evangelical Ministry which drew thousands of faithful to its services.

In 2018, de Souza ran for Congress and won a seat in the lower house, further enhancing her celebrity status.

A CRIME WHICH SHOCKED BRAZIL

But when do Carmo’s body was found in June 2019 riddled with more than 30 bullets at their home in Niterói, outside Rio de Janeiro, disturbing details of life at the family residence began to emerge.

One of de Souza’s biological sons, Flávio dos Santos Rodrigues, and one of the couple’s adopted sons, Lucas Cézar dos Santos Souza, were arrested just hours after the killing.

The former originally told police he had fired six shots at his stepfather, but later recanted. The latter confessed to buying the murder weapon. Both were found guilty of murder last year and are in jail.

Many of those who gave evidence at their trial and that of de Souza spoke of how de Souza and do Carmo would row over who should have control over the couple’s considerable income.

One of their adoptive sons testified that “he kept more of the money because he paid the bills and looked after the upkeep of the house, my mum kept the rest for her personal use”.

Beaches award mathematics competition winners

The winners of the secondary schools version of the Mathematics competition from Raymond Gardiner high school from North Caicos, Cajair Davidson (2nd left) and Jhadel Lewis (2nd right) share a moment with Beaches Turks and Caicos resort general manager James McAnally (right) and champion coach Donovan Thomas (left) along with their champions trophy and their first place prizes from the resort.

The champions of the primary schools version of the Mathematics competition from Oseta Jolly primary school, Shecaniah Robertson (right) and Emilly Charles (centre) share a moment with Ministry of Education Mathematics specialist Hugh Adams (left) with their champions trophy and their first place prizes from the resort.

Beaches Turks and Caicos resort general manager James McAnally (right), presents the winners of the secondary schools version of the Mathematics competition from Raymond Gardiner high school from North Caicos, Cajair Davidson (left) and Jhadel Lewis (centre) with their first place prize from along with their champions’ trophy recently.

A court sentenced ex-Congresswoman Flordelis dos Santos de Souza to 50 years in jail for the murder of her husband, pastor Anderson do Carmo

UK finance minister announces tax hikes and spending cuts, says country is in recession

THE U.K. government on Thursday unveiled a sweeping £55 billion ($66 billion) fiscal plan as it seeks to plug a gaping hole in the public finances and restore Britain’s economic credibility, even as the country teeters on recession.

Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt, in his hotly anticipated inaugural Autumn Statement, outlined around £30 billion in spending cuts and £25 billion in tax hikes.

The measures included a six-year freeze on income tax thresholds and a lowering of the top rate of income tax to £125,140 — moves directly opposed to the major cuts touted in September’s catastrophic mini-budget.

“Unfunded tax cuts are as risky as unfunded spending,” Hunt told the House of Commons.

Hunt said the measures would reassure markets that the government and the Bank of England are now working in “lockstep.”

“We need fiscal and monetary policy to work together,” he said. “That means the government and the Bank working in lockstep. It means, in particular, giving the world confidence in our ability to pay our debts.”

Sterling fell against the dollar following the announcement. It was trading at around $1.1811 by 1:30 p.m. local time.

A RECESSIONARY FISCAL PLAN

The measures will increase financial hardship on millions of Britons as they confront the country’s worst cost-of-living

crisis in decades and its longestever recession.

However, Hunt said they were necessary to limit 41-year-high inflation and recover the U.K.’s reputation; dubbing the plan the “ultimate growth strategy.”

“We must continue a relentless fight to bring (inflation) down, including a rock-solid commitment to rebuild our public finances,” Hunt said.

Among the other measures announced were a 10% increase in the state pension, benefits and tax credits — in line with September’s inflation figure — and an increase in the National Living Wage to £10.42 an hour for those aged 23 and above.

The dividend allowance and the annual exception for capital gains tax, meanwhile, will be cut over the next two years, the finance minister said.

He also confirmed that the energy industry will face an expanded windfall tax of 35% up from 25%. Meantime, household support for energy bills will be cut back, with typical bills rising from £2,500 a year to £3,000 from April 2023.

Thursday’s statement was accompanied by a long-awaited set of projections from the U.K.’s independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which painted a gloomy economic picture for Britain.

Security minister Tom Tugendhat banned from driving over phone use

SECURITY minister and Tory MP Tom Tugendhat has been banned from driving for six months after he was caught driving with his mobile phone in his hand.

The MP for Tonbridge and Malling, who lives in Clapham, was caught driving with the device in London on 14 April.

Judge Jack McGarva said at Westminster Magistrates’ Court: “Using a mobile phone in any way is a distraction.

“Without any doubt it impairs people’s ability to drive.”

He told the politician: “I would expect you to set a good example for the rest of us.”

Geraldine Dickinson, prosecuting, told the court a police officer pulled over the MP in Wandsworth High Street and saw the phone in his left hand.

She said the officer confirmed Mr Tugendhat was not using the phone to call emergency services and “it was confirmed that they

were using maps”.

Defending, Paul Morris said his client accepted he would face a driving ban and did not offer any mitigation of “exceptional hardship” that would be caused by the ban.

Mr Tugendhat, who previously stood for leader of the Conservative Party, received six points on his licence for the offence, added to the six he already had for two previous driving offences.

He was also ordered to pay a £1,000 fine, a surcharge of £100 and costs of £110.

Previously, he had submitted a written guilty plea to Bromley magistrates in which he told the court that after the incident he had taken a course to refresh and correct his driving.

He attended an advanced driving course in May and was assessed as low risk, but the offence was sent for prosecution because he already had points on his record. (BBC)

Former UK ambassador among prisoners freed in Myanmar

MYANMAR’S military has freed a number of opposition figures, as well as a former UK ambassador, a Japanese filmmaker and an Australian adviser to the country’s ousted civilian leader.

The military said some 6,000 pardons were to mark Myanmar National Day.

Ex-diplomat Vicky Bowman and journalist Toru Kubota were jailed earlier this year, while economist Sean Turnell was detained soon after the 2021 coup.

All three have flown out of the country after being deported.

The military has arrested more than 16,000 people since it overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government in February 2021 - sparking huge protests across the country and a widespread

resistance movement.

Among those seen leaving Insein prison in Yangon were Myo Nyunt, a former spokesman for her National League for Democracy,

and pro-democracy activist Mya Aye.

“I will be together with the Myanmar people no matter what the situation is,” Mya Aye told

crowds waiting outside the jail.

Also among those to be released was Kyaw Tint Swe, a former minister and a close aide to Aung San Suu Kyi, state media said.

Kyaw Htay Oo, a US-Myanmar citizen, was on the list too, but it was not immediately clear if he was on the same flight to Bangkok as the other foreigners.

Ms Bowman served as the UK’s envoy to Myanmar between 2002 and 2006 and was running the Yangon-based Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business (MCRB) at the time of her arrest.

A fluent Burmese speaker, she is a well-known member of Myanmar’s small international community. Her husband Htein Lin, a former political prisoner, was also on the list of those to be freed.

The couple were detained when they returned to the city from a home they have in Shan State. Military authorities charged them both with failing to register her as living at a different address.

However, the case was likely to have been about wider political concerns than immigration offences, for which foreigners are rarely prosecuted in Myanmar.

“Thousands of people jailed since the coup in Myanmar have done nothing wrong and should never have been imprisoned in the first place,” said Amnesty International’s Australia Impact Director Tim O’Connor, adding that the release should not “deter international focus from the brutality of the Myanmar military’s activities since the coup in February 2021.”

Tom Tugendhat also had to pay a £1,000 fine

Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt, in his hotly anticipated inaugural Autumn Statement, unveiled a sweeping £55 billion ($66 billion) fiscal plan.

Former UK envoy Vicky Bowman and her husband, artist Htein Lin were among those freed.

US midterms: Republicans narrowly win back the House

REPUBLICANS have secured the 218 seats needed for a majority in the lower chamber of Congress a week after the midterm elections, the BBC’s US partner CBS News projects.

While the party’s margin in the House of Representatives is razorthin, it is enough to stall President Joe Biden’s agenda for the next two years.

Kevin McCarthy, the Republicans’ leader in the House, celebrated the result.

But Democrats will retain control of the upper chamber, the Senate.

The new Congress will convene in January.

The Republicans - who had hoped to win back control of both chambers - underperformed expectations in last week’s midterms.

But they won the seat they needed for their House majority on Wednesday when California’s 27th district went to incumbent Mike Garcia.

The Republican party is now projected to win between 218223 seats in the 435-seat House, according to CBS.

But with votes in several cliffhanger races still being counted, their majority may not be clear for days or even weeks.

Mr McCarthy, who was picked by rank-and-file Republicans on Tuesday to be their nominee to replace Democrat Nancy Pelosi as the next Speaker of the House, said the chamber had been “officially flipped”.

“Americans are ready for a new direction, and House Republicans are ready to deliver,” the California congressman tweeted on Wednesday night.

In order to be elected Speaker, the House Republican minority leader must win over majority support from the 435 members of the full House.

But Mrs Pelosi signalled she would not relinquish the gavel quietly, vowing in a statement on Wednesday night that her party

would exert “strong leverage over a scant Republican majority”.

The first woman to hold the post, Mrs Pelosi, 82, said nothing in her press release about whether she planned to stay on as minority leader, amid speculation in Washington about her future.

President Biden congratulated Mr McCarthy and offered to work with Republicans to deliver results for Americans.

“As I said last week, the future is too promising to be trapped in political warfare,” said the Democratic president.

“The American people want us to get things done for them. They want us to focus on the issues that

matter to them and on making their lives better.”

Mr McCarthy’s party had hoped that the president’s relatively low popularity, stubborn inflation, and the fact that congressional maps were redrawn by Republican-led state legislatures would add up to midterms victories for them.

The blame for last week’s lacklustre showing has largely landed on two party leaders: former President Donald Trump and Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell.

On Tuesday night, the expresident formally announced a third bid for the White House in 2024 from a ballroom at his Mar-

a-Lago estate in Florida.

In Washington on Wednesday, Mr McConnell was renewed as Senate minority leader, fending off a challenge from fellow Republican Rick Scott of Florida.

Non-congressional results are still trickling in more than a week after election day.

On Wednesday, congresswoman Karen Bass was projected to win the race to be the next mayor of Los Angeles, the second largest city in America, after defeating billionaire businessman Rick Caruso.

The Democrat will become the first woman to hold the office and the city’s second ever black mayor. (BBC)

Waukesha trial: US man sentenced to life for fatal car-ramming attack

A WISCONSIN judge has sentenced a man who killed six people and injured 62 by driving through a Christmas parade last year to life in prison.

A jury convicted Darrell Brooks last month after prosecutors argued he had shown “utter disregard for human life”.

The court also heard emotional testimony from dozens of survivors and families of victims during sentencing.

Brooks represented himself in the four-week trial, often interrupting court proceedings.

In her sentencing on Wednesday, Judge Jennifer Dorow said Brooks had chosen “a path of evil”.

She ordered him to serve six life sentences - one for each murder victim - and symbolically added another 1,067 years in jail for his other crimes.

The judge said that he was “fuelled by anger and rage” and that his case was an example of when “evil people do bad things”.

The killings took place at an annual Christmas parade in the city of Waukesha on 21 November 2021 when the attacker sped down the road in his red SUV.

Among the victims of the deadly attack were marching school band members and a dance troupe of Wisconsin grandmothers.

Those killed were Virginia Sorensen, 79; LeAnna Owen, 71; Tamara Durand, 52; Jane Kulich, 52; Wilhelm Hospel, 81; and eightyear-old Jackson Sparks.

Sparks’ mother, Sheri Sparks, told the court during sentencing hearings that her son was “violently

ripped” from her family’s life.

“Do you have any idea how gut wrenching it is to explain to your 12-year-old son that his little brother isn’t going to make it?” Ms Sparks said in her impact statement.

Sean Sorenson, whose mother Virginia died in the attack, said the driver was “simply a repulsive man who has shown no remorse for his actions”.

Survivors said the attack left them suffering from PTSD, recurring nightmares and lasting physical injuries.

The killer, a native of nearby Milwaukee, had just had a domestic incident with his ex-girlfriend when he drove through the parade.

He was convicted of 76 charges, including homicide, hit and run, bail jumping and battery.

Before his conviction, he

wept and told the jury he did not intentionally run over paradegoers, saying that his “conscience is clear”. He added during his sentencing that he has “repented and asked God for forgiveness”.

He initially pleaded not guilty on grounds of mental illness, but later withdrew the plea without explanation.

During the trial, he claimed not to recognise his own name, repeatedly heckled Judge Dorow and objected to prosecutors’ questions. He was also at one point seen rolling his eyes during victims’ testimony.

During Wednesday’s sentencing, the judge ordered him to be removed from the court after he refused to refrain from outbursts.

His mother and grandmother also spoke during sentencing, appealing to the judge for leniency due to his lifetime of mental health issues.

But the judge said any issues with mental health could not excuse his crimes.

“Do the mentally ill commit atrocious crimes? They certainly do but this is not one of those instances,” the judge said. (BBC)

Kevin McCarthy, the Republicans’ leader in the House of Representatives, has been nominated by his party to be the new House Speaker

Darrell Brooks represented himself in the four-week trial

UN urges Dominican Republic to cease deportations of Haitians

THE UN’s main human rights agency is calling on the Dominican Republic to halt the deportations of Haitian migrants at a time of unrest in their country.

“Continued armed violence and systematic human rights violations in Haiti do not currently allow for a safe, dignified and sustainable return of Haitians to the country,” the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in a statement.

Haitian officials say between August 1 and October 31, at least 60,204 had been deported including 22,656 Haitians last month.

Türk also urged Haiti to take measures to prevent xenophobia and discrimination against Haitians, who are fleeing the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country

as a result of the gang wars and political unrest, with migrants seeking refuge across the region.

Reacting to Türk’s statement, the President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, told the media, that the statements of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights calling on the Dominican Republic to stop the deportations of Haitians to their country of origin, were unacceptable.

“The migration policy of each country is within the jurisdiction of each government, which makes these statements unacceptable and irresponsible”.

He rejected Türk’s statement, recalling that the Dominican Republic is the country that has suffered the most economically from the illegal migration of Haitians.

Jamaica declares crime emergencies in seven parishes

With a six per cent increase in murders as at November 13 this year, the Andrew Holness-led administration has declared states of public emergency (SOEs) in seven parishes to cauterise the bloodletting across the country that has claimed at least 1,360 lives to date.

SOEs are currently under way in the parishes of Westmoreland, St James, Hanover, St Catherine, Clarendon, Kingston and St Andrew.

The announcement was made by Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Tuesday morning at a press briefing

at Jamaica House.

With the parliamentary Opposition voting against extending SOEs in November 2021, Holness said he is hoping that his colleagues on the Opposition benches will this time vote in favour of the measure in the Upper House.

In the Lower House the Government has a two-thirds majority to approve the extension of the SOE. However, the Government needs one vote from the Opposition benches in the Senate to extend the measure.

The prime minister said that in

He said also the Dominican Republic has shown the most solidarity with Haiti and therefore no one could “ask more of the Dominican Republic” and that country will not only “multiply the immigration control operations” but also “increase deportations” starting next week.

After the earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010, the number of Haitians in the Dominican Republic doubled to two million, most of whom illegally crossed after the border opened for international aid. Human Rights Watch estimated that 70,000 documented Haitian immigrants and 1,930,000 undocumented immigrants were living in Dominican Republic. (Caribbeannationalweekly.com/ CMC)

Cayman Islands: Deputy governor hospitalised after ‘emergency medical procedure’

Deputy Governor Franz Manderson is recuperating at hospital after he “successfully underwent an emergency medical procedure” Wednesday morning, a Government Information Services statement said.

The brief statement did not give further details on Manderson’s condition, only saying that government was aware “that there is concern circulating in our community regarding the Deputy Governor”.

It said that “at this time we can confirm that Mr. Manderson successfully underwent an emergency medical procedure this morning and is recuperating. We are grateful for the public’s outpouring of support and cooperation in allowing his family

some privacy at this time.”

Leader of the Opposition Roy McTaggart issued a statement Wednesday afternoon on behalf of the Progressives wishing the deputy governor “a complete and speedy recovery”.

“I was saddened this morning to learn that Deputy Governor Franz Manderson underwent an emergency medical procedure today. I am happy to hear that the procedure was successful and Mr Manderson is resting comfortably in hospital,” he said.

Manderson, a father of two, was appointed deputy governor and head of the civil service in 2012 after the UK secretary of state, in consultation with the then governor, approved his elevation to the post.

the current SOE the security forces will be looking to strengthen their powers to search.

He said that the police would be placing emphasis on finding and disarming gunmen.

According to Holness, the security forces will be using

intelligence to pursue persons who are intent on carrying out criminal activities, and who intimidate witnesses when they are brought before the courts.

“We would now under the SOE have the ability to hold on to such persons, but this is not arbitrary.

This Government does not believe in the arbitrary use of power,” Holness said.

He indicated that the new regulations under the SOE are crafted in a manner to safeguard life as well as the rights of all Jamaicans. (Jamaica Gleaner)

Members of security forces guard the streets

Some 22, 656 Haitians were deported in October

Deputy Governor Franz Manderon

Bahamas: Man survives Shark attack in Andros

AN Andros man is breathing a sigh of relief after having survived a brutal shark attack on the island over the weekend.

Navado Sweeting, 32, was bitten on his left hand by a bull shark while spearfishing with his brother and nephew on Saturday.

According to relatives, the Andros resident, who spears fish for a living, had to break his hand in order to free himself from the shark’s biting grip.

His youngest brother dove “in a pool of blood” to help save him following the attack, this newspaper was told.

Speaking to The Tribune from his hospital bed yesterday, Mr Sweeting recalled the terrifying ordeal.

“All I could remember is me and my brother was in the water and I spotted the shark and he was coming with so much speed so I quickly got in between the shark and my brother so I tried to protect my brother,” he said yesterday.

“But the shark ended up grabbing hold of my hand and started shaking and that’s when my brother pulled me back up to safety and called for the boat to come for us and so my brother was actually the one who saved me, but I was actually trying to save him from getting attacked by the shark.”

He added: “I had to break my hand because he was pulling me back down and he was trying to drown me.”

Mr Sweeting said he probably would have died if he did not resort to such tactics.

Before this newspaper’s interview with Mr Sweeting yesterday, The Tribune contacted relatives who were still a bit shaken from the incident.

They said the ordeal brought back painful memories for them because it was similar to the shark attack his father experienced in the 1980s when he lost his left hand in the incident.

“Whom God keeps is well kept...It’s taking a toll, but you have to try to hold up yourself,” his grandmother, Monica Sweeting, said.

Meanwhile, Phillip J Sweeting, the victim’s father, said he never expected that his son would endure a similar ordeal to what he experienced.

However, he said the family is still thankful because his son was able to save his life and also his hand which remains intact.

“It gets emotional when I keep on talking, but my son keeps encouraging me not to cry,” Mr Sweeting said. “And people say that’s the same left hand (he got bit in) like you and … I didn’t expect it because they told me last week that it does be a lot of sharks coming in over there because those boats keep dropping this garbage in the water and you know like that.

“So, it’s a deep-water area and the sharks them would frequent that area and I always telling them be careful and I usually WhatsApp a lot of my people every morning and I encourage them, and I always tell my sons, ‘y’all don’t know when you’re going to die so put God first.’

“That incident happened to me in 1982 and I never give up and I just told them from the hospital that I’m going to live my life to the fullest and from then I was working and carrying on.”

Family members said the road to recovery will not be easy for the 32-year-old as he will have to receive therapy for several months.

Bermuda’s Covid-19 deaths now over 150

Two recent Covid-19 related deaths in Bermuda have carried the total number up to 151, the island’s Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday.

Kim Wilson, the Minister of Health, said: “With today’s announcement of coronavirus related deaths, this should serve as a stark reminder that Covid is still very much with us and we all have a role to play in protecting ourselves and our community.

“We still must continue to do our part to protect our community from spreading the virus and, more importantly, shielding the most vulnerable from contracting Covid.

“The Pfizer-BioNTech original adult formulation, Moderna Bivalent and Pfizer-BioNTech paediatric coronavirus vaccine and boosters are available through participating GP offices, pharmacies and paediatricians.

“And with the cooler months approaching, I strongly urge all eligible individuals to get the coronavirus vaccination and get boosted. Contact your GP or a participating pharmacy to make an appointment.”

Since the last update, the ministry received 1,064 test results and 35 were positive. Of the new cases, 19 were transmitted locally and 16 are under investigation.

There have been 45 recoveries bringing the total number of active cases to 23 – down 12 from the last update two weeks ago.

Of the active cases 21 are under public health monitoring and two are in hospital – none are in intensive care.

Today’s figures came after the island reported two weeks ago that there were 35 confirmed active cases of the virus, with three people being treated in hospital – but none in intensive care.

That update, on November 2, came with the island’s first death

attributed to Covid-19 in three months, bringing Bermuda’s total known fatalities from the pandemic to 149.

Since March 2020, Bermuda has recorded 18,463 coronavirus cases out of which 18,289 have recovered.

Of all cases, 4,240 are from overseas, 14,189 are locally transmitted and 34 are under investigation. Of the locally transmitted cases, 6,020 are from a known contact and 8,169 are from an unknown contact. (Royal Gazette)

Burt ‘convinced’ of Bermuda’s commitment to fintech despite FTX collapse

DAVID Burt remains “convinced” in Bermuda’s commitment to fintech even as the crash of a major Bahamas-based cryptocurrency trader stoked doubts globally on the industry.

The Premier has taken to social media in the aftermath of the implosion of FTX Trading Ltd, formerly the world’s second largest cryptocurrency exchange, tweeting that the fallout had been “far reaching” and that he was “greatly saddened”.

Mr Burt noted that neither FTX or the crypto trader Alameda, also founded by the US investor Samuel Bankman-Fried, were “based or licensed” in Bermuda.

But he emphasised the island’s years of experience in regulating digital assets as the island seeks to “help chart that course” despite the global shock after the demise of FTX.

“Regulation plays a role in providing checks and balances,” Mr Burt posted in a series of tweets.

“Under the right supervision, risks can be reduced but not

eliminated. Disclosures are essential so that those risks are clear, and prudential oversight is essential to ensure the risks are reasonably controlled.

“We remain committed to the long-term innovation and benefits that will come from this experimental new industry.

“We also recognise the need for a reputable, steady and experienced hand to guide it and remain

convinced that Bermuda is wellsuited to help chart that course.”

FTX filed for bankruptcy last Friday, taking with it Alameda, which has been implicated in the collapse with its balance sheets revealed to be largely propped up by FTX tokens.

The breakdown of what many worldwide saw as a promising investment in an emerging industry cast a pall over digital trading.

Navado Sweeting was bitten on his left hand by a bull shark

The Covid-19 virus has killed 151 Bermudians

FTX Arena in Miami

We are looking for an experienced supervisor to manage all aspects of the kiteboarding, and sailing services for the resort, ensuring all safety protocols and guest satisfaction. This includes providing lessons, communications with guests including selling and charging for services, maintaining the equipment assets, accounting for guest/client billings and ensuring the operation runs well. To be successful in this role, you should have previous experience with managing watersports operation such

as kiteboarding, Hobie cat sailing and more. Be an excellent communicator and multiple languages such as English, Spanish, French is important. Must be IKO, PASA or equivalent certified and be a good sailor, kiter, and swimmer. Boat operators experience is important and other guiding or tour operator experience is desired. Expected to work long hours. Salary starting at $25000 depending on qualifications plus service fee. Position for a work permit holder or Belongers.

CONTACT: 245-3172

Mariah Carey is officially not the ‘Queen of Christmas’

MARIAH Carey’s application to trademark the moniker “Queen of Christmas” has been denied by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

The American star’s application was denied after her company did not respond to another singer’s opposition.

The trademark would have given her the legal right to stop others from using the title on music and merchandise.

Carey also failed in attempts to trademark the abbreviation “QOC “ and “Princess Christmas”.

The star has become synonymous with the festive period since the release of her 1994 track, All I Want for Christmas Is You.

Completing a journey 26 years in the making, the ubiquitous festive classic finally reached number one in the UK singles chart in 2020.

Carey’s company Lotion LLC applied for the yuletide trademark last year, leading to another singer, Elizabeth Chan, putting in a legal challenge in August, in an attempt to block her from obtaining the registration.

‘MONETISE CHRISTMAS’

Chan - dubbed “Queen of Christmas” by The New Yorker in 2018, for having put out original festive records every year for a decade - criticised Carey for attempting to monetise Christmas.

“I feel very strongly that no one person should hold onto anything around Christmas or monopolise

it in the way that Mariah seeks to in perpetuity,” said Chan in an interview with Variety in August.

“That’s just not the right thing to do. Christmas is for everyone. It’s meant to be shared; it’s not meant to be owned.”

Chan went on to say Carey had been “trying to trademark this in every imaginable way” from music, clothing and alcohol, to “masks, dog collars - it’s all over the map”.

“If you knit a ‘Queen of Christmas’ sweater, you should be able to sell it on Etsy to somebody else so they can buy it for their grandma,” she went on. “It’s crazy - it would have that breadth of registration.”

Carey’s company did not respond to Chan’s opposition in time so the trademark was not granted, meaning knitters around the world can continue without fear of breaching Christmas copyright.

Pushes

BUOYED by the phenomenal success of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever from Marvel Studios, the Walt Disney Studios has officially crossed the threshold of $3 billion at the global box office for the year 2022. This is the 14th time the company has managed to achieve or surpass this milestone, and additionally, has already surpassed last year’s total gross of $2.9 billion. This is down in no small part to the success of Marvel Studios. Their films have contributed a vast amount to Disney’s turnover since their acquisition of Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion in 2009. This year, the studio’s films that have contributed to the box

office haul include Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($955 million), Thor: Love and Thunder ($761 million), and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ($381 million to date).

Since releasing this weekend, Wakanda Forever has generated $205 million domestically and $176 million internationally. The movie, directed by Ryan Coogler, set a new November record domestically and was the 5th highest grossing international opening for any film released during the post-pandemic era. It also had the 2nd biggest opening of 2022, and the film’s emotional appeal is expected to give it legs.

Cameron Bure says backlash at ‘traditional marriage’ comment ‘absolutely breaks my heart’

CANDACE Cameron Bure is speaking out following backlash to her comments about featuring “traditional marriage” stories on Great American Family (GAF) network.

The Full House alum — who serves as the chief creative officer for GAF network — addresses the controversy in a statement to PEOPLE.

“All of you who know me, know beyond question that I have great love and affection for all people. It absolutely breaks my heart that anyone would ever think I intentionally would want to offend and hurt anyone,” says Bure, 46. “It saddens me that the media is often seeking to divide us, even around a subject as comforting and merry as Christmas movies. But, given the toxic climate in our culture right now, I shouldn’t be surprised. We

need Christmas more than ever.”

“I am a devoted Christian. Which means that I believe that every human being bears the image of God. Because of that, I am called to love all people, and I do. If you know me, you know that I am a person who loves fiercely and indiscriminately,” she continues.

“My heart yearns to build bridges and bring people one step closer to God, to love others well, and to simply be a reflection of God’s huge love for all of us.”

The actress also addresses those people who criticized her directly.

“To the members of the media responsible for using this opportunity to fan flames of conflict and hate, I have a simple message: I love you anyway. To those who hate what I value and who are attacking me online: I love you. To those who have tried to assassinate my character: I

love you,” she says. “To everyone reading this, of any race, creed, sexuality, or political party, including those who have tried to bully me with name-calling, I love you.

“I have long wanted to find a home for more faith-based programming. I am grateful to be an integral part of a young and growing network,” she adds. “I had also expressed in my interview, which was not included, that people of all ethnicities and identities have and will continue to contribute to the network in great ways both in front of and behind the camera, which I encourage and fully support. I’ve never been interested in proselytizing through my storytelling, but in celebrating God’s greatness in our lives through the stories I tell.”

Cameron Bure concludes her statement: “The God we serve is a wildly creative and loving God.”

Mariah Carey’s Christmas hit has been streamed more than a billion times on Spotify

The Full House alum — who serves as the chief creative officer for GAF network — said she is a devoted Christian.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has grossed over $380m

‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

Disney Past $3 Billion at the 2022 Global Box Office

TCI Film Festival dubbed a major success

It was another great year for the Turks and Caicos International Film Festival (TCIFF), which last weekend saw residents, celebrities, filmmakers and environmental enthusiasts out in their numbers.

Four years on and the highly anticipated event is still a major success, focusing on highlighting the natural talent of the TCI.

Under the direction of worldrenowned film executive and TCIFF Director Colin Burrows, the festival saw a packed weekend of screenings, panel discussions and cocktails parties.

“It was another great year for TCIFF,” said Burrows, “and while everyone was charmed by top Hollywood costume designer Share Davis and blown away by our screenings of The Woman King, perhaps the lasting benefit will be the conversations we hosted, about how to build our creative industries and preserve our natural resources.”

He said important steps are being made in both areas, and in the coming months more will be revealed.

This year, the festival shone a

spotlight on local creative voices while making strides toward establishing the Turks and Caicos Islands as a media centre in the Caribbean.

Karen Whitt, Chairman of TCIFF, said that the festival has always sought to highlight the Turks and Caicos Islands, particularly from an environmental standpoint.

“With three years of successful outreach and meaningful connections established in the area of conservation under our belt, we now hope to highlight the beauty of

the talented people of these islands.

“And this year, we were able to do exactly that as our panels and local movie screenings showcased some of the many wonderful creative voices in the TCI.”

There were four discussion panels on the topics: Sharing Our Stories, Building Our Future, Storytelling by Design, and a Panel on Progress.

Whitt stated: “Every one of our panels this year featured strong Turks and Caicos talent and voices, where passionate and meaningful conversations were shared with

attendees.”

Event highlights this year included an Arbikie-sponsored mixology exhibition on Thursday night as a welcome for VIPs and sponsors; a launch cocktail and screening at Beaches Resort; Saturday panels featuring local and international talent, and a twonight screening of blockbuster hits Queen of Glory and The Woman King.

Other major highlights of the festival were the highlyanticipated Youth Expo at the Edward Gartland Youth Centre,

Janiya Harris is the 2022 TCIFF poster competition winner (TCIFF photos)

Hon Josephine Connolly with TCIFF Volunteers.

Rachel Taylor brings remarks during the Panel on Progress

The Producers of the Local Short Film Canyou's Journey

which saw the participation of over 80 students from across the islands and featured award-winning costume designer Sharen Davis, social media influencer Arman Adamjan, Los Angeles-based producers Krystle Hartsfield and Charley McLeod, Shark4Kids, and several film industry leaders and international influencers.

Whitt added: “As Chairman of this year’s festival, it is with great pride that we applaud the Turks and Caicos Government, particularly the Ministry of Tourism, whose support was paramount to our success.

“We extend a sincere thank you to the numerous volunteers who worked tirelessly to create a world-class event and all our generous sponsors, patrons and donors whose support allowed us to put together such an amazing festival, and a special thank you to Turks & Caicos TV and our TCIFF coordinators Cardinal Points TCI.”

'Sharing our Stories' Panelist Dr Barbara Cox-Ambrister with moderator Dwyane Krzanowski of Cardinal Points, TCI

Arbikie sponsored mixology exhibition with Premier Hon Washington Misick, First Lady Misick with Festival Director Colin Burrows, producers Krystle Hartsfield, Charlie McLeod, Award-winning Costumes Designer Sharen Davis, and Rob Williams, SVP of Theatrical Motion Pictures of JuVee Production. (TCIFF photos)

Premier Honourable Washington Misick and First Lady with Festival Director Colin Burrows at the screening of The Woman King.

TCIFF Volunteers

Youth Day today at the Edward Gartland Youth Centre

MAINTENANCE

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDER STATUS APPLICATION

MASSAGE THERAPIST

Spa Tropique is on the hunt to find the best massage therapists on island!

If you have at least three years of experience with a four-star spa and have an upbeat and positive personality, we hope you will come and meet with us! If you are experienced in facials and nails – even better!

Applicants must be able to speak and write English fluently, have a clean driver’s license and their own vehicle in excellent working condition. Please see further requirements for applicants below.

We look forward to meeting you! Deadline for applications is Friday December 2nd, 2022.

APPLICANTS FOR THE POSITION ARE REQUIRED TO

HAVE:

• Obtained a diploma in Massage Therapy from an internationally accredited school from Canada, Great Britain, United States, Australia, Jamaica, Thailand or Philippines.

• Completed a massage course of at least 1800 hours plus and 6 months of practical training.

• Certified in Reflexology, Hot Stone, Swedish, Deep Tissue, Lymphatic Drainage, Myofacial Release, Prenatal Massage & Shiatsu.

• Other Modalities Required: Esthetician Licensing, Waxing, Manicure and Pedicures.

• At least 3 years experience with a spa rated 4 stars or above.

• Their own vehicle in excellent working order and a clean license.

• Fluent spoken and written English (a written exam will be provided).

• Basic computer skills for use of company software.

• Be available to work 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM every day. Weekends and holiday are a must. (Schedules are subject to change).

Renumeration: $6.25 hourly plus commission and gratuities.

CONCIERGE /GUEST RELATIONS AGENT

Duties

FRONT DESK AGENTS

Minimum

ROOM ATTENDANTS / HOUSEMEN

Salary

BEACH STAFF

Candidates

MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR

Candidates

Date: Thursday 24, November 2022. Time: 10:30 am – 4:00 pm. Location: Wymara Resort.

Wymara Resort and Villas is a contemporary luxury full-service boutique resort on Grace Bay Beach. We are looking for driven and energetic professionals with Five Star experience and who are committed to achieving excellence by ensuring Five Star standards and services are continuously delivered.

Wymara Resort and Villas is now hiring for Front and Back of the House employees. We are expanding our brand provide, the ultimate luxury resort in style and sophistication while providing the perfect personalized experience for every guest.

This is a good time to get into a growing and busy brand.

If you have a passion for hospitality, service and working in a collaborative environment we want to meet you!

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS:

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MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

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

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

• Evaluate and advise on the impact of long-range planning and the introduction of new programs/strategies

• Provide timely and accurate analysis of budgets, financial reports and financial trends in order to assist the CEO and the Board in performing their responsibilities.

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

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

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

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

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

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

• Candidates should have a Master’s degree in Accounting or equivalent combination of education and experience

• Preferably with professional qualification as a CPA or any equivalent accounting designation.

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

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

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

• Solid understanding of international financial reporting standards

• Solid understanding of the NHIB Ordinance and Regulations

• Experience in healthcare financing

• Training in International Accounting Standards for Social Security

• Experience In Microsoft Dynamics

• Team worker who is willing to take a hands-on approach to the role.

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

ADVERTISING SPACE SALES PERSON

ELECTRICIANS must have a recognized qualification/licence from a governing body in country of origin and at least 10 years experience on large commercial projects is essential. Duties will include electrical installations, repairs and maintenance to residential and commercial projects. Electricians pay starting at $12.00 per hour.

PLUMBERS must have at least 10 years experience on commercial projects and duties will include plumbing installations, repairs and maintenance to residential and commercial projects. Plumbers pay starting at $10.00 per hour.

MAINTENANCE WORKERS must have at least 10 years experience on commercial projects and duties, repairs and maintenance to residential and commercial projects. Maintenance worker pay starting at $10.00 per hour.

Seeking keen individuals to join the eco-tour team with experience and qualifications in the field of Marine Biology.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Must have degree in Marine Biology or Marine Sciences

• Must have experience in tropical water, be able to guide kayak, stand-up paddleboard (SUP) and snorkeling excursions and be at minimum Open Water Certified for SCUBA.

• Must speak English, additional languages and asset

• Genuine interest in the marine environment and a desire to enjoy and protect it.

• Must have the personality for sales, public relations and education

• Preference will be given to anyone holding a current STCW’95, boat captain license and current First Aid Certificate.

• Be living (or be willing to live) on Providenciales and be punctual, reliable and able to work long days, public holidays, and weekends.

• Training will also be provided on the marine and terrestrial environment of the Turks and Caicos, first aid, and general marine and tourism safety.

• No criminal record and good character references

• The work schedule is varied and provides up to 6-days work per week.

DUTIES:

• Conduct eco watersport tours in kayaking, paddleboarding, snorkeling with a directive of marine and ecology education.

• Teach and guide scuba diving if qualified to do so, with the directive of education in marine life and ecology.

• Conduct lectures and training in marine ecology at schools or other forums as per required.

• Gain a local captain’s license

• Maintain and clean all equipment related to all watersport trips.

• Salary range: $100-$150 a day plus gratuities depending on previous experience and/or qualifications

financial services business in the Turks and Caicos Islands, is seeking suitably qualified applicants to fill several vacancies.

AML ANALYST III

Department: AML Supervision Department Location: Providenciales

Annual Salary: $55,272.00– $68,091.00

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting to the Director, AML Supervision Department, the jobholder will be responsible for leading a team of analysts and providing strong support to the Director and Department in implementing the Commission’s AML CFT risk management framework for regulated/supervised sectors.

SENIOR POLICY ANALYST

Department: Policy Unit Location: Providenciales

Annual Salary: $55,272.00- $68,091.00

JOB SUMMARY

To contribute to the work of the Policy Unit, including assisting in the formulation of strategies and policies to maintain financial stability, and development of regulatory frameworks and methodologies for systemic risk analysis and monitoring.

SENIOR POLICY ADVISOR

Department: Policy Unit Location: Providenciales

Annual Salary: $68,132.00-$84,566.00

(This position is currently held by a work permit holder)

JOB SUMMARY

This is a management position. The Senior Policy Advisor (SPA) managers the work of the Policy Unit and reports to the Managing Director. The SPA and the Policy Unit provides support to the Board, Managing Director and the regulatory departments in researching, developing, and advising on regulatory policies and practices in the arears regulated and supervised by the Commission. The office holder is expected to remain current on international developments in regulatory standards and best practices (micro and macroprudential, and AML/CFT).

Applications

Big Blue is looking for Turks and Caicos Islanders with outgoing personalities and physical coordination to join a team of knowledgeable and experienced guides to conduct educational and environmentally conscious eco-tours and boat charters throughout the Caicos Islands.

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• Assist lead welders in performing welding, brazing, thermal, and arc cutting operations

• Use hoists, wrenches, and hammers to lift, move, and clamp work materials into position or onto tables

• Oversee the scheduled maintenance of welding and fitting equipment to ensure they are operational

• Evaluate workpieces to ensure they are free of defect and conform to set specs

• Cleans work pieces to remove impurities, such as slag, rust and grease using hand tools such as wire brush, portable grinder, hand scraper or chemical solutions to ensure smooth surface.

• Connect hand torches to fuel gas cylinders or electric power source

• Maintain good knowledge of welding techniques and processes

• Read and interpret blueprints for a welding project.

• Experienced in SMAW / GMAW / GTAW & oxy-fuel welding / cutting

• Must have a valid trade specific certification

Wage starts at: $6.25 per hr.

• Lay out, fit, and fabricate metal components to assemble structural forms using knowledge of welding techniques, metallurgy, and engineering components

• Operates drill presses, power saws, grinders, metal lathes and a variety of welding equipment and hand tools

• Analyze sample parts, blueprints, engineering drawings and specifications to plan welding operations

• Remain in a standing position for extended periods of time.

• Experienced in SMAW / GMAW / GTAW & oxy-fuel welding / cutting

• Must have a valid trade specific certification with at least 5 years working experience. Wage starts at: $8.00 per hr.

Responsible for the consistent preparation of innovative and creative cuisine of the highest quality. Attention to detail a must, as is demonstrated culinary expertise resulting in outstanding guest satisfaction. Managing a busy kitchen, setting menus, ordering and monitoring supplies.

• Liaise with Concierge for food provision to purchase prior to guest arrival.

• Submit the provision receipts, to Accounting in an accurate report and timely manner

• Provide direction for all day-to-day operations in the kitchen.

• Actively involved in menu development.

• Determines how food should be presented and create decorative food displays.

• Ensures practices and procedures comply with food handling and sanitation standards. This includes completing an annual hygiene plan and hygiene inspection prior to guest arrival

• Follows proper handling and right temperature of all food products.

• Ensures all equipment in the kitchen is properly cleaned, maintained and in working order in accordance with local Health Department standards.

• When the villa is vacant, he/she shall work with the villa team to ensure that the villa is clean and well maintained.

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMISSION EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES!

AML ANALYST III

• Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments.

• Includes precision instrument makers who fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments.

• Fabricate and modify parts to make or repair machine tools or maintain industrial machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, shop mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures.

• Study sample parts, blueprints, drawings, and engineering information to determine methods and sequences of operations needed to fabricate products and determine product dimensions and tolerances.

• Observe and listen to operating machines or equipment to diagnose machine malfunctions and to determine need for adjustments or repairs.

• Remain in a standing position for extended periods of time.

• Must have a valid trade specific certification with at least 5 years working experience. Wage: $10 per hr.

qualified applicants to fill several vacancies. APPLICATION DEADLINE NOVEMBER 26, 2022

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BETHANYS EDUCATIONAL & SOCIAL TRAINING (B.E.S.T.) INSTITUTE INC.

PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS

multi-cultured background

• Teachers with experience with (CPEA) Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment would be an asset6

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VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY!!

THE LARGEST READERSHIP IN THE TURKS & CAICOS

ACA/ACCA/CA/FCA

AUDIT MANAGERS

We are seeking three audit managers who are professionally qualified chartered accountants with a minimum of six years post graduate professional experience gained within a major public accounting firm. These individuals are required to manage the external audit process from planning through to completion including leading the engagement team. They will report to the senior managers and directors of the firm. Salary ranges from US$70,000 to US$90,000 per annum.

AUDIT ASSISTANT MANAGERS

We are seeking two assistant audit managers who are professionally qualified chartered accountants with a minimum of five years post graduate professional experience gained within a major public accounting firm. These individuals are required to assist managers, senior managers and directors in the planning and execution of external audits and supervise and train junior staff. Salary ranges from US$65,000 to US$75,000 per annum.

Extensive experience of International Standards on Auditing and International Financial Reporting Standards is mandatory for both positions. Two of the audit managers and one of the audit assistant manager positions are currently held by work permit holders.

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GENERAL

• Have adequate knowledge and experience of working with the Primary School Curriculum of the TCI Education System

• Salary $20,400.00 to 24,000.00 per annum

• This position is for first time work permit holders

JOB DUTIES BUT NOT LIMITED TO:

• Preparing a la carte menu and daily specials

• Assist in monthly stock take and stock control

• Assist the Head chef in the presentation of new Specials and Menus

• Responsible for the efficient operation of the assign section

• Ensures that high standards of sanitation and cleanliness are maintained throughout the workplace areas at all times. • Follows the instructions and recommendations from the immediate superiors to complete the daily tasks. • Able to estimate the daily production needs and check the quality of raw and cooked food products to ensure that standards are met. • Ensure that the production, preparation and presentation of food are of the highest quality at all times. • checks periodically expiry dates and proper storage of food items in the section.

Perform other duties that may be assigned from time to time.

WAREHOUSE HELPER- 2

• Responsible for doing Manuel work

• Loading and unloading Container

• Assisting in stocking shelves

• Should be physically fit to lift products 50lb or more.

• Being able to work at heights

• Committed to work flexible hours, days, nights, weekends and holidays.

• Salary starts at $6.50 per hour.

• This position is for first time work permit application

SALES CLERKS – 3

• Greet Customers, Receive Payments by cash, Credit Cards and cheques.

• Issue receipts and correct change due to customers

• Balance cash at end of day

• Standing for extended period of time

• Committed to work flexible hours, days, nights, weekends and holidays.

• Able to safely lift boxes

• Salary range $6.50 per hour

• This position is for first time work permit application

MEATROOM HELPERS - 2

• Cleaning and maintaining tools and equipment and ensuring displays are accurate and attractive.

• Weighing, packaging, pricing, and displaying products.

• Performing quality inspections on meats and other products.

• Wages start at $6.50 per hour

• This position is for first time work permit application

FROZEN STOCKERS- 2

• Physically able to reach, stretch, bend, and walk during work hours

• Ability to stand for long periods of time in the Freezer Environment (minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 23 degrees Celsius)

• Ability to lift 50 pounds

• Availability on work nights, weekends, and holidays

• Ability to multitask, prioritize, and manage time efficiently

• Wages start at $6.50 per hour

• This position is for first time work permit application

PRODUCE STOCKER - 2

• Responsible for doing Manuel work

• Loading and unloading Container

• Assisting in stocking shelves

• Knowledge on produce products and sanitary methods

• Should be physically fit to lift products 50lb or more.

• Being able to work at heights

• Committed to work flexible hours, days, nights, weekends and holidays.

• Salary ranges from $6.50 per hour.

• This position is for first time work permit application

JANITOR- 2

• Responsible for doing Manuel work

• Dust furniture and fixtures

• Good communication skills

• Should be physically fit to lift products 50lb or more.

• Being able to work at heights

• Committed to work flexible hours, days, nights, weekends and holidays.

• Empty trash cans and recycling bins

• Stock and maintain supply rooms

• Clean and maintain restrooms

• Salary ranges from $6.25 per hour.

• This position is for first time work permit application

DRY FOOD STOCKERS - 4

• Committed to work flexible hours, days, nights, weekends and holidays.

• Able to safely lift boxes

• Physically able to reach, stretch, bend, and walk during work hours

• Responsible for doing Manuel work

• Availability on work nights, weekends, and holidays

• Salary range $6.50 per hour

• This position is for first time work permit application

LABOURER(S) - 2

• Responsible for doing Manuel work

• Loading and unloading Container

• Assisting in stocking shelves

• Should be physically fit to lift products 50lb or more .

• Being able to work at heights

• Committed to work flexible hours, days, nights, weekends and holidays.

• Salary $6.50 per hour.

• This position is for first time work permit application

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT - 2

• Gathering and entering data into multiple computer programs.

• Maintaining and updating records files and system data.

• Scanning bar codes, invoices, and other information into POS system.

• Processing customer cash, check and credit-card payments.

• Responsible for counting contents of cash registers and safe.

• Processing end of day sale deposit

• Receiving domestic and export customer orders

• Implement employee schedules

• Will perform as a substitute relief for other supervisors

• Preparing and coordinating schedules in accordance to operational necessity.

• 4-5 years experience in related field of work

• Must be honest, meticulous, work independently or in a team

• Must be able to follow direction/instructions.

• Must possess knowledge of computer programs e.i Quick Books and Microsoft Programs.

• Salary for this position will commensurate with qualification & experience.

• This position is for first time work permit application.

CONTACT: 2323115 / 341-2676

Duties: Regular household as per the work permit. SALARY: $6.50 per hour

CONTACT: 231-7369 Belongers kindly submit a copy of resume to the Labour Board. This Position is held by a work Permit holder. 33579

WESLY ELIAZARD CAMPBELL S OUTH DOCK Is seeking to employ a

LABOURER

Cleaning outside the property with sweeper, pick up yard waste and collect leaves, dispose of trash, clean windows, and doorframes. Salary: $7.00 Hourly

CONTACT: 232-1299 Belongers are encouraged to apply to the Labour Board 33503

WGS CONSTRUCTION

TILE LAYER

Install materials on floors, walls, ceilings, countertops. Level the surface with a layer of mortar or plywood. Salary: $9 hourly

CONTACT: 341-6578

Belongers are encouraged to send a copy of their resume to the Labour Board

MAINTENANCE

FOOD & BEVERAGE MANAGER

AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY:

• Completion of Customer Follow-up calls in a timely basis.

• Timely analysis of Food & Beverage Prices in relation to competition.

• Participation and input towards F&B Marketing activities.

• Entertainment of potential and existing customers.

• Development and maintenance of all department control procedures.

• Attendance and participation at weekly F & B meeting and Department Head meeting.

• To assist in menu planning and pricing.

• Development and maintenance of department manual.

• Supervision of weekly payroll input.

• Participation in Manager on Duty shifts as required.

• Assure the maintenance of bar control policies.

• Assure completion of requisitions where deemed necessary.

• Assure the completion of weekly schedule and shift duties while: a. maintaining a labour cost in accordance with budget b. assuring adequate and consistent service levels

• Improvement on guest satisfaction index – comment cards, online reviews, departure surveys

• Completion of monthly inventory.

• Procurement of requirements of small wares, linens etc.

• Ensuring that services meet customer specifications.

HOUSEKEEPER

• Work with the Chef, Dining Room Manager, Bars Manager and Food & Beverage Supervisors to ensure all arrangements and details are dealt with.

• Establish a rapport with guests to ensure satisfaction and repeat business. Minimize number of customer complaints.

• Ensure a professional attitude and proper business attire when on property, ready to meet or service a client at any time.

• Ensure staff have professional attitude and proper appearance and uniform standards.

• Teamwork-Relations with co-workers and management.

• Recruitment and selection of employees for vacant positions.

• Responsible for staff training and development of service team

KEY SKILLS AND REQUIREMENT:

• Minimum 6 years’ experience in a hotel restaurant preferably in a luxury hotel.

• Accuracy and attention to detail.

• Excellent communication skills, both written and spoken.

• Able to stand for long periods of time.

• Able to carry up to 20kgs.

• Must have excellent mathematic skills.

• Able to handle a fast-paced environment and be able to work under pressure.

• Must be organized and detailed oriented.

• Achievement of budgeted food sales, beverage sales, labour costs and profitability.

• Development and training of all service employees

• Consistently high service level metric results

Starting salary range $50,000.00 to $60,000.00 per annum not including service charge. Salary may vary based on experience and skill level.

HOTEL MANAGER*

AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY:

• 12- 15 years of management experience in internationally branded luxury hotels/resort including at least 5 years at Executive Committee

• Level Minimum 6 years’ experience in a hotel restaurant preferably in a luxury hotel.

• In depth knowledge of rooms operations and full knowledge of overall hotel operations as they affect department

• Financial management skills including ability to analyze P&L statements, develop operating budgets, forecasting and capital expenditure planning

• In-depth knowledge of hotel systems – Opera (Fidelio), Micros.

• Experience implementing and monitoring brand standards of operation and quality

• Strategic planning skills

• Ability to evaluate business trends, determine applicability to customer profile and modify business strategies accordingly

• Ability to take constructive action without relying on directions from others

• Ability to network and build relationships to grow the business

• Strong problem-solving skills; encourages new innovative solutions when appropriate

• Strong communication skills with experience developing correspondence and business materials for customers/ guests, owners, management and staff

• Must be willing and available to work all shifts and days

KEY SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS:

• Directs rooms, pool and beach, retail, youth programs and security departments ensuring maximum guest satisfaction and profitability.

• Oversees the development and implementation of departmental strategies and ensures implementation of brand service strategies initiatives.

• Develops annual operating and capital expenditure budgets

• Ensures implementation of and compliance with brand policies, programs and standards of operation and quality

Starting salary range $70,000.00 to $90,000.00 per annum not including service charge. Salary may vary based on experience and skill level. POSITIONS

DOMESTIC WORKER

Science & Technology

Leprosy: Ancient disease able to regenerate organs

LEPROSY bacteria may hold the secret to safely repairing and regenerating the body, researchers at the University of Edinburgh say.

Animal experiments have uncovered the bacteria’s remarkable ability to almost double the size of livers by stimulating healthy growth.

It is a sneakily selfish act that gives the bacteria more tissue to infect.

But working out how they do it could lead to new age-defying therapies, the scientists say.

‘BIOLOGICAL ALCHEMY’

Leprosy causes disability when it infects the nerves, skin and eyes.

Throughout history, those infected have been shunned.

But the bacterium that causes it, Mycobacterium Leprae, has other, unusual properties, including the ability to perform “biological alchemy”, converting one type of bodily tissue into another, which are fascinating scientists.

So the researchers turned to another animals that catches the disease - armadillos.

The experiments, which were performed in the US, showed the infection heads to the armoured animals’ livers, where it performed a controlled hijacking of the organ to reprogram it for its own purpose.

“It was totally unexpected,” Prof Anura Rambukkana, from the University of Edinburgh’s centre for regenerative medicine, told me.

The results, published in Cell Reports Medicine, showed the liver nearly doubled in size.

You might expect such growth to be defective or even cancerous - but detailed analysis showed it

was both healthy and functional, complete with the usual array of blood vessels and bile ducts.

“It is kind of mind-blowing,” Prof Rambukkana said. “How do they do that? There is no cell therapy that can do that.”

RAPIDLY INCREASE

It appears the leprosy bug is rewinding the developmental clock in the liver.

Fully grown liver cells are metabolic powerhouses with hundreds of jobs in the body.

But the bacteria are taking them back a stage - like becoming a teenager again - where they can rapidly increase in number before maturing back into adulthood.

Interrogating the activity of different parts of the cells’ DNA revealed a picture more akin to that of a much younger animal or even a fetus, when the liver is still forming.

‘NATURAL PROCESS’

But the precise details of how this is all happening remain elusive.

Nobel Prize-winning research has shown it is possible to forcibly turn the clock all the way back to the point at which cells regain the ability to become any other type of cell in the body - but this runs the risk of turning them cancerous.

“The [leprosy] bugs use alternative pathways,” Prof Rambukkana told me.

People who regularly run or engage in other aerobic exercise cut their chance of developing some cancers by 72 percent, according to research from Tel Aviv University.

Aerobic exercise makes some organs so efficient at grabbing sugar that is in the body that tumors are left starved of glucose, and often unable to grow and spread, the peer-reviewed study published last week suggested.

It focused on metastatic cancer, meaning cancer that has spread from its original location in the body. Researchers believe there are also strong benefits in preventing primary tumors, but focused on metastatic cancer as it is Israel’s leading cause of death.

“Physical activity is creating a hostile setting for tumors by creating an environment where it has difficulty obtaining glucose,” lead author Prof. Carmit Levy, from the Tel Aviv University’s Department of Human Genetics and Biochemistry, told The Times

harnessed for repairing the livers of people waiting for a transplant - or even to reverse some of the damage caused by ageing elsewhere in the body.

“The dream is to use the same bacterial strategy, to use the ingenuity of bacteria to generate new medicines for regeneration and repair,” Prof Rambukkana said.

“If you can harness that, you should be able to turn that mechanism into a jab you have every three months or something.”

All these ideas remain untested, however.

Dr Darius Widera, of the University of Reading, said: “Overall, the results could pave the way for new therapeutic approaches to the treatment of liver diseases such as cirrhosis.

“However, as the research has been done using armadillos as model animals, it is unclear if and how these promising results can translate to the biology of the human liver.

“Moreover, as the bacteria used in this study are disease-causing, substantial refinement of the methods would be required prior to clinical translation.” (BBC)

of Israel.

“We

other aerobic activity protects the body from metastatic activity, and discovered what mechanism makes this happen.”

running

There were two parts to the study. The first was to crunch existing data which provides a massive range of health data on 3,000 individuals over a 20-year timeframe, to analyze exercise patterns and cancer incidence. This indicated that there was 72% less metastatic cancer in participants who reported regular aerobic activity at high intensity, compared to those who did not engage in physical exercise.

The second part of the study involved monitoring mice as they exercised, and then analyzing their internal organs before and after physical exercise, and after injecting cancer. Researchers found that the mice that were engaged in aerobic activity had far fewer metastatic tumors in the lymph nodes, lungs and liver.

showed in this study that

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Leprosy can damage the nerves, leading to disability

Science & Technology

How you’re born alters vaccines’ power

How we are born - by Caesareansection or vaginal delivery - alters how our immune system responds to vaccines, a Scottish and Dutch study suggests.

Babies born vaginally had double the level of protective antibodies produced after childhood vaccines.

The researchers said the difference was caused by the types of good bacteria, which colonise our bodies at birth.

And while C-section babies do get protection, it may need topping up with probiotics or extra vaccines.

Our birth is the moment we emerge from the sterile world of the womb to one teeming with microscopic life.

Microbes - including bacteria, fungi, viruses and archaea - make our bodies home and eventually outnumber our “human” cells.

This hidden half of ourselves is known as the microbiome and one of its roles is training our immune system early in life.

If you are born through your mother’s birth canal then the first microbes you encounter are the ones that live in her vagina. A C-section sets you on a different path, as those early colonisers of your body are bugs living on people’s skin or in the hospital or home.

The researchers at the University of Edinburgh as well as Spaarne

Hospital and Utrecht University Medical Centre in the Netherlands wanted to know what impact this had on vaccines.

They tracked the gut microbiomes of 120 babies from their first dark green sticky poo (the meconium) until they were a year old.

The results published in the journal Nature Communications showed higher levels of Bifidobacterium and Escherichia coli species (only a few strains of E. coli are dangerous) in the children born vaginally.

They said these beneficial bacteria were leading to around double the levels of antibodies in response to the pneumococcal and meningococcal vaccines. Other vaccines including flu and BCG for tuberculosis have already been shown to be influenced by the microbiome.

“The initial communication between the immune system and microbes is important,” Prof Debby Bogaert, the chair of paediatric medicine at the University of Edinburgh, told me.

She said gut bacteria released chemicals - called short chain fatty acids - that told the immune system it was time to switch on. Without them “you see less B-cell development” which are the cells that produce antibodies.

All the babies were healthy and had reached full term so the

Winchcombe meteorite bolsters

Earth water theory

A meteorite that crashed on the Gloucestershire town of Winchcombe last year contained water that was a near-perfect match for that on Earth.

This bolsters the idea rocks from space brought key chemical components, including water, to the planet early in its history, billions of years ago.

The meteorite is regarded as the most important recovered in the UK.

Scientists publishing their first detailed analysis say it has yielded

fascinating insights.

More than 500g (1lb) of blackened debris was picked up from people’s gardens and driveways and local fields, after a giant fireball lit up the night sky.

The crumbly remains were carefully catalogued at London’s Natural History Museum (NHM) and then loaned to teams across Europe to investigate.

Water accounted for up to

Babies born vaginally had double the level of protective antibodies produced after childhood vaccines

findings are not affected by other diseases or premature birth.

Notably all children did make antibodies after vaccination, so C-section babies are not unprotected. However, the researchers said the findings were particularly important for those with genetic disorders or who are born premature, as their immune systems are already not fully developed.

WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT?

There is often a medical need for C-sections to protect the health of mother or baby.

There has been a recent trend for “vaginal seeding” in which C-section babies are smeared with vaginal fluids from the mother. And a recent study even performed a faecal transplant - or trans-pootion- which gives the mother’s gut

bacteria to the child. Both aim to replace the missing microbes.

However, Prof Bogaert told me: “Theoretically it might be ideal to give missing microbes back to the child born by C-section, but in practice that is quite complicated and you have to make sure it is not dangerous.”

The scientific trials screened the faecal matter for any dangerous infections, which is less practical if it has to be done for every C-section baby.

Prof Bogaert thinks giving a precise cocktail of beneficial bacteria - a probiotics - to C-section babies would be a “safer route”.

Alternatively C-section babies could be given an extra dose of vaccine.

Prof Neil Mabbott, an expert in immunology at The Roslin Institute, also University of Edinburgh, said it was uncertain that microbe levels in the body

were directly responsible for increased antibody responses.

But he added: “This study raises the possibility that it may be possible to treat infants, especially caesarean-delivered infants, with a bacterial supplement or even a product produced by these beneficial bacteria to help improve their immune systems, enhance their responses to certain vaccines and reduce their susceptibility to infections.”

Dr George Savva, a statistician at the Quadram Institute Bioscience, said: “This paper is important in beginning to understand the factors that contribute to vaccine response in infants and the role of the microbiome.”

But he said it was a relatively small study, and that further research would be needed before it was safe to draw firm conclusions.

(BBC)

Science & Technology

Marijuana smoke harms lungs in tobacco smokers, study finds

SMOKING weed while being a tobacco smoker may increase damage to the respiratory system, a new study found.

“There’s a public perception that marijuana is safer than tobacco, and this study raises concern this may not be true,” said lead study author Dr. Giselle Revah, an assistant professor in the department of radiology at the University of Ottawa in Ontario.

“The American Lung Association says the only thing that should go into your lungs is clean air, so if you’re inhaling anything, it could potentially be toxic to your lungs,” she said.

SMALL, PRELIMINARY STUDY

The preliminary study, published Tuesday in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America, compared computed tomography (CT) chest scans from 56 people who smoked marijuana and tobacco with lung scans of 33 people who had been heavy cigarette smokers for over 25 years.

Scans from an additional 57 nonsmokers with no preexisting lung disease, chemotherapy or other history of lung damage were used as controls.

Some 75% of the people in the study who smoked marijuana and tobacco had emphysema, a disease of the small airways that causes damage to the air sacs in the lungs. About 67% of the tobacco-only smokers had emphysema, while only 5% of the nonsmokers had the

disease, she said.

A difference of 8 percentage points between weed plus tobacco and tobacco-only smokers may not seem like a huge difference, but it was significant, Revah said.

“It suggests that marijuana has additional effects on the lungs than tobacco alone,” Revah said. “Is it the combination of the marijuana and tobacco that makes more holes in the lungs and airway inflammation or just the marijuana itself?”

Another concern was the age of the marijuana smokers — many were much younger than 50, she said.

“These patients presumably had less lifetime exposure to smoke, except they’re even sicker than those who are heavy tobacco smokers and have been doing it longer,” Revah said. “We just don’t know if it’s a synergistic effect between the marijuana and the tobacco versus the marijuana alone.”

IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE?

Airway damage from smoking can quickly become permanent, she said.

“Airway inflammation early on is reversible,” she said. “When I see mucus and thickening of the airways, if you stop the exposure that should improve. But sometimes that can lead to dilatation of the airways and when it’s dilated, then it’s irreversible.”

The study had some limitations, Revah noted. It was small. There was little information on how much marijuana was smoked or how it was inhaled — bong, blunt or joint.

However, there are several differences in how weed and tobacco are consumed that could provide clues for further investigation, Revah said. For example, tobacco is typically smoked with a filter, while weed is not.

“If you’re smoking an unfiltered joint, let’s say, more particulates will reach the airways, get deposited and become irritants, which is why you see the mucus and the inflammation,” she said.

In addition, tobacco smokers quickly exhale, while marijuana smokers often inhale and hold their breath to maximize the high, she said.

“People usually have a longer breath hold and a higher puff volume, so they are holding in the larger volume of smoke for a longer period of time,” she said.

“That could lead to micro-trauma of those airspaces. These are all questions for future research.”

EMERGING RESEARCH

This isn’t the first study to find lung damage from inhaling marijuana. A June study found cannabis users were 22% more likely than nonusers to visit an emergency department or be hospitalized. The main reason was physical injury, but respiratory concerns were a close second.

A 2021 study found teens are about twice as likely to report “wheezing or whistling” in the chest after vaping marijuana than after smoking cigarettes or using e-cigarettes.

“I often am approached by both parents and teens who believe vaping cannabis is ‘OK’ and better than smoking (a joint, blunt, doobie etc.),” Carol Boyd, founding director of the Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking & Health at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor told CNN in a prior interview.

“And so, they ask, ‘Vaping is safe — right?’ My reaction: ‘You are fooling yourself. We know that inhaling hot tobacco/ cannabis smoke into your lungs is unhealthy and can cause bronchitis or life-threatening breathing problems,” said Boyd, who is also professor emerita in the department of health behavior and biological sciences at the University of Michigan’s School of Nursing.

“And yet, you seem to believe that heating chemicals (including carcinogens) into a vapor and inhaling them is healthy? My answer is, ‘No, it is not a healthy behavior,’ ” she said. (CNN)

Winchcombe meteorite bolsters Earth water ...

11% of the meteorite’s weight - and it contained a very similar ratio of hydrogen atoms to the water on Earth.

Some scientists say the young Earth was so hot it would have driven off much of its volatile content, including water.

For the Earth to have so much today - 70% of its surface is covered by ocean - suggests there must have been a later addition.

Some say this could have come from a bombardment of icy comets - but their chemistry is not a great match.

Carbonaceous chondrites, howevermeteorites such as the Winchcombe one - most certainly are.

And the fact it was recovered less than 12 hours after crashing means it had absorbed very little earthly water, or indeed any contaminants.

“All other meteorites have been compromised in some way by the terrestrial environment,” co-first author Dr Ashley King, from the NHM, told BBC News.

“But Winchcombe is different because of the speed with which it was picked up.

“This means when we measure it, we know the composition we’re looking at takes us all the way back to the composition at the beginning of the Solar System, 4.6 billion years ago.

“Bar fetching rock samples back from an asteroid with a spacecraft, we could not have a more pristine specimen.”

PRECISE TRAJECTORY

Scientists examining the meteorite’s carbon- and nitrogen-bearing organic compounds, including its amino acids, had a similarly clean picture.

This is the type of chemistry that could have been a feedstock for biology to

begin on the early Earth.

The new analysis also confirms the meteorite’s origin.

Camera footage of the fireball has allowed researchers to work out a very precise trajectory.

Calculating backwards, this indicates the meteorite came from the outer asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Further investigations reveal it was knocked off the top few metres of a parent asteroid, presumably in some collision.

It then took only 200,000 to 300,000 years to arrive on Earth, the number of particular atoms, such as neon, created in the meteorite material through the constant irradiation from high-speed space particles, or cosmic rays, reveals.

“0.2-0.3 million years sounds like quite a long time - but from a geological perspective, it’s actually very quick,” Dr Helena Bates, from the NHM, said.

“Carbonaceous chondrites have to get here quickly or they won’t survive, because they’re so crumbly, so friable, they’ll just break apart.”

‘MORE SECRETS’

The scientists first analysis, in this week’s edition of the Science Advances journal, is just an overview of Winchcombe’s properties.

A dozen more papers on specialist topics are due to come out shortly in an issue of the Meteoritics & Planetary Science journal.

And even they will not be the last word.

“Researchers will continue to work on this specimen for years to come, unlocking more secrets into the origins of our Solar System,” co-first author Dr Luke Daly, from the University of Glasgow, said. (BBC)

The American Lung Association says the only thing that should go into your lungs is clean air

Infantino will be reelected Fifa president unopposed for third term

FIFA president Gianni Infantino will stand unopposed to be reelected for a third term in the post.

The 52-year-old SwissItalian became head of football’s governing body when he succeeded Sepp Blatter in February 2016, and was re-elected in 2019.

Fifa said that “following the

call for election” in March 2022, its member associations had only proposed Infantino as a candidate.

He will be re-elected at the 73rd Fifa Congress in Kigali, Rwanda on 16 March.

Blatter was Fifa president for 17 years until he was banned amid a corruption scandal in 2015. (BBC)

GARY Neville has said Manchester United “know they have to terminate” Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract.

In an interview with TalkTV, the Portugal forward said he had no respect for manager Erik ten Tag and felt “betrayed” by the club.

Ronaldo also criticised on the club’s owners and his former United team-mates Neville and Wayne Rooney.

Supporters have been critical of the striker, with some believing he is ruining his legacy at Old Trafford.

“He wouldn’t have done this interview if he wanted a way

back. He knew it would bring the headlines it has and be the end of his Manchester United career,” Neville told Sky Sports.

“I’m wondering what Manchester United are doing because the reality of it is they know they have to terminate Cristiano’s contract or they basically open up a precedent so any player can criticise them in the future.

“I agree with some of the things Cristiano has said, and many Manchester United fans will agree with many things Cristiano has said, but the reality is if you’re an employee within a business and say those things your employment

has to terminate, and Manchester United have to do that in the next few days.”

Neville argued the club are also partially responsible for the way the relationship with Ronaldo has deteriorated.

“They could have come together a couple of weeks ago and navigated a pathway through what could have potentially been choppy seas to the shore but it’s not happened. They’ve both basically backed themselves into a corner,” he added.

“Exits don’t have to happen this way if both sides are proactive and mature.” (BBC)

Women’s sport fandom is growing in the UK

Women’s sport has attracted an estimated four million more fans in the past year.

A YouGov study found 41.5% of respondents, the equivalent of more than 22m adults in the United Kingdom, identify as fans of women’s sport - those classed as big fans, main event supporters or casual followers.

England’s triumph at the Women’s Euros plus a gold medal for the Team GB curling team at the Beijing Winter Olympics helped propel female athletes in 2022. There were also notable medal successes for women at the World Athletics Championships and the Commonwealth Games.

All these events were shown across BBC platforms and Barbara Slater, director of BBC Sport, said: “The BBC is a passionate supporter of women’s sport, so it is fantastic to see such positive evidence of how increased visibility of sport can drive even greater interest and impact.”

BBC Sport commissioned two studies, carried out by market research and data analytics firm YouGov, to understand the levels

of fandom of women’s sport in the UK in October 2021 and again in August 2022.

THE FINDINGS SHOWED:

§ Women’s football had the biggest increase in fans with 8.7m more than in 2021

§ The number of people classing themselves as big fans of women’s football tripled between the studies

§ There was a 19% increase of female fans of women’s football between 2021 and 2022

§ Winter sports, netball, combat sports and gymnastics also saw notable increases in fans

The results highlight the growth as well as the opportunity to increase the number of women’s sports fans further, with 14 million people saying they were open to becoming women’s sport fans.

The studies also illustrate how individual sports are at different stages in their fandom development depending on how established they are.

Tennis, athletics, winter sports, gymnastics and cycling have larger fan bases of seven years or longer, whereas football, cricket, rugby and combat sports have gained followers more recently, with fandom relatively in its infancy.

Infantino was a former Uefa secretary general

Cristiano Ronaldo criticised Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag in a TalkTV interview Cristiano Ronaldo:

Man Utd must terminate forward’s contract, says Gary Neville

The Women’s Euros final was watched by more than 17m on BBC TV and six million on BBC streaming platforms.

Djokovic ‘happy’ visa ban overturned and he can play at Australian Open

NOVAK Djokovic confirmed he will play at next year’s Australian Open, saying he was “very happy” his visa ban had been overturned.

The Serb, a nine-time champion, was deported before this year’s event after his visa was cancelled in a row over his Covid vaccine status.

He was automatically banned for three years from entering Australia, but on Tuesday learnt a visa would be granted.

“I could not receive better news,” the 21-time Grand Slam champion said.

Speaking to reporters at the ATP Finals in Turin after reaching the semi-finals, the former world number one added: “It was a relief obviously knowing what I and people closest to me in my life have been through this year with what happened in Australia and post Australia obviously.

“[The] Australian Open has been my most successful Grand Slams. I made some of the best memories there.

“Of course, I want to go back there, I want to play tennis, do what I do best, hopefully have a great Australian summer.”

When Djokovic arrived in Australia in January, Covid cases were skyrocketing and government rules required anyone entering

the country to be vaccinated, unless they had a valid medication exemption.

He did not meet the requirements for entry, the government said, so his visa was cancelled and he was automatically not allowed to return to Australia until 2025.

But Immigration Minister Andrew Giles - whose government came to power in May - has overturned the ban.

Djokovic’s detention and deportation dominated the headlines in the build-up to this

Player burnout in rugby: Study suggests 30-game maximum per season

PLAYERS should be limited to 30 ‘game involvements’ per season in order to prevent a “significantly higher injury burden” in the following campaign, according to new research.

The research was carried out at the University of Bath and was funded by the Rugby Players Association (RPA).

A ‘game involvement’ is “any time spent on the field”, given “broader elements of load associated with matches”.

In 2018, players were limited to 35 games a season from 2019-20.

A mouthguard study - examining head impacts during matches and training - is currently taking place in the men and women’s elite games and its results could mean the number of suggested ‘game involvements’ is further reduced.

The research published on Wednesday found 20% of elite male players are involved in 25

games or more per season with 5% totalling 30 every campaign.

The study found 31 or more match involvements in a season leads to significantly higher injury burden in the following season.

RPA player welfare director Richard Bryan said: “For us to be able to develop and update that research is absolutely key for player welfare and, accordingly, the RPA position is that season limits should be reduced to a maximum of 30 match involvements of any kind for a player, in order to reduce injury risk.

“Going forward it is essential that this research, and other research on match/training exposure and injury risk continues to be refreshed along with the assessments and conclusions reached for both the men’s and women’s game.”

WHAT ELSE HAS BEEN SAID?

year’s Australian Open.

Many people in Australia cheered the decision, but it also sparked an uproar among supporters who gathered outside his hotel, as well as in Serbia.

DJOKOVIC ‘FLAWLESS’ ON WAY TO SEMI-FINALS

Just hours after learning he would be able to compete in Australia in January, Djokovic was on court putting in a clinical display against Andrey Rublev to reach the semifinals of the ATP Finals.

He did not face a single break point in a 6-4 6-1 win over the Russian, who was left smashing his racquet on the floor at times in the face of 69 minutes of ruthless tennis.

Djokovic made the breakthrough against Rublev in the 10th game to take the first set before embarking on what he described as a “flawless” second set.

“I played very, very well,” Djokovic, 35, said in his on-court interview.

“One of the best matches of the

year without a doubt against an always tough opponent. It was an amazing performance.”

Later on Wednesday, Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Daniil Medvedev in the other Red Group match to secure his first win.

Tsitsipas of Greece beat Medvedev 6-3 6-7 7-6 (7-1). Djokovic will take on Medvedev in his final group game on Friday.

The season-ending ATP Finals feature the season’s top eight men’s players and Djokovic is seeking to win the event for a record-equalling sixth time.

But 22-time major winner Rafael Nadal’s hopes of a first title were ended on Tuesday when he lost to Canada’s Felix AugerAliassime.

In the doubles, Briton Neal Skupski and Dutch partner Wesley Koolhof were beaten 6-4 7-6 (7-3) by Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic in their second group match, while Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia beat Croatia’s Ivan Dodig and American partner Austin Krajicek 3-6 6-4 10-6.

The win put the Croats through to the semi-finals, but world number ones Skupski and Koolhof will still have the chance to join them when they play Dodig and Krajicek their final round-robin match on Friday. (BBC)

World Rugby’s chief player welfare and rugby services officer Mark Harrington said: “World Rugby welcomes all research that has the ability to inform evidencebased moves to reduce the risk of injury in rugby through prevention, management and education.

“The RPA is an important partner and enabler in this priority area. We never stand still when it

comes to protection of players at all levels as we continue to implement key strands of our six point plan to be the most progressive sport on player welfare.”

Former New Zealand centre Conrad Smith, now the International Rugby Players’ head of player welfare and high performance, added: “Decisions on match-load or player welfare must

be evidence based and it’s vital that we balance this information with other studies like the instrumented mouth-guard research to get the very best information for our players.

“The key here is to ensure that professional players at all levels are carefully managed in terms of both their physical and mental load.” (BBC)

Five-time champion Novak Djokovic is into the semi-finals of the ATP Finals for the 11th time.

Courtney Lawes has been unable to play for months because of a head injury

Sports National

Sports Commission condemns youth violence, implements new policies

THE Turks and Caicos Islands Sports Commission has condemned the violence displayed outside of the Gustavus Lightbourne Sports Complex which occurred two weekends ago and has decided to implement new policies.

According to information from the Commission, roughly 45 minutes after the event ended, young persons began engaging in a physical confrontation on the exterior of the facility and in one incident a weapon was used.

“We would like to advise the general public that this form of behaviour is not tolerated at Sports Commission facilities.

“The Sports Commission considers the safety of its participants and spectators paramount and has implemented additional security measures to ensure the safety of its patrons. Such measures have proven to be successful in deterring disorderly conduct within the various facilities.”

The release added that the general public is advised that:

All spectators will be required to vacate the premises immediately upon the conclusion of scheduled events, however, parents, who intend on transporting their children, must do so no later than thirty minutes after the event has

concluded.

Schools are being advised to coordinate transportation for their respective sport teams to and from the competition venue to further safeguard athletes. The Commission also encourages parents/guardians to reinforce positive social behaviours with their children, allowing for proper social interactions amongst their peers.

We implore the various sports coaches to ensure proper oversight of their respective teams to allow for appropriate behaviour that reflects the values of the institutions they represent.

Persons visiting major sporting facilities or attending major sporting events may be required to provide identification prior to entry.

The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force will be present to reduce loitering and disorder around sport venues and reduce the chances of violent outbreaks among young people.

Hon Rachel Taylor, Minister of Education, Labour, Customer and Employment Services has expressed great concern for the behaviours displayed by young persons during the recent violent altercations.

If anyone has information that can aid the authorities with their investigations of the most recent incident, the Sports Commission

encourages these persons to communicate with the authorities directly or contact ‘Crime Stoppers’ anonymously at 1-800-8477.

is essential that we as a country condemn the condoning of violent behaviour amongst young persons at any time or place.”

TCIFA to host first-ever CONCACAF Women’s C-License Coaching Course

The TCIFA will be hosting its first-ever CONCACAF Women’s C-License Coaching Course from November 24-27, 2022.

According to a release from the TCIFA, it was noted that the course serves to reinforce CONCACAF’s support for each of its member associations while emphasising on development.

The course will be used to elevate the “abilities of the region’s coaches and referees, in addition to providing opportunities for young girls in football….”

The release added that for women’s football, the Confederation is targeting increased participation, improvement in the quality of

The aim is to further develop the sport at the female level

play, as well as enhanced coaching/ administrative education.

The course will be instructed by: Mr Lenny LakeCONCACAF Coach Educator/ Supervisor; Mr Dane RitchieTCIFA’s Technical Director and Mr Damien Grant - TCIFA’s

Head of Coaching Education. There will also be supporting members of CONCACAF present at these events.

The opening ceremony of the course is scheduled for November 24 at 17:00hrs at the TCIFA National Academy.

Graceway Sports Centre new hard courts will aid longevity

THE Graceway Sports Centre new hard courts will create less wear and tear on the body for persons desirous of playing tennis or pickleball, Tennis Coach Pascal Desaulnay recently stated at a “Cocktails & Conversations on the Court” event at the centre in Providenciales.

He said that the sports centre is the only place with the new courts in the TCI and that the courts are classified as court pace three medium by the ITF.

..My purpose for resurfacing these courts was to get a new surface, more supple for the joints, knees and hips, and trust

me, getting older and older it’s an important factor to continue to enjoy playing tennis and pickleball outside.”

Desaulnay, who at one time was ranked in the top 300 globally in tennis, has been in the islands for the last six years promoting the sport.

During this time, he has also built a tennis academy with around 60 youngsters, who participate in his Tennis After School programme.

He is also spreading the game through the Company Care Incentive Programme, which is aimed at nurturing

the mental and physical health of workers while creating incentives to enhance performance and develop camaraderie.

Desaulnay has developed three programmes varying in time and frequency to play the two sport.

Cocktails & Conversations on the Court was held earlier this month

Youngsters playing a game of pickleball

“It

Sports National

Salt Rakers Aquatic Club exceeds expectations at Bahamas meet

The Salt Rakers Aquatic Club (SRAC) exceeded expectations during the Barracuda Swim Meet last weekend in Nassau, Bahamas.

Six of the Salt Rakers top performers made this exciting journey for the one-day event. Hayley Williams, Grabrielle Martin, Kevanique Harvey, Rishith Gururaja, Estheban Couture and Jeremiah Fulford made the trip and according to Coach Benneth Williams, the team performed admirably.

“I am very proud of their performance, each swimmer swam their best, exceeding expectations and outperforming their personal best time.”

Three of the swimmers

competed in all four swimming strokes (freestyle, backstrokes, breaststroke and butterfly), while the other three, competing for their first time, swam in the freestyle 50 metres and 100 metres.

“Let’s be honest, not every swimmer is going to be the best ever at the 50 freestyle or the 100 backstroke. However, when a swimmer gets to swim a wide range of events, it gives them an opportunity to experiment and determine what races fit them. Hayley, Kevanique and Rishith prefer distance swimming backstroke and breaststroke. I was amazed at their stroke efficiency”, Williams stated.

He added that it was “Gabrielle,

Jeremiah and Estheban first time being at a meet like this. This was a great experience for all there. I was impressed with these three swimmers because they just started swimming in July 2022 and in less than four months were able to perform with grace”.

This was Salt Rakers’ second

time attending this event, and the club is planning on attending a similar event in February 2023.

Coach Williams was supported by Assistant Coach Mr Gururaja and parent Mrs Martin.

Beaches Turks and Caicos and Kischo were also lauded for their sponsorship.

The Salt Rakers Aquatic meets on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays and also have an Adults Swimming Programme on Wednesdays, Thursdays Saturdays and Sundays.

Contact: facebook.com/ saltrakers/ or call: (649) 241-1272 for details.

Spring’s five-for spurs Police to win against Jaguars

HAIDEN Spring’s spin bowling proved too much for the Jaguars as they succumbed to Police by 63 runs in the latest clash of the Turks and Caicos Islands Cricket Association (TCICA) T-20 Cricket Competition on Sunday last at the Downtown Ball Park.

Police won the toss and opted to bat first.

Opener Garvin Bruno started his

innings with a bang, after belting a six. He looked solid with two other maximums and two fours off just 12 balls, but he lost his wicket for 28.

Kareem Jack also showed form, he opted to lace the ground, instead of taking the aerial route, which resulted in him stroking six fours in a top score of 36.

Damien St Ange and Chabbie Charlie also played their shots

and ran their singles well. Charlie finished with 31 (4X4s, 1X6) and St Ange with 27 (2X4s, 2X6s), while Ian Garness started slow, but recovered to score 20 runs from 21 balls.

With support from A. Edwards (15) and Sabuton John (12), the Lawmen were able to push their total to 216-7 from their allotted overs.

Daniel Bourne led the Jaguars’ attack with 2-29 from four overs.

Needing to score at over 10.8 runs per over, the Jaguars were always playing catch up as Spring damaged the top order.

He got the wickets of opener Paul McKenzie for 24 (3X4s, 1X6) and Terrence Thomas for 31 (4X4s) before he continued his attack with the middle order and the tailenders.

Bourne showed some fight in the middle, but his 27 from 14 balls (4X4s, 1X6) was not enough as the side was bowled out for 153 in 19.2 overs.

Shane Kumar was left not out on 17 (3X4s).

Spring finished with 5-36 from four overs, while St Ange and Bruno supported with two wickets each.

Haiden Spring spun his way to five wickets and the man-of-the-match award

The Police cricket team registered an emphatic victory

The Salt Rakers Aquatic Club team

Sports National

Canucks and Lightning dominate PHL opening week

THE TMW Lightning and the Scooter Bobs Canucks dominated their opening games in the Novice Division of the Provo Hockey League (PHL) 2022/2023 season, which commenced on Saturday last at the Graceway Sports Centre.

Six games were contested on the opening day, including two each in the Bantam and the Junior divisions.

In the youngest age battle, the Lightning dominated the Design Studio Jets 5-1 with three goals from Shemar Francis and a pair from Oisin Ryan.

The Jets’ lone strike came off the stick of Lennox Losinske.

The other Novice Division clash proved to be a one-sided affair as the Canucks got the better of last season’s champions the Grace Bay Car Rental Islanders after Shlok Ganglani scored all five goals in their 5-0 win.

The Bantam Division clashes proved to be a bit closer, but like the Novice, the defending champions, the LHeureux Co Canadiens went down in their opener. In the clash against the Tibors Sharks, the Canadiens lost 3-6.

The Sharks opened the scoring with three unanswered goals, two from Adrien Penn and one from Ryan King, before the Canadiens’ Sterling Henry answered at 14:24.

In the second period, the Sharks again took control with Penn scoring a third and King a second after their teammate Alexie Gula had also scored for a 6-1 lead.

A late spark from the Canadiens

resulted in Lucas Emery scoring twice, but it was a little too late for the defending champions.

In the other Bantam Division clash, the Kvanar Oilers used a strong start to power their way to a 5-3 win against the Temple Financial Panthers.

Felix Arnth Jensen (also an assist) and Owen Barkworth Knight finished with two goals each, while Jack Henry scored the other.

Aiden Bromley attempted to bring the Panthers back into the game, with two of his three goals in the second period but it was a little too late.

In the Junior Division, defending champions, the Projetech Pirates registered an impressive 7-2 opening win against the Saunders and Co Greyhounds.

Reggie Monuma and Wyatt Pollon led the Pirates with three goals each, while Isaac Turner finished with three assists and a goal.

Dylan King scored both goals for the Greyhounds, both of which were assisted by Liam Redstone.

Prior to that clash, the Greyhounds were defeated 6-5 by the Waratah Flyers.

Jacob Been led the attack with four goals, while Cj Moriarty supported with two goals and an assist.

For the Greyhounds, King, who opened the scoring in the game, finished with three goals, while Redstone (also an assist), added a pair.

Mudda Sic’ers defend Grant

Thornton Tag Rugby League

Over 100 girls take part in inaugural All Girls Football Festival in GT

Over one hundred girls took part in the first-ever All Girls Football Festival in Grand Turk. The event, on Friday last, ran in partnership with Cargo Express Services

and the Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association (TCIFA).

It connected female students from the Ona Glinton Primary, Eliza Simons Primary and HJ

Robinson High schools.

Participants enjoyed a range of activities focusing on different football skills, including match-play,

Mudda Sic’ers romped to victory against Turtles of Doom in the championship clash of the Grant Thornton Tag Rugby League in

Providenciales last week. The dominant side repeated as champions with a 19-13 win. Megan Singleton scored the

winning try in the close encounter. Meanwhile, Red Mist finished third after beating Rough Riders in the third-place clash.

led by coaches from the TCIFA.

Shemar Francis helped Lightning dominate the Jets

Shlok Ganglani scored all five goals for the Canucks

Mudda Sic’ers defended their title

Some of the young footballers who competed in the event