TC Weekly News November 26 - December 2, 2022

SANDALS FOUNDATION SPONSORED

Sharks4Kids programme expands conservation efforts

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands, November 21, 2022—With the objective of strengthening ocean conservation, Sandals Foundation has collaborated with the marine educational organisation, Sharks4Kids, to engage nearly 2000 children in interactive learning sessions about sharks.

During a week-long visit to primary and secondary schools in Grand Turk, South Caicos, and Providenciales, the students learned about shark conservation, shark tagging, and science, as well as the lemon shark and other sharks found in the Turks and Caicos Islands' clear waters.

“As we continue to work towards sustainably managing and protecting our marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, it is more evident that environmental awareness is a crucial component of this process,” explained Georgia Scarlett, Environmental Coordinator at Sandals Foundation.

"Many people are unaware that sharks help to maintain delicately balanced ecosystems by influencing prey distribution and density," Scarlett added. "We saw how critical it was to assist in increasing environmental education about these species so that more people are aware, understand their role in enhancing biodiversity and

benefiting from healthy and productive oceans, and change their perceptions of these creatures."

Jillian Morris, the Founder of Sharks4Kids, expressed similar sentiments, emphasizing the importance of shark conservation and the significance that this programme that engages children in shark education will have on the achievement and maintenance of healthy seas and oceans.

“Kids are the future for our oceans and for sharks. We must empower and inspire them. By providing facts and hands-on learning opportunities, we are changing fear to fascination."

Through this partnership, Sandals Foundation and Sharks4Kids participated in the recently held Turks and Caicos International Film Festival, which continued its ever-present theme, 'Oceans and Environment'. This provided a larger platform for the continuation of enlightenment, empowerment, and inspiration amongst students, locals, and international guests. The teams took part in the Youth Day Expo, where students participated in mock shark tagging and a virtual reality shark dive. Beaches Resorts Turks and Caicos also contributed to this awareness chart by sponsoring the festival.

During the Sandals Foundation-sponsored Sharks4Kids school tour, nearly 2000 children from Grand Turk, South Caicos, and Providenciales participated in interactive shark education sessions.

At the recently held International Film Festival Youth Expo at the Edward C. Gartland Youth Centre, students from Ianthe Pratt Primary School capture metrics of a demo shark.

Crackdown on dark-tinted vehicles and irregular number plates to begin next week

An aggressive crackdown on tinted windows and irregular number plates on vehicles in the TCI will get underway next Thursday, December 1st.

This comes as the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force ramp up road operations to push back against a surge of crime in the TCI.

Extremely dark-tinted windows were recently pinpointed as a medium for criminals to carry out illegal activities which allow them to evade detection by law enforcement.

To this end, the Department of Motor Vehicles recently advised the general public that strict enforcement measures on vehicles with heavily tinted windows and those without license registration plates will soon take effect.

As part of the changes to be effected, window tint on Motor vehicles’ front windscreen and driver and front passenger windows shall not be lower than 50 per cent.

While window tint on the rear windscreen and rear passenger windows shall not be lower than 30 per cent.

“Notwithstanding the above, the following public service vehicles

may have manufactured built-in window tints of not less than 20 per cent; a private transfer vehicle (reserved); or a private transfer vehicle (resort). Additional classes of vehicles are added to the exempted list for public servants and police officers approved by the Director after consultation with and recommended by the Commissioner of Police respectively”, the Department said.

Coupled with this, the Department explained that public service vehicles imported into the Islands before December 1, 2022, having tint levels built into the back windscreens lower than the new prescribed levels, will be exempted from this requirement and may continue to operate.

“No vehicles imported into the islands on 1st December 2022 and thereafter will be permitted to operate with levels of tint lower than the prescribed levels as outlined above”, the Department stressed.

Last month, Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting who urged residents to remove illegal dark tints from their vehicles underscored the challenges law enforcement face with heavily

tinted vehicles.

He said: “Criminals are using the roads and despite having an effective CCTV system, it can be challenging to detect them through the use of illegal dark window tints and the absence of number plates attached to their cars.”

“This is compounded by the number of cars, owned by lawabiding citizens, who are also using illegal dark tints and who have not yet collected their registration plate from Road Safety.”

“I am making a direct plea to anyone, who has illegal dark

tints, remove them immediately, by not doing so you are assisting criminals to avoid detection by allowing them to hide and drive amongst us.”

Residents were also urged to ensure they collect registration plates from the Road Safety Department as a matter of urgency.

He said: “If you do these two things, we can focus our activity on those who are not complying, namely the criminals, and this will assist officers in their work.

“In the future, I anticipate that the ordinance will change in

relation to dark tints, so please make the changes now, help us to better protect you.

“By necessity, there will be a zero-tolerance where vehicles do not have registration plates or who have illegal tints in their car windows. I make no apology for this.”

Under Section 47 of the Road Traffic Ordinance, it is an offence to drive a vehicle with excessive window tinting.

Doing so comes with a maximum penalty of $250 for each window.

Virgin Atlantic confirms London, Heathrow to TCI flights in 2023

Virgin Atlantic is the latest airline to announce flights into the Turks and Caicos Islands, further connecting the TCI to the rest of the world.

The airline will be launching a year-round twice weekly service to Providenciales, TCI to go on sale on January 11, 2023, for flights starting on November 15, 2023.

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In a statement on Friday, November 18, the airline’s operational team advised that both routes will be operated on the airline’s Boeing 7879 aircraft boasting 31 Upper Class, 35 Premium and 192 Economy Delight, Classic and Light seats.

Announcing the news was Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic: “We’re delighted to begin flying to the Turks and Caicos Islands, as we continue to grow our Caribbean portfolio, offering more choice for our customers to explore these beautiful islands and enjoy some winter sun.”

Godfrey Smith, Chief Executive of the TCI Airport Authority stated: “This route development is just the

beginning of the vision that we have for connecting the Turks and Caicos to the rest of the world.

“We look forward to continuing route development by collaborating with other arms of government and nongovernmental organisations through networking and partnerships development initiatives like the World Routes Conference.”

Also commenting on the news

this week was His Excellency, Governor Nigel Dakin: “This decision by Virgin sits very comfortably with our booming tourist industry, never been better.”

“The roots of that go back to decisions to open early in summer 2020 which meant we broadly led the world in terms of being a COVID-safe destination - open to any port of disembarkation - for well over two years,” he added.

Virgin Atlantic is a British airline with its head office in Crawley, England

Police officers conducting road operations

Vicious gang leader

Brandon Rahming shot dead

The hunt for wanted man, murderer, and vicious gang leader, 32-yearold Brandon Leonard Rahming is finally over, police confirmed Wednesday evening.

A shooting in the Downtown Providenciales area of Dockyard, ended in death for the wanted man during a police operation.

At about 11 am on Wednesday, November 23, police officers arrived on the scene and challenged a group of men believed to be carrying illegal weapons.

Consequently, Rahming was shot and killed by police officers. However, police have not yet clarified the circumstances that led to the man being shot.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Reports from residents are that the criminal was riddled with bullets.

Police later confirmed that they recovered two non-police issue firearms at the scene of the shooting.

During the same incident,

another man was arrested for firearms and drug offences, and he remains in police custody.

Commenting on the shooting, Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting said: "As is routine in these types of incidents, I will be inviting an independent review of the circumstances of the discharge of firearms by police officers during this morning’s incident from a Force within the Region. I expect this to begin in the next few days."

It has been more than a

month since police first issued a wanted bulletin for Rahming, a former resident of the Bight, Providenciales and Freeport, Bahamas.

He was wanted in connection with murder, drugs and illegal firearm possession.

Over this period, Rahming had boldly threatened residents using various social media platforms, most recently under a Facebook post issued by the police offering a $10,000 reward for information

leading to his whereabouts and arrest.

Rahming – or a Facebook profile purporting to be him –along with his criminal cohorts boldly threatened commenters under the post, promising to kill residents and their family members should anyone provide police with information as to his whereabouts.

Police officials have not said if the tip-off they acted on came by way of information or surveillance.

(DELANA ISLES)

New minimum wage could be implemented by April 2023 – Premier

The Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands is working towards implementing a new minimum wage by April 2023, Premier Hon Washington Misick stated this week.

He made the announcement while addressing questions from residents at a town hall meeting held at the Gustavus Lightbourne Sports Complex on Monday, November 21 in Providenciales.

At the meeting, a resident raised concerns about the rising cost of food items and questioned the effectiveness of the systems in place to protect consumers from price gouging.

She said: “My concern is cost control, I bought a pack of lettuce with three heads in it, was $17, maybe about two days ago $17.

“And I know that we have a cost control department, so I guess my concern or question is, what are they doing? When will we see effective cost control here in Turks and Caicos?”

In response to the resident’s concerns, Misick explained that

while measures are in place to protect consumers, there is no price control law.

He said: “We do have in place consumer protection legislation under the Department of Trade and Fair competition, as it relates to price control, we don't actually have a price control law in place.

“Under normal circumstances, what we would prefer to do is to provide support for consumers by way of subsidising critical imports.”

However, he stressed that there are many ways the issue of the high cost of living is being addressed by the government.

He said the cost of living normally applies to a whole basket of consumables, that's the cost of a basic basket of goods, but that other measures are being put into place.

“In fact, the Minister, who is in charge of customs, has…agreed to extend the policy decision made six months ago, to remove the duties, including taking off, if I'm not mistaken, the CPF (Customs

Processing Fee).”

On the 15th of March 2022, Cabinet approved a package of concession relief in the amount of $15m for TCI residents to mitigate against inflation in the cost of fuel and food amidst the war between

This included two main reductions in Customs rates, it reduced the rate of fuel tax from 85 cents down to 64 cents and reduced the rate of the CPF across the board on the importation of all goods,

from 7.5% down to 5%.

At that time, the Government said mechanisms will be put in place to ensure that these benefits are felt by the consumer while

Premier Hon Charles Washington Misick and Minister of Labour Hon Rachel Taylor at a town hall meeting in Providenciales

Russia and Ukraine.

Police in the Dockyard area on Wednesday

Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting

Brandon Rahming was fatally shot by police officers

Two represent TCI at Commonwealth Youth Parliament

Shakiyah Lewis and Darron Hilaire Jr. this week represented the Turks and Caicos Islands at the 11th Commonwealth Youth Parliament in Trinidad and Tobago.

Held from November 20 to 24, the event brought together 58 young people aged 18 to 29 from 33 Commonwealth jurisdictions.

During the week, youth participants acted as elected representatives of a fictional jurisdiction and debated a mock Parliamentary Bill related to remote working and alternative working patterns.

They were also mentored by serving Members of Parliament from the British Virgin Islands, St Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago. Hon Anita Haynes, a Member of the House of Representatives of Trinidad and Tobago, acted as the Presiding Officer of this year’s Commonwealth Youth Parliament.

CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg said: “The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association has a proud history of enabling and promoting youth engagement in politics and Parliament, and we hope that this 11th Commonwealth Youth Parliament will contribute to this successful legacy by inspiring the next generation of young leaders.”

The Commonwealth Youth Parliament is an annual event designed to introduce young

Commonwealth citizens to the role and purpose of Parliaments as democratic institutions and providers of good governance.

Organised by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), it allows attendees to meet other young people from across the Commonwealth, empowering them to shape their own jurisdictions and engage with their local Legislature.

The Commonwealth Youth Parliament has been organised by the CPA since 1997, however, it is the first time since 2019 that the event has been hosted in person due to travel restrictions in recent years caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Staff from the National Assembly of Zambia, which is in the process of establishing its own youth Parliament, will observe how the programme is managed this year.

President of the TCI CPA Branch, Hon Gordon Burton, Joint Vice Presidents, Hon Dr Charles W. Misick and Hon Edwin A. Astwood along with the Minister responsible for youth affairs Hon Rachel Taylor and the entire TCI CPA Branch have congratulated Ms Lewis and Mr Hillaire on their performance at the event, which gave them an opportunity to sharpen their debating skills and build networks among their counterparts from the Commonwealth of Nations.

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ILLEGAL FIREARM SHIPMENTS HERE

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 the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. "Officers from the US Department of Homeland Security and Custom and Border Protection intercepted multiple shipments of firearms and ammunition bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands", a communique from the Government issued last Tuesday said. Minister for 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 Island from illegal shipments of firearms and ammunition. What are your thoughts?

Britain needs to step up

First and foremost this is Britain's assigned duty of border protection. The help from the US is nevertheless still welcomed. Good job US - HMG where are you?

An eye-opener

This should be an eye-opener for the TCI. When a few are stopped how many have passed through? Has this been a trend in recent months or years? How many illegal weapons are really in the TCI? How worried should we be? Although this should be applauded we need to understand the severity of the intentions of criminals in the TCI and we need to put the necessary steps in place to counter this.

Learn from HSI

TCI needs to nurture this relationship with HSI, the officers here could gain some sound knowledge from those folk, they’ve seen it all when it comes to smuggling. The Government should invest heavily in the necessary equipment and manpower to effectively tackle issues of this nature.

Good news

This is good news, we don’t need any more guns on our streets, our young people are being killed senselessly. Any measure to get or prevent dangerous weapons from getting into the hands of god-forsaken criminals is welcomed.

Good versus evil

This is a good beginning. If we don't destroy these gangs then they could become the foundation for the destruction of our law-abiding defective democracy. It's difficult for the underclass to support a crony-controlled free enterprise society because the "free" is undermined by preference and corruption. Haiti is an extreme example of that. There are plenty of others nearby.

Dodged a bullet

We might have literally dodged a bullet. What were the plans of these criminals if they had brought these weapons into the TCI? How many more of our youths would have been gunned down or forced through peer pressure, bullying, or just because of youthful miscalculations into a life of crime?

We need to double down on these criminal elements. We need to protect our future, we need to protect our children.

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(File photo)

Darron Hilaire Jr.

Shakiyah Lewis

Former PPID Minister highlights accomplishments under her leadership

– Thanks staff for their hard work and dedication

Former Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development (PPID) Hon Akierra Missick said much has been accomplished during her tenure to help create a more sustainable and resilient Turks and Caicos Islands.

In a thank-you letter to her former staff, Hon Missick lauded the tremendous groundwork that has been carried out under her leadership to transform the Housing and Transportation sectors in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

She said: “We have accomplished much together, even if it doesn’t seem so, we have set a stable foundation for the Housing

Policy to become a reality in providing opportunities for persons to own their own home.

“We have a final vehicle policy which placed PWD (Public Works Department) Mechanical Services in the driver's seat of the future of the TCIG fleet.”

She explained that although there were setbacks along the way, the team was able to overcome them and press forward.

“We have had challenges with Survey and Mapping that we were able to resolve and now have a better working relationship and their support and assistance.

“We are proud that the NPDP

Over 40 violators nabbed in five days as road checks ramps up

Law enforcement ranks have intensified their operations on the roads of Providenciales in the past week, arresting dozens, issuing citations and seizing vehicles.

The operations are being conducted by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force and the Royal Bahamas Police Force, working alongside Immigration Enforcement and Road Safety Officers to carry out road checks.

The most recent operation occurred on November 21, resulting in 163 vehicles being stopped, seven vehicles seized and towed, and 34 tickets issued for various offences.

During this operation, which was conducted by 38 ranks, 24 persons were detained under the Immigration Ordinance and transported to the Detention Centre for processing.

Meanwhile, on November 17, a similar multi-agency operation resulted in the arrest of 19 others who were also in violation of immigration laws.

This operation, which was conducted by 37 officers, was focused on the Grace Bay and Long Bay areas.

Eighty vehicles were

checked, 45 tickets issued, five vehicles were seized and towed, and tints were removed from vehicles during this operation.

Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting, who apologised for the delays residents have been experiencing as a result, said the road checks will be continuing across the Turks and Caicos Islands in the coming weeks as they are vital to ensuring the community’s safety, preventing and detecting crime, while at the same time, enhancing road safety and compliance with legislation.

“Visible Operations will continue, so too will other covert policing as we continue to track down criminal targets.

“You would have also seen our Community Policing Team being very active over the last week, working with our young people within schools, at sporting events and career fairs.

“Both the operations aspect of targeting criminality and our engagement with our communities will continue. I thank the public for their continued support towards my hard-working officers,” Botting said.

(National Physical Development Plan) was approved and now guides us on the development of these islands. You did that.

“We are also so pleased that we were able to bring the Pensions and Gratuity Legislation into reality to provide you an opportunity to retire from TCIG in comfort and pivot if you desired.”

Missick also pointed out that work on the Turks and Caicos Islands Government Complex has progressed and a presentation will take place later this month.

“And again this is possible because of your hard work and dedication.

“The Coastal Sustainability Consultancy and the Transportation Masterplan will also be presented at the end of this month, again, this would not have been possible without you.

“We look forward to the ITTs going live for the West Road Ponds and Bridges and eventually the Road projects”, she added.

The former Minister stressed that these projects, when completed, will bring life into the community and enhance the Island of Grand Turk.

Coupled with this, she noted that a road redevelopment project which will be released soon is on the cards for Providenciales.

She said: “This will focus on the development of Downtown and Kew Town areas as the gateway to these Islands.

“The remaining matters are the Middle Caicos Causeway Redevelopment, the Planning Billboards Policy, Amendments to the NPDP, Changes to the Planning Ordinance, TCIG Cleaners Policy and the Community Enhancement Programme.

“Please continue to advocate for the stipend for that programme

because the workload is great, and the end goal will transform the communities in these Islands. Please continue to chase up on the GT Sustainability Agency so that we can once and for all return the Island of Grand Turk to its historic and beautiful glory.

“As I return to my primary role as MP for Leeward and Long Bay, I look forward to continuing working with all of you”, she added.

Missick was replaced as Minister of PPID by Hon Jamell Williams following a recent Cabinet shakeup announced by Premier Hon Charles Washington Misick.

New minimum wage could be ...

urging all businesses to ensure that the benefits of these concession reductions are passed on.

However, as the cost of basic necessities continues to skyrocket, many residents are yet to feel the relief of these concessions.

In this vein, Misick said his government “has its eyes on the way prices are moving.

“In fact, what I can tell you is that we're making significant strides for the implementation of a living wage by the first of April 2023 to address these issues.

“Yes some of what is happening with prices, may be accountable by greed on the behalf of merchants, but some of it has to do with supply chain issues in relationship to shortages.”

The Premier admitted that the government has to do a better job of monitoring what's creating some of the price increases and “try to address them through a myriad of approaches”.

He said: “I did see something on social media this weekend, about the price of lettuce, we want to promote healthy lifestyles and so obviously that's something that has caught the government's attention and we will have to look at what is the real reason and how we address it but there is no price control on food.”

He warned that one of the concerns with price control is the counter effect it could have on the market as it could trigger shortages.

He added that: “Instead of accomplishing the aim of reducing costs or reducing price, it could actually have the other effect when prices are increased because a merchant price is based on his first cost.

“So if by putting a cost control on an item, you force that first costs up, then it means the cost goes up to the consumer, eventually, as well.

“So when one looks at these policy issues, one has to be very careful that it's not, it doesn't

become counterintuitive.”

The low minimum wage paired with the high cost of living, which refers to the amount of money needed to cover basic expenses such as housing, food, taxes, and healthcare, has impacted the quality of life for many people in the Turks and Caicos Islands over the years.

Against this backdrop, the government has acknowledged that there are sections of society burdened by the rising prices of essential commodities and has vowed to make changes to alleviate these challenges for the common man.

To this end, a committee was appointed earlier this year to consider the economic climate and other conditions and advice the government on a fair and appropriate minimum wage scale for workers.

The minimum wage in the TCI was last adjusted to US$6.25 per hour in 2015, over six years later it remains the same.

Former Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development (PPID) Hon Akierra Missick

Brazen daytime shooting leaves one dead, three injured, and students terrified

A 27-year-old man was fatally gunned down in broad daylight on Saturday, November 19, while three other men were severely wounded during the incident.

The shooting transpired at a car wash on Airport Road Downtown, Providenciales, a short distance away from the Gustavus Lightbourne Sports Complex which was full of high school students attending a sport event at the time.

As gunshots rang out in the area, panic immediately followed when some of the victims ran towards the facility to escape the hail of bullets.

As news of the tragedy spread like wildfire across WhatsApp and other social media platforms, worried parents flocked to the Sports Complex.

Addressing the situation in a live Facebook video, Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting in an attempt to quell fears and dispel rumours, assured residents that the incident did not take place at the sport facility.

He said: “What we believe happened at this stage is a car has come to the premises, the car wash adjacent to the building behind me, and attacked a number of people which resulted in four people being injured.

“You will also know this location and perhaps be able to see that the Gustavus centre behind, at the time of this incident, there was a sports event for young people taking place.

“The incident somewhat spilled into it, because two of the injured people ran into the sports centre, which caused some panic.”

Botting underscored that calm was quickly restored at the event as police officers were able to effectively manage the pandemonium.

He said: “I just want to reassure the public that there were police officers on duty at the sports event who quickly got control of the scene and understood what was going on.

“To be clear, there was no incident at the sports centre, some

injured people ran to it to get away from the persons that are attacking them.”

However, out of an abundance of caution, the organisers of the event took the decision to end the activity.

Botting added: “In a very careful and controlled way, supervised by police officers, parents came to pick up their children.

“I understand it would have caused some panic, and I get that they would have heard the gunshots from the location of the shooting, but I'm grateful to the staff who were managing the event and to my officers who were at the centre who brought calm and safety to the people involved.

“There are no children injured, I can imagine they would have been frightened, which is why the event was ended…this matter remains under investigation”, he said.

The 27-year-old victim was pronounced dead at 4.34 pm. The other three victims remain warded in serious condition.

Married couple charged with assaulting law enforcement officers

Stanley and Marie Clara Noel are before the court facing serious prison time for inflicting grievous bodily harm on cops earlier this month.

The incident occurred on November 12 when a multiagency operation comprised of officers from the Tactical Units of the TCI and the Royal

Bahamas Police Force, the Immigration Department, and Response and Operations Unit descended on an area located behind Caicos Lodge and the Lower Bight Road at around 5 am.

Several persons were arrested for being in violation of immigration laws.

During the arrest, the couple got into a physical altercation with officers, sending three of them to the hospital for treatment.

The couple was arrested and charged with the offences of assault on a police officer and another count of inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Police Inspector Brandi SwannSelver remembered by colleagues

The family of Police Inspector Brandi Swann-Selver is in mourning along with the entire Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force after she succumbed to a long illness earlier this week.

Swann-Selver was a serving member of the police force when she died.

Police confirmed this week that she had been suffering from illnesses over the last years of her life and was at the time of her death – on Monday, November 21seeking treatment in the United Kingdom.

Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting has since expressed his condolences to the family and the sentiment of his officers on the passing of one of their own.

“Inspector Swann-Selver had served for just short of 25 years in a number of roles across the Force including, Response and Operations, Investigations, Professional Standards and as my Staff Officer. Inspector Swann-

Selver was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2011 and Inspector in 2017.

“Over a number of years, Inspector Swann-Selver had battled with a number of illnesses, all of which she faced with courage, spirit and fortitude; all of us that knew Inspector Swann-Selver well were inspired by her strength, love for her family and dedication to serving her community.”

He also commended her commitment to service: “Despite her illness, Inspector Swann-Selver insisted on being at work, whenever she could; her dedication to duty was strong, as was her positive attitude.

“The loss of our sister will be hard felt by so many, both within the Royal Turks and Caicos

Islands Police Force and within our communities, but most of all by her beloved family, especially her husband Kemeo, daughter Annae and son Kymani.”

Inspector Brandi Swann-Selver

Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting at the scene of the shooting

Corruption trial of former Tourism Director to continue

– application to quash charges thrown out

The court has decided that the Integrity Commission did not act in contravention of the law when it charged former Director of Tourism Ramon Andrews.

The decision of the court was recently handed down following an application by Andrews’ lawyer, Queen’s Counsel Oliver Smith to discontinue the case against his client as the investigating officer had no power to charge Andrews.

Smith also asked the court to consider, in the alternative, that if there is a power granted to the investigative officer to charge, then the defendant has been improperly charged under the Public Finance Management Ordinance.

Prosecuting the case for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution is Member of Parliament, Attorney Willin Belliard.

On November 19, 2019, Andrews pleaded not guilty to six counts of corruption, and was bonded over for trial in 2020.

CORRUPTION CHARGES

In count one of the information, the court alleges that between June 13, 2017, and June 19, 2017, in

the performance of his duties as a public official namely the Director / Accounting Officer of the Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board, Andrews knowingly or recklessly allowed his private interest as the owner of Caicos Wheels Limited and Economy, to improperly influence his conduct, being his decision to choose said company to provide hire car services to the Tourist Board.

Count 2 outlines that between January 9, 2017, and January 11, 2017, in the performance of his duties, he knowingly or recklessly allowed the fact that Caicos Wheels Limited and Economy, his private interest to improperly influence his conduct, being his decision to choose said company to provide hire car services to the Tourist Board.

Count 3 states that on May 17,

2017, Andrews, in his capacity as Director of the Tourist Board, knowingly or recklessly allowed the fact that Island Tours and Excursions, another of his companies, to provide tour services to the Tourist Board on a staff retreat held in North and Middle Caicos without Procurement Regulations.

The fourth count outlines financial misconduct contrary to section 45 (1)(d)(ii) of the Public Finance Management Ordinance.

It states that on May 17, 2017, Andrews breached or failed to comply with any regulations in the Public Procurement Ordinance (sections 31,32,33 & 62) by allowing Island Tours and Excursions, his company, to provide Tour Services to the Tourist Board on a staff retreat held in North and Middle Caicos.

Count 5, another allegation of financial misconduct, states that on May 17, Andrews willingly breached or failed to comply with any regulations in the Public Procurement Ordinance (sections 31,32,33 & 62) by causing Ketter Development Limited (Greg Ketter) to provide training services to the Tourist Board on a staff retreat held in North and Middle Caicos.

ARGUMENTS

Smith argued that the investigative officer (IO) Brent Gager was not acting in the course of his duty and was not a public officer.

He told the court that the members of the Integrity Commission (IC) are not public officers as they are employed by the Integrity Commission using their own resources and funds. The submission is founded on the basis that the IO does not hold an office of emolument in the public service and therefore cannot be deemed to be a public officer and additionally, the IC officers cannot be appointed or disciplined pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution.

Smith, therefore argued that the criminal charges that were laid in the Magistrate’s Court were not properly initiated, and the subsequent Information and amended Information does not correct or make clean, wholesome and legitimate, what is said to be ultra vires, and as such it ought to be set aside as null and void.

He alleged that there was a fundamental failure to comply with the requirements of the Integrity

Commission Ordinance, and that it was not a mere irregularity but much more.

In his submissions for the Crown, Belliard clarified that the defendant was charged by IO Brent Gager, investigative officer (financial) of the Integrity Commission, who was acting as a public officer and acting in the course of his duty when he arrested the defendant and laid the information before a Justice of the Peace.

He submitted that the powers to initiate criminal proceedings are to be found in the Constitution of Turks and Caicos Islands and are given to the Director of Public Prosecutions under s.100 and that office can initiate any proceedings, take over and continue any such criminal proceedings that have been instituted by any other person or authority, and can discontinue the proceedings at any stage before judgement is delivered.

Belliard also highlighted that whilst the right to commence a prosecution is vested in the police or prosecution, proceedings may be commenced by any person, a public officer or an authority, therefore the powers to institute criminal proceedings are not exclusively vested only in the police or Director of Public Prosecutions.

The Court was not of the view that the information ought to be quashed in the circumstances and that amendments can be made to cure the irregularities that would allow the defendant to be certain about the case that is being alleged and the specifics on each count.

MoU signed to bring educational programmes to inmates

Several educational programmes have been launched for inmates at Her Majesty’s Prison in Grand Turk to positively affect recidivism.

On Friday, November 18, residents witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Helena James Robinson High School.

“The partnership between the Ministers, Hon Rachel Taylor and Hon Otis Morris and their ministries have been nothing but teamwork that will indeed make this dream work,” Minister Taylor said during the signing.

Under the newly launched programme, inmates will be able to benefit from skills base training

through the education ministry’s Technical, Vocational, Educational Training (TVET) programme.

The minister stated that commercial food preparation and customer services will be the first to be introduced to the inmates.

“Our team will continue to scope the work for additional offerings for our inmates in alignment with the skills gaps of our country.”

She added: “As we focus on building the human capital development of our people, it is paramount for us to ensure that we partner with corrections and rehabilitation to prepare our inmates for their exit from prison, providing them with the skills and knowledge to survive in the real world.

“This is indeed a chance for change.”

MoU signed to offer skills and education training for HMP inmates

Former Director of Tourism Ramon Andrews

More Covid-19 vaccines arrive

– Residents urged to get boosted during the winter season

As the TCI continues to have Covid-19 cases – with three active cases recorded in the past week - its vaccine programme continues to be boosted.

This week, the ministry of health welcomed yet another batch of vaccine, this time the Moderna Bivalent from the United Kingdom.

The vaccine is now available in Providenciales at Cheshire Hall Medical Centre on Tuesdays and Fridays, all day, and on Mondays in the afternoon only.

In Grand Turk, the vaccine will be given on Monday and Friday afternoons and all day on Wednesday, while in South and North Caicos the vaccine will be given on Wednesdays, all day.

The change in vaccine – from the Pfizer to Moderna – was addressed by His Excellency Governor Nigel Dakin this week.

He stated that research suggests

the Moderna Bivalent Vaccine is particularly good at generating antibodies that not only help neutralise the original strain but also the common Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5.

The governor also sought to clear the air as to vaccinated deaths in the TCI, stating: “In June, of the 36 attributed COVID deaths, only two were double vaccinated. So, 95% of TCI’s COVID deaths were not double vaccinated.”

He added: “I appreciate I’m not going to convince anyone who has chosen to not be vaccinated, to be vaccinated. However, if you have been - and we had a globally high vaccination rate that made a major contribution to the Islands’ health and economy - please do take the little extra effort to bring your immunity up to date.”

He also revealed that he along with his wife have since been

boosted with this latest batch of vaccine, making this their third booster shot, their fifth overall vaccine.

“Both of us have been fortunate that as far as we are aware we have not suffered from COVID throughout this period. Understanding that, as the virus changes and our immunity naturally decreases over time, and as we enter the North American and European winter, we saw no reason to drop our levels of protection.”

In hopes of reassuring still sceptical residents, the governor noted that there is “nothing to lose,

and much to gain for yourself and your community”, by getting the booster shot.

COVID TESTING CONTINUES

Meanwhile, COVID testing continues across the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The Ministry of Health reported this week that the total confirmed positive cases identified in the TCI since the start of the pandemic, stands at 6446, with no new Covid19-related deaths recorded in the past week.

To date, the over-all number of

deaths stands at 36.

The ministry said that 54 new PCR test results have been recorded by the national public health laboratory in six weeks.

To date, the TCI has recorded a total of 61,008 PCR test results and 6446 positive confirmations.

In addition, two new Antigen test has been recorded, bringing the total number of Antigen test to 550,241.

All persons confirmed not to have Covid-19, and any contacts are asked to continue following proper guidelines from the Ministry of Health. (DELANA

ISLES

Age is just a number

Ageism has been described as prejudice and discrimination against people based on age. While it predominantly affects people over the age of 65, those of all ages are impacted. The negative consequences of this particular form of prejudice are many. Poor mental and physical health, and loss of income are just a fewhowever, it is when ageism stops us from learning from each other that I want to focus on. Take Caleb for example, if he was alive today would anyone follow him as an 85-year-old man? Especially, if he was calling people to follow him to fight giants. However, there are many valuable lessons we can learn from his life.

Caleb was probably the son of an Israelite woman and a Gentile man since he was called a Kenizzite (Numbers 32:12 and Joshua 14:6,14), a tribe of people who were integrated into the nation of Israel probably during the time of the patriarch Jacob when they went into Egypt because of a famine in

KENYATTA E. LEWIS

Canaan (Genesis 46). Even though he was of mixed heritage, at some point he became a leader of the tribe of Judah (1 Chronicles 4:15). This is important for us in TCI. For one it showed that the Israelite nation had a very advanced immigration policy that allowed persons from outside the nation to be integrated into its society. It should be noted that this integration was based on theological grounds, that is, as long as someone chose to follow Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, he or she could become a contributing member of the population. Besides Caleb, Rahab and Ruth were examples of this. Secondly, it seemed that the

Israelite society was a meritocratic one, that is, people were promoted on the basis of their ability and giftedness. Caleb became the leader of the largest tribe of Israel. It has been argued that TCI is a Christian society, built on Christian principles, if that is the case then it is important that its laws and culture reflect the heart of God. Based on Caleb’s story, which God chose to include in the Bible, that means having a clear pathway to citizenship for those who are willing to contribute towards the well-being of the nation while abiding by its laws and respecting its mores and norms.

To be elevated to a position of authority, Caleb would have possessed a number of quality traits that were often on display. But it was his steady and wholehearted commitment to God that made him stand out. This faith – the ability to grasp what is objectively real – led him and Joshua to argue that Israel was able to conquer the land of Canaan even though giants lived there and the cities were well fortified. The nation of Israel, to their detriment, chose fear over faith and wandered 40 years in the wilderness. During that period of wandering everyone over 20 died, except Joshua and Caleb. They lived because they

chose to see the world through the eyes of faith.

Now, this is how faith works. It takes what God says as objectively true over and above what our senses tell us. Especially, when what our senses tell us is opposite to what God has said. God told Israel he was going to give them the land, and the land had giants, Caleb‘s faith said God’s word was truer than the word of his senses. It was this same faith that led Caleb, at the age of 85 to take on the challenge of dislodging a race of giants. Why did Caleb think he could kill giants? The short answer is that God said that he had given the land to the Israelites and no giant or military would stop that, so it argues that when giants and militaries stood in the way, they would have to be defeated.

Age is just a number when you have faith in what God says. Don’t be misled by people saying “You are too young” or “You are too old”. Instead, listen to what God has said.

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

HE Governor Nigel Dakin continues to lead from the front, as he receives his third booster shot (Photo courtesy Governor’s office)

Tanya Swann sails smooth with BTC for almost 19 years

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands: Born and bred on the beautiful island of Grand Turk, Tanya Nicole Swann is a single parent who has honed her skills in the tourism industry for the past 25 years and has now anchored her growth with her nearly 19-year tenure at Beaches Turks and Caicos (BTC) resort.

Having joined BTC in 2004, Tanya first started as an administrative assistant in the food and beverage department. With her keen desire to grow and expand in the industry and with the resort, Tanya would find herself gaining valuable experience along the way as hostess in the resorts expansive number of restaurants. While honing her experiences, Tanya expanded her skillset which saw her transferring, within the first few years, to the sales and weddings department as the administrative assistant and then as executive administrative assistant in the General Manager’s office at the resort.

With a focus on growth always at the forefront of her mind, through the resort company’s learning and development department, Tanya went on to acquire her associates, bachelors and masters degrees which propelled her into various leadership positions which include banqueting coordinator, senior sales executive, senior sales manager, resort sales manager, and currently director of sales groups and conventions.

“Joining the family here at Beaches Turks and Caicos was the best career decision that I have made in my life. This organisation gives everyone the opportunity to grow and expand beyond what he or she may have envisioned,”

Swann shared.

Tanya’s steady growth within the industry has been fueled by her intrinsic philosophy of always giving her best in what she does, approaching any day-to-day challenges with the best tools - confidence, communication and active listening.

Highlighting her ability to adapt to challenging situations and turn them into successes, Tanya shared, “we learn something new every day in our lives both personally and professionally and we make choices that will affect us in the present and for our future endeavours. We oftentimes will be faced with difficulties, however, along the way we learn that excellence comes from within individuals who are willing to work hard to reach and achieve their goals and make something of themselves, not just to please others but also to please themselves.”

Even as she grows within the organisation however, Tanya also remains committed to allowing others to grow and experience their fullest potential.

“My most rewarding period with this company is in helping others to grow. I live my life based on succession planning and this has allowed me to groom others into becoming effective leaders. Being able to see the growth process with my colleagues has been a rewarding feeling as allowing others to grow will make this island a better place,” Swann shared.

Tanya has also furthered her academic experience with the completion of a leadership and management diploma course. She is

confident her achievements, experiences and interactions attribute to her impact on those around her.

Maxine Salmon, kids camp counsellor said, “Ms Tanya is a mentor and friend who is always willing to help her fellow team members grow as professionals. She has a warm and welcoming personality which makes her approachable. She is always finding ways to encourage us to do as many online courses that are offered by the company through the Sandals Corporate University (SCU) for our own development and to also get involved in volunteerism at the resort and in our communities.”

James McAnally, general manager at BTC shared: “Tanya is a dynamo. She is capable of leading not only from a resort’s perspective but in the wider society. We are privileged to have her as one of our influential leaders who continues to provide herculean service to not only our employees but the thousands of guests who visit our shores.”

Tanya attributes her success within the industry primarily to support and grooming from former Sandals and Beaches leaders such as the late David Roper, her then Corporate office Director of Industry Relations as well as former resort Executive Manager, Michael Thompson, who allowed her to grow as a leader in her own right. She also gave credit to retired leaders Josef Zellner, former general manager and Fredrick Hamilton the first food and beverage director who allowed her to develop a passion for the industry and especially the Sandals and Beaches culture of leadership.

Winston Pasuris the extraordinary housekeeping leader at BTC

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands: Winston Pasuris, a 23 year veteran housekeeping supervisor at Beaches Turks and Caicos (BTC) resort lives by the mantra, a leader in the hospitality industry in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way, especially to the team he or she leads.

Arriving in South Caicos at the age of six months, this consummate professional, started his career at BTC in November 1999 following prior years of experience on cruise vessels. Winston’s vision of staying on land and caring for his children was the main reason for him to walk away from life on the high seas and walk through the doors of the resort as a housekeeping supervisor.

A single father who beams whenever he talks about his children, Pasuris prides himself on providing the best service to not only the guests at the all-inclusive family resort, but those he leads.

“Being asked to lead a team calls for patience, discipline and lots of training. Each leader is tasked with being a team player firstly, then to be a conscious leader before being afforded the responsibility of leading a team. Each day on the job is an opportunity to learn something new and apply what I have learnt in the courses that are offered to all resort team members,” Pasuris shared.

While sharing his growth within the industry, Pasuris was quick to point out the many leaders who have mentored him throughout his journey and the value added component each has contributed to his development.

“I’ve had the support and guidance of three very strong leaders within the company whose leadership styles I have emulated and incorporated into my day to day management. Shawn DaCosta who currently serves as the Chief Operations Officer; Adrian Whitehead who is currently the general manager at Sandals Royal Bahamian, and Sharon Fagon, current hotel manager here at Beaches Turks and Caicos. Each has a different style of leadership, but all three have groomed me into becoming the leader I am today,” Pasuris added.

For his part, James McAnally, general manager at Beaches Turks and Caicos, shared that Pasuris has been a great asset through the years, noting, “Winston is a stellar leader whose demeanour and work ethic has allowed

those he leads to be empowered, comfortable and shine through their own growth. He is one of those persons you want to have around you in challenging times as he will remain focused on the tasks at hand and be willing to recommend solutions.”

Carey Turnquest, French Village manager added, “A gentle giant is this man who oozes confidence and always with a calm demeanour. Winston is always willing to help the team to turn opportunities into success as he helps in making this environment most comfortable for his colleagues and guests alike.”

Advancement within the hospitality industry with Beaches Turks and Caicos is at the fingertips of each team member as the opportunity for growth remains at the forefront for the organisation. Pasuris continues to grow while being empowered by those who have mentored him, as he remains committed to help in empowering those he has been tasked to lead.

Said Pasuris, “My biggest challenge within the organisation is whenever I am faced with hurdles that I can’t overcome on my own as I like to find solutions. I have learnt, however, to depend on my team and this for me makes it my biggest strength, as I have learnt that in order to be the best at what I do, I can rely on the full support of my team and the management of the company.”

Reflecting on the personal support he has also come to count on from the BTC team, Pasuris highlighted the passage of a hurricane back in 2017. “During the hurricane, the management team provided the opportunity for team members who may face challenges with their homes to stay on resort. This allowed me to have my young son also with me during what turned out to be a scary time. This is just one of the reasons why I remain very appreciative of the value this organisation has for, and how it supports its team members,” Pasuris said.

Housekeeping manager, Jennifer Lee shared, “Winston is one of those leaders who is more than capable of adapting to any environment and never allows situations to have him daunted. During difficult times, he is one of the first to mobilise his team to find solutions to any challenge that we may face as a department. This quality is very important especially within this industry and I am happy Pasuris is a part of our team.”

Accept your dark skin colour

No one is better than you

For a large portion of my life, I did not like being dark-skinned. The reason I felt that way was because being dark-skinned among many black people was negative as there was a preference for light-skinned people. Dark-skinned people found favour if they had money, car, or status in the community.

It was so bad for me that I never use to drink dark sodas such as Coke or Pepsi. I used to hear people talking about bleaching so I put my face in water and Clorox bleach hoping that my skin would be light-skinned. I did not want to go out because I did not like how I looked. I remembered during the Uncle Charlie radio programme, there was a pen pal programme where you can meet friends in the USA and so I sent a picture of my brother Dudley (who is lightskinned) to my pen pal and said it was me because I was embarrassed about how I looked.

BY DREXWELL SEYMOUR

I used to be teased a lot and called ugly and black most of my life and it bothered me from childhood to adulthood and as a result, I endured an inferiority complex. No matter how old you are or what you have acquired, there are some things that will take you a while to get over especially if you experienced it from a very young age.

Because of the stigma and negativity associated with being dark-skinned, some dark-skinned

people resort to the use of bleaching cream. Bleaching your skin is very unhealthy as some of the bleaching creams contain mercury. This mercury can penetrate your skin and can damage your lungs and kidneys. Bleaching can also increase the risk of cancer.

Furthermore, when you bleach it is obvious as most times your face is very light-skinned, but your fingers and toes are very dark. In fact, your external features become deterrent to many people, and it

defeats the purpose for which you were using the bleaching cream.

I do not know why God made us different colours especially among the black race because this is where colourism takes place. We talked a lot about racism from “white” people but among black people, colourism is prevalent. This colour thing does not make any sense because behind our skin, our internal organs are the same, at least as far as I know. The colour of your skin does not make you significant even though many people try to think your colour makes you superior to others. However, there are poor, rich, attractive, and unattractive lightskinned people, there are poor, rich, attractive, and unattractive dark-skinned people and there are poor, rich, attractive, and unattractive white people. Quite frankly, we should not measure people based on their appearances

and their financial conditions, we should measure people based on their personalities, integrity, loyalty, and honesty.

If you still cannot accept being dark-skinned, research some of the accomplishments that many darkskinned people contribute to the world.

I know most of us are attracted to the external appearances of individuals. However, do not discard someone because of their dark-skinned complexion. God has made all of us equal and no one is better than you. You must come to that realisation and in so doing you should accept the colour of your skin.

If you accept the colour of your skin, then there is no need for you to bleach. Also, you do not need to get into a relationship with someone simply because of their complexion. You are beautiful no matter the colour of your skin.

The social, economic and political impacts of medical tourism

The TCI has metamorphosed into a giant tourist destination. Every year, over a million tourists from everywhere, swamp its shores for the unforgettable experience emanating from the tropical climate, its white sandy beaches and turquoise waters. Yet, the healthcare system to include laboratory and diagnostic care, mental health, physical and occupational care – to name a few – are lacking industry standards.

Yearly, many patients here are forced to travel to neighbouring countries that provide first-class,

specialised medical care, in the absence of healthcare infrastructure and a sector that is less advanced in critical fields of medicine. Undoubtedly, this deficiency depreciates the nation’s ability to

reach its true potential.

To realise its greatest possibilities lawmakers must first evaluate TCI’s current healthcare standards and invest to improve the sector to meet global standards in quality care. Foremost, the investment is to accommodate residents, as our health is key to the development and growth of the nation’s economy.

The demand for specialised medical service was ever high locally, and since the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic, the exigency for primary care has skyrocketed even more and in the aftermath of this crisis, many countries are innovating and shifting the paradigm of medical tourism as they expand the markets to meet pent-up healthcare demands worldwide.

Back in the TCI, rebranding and enhancing TCI’s attractiveness to the international market should

take precedence, as the primary drivers of medical travel encompass expertise, the level of healthcare infrastructure, wellness possibilities and the appeal of the destination. These factors are hugely possible through healthcare policies and public-private participation.

Coupled with this, policymakers could collaborate with the Medical Tourism Association to broaden its vanguards in the US; in addition to, networking with healthcare buyers and payers.

Policymakers should know that the costs of healthcare in America are rising constantly, which birthed a robust medical tourism market worldwide worth over $37 billion – offering quality and affordable healthcare to boost the attractiveness of the travel experience – has since enticed Americans to reserve medical appointments with healthcare providers overseas.

Citing “Tourism Analytics,” total visitors by market shows, as of 2019, eighty-one per cent of tourists to the TCI are Americans; therefore, the TCI should capitalize on, and decode the marketplace of endless ideas to acquire a sizeable market share.

An international health hospital

comprising a full-service facility with research and training centres to train doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other allied health professionals is ideal. Additionally, international patient units to accommodate the needs of international patients; thus, advancing TCI’s capacity and resources for medical services is another important facet.

From this, the nation stands to benefit enormously. Economically, this initiative will increase employment, and generate revenues; hence, higher GDP figures. Furthermore, it can potentially foster positive relations through dialogue and communication, which improves cooperation among governing bodies and; hence, paves the way to stronger political bonds.

Too, cordial alliances among governments promote the trading of ideas, which will benefit everyone involved.

By now, the world is aware that the TCI is home to the dazzling Grace Bay beach and the secondlargest barrier reef in the world. Boosting the destination with world-class medical services with the catchphrase, “getting well, while in paradise,” is certainly a first-class idea with great potential.

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.

LILOs needed in the Caribbean

Ever heard of LILO entrepreneurship? LILO stands for "a little in, a lot out". No, no, not “late in– late out”. It’s no joke. ”A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action” fits better in the pattern. The LILO type of entrepreneur does not use business plans and opts for an immediate try-out at a minimal expense instead. Self-efficacy and creativity are the typical competencies. Their enterprises are set up with a minimum of start-up capital and are designed to operate at very low costs. The financial risks are low but when successful, the gains are enormous. A little bit of good can turn into a whole lot of great when fuelled by commitment.

Entrepreneurs, by their very nature, are usually pioneers and a source of new ideas and innovations. They can be engines for economic growth. They bring new ideas in the market by replacing old ones with ingenuity. Many of today's biggest brands and companies were initiated by disruptive pioneers. Entrepreneurial leaders and innovative pioneers are often Odd-Balls who lead and are agents of change. They can be a lateral and creative thinker, a maverick, a nonconformist, an individualist. Take your pick. They are willing to take risks as they mess up established ways of doing things in order to introduce new concepts, formats or models that may be more effective, efficient, or more beneficial.

They possess characteristics that are only found in a very small portion of members of the community. Their entrepreneurship can lead businesses and economies out of problems and dilemmas; not by more of the same, not by regulations, and not by costly studies by reputable consultants or institutions. Entrepreneurial awareness cannot be trained in the same manner that one can be taught management techniques or factual knowledge or skill in a given line of work. There is no training for becoming an Odd-Ball; life may just be it.

Obviously, the best example of entrepreneurship is the start of a new business venture. The pioneer is first or among the earliest in any field of enterprise or progress. Glamourous announcements of a new venture or development often lack value. Real value is not what shines on the surface; it is the substance under the surface. Or, the horsepower under the hood of the car, to say it differently. No horsepower, no pull; no substance, no value! Proven results are what count.

Announcements of new ventures are made on a daily basis and their amazing expectations and breath-taking prospects are

presented in such stunning ways that make one’s heartbeat go up. Yet, one doesn’t know whether to refute them or give them a round of applause. Because of the impressive presentations, made by sleek PR specialists, one forgets to ask: “really?” or let alone “what if?” Is the plan fail-safe? Is there a plan B and so what is it, and what happens if that doesn’t work either? Unfortunately, often the PR stands for Propaganda.

The best true friend of an

entrepreneur is the least beloved person who asks tough and nasty questions. An independentthinking individual who pays no respect to who you are, but rather only focuses on what one aims to do and whether that makes sense. Sometimes called the “Devil’s Advocate” who can come over as an annoyance but intends the best. He may be the most valuable test pilot. It is common to surround oneself with followers and people who bring comfort because

it feels good. Yet, plans and announcements need to be for real and a sound back-up plan has to be in place. That is what is required in real life and realism. By the way, “Surrealism” is an art form and not a form of doing business. Surrealism can become extremely highly-priced if one is a Sothebys auctioneer.

Entrepreneurship is not only crucial in start-ups but also essential in mature businesses or organisations. One hopes that it

would also rub off on government institutions. One can never relax. Somewhere, someone is always trying to think of improving an activity, at any point along the value chain by a better service, a better method, a better organisation, or a better strategy. This is a tough lesson that is particularly hard to accept by persons who believe that they are successful and untouchable anyway. Competition is a fact throughout life, whether one wants to be Miss Universe or the Gourmet Capital of the world. Just about everyone can be an entrepreneur and has the opportunity to be a pioneer in some way. LILO’s "a little in, a lot out" may be the key. The pioneership spirit is the attitude of thinking and doing things differently from how it used to be done, transforming the mind from being a prisoner of the past to becoming a pioneer of the future. It doesn’t need a degree in rocket science. Logic and realistic thinking is something that anyone can exercise with some selfdiscipline and the will to not just stand up and be someone, but be outstanding and make history for others to write about or talk about.

A pioneering mindset that aims to make a sincere positive impact on the future, be it in business or in society, holds tremendous potential. Research has linked personal success with proactivity and therefore, instead of waiting for an opportunity to find you, brainstorm ways to improve your life or activities. It can be about building a life on your own terms. No bosses. No restricting schedules. And no one holding you back. A greatness in you may be screaming to come out. Hence, let your spirit loose and shoot for the extraordinary, like the pioneers did. Act sooner rather than later.

CONTRIBUTORS NEEDED

Do you have a subject of interest that you’d like to share with our readers?

Perhaps you’re a great cook and have created lots of delicious recipes that use local ingredients. Maybe you have ideas on how to save money when shopping and know where to find all the latest bargains. Or are you an entrepreneur who would like to share tips on setting up a new business?

We need regular contributors of 400 word articles on a variety of topics

for our Lifestyle pages. Get in touch with us at the Turks and Caicos Weekly News and pitch your idea for a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly column. You will have your name in print along with your business contact details if requested. It’s a great way to share your knowledge and promote your business or start-up.

CONTACT US NOW AT TCWEEKLYNEWS@GMAIL.COM

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 BUD SLABBAERT

TCI celebrates ‘Universal Children’s Day’

world in celebrating Universal Children’s Day.

Also recognised as World Day of Prayer and Action for Children (WDPAC), the day was celebrated under the theme ‘A Better Future for Every Child’ with a focus on the four umbrella principles of the convention on the rights of the child.

Namely: non-discrimination, best interest of the child, right to life, survival and development and respect for the views of children.

Celebrated on November 20, the day marked the 32nd anniversary of the most widely sanctioned human rights treaty in history, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

The CRC is the first binding agreement, that 194 countries' world leaders pledged a commitment to fulfil the civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights of children and adolescents. As a result of the Convention, children now have a distinct set of rights regardless of race, colour, sex, creed or other status.

The Turks and Caicos Islands in its continuous commitment to protecting the rights of children has helped transform the lives of children throughout the islands, a statement from the department this week read.

“A significant number of laws and regulations have been passed to protect, support and improve the status of children and their families,” it noted.

In support of A Better Future for Every Child, it is important that the movers, shakers and changemakers, set precedence and become cognizant of the opportunities to

advocate, promote and celebrate children’s rights.

It’s then and only then that people will recognise the grave significance and the inevitability of embracing children’s rights for a better tomorrow.

“As we ponder on what a ‘Better Future for Every Child ’looks like in the TCI, let us focus on a world where every child is not only enrolled in school, but there is an inclusive education system at all levels.

“Let’s focus on a world where every child is safe from harm, a future where mental health matters, where bedside registration is a reality and in progress and not still lingering in the air.

“A world where there are no stateless children because every child is given an identity. A world where children are empowered to think beyond their limitations and given a fair opportunity to reach their full potentials and enjoy an adequate standard of living.

“A world free from stigmatisation and open to seeing children as children regardless of nationality, socio-economic status and bloodline.”

Throughout the past week, several activities were held in commemoration of Universal Children’s Day.

Social workers visited various schools on the island to provide education on the four umbrella principles of the convention on the rights of the child, some schools hosted a fun day where teachers were encouraged to interchange their roles by dressing ‘kiddie like/ playful/ whimsical.

RTCIPF Officers this week engaged in several activities with children across TCI (RTCIPF photo)

The Department of Social Development and Welfare in the Ministry of Home Affairs in its continuous mandate to protect and promote the rights of all children, this week joined the rest of the

Boris Johnson claims France was ‘in denial’ before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

FORMER British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has claimed France was “in denial” about the prospect of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, and accused the German government of initially favouring a quick Ukrainian military defeat over a long conflict.

Johnson told CNN’s partner network CNN Portugal on Monday that the attitudes of Western nations varied widely before Moscow launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine on February 24, singling out three leading EU countries in comments that are unlikely to be welcomed in European capitals.

While Johnson stressed that EU nations later rallied behind Ukraine and are now providing steadfast support, that was not universally the case in the period before the Russian invasion.

“This thing was a huge shock … we could see the Russian battalion tactical groups amassing, but different countries had very different perspectives,” Johnson told CNN’s Richard Quest in Portugal.

“The German view was at one stage that if it were going to happen, which would be a disaster, then it would be better for the whole thing to be over quickly, and for Ukraine to fold,” Johnson claimed, citing “all sorts of sound economic reasons” for that approach.

“I couldn’t support that, I thought that was a disastrous way of looking at it. But I can

understand why they thought and felt as they did,” Johnson went on. Germany has rapidly sought to reduce its reliance on Russian energy since Moscow’s invasion.

“Be in no doubt that the French were in denial right up until the last moment,” Johnson also said.

French President Emmanuel Macron fronted Europe’s efforts to dissuade Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine, visiting him in the Kremlin just weeks before the Russian leader ordered his troops into the country. In March, the chief of French military intelligence, Gen. Eric Vidaud, was told to step down from his post

Brazil’s Bolsonaro challenges election loss, files petition demanding votes be annulled

OUTGOING Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has filed a petition with Brazil election authorities formally contesting the results of this year’s fiercely contested presidential vote.

Bolsonaro narrowly lost a run-off vote last month to leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, popularly known as “Lula,” who is due to be inaugurated as president on January 1.

Since then Bolsonaro has stopped short of explicitly conceding that he lost, but has previously said he would “continue to fulfill all commandments of the constitution” – leading observers to believe that he would cooperate with the transfer of power.

But in the petition filed on Tuesday, Bolsonaro and the leader of his right-wing Liberal Party allege that some voting machines had malfunctioned and any votes cast through them should be annulled.

Citing analysis done by a company hired by Bolsonaro’s party, the complaint claims that removing those votes would hand Bolsonaro victory.

Responding to Bolsonaro’s petition, election authorities said that since the same voting machines were used in the first round of elections, Bolsonaro and his party must amend their complaint to include those results in order for the process to make its way through the courts, affiliate CNN Brasil

partly for “failing to anticipate” the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a military source with knowledge of the matter told CNN at the time.

Johnson also criticized Italy’s initial response to the threat of an invasion. He told Quest that its government – at the time led by Mario Draghi – was “at one stage simply saying that they would be unable to support the position we were taking,” given their “massive” reliance on Russian hydrocarbons.

CNN has reached out to the French and German governments. Draghi’s office declined to comment.

Many observers initially

believed a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be completed within weeks or days, but Kyiv’s forces instead repelled Moscow’s initial lunge towards the capital and have more recently conducted successful counter-offensives to regain ground in the east and south of the country.

Johnson said that once Russia launched its invasion in February, attitudes across Europe changed quickly.

“What happened was everybody – Germans, French, Italians, everybody, (US President) Joe Biden – saw that there was simply no option. Because you couldn’t

negotiate with this guy (Putin). That’s the key point,” the ex-Prime Minister said, adding that the “the EU has done brilliantly” in its opposition of Russia since that time.

“After all my anxieties … I pay tribute to the way the EU has acted. They have been united. The sanctions were tough,” Johnson went on.

During his period in office, Johnson frequently criticized Russia’s invasion and forged a close relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Johnson was forced to resign in July after repeated scandals sank his reputation and caused dozens of his ministers to resign.

Johnson told CNN that Zelensky has been “absolutely outstanding” in his leadership. “He’s a very brave guy. I think the history of this conflict would have been totally, totally different it he hadn’t been there.”

He added that “if Ukraine chooses to be a member of the EU, they should go for it. and I think it would be a good thing for Ukraine,” helping it achieve political and economic reform. Kyiv applied to join the bloc earlier this year.

Johnson was replaced in Downing Street by Liz Truss, who had the shortest tenure of any British Prime Minister. Her disastrous seven-week term was sunk by a “mini-budget” that spooked markets and caused global financial agencies to express alarm.

reported.

Alexandre Moraes, chief justice of the Supreme Electoral Court, has given Bolsonaro and his petitioners 24 hours to amend their submission.

Last month’s heated election came amid a tense and polarized political climate in Brazil, which has been struggling with high inflation, limited growth and rising poverty.

Lula da Silva received more than 60 million votes – according to the election authority’s final tally – the most in Brazilian history and breaking his own record from 2006. (CNN)

Johnson speaking with US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron during a June G7 summit in Germany

Jair Bolsonaro narrowly lost a run-off vote last month

US shooting: Seven dead after attack in Virginia Walmart

AT least seven people are dead after a gunman opened fire at a Walmart supermarket in Chesapeake, in the US state of Virginia, officials say.

A man, believed to be the store manager, opened fire then turned the gun on himself, and is now dead.

The City of Chesapeake earlier tweeted to confirm an “active shooter incident with fatalities”.

Multiple others were injured in the shooting. The attacker’s motive remains unclear.

Police told reporters that the attack happened at 22:12 local time (03:12 GMT).

Footage appeared online which appeared to show an eyewitness - wearing Walmart uniformdescribing what happened.

He said he had left a staff room, which a manager then entered and

opened fire.

“Sadly we lost a few of our associates,” the man said, clarifying that he did not know how many of his colleagues were shot.

Police spokesperson Leo Kosinski said the shooting was believed to have happened inside the store, and that the suspect acted alone.

Walmart said it was “shocked at this tragic event” and that it was “working closely with law enforcement”.

A further update from police in Chesapeake is expected later on Wednesday morning.

A spokesperson for Sentara Norfolk General Hospital was quoted by local television station WAVY-TV saying that five people were being treated there.

One woman told WAVY-TV

Zaporizhzhia strike kills newborn baby at Ukraine hospital

A newborn baby has been killed in a Russian missile strike on a maternity unit in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, emergency services say.

The baby’s mother, who was the only woman in the facility at the time, and a doctor were rescued from the rubble.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of bringing “terror and murder” to his country.

The Zaporizhzhia region, where

a key nuclear plant is located, has been the focus of repeated Russian attacks.

Ukrainian emergency services said the Russian missiles struck the maternity ward of a hospital in the Ukraine-held town of Vilnyansk, close to the frontline, overnight.

Although the area is held by Ukraine, the whole Zaporizhzhia region is claimed by Russia after self-styled referendums in September.

that her brother, a 20-year-old employee of the shop, was shot just 10 minutes after signing on for work.

But she said her sibling was able to talk to relatives and send textssaying this was “comforting”.

Another woman named Joetta Jeffery told CNN that her mother had been inside the building when the attack took place, and had managed to send text messages.

Ms Jeffrey said her mother was not hurt but was in shock.

Mark Warner, a Democratic senator for the state of Virginia, tweeted that he was “sickened by reports of yet another mass shooting”.

Virginia state Senator L. Louise Lucas, also a Democrat, added that she was “absolutely heartbroken”.

Trump taxes: Supreme Court clears Democrats to see returns

THE US Supreme Court has cleared the way for ex-President Donald Trump’s tax forms to be released to a Democratic-controlled congressional committee.

The justices rejected Mr Trump’s bid in October to block a lower court’s ruling that granted the panel’s request for his financial records.

The move is a blow to Mr Trump, who has for years kept his returns sealed.

Mr Trump became the first president in 40 years not to release his taxes after announcing his first presidential run.

The House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee has been seeking access to his records since 2019.

Mr Trump, who launched his third campaign for the White House last week, is facing several investigations related to his business practices. He denies any

wrongdoing.

The Supreme Court’s brief response on Tuesday did not note dissent from any of the judges.

The decision means the US treasury department can deliver the tax returns from 2015-20 for Mr Trump and some of his businesses to the Democratic-controlled committee.

It comes just before the Republicans take control of the House after this month’s midterm elections.

Mr Trump has notched two other defeats this year from the conservative-dominated Supreme Court, three of whose justices he appointed.

In October, the court refused to weigh in on the legal fight over the FBI search of Mr Trump’s Mar-aLago home. Agents served a warrant at the estate in August on suspicion that the former president improperly handled classified documents.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said two people were killed in shelling on a residential building in Kupiansk - a

town

Speaking

The move is a blow to Donald Trump, who has for years kept his returns sealed

Ukrainian emergency services managed to rescue a mother and doctor from the hospital which was hit overnight

A man, believed to be the store manager, opened fire then turned the gun on himself

in the Kharkiv region which was retaken by Ukrainian forces in September.

after both attacks,

President Zelensky accused Russia of trying “to achieve with terror and murder what it wasn’t able to achieve for nine months” on the battlefield.

DR expelled hundreds of children to Haiti without their families this year

Hundreds of children have been expelled from the Dominican Republic without their parents, according to UNICEF, amid a sweeping government push to remove suspected undocumented migrants from the country.

The United Nations Children’s Agency has received at least 1,800 unaccompanied children delivered by Dominican immigration authorities into Haiti since the year began, a spokesperson told CNN on Monday.

Many arrive without identity documents and are “shipped” into the country amid adult deportees, the spokesperson also said – raising the question of how Dominican authorities ascertained that they belonged in Haiti at all.

Back in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, immigration detention centers sometimes hold parents without children.

“One woman had a diaper bag with her, but not the baby. [Immigration agents] had told her that she couldn’t carry her baby with her, and that they would bring it to the bus – but then they didn’t bring the baby to the bus,” said Yoana Kuzmova, a researcher at Dominican migration policy thinktank Center for Migratory Observation and Social Development in the Caribbean.

The Dominican Republic has long sought to reduce the Haitian population within its borders. But the latest wave of deportations this year is taking place with stunning speed and breadth, prompting critics to accuse the Caribbean nation’s government of racial profiling, chaotic execution, and a disregard for human rights and families as immigration agents hustle people out of the country.

The United States embassy in the Dominican Republic has warned Black and “darkerskinned Americans” that they risk “increased interaction” with Dominican authorities amid the immigration crackdown. In a statement released Saturday, the embassy described “reports of the unequal treatment” of US citizens based on skin color.

But Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader has rejected calls to stop the deportations, arguing that the country already supports neighboring Haiti more than any other country in the world.

The Dominican Republic’s migration directorate did not

respond to CNN’s request for comment. But in a statement released after the publication of this article, the migration agency denied any cases of minors being separated from their parents since 2020. It quoted Venancio Alcántara, the migration agency’s director general, describing “specific procedures” for dealing with minors.

“Every time minors are accompanied by their parents, and when the parents have not been located, minors are referred to the Children and Teenagers National Counsel, which will take care of them,” he said.

ALLEGATIONS OF ‘DEGRADING TREATMENT’ AND MISTAKEN IDENTITIES

In October alone, 14,801 people were sent to Haiti from the Dominican Republic, according to records by Haitian aid organization Groupe d’Appui des Rapatriés et Réfugiés – an average of 477 people each day.

Social media videos appearing to show Dominican immigration authorities conducting raids have caused panic among Haitians and people of Haitian origin in the Dominican Republic, with even some who are legal residents

telling CNN that they are afraid to leave their homes.

Haiti’s Communications Ministry called on its neighbor to respect “human dignity” on Sunday, citing the “stunning images… that have drawn attention to inhumane and degrading treatment inflicted on Haitian citizens in the Dominican Republic.”

The immigration dragnet has swept up some people regardless of their nationality or legal status, according to former detainees and experts interviewed by CNN, as well as the US embassy statement.

One Haitian man, who lives and works legally in the Dominican Republic, told CNN that immigration agents broke into his home in the middle of the night and refused to listen to his arguments.

“I was sleeping in my house with my family. At 3 a.m. (local time), a group of immigration officers broke down my door and arrested me. They did not ask me for my papers or anything; they did not let me speak,” says one man of Haitian origin, whose legal work permit was in the process of being renewed when he was arrested.

“They just grabbed me and took me away; I told them I had papers and they did not even listen,” he added.

He was detained overnight in

squalid conditions before being released the next day.

Video that he secretly filmed and shared with CNN showed a concrete building with cramped stalls piled with food and blackened with waste, and a narrow room with no beds, where at least 15 other detained men waited.

“They treat them like animals. Once they put them in jail, they leave them there to sleep on the floor without feeding them. They destroyed people’s documents and in some cases, people had no chance to show their papers,” said Sam Guillaume, a GARR spokesperson.

He added that his organization has received several Dominican citizens in Haiti who were erroneously seized and deported.

A YEARS-LONG EFFORT

The Dominican Republic’s effort to remove people of Haitian origin from the country goes back years.

In 2013, the country’s constitutional court controversially ruled that Dominicans born in the country to undocumented parents should be stripped of their citizenship – rendering tens of thousands of people stateless, with no other country to call home.

Known colloquially as “La Sentencia” or the Sentence, it

“created a situation of statelessness of a magnitude never before seen in the Americas,” according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Many Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic rely on short-term residency permits to remain in the country legally through a “regularization plan.” But Kuzmova, the legal researcher, says she hears “over and over” that they risk being deported while they wait to renew those permits.

“When it comes to Haitian migrants, the residence permit is valid for a year, and they take a year to renew it. So the reality is that if this person who is eligible for a permit gets picked up on the street, they’re not going to have a valid document on them,” she says.

“What people are saying is that when you get picked up with an expired card, they destroy it. And that was basically the proof that you had of being in the regularization plan.”

A new presidential decree, issued last week to create a specialized law enforcement unit to combat squatting, could also be used to target people of Haitian origin living on historic sugar plantation villages known as bateyes, which once drew large numbers of migrant workers.

“The people living there now are largely retired old people who worked on the plantations, and they don’t have proof of title. So that could be another way to instrumentalize police to enforce deportations,” Kuzmova says.

As Haiti struggles to recover from interlinked political and security crises, the UN has repeatedly called on the Dominican Republic to stop sending people there.

“Unremitting armed violence and systematic human rights violations in Haiti do not currently allow for the safe, dignified and sustainable return of Haitians to the country. I reiterate my call to all countries in the region, including the Dominican Republic, to halt the deportation of Haitians,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk earlier this month.

Two days later, Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader responded with derision, describing Turk’s statement as “unacceptable and irresponsible” – and saying he would instead accelerate deportations. (CNN)

Members of the Specialised Border Security Corps (Cesfront) open the entry gate at the Dajabon and Ouanaminthe border bridge in Dajabon, Dominican Republic, on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022.

Regional News

Bermuda should ‘strive’ to get off list of non-self-governing countries – Premier

BERMUDA must have a mature discussion about sovereignty that is neither adversarial nor has the aim of gaining political ground, David Burt has said.

However, speaking during the motion to adjourn on Friday night, the Premier said that Bermuda should “strive” to get off the list of non-self-governing countries.

Mr Burt said that the Opposition wanted to lead the country to believe that a vote for the Progressive Labour Party was a vote for independence.

He said: “If we are going to have a mature debate in this country, because let’s be clear, this is a bipartisan issue, it doesn’t have to be an adversarial one, let’s not take it to the level where this is all about trying to reclaim a political base.

“This isn’t the Government of Bermuda’s sole item – this is the United Nations resolution. The UN has recognised Bermuda as a non self-governing territory, we are still a colony. They have a special committee on decolonisation and Bermuda is listed as a colony. We are not a fully democratic island, that is a fact.

“The UN resolutions say all administering powers, of which the UK is the largest one of those administering powers of so many different colonies still under their grasp, and all those UN members are required to advance matters regarding self determination to come off the list.

“That is a place that Bermuda should strive to get off and whatever decision we make, is a

Bermuda must have a mature discussion about sovereignty.

decision that we will have.”

Mr Burt said that after five years as Premier, he was a stronger proponent of sovereignty now than he has ever been “because I have seen the disregard paid to our issues by the Government in London”.

Rena Lalgie, the Governor, reserved assent on the Government’s controversial flagship cannabis legislation in May.

Mr Burt, who was speaking after the Attorney-General made a statement on the report assessing Bermuda’s self-governance sufficiency in conformity by United Nations official Carlyle G Corbin, added: “It is not a front to Her

Excellency [the Governor] because she is merely a representative of the UK Government.”

He said that during the Association of Bermuda International Companies’ quarterly meeting he was asked a question about sovereignty.

He said: “I laid out the Government’s decision and I made sure that I said we can have a mature discussion about the benefits and the drawbacks of a change to our constitutional status.”

Mr Burt said that the Government-commissioned report on self-governance, which was announced in the Throne Speech, would be made public once tabled in the House of Assembly.

Canada sanctions Haiti ex-President Martelly for financing gangs

Canada has sanctioned former Haitian President Michel Martelly and two former prime ministers for financing gangs, Canadian authorities stated.

It is the latest in a series of measures targeting alleged backers of Haitian criminal groups.

In September, Haitian gangs created a humanitarian crisis by blocking a fuel terminal for nearly six weeks, halting most economic activity and triggering U.N. discussion of a possible foreign strike force to open the terminal.

Canada and the United States have sanctioned political leaders who allegedly finance the gangs,

which according to policy makers are backed by Haitian elites.

“These latest sanctions target a former president of Haiti and two former prime ministers of Haiti suspected of protecting and enabling the illegal activities of armed criminal gangs,” the office of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement, which did not name the individuals.

Radio-Canada journalist Louis Blouin wrote on Twitter that the sanctions targeted Martelly, as well as former Haitian Prime Ministers Laurent Lamothe and Jean Henry Ceant.

Bermuda: Minimum wage bill includes penalties for employers not meeting legal requirements

AMENDMENTS to lay the groundwork for a $16.40 minimum wage in Bermuda are set to be debated at the next sitting of the House of Assembly.

Jason Hayward, the Minister of Economy and Labour, tabled the Employment (Minimum Wage Entitlement) Bill 2022 on Friday, which introduces provisions to give employees in Bermuda a “right of entitlement” to a statutory minimum wage.

Mr Hayward said that once it was introduced on June 1 next year, the island’s minimum wage would be one of the highest in the world.

The Government previously said it intended to introduce a minimum hourly wage of between $16 and $16.40 with hospitality workers, whose income is a combination of wages and gratuities, to have their

Mr Hayward said that once introduced the island’s minimum wage would be one of the highest in the world

minimum wage set between $12 and $12.30 per hour.

Mr Hayward said: “All employees are entitled to be paid

for hours worked and should have the confidence in knowing that their employer is complying with its obligations pursuant to the

Bill by paying them at least, the statutory minimum hourly wage rate.”

He told the House that the Bill established a procedure to determine if workers who were entitled to the minimum wage were receiving it and required employers to retain records to show they had complied with their obligations.

“An employee who has reasonable grounds to believe that their employer has paid them at a rate which is less than the minimum hourly wage, may make a request to access their records in this regard,” Mr Hayward said.

“Labour inspectors will have the authority to investigate an employee’s complaint against his employer pursuant to the Bill and issue enforcement notices to employers who have failed to

correctly remunerate an employee or employees.

“Employers who breach the Bill will be subject to a civil penalty regime, which will entail a faster, less laborious process for handling breaches.

“This penalty will be calculated at a rate equal to twice the amount of the minimum hourly wage in respect of the worker that the failure relates to for each day that the failure persists.”

Mr Hayward said the introduction of a minimum wage would improve the lives of workers on the island, particularly those who work in low-wage positions.

Last May, Cordell Riley, chairman of the Minimum Wage Commission, released a report proposing a minimum wage of between $13.20 and $17.30 per hour. (Royal Gazette)

Michel Martelly served as president from 2011 to 2016, taking office in the wake of the devastating 2010 earthquake

David Burt says

Regional News

Developer sues Bahamian govt for $3bn

A controversial Austrian developer is demanding an astonishing $3bnplus in damages and interest from the Government after it blocked his bid to acquire Abaco’s Treasure Cay project.

Dr Mirko Kovats, a Lyford Cay homeowner who has permanent resident status in The Bahamas, is alleging that this and his other local real estate deals “have been subject to undue influence by the Government” which he is accusing of “interference in a private commercial transaction”.

Legal filings in the US and The Bahamas, which have been obtained by Tribune Business, disclose the extent of Dr Kovats’ legal battles that have embroiled not only Treasure Cay but also the 384-acre South Ocean development in southwestern New Providence. And he is also setting his sights on south Long Island, and some 3,200 acres of real estate located in close proximity to the newly-unveiled $250m Calypso Cove cruise port.

The papers reveal that the Austrian, who lives at McCullough on Clifton Bay Drive, initiated Judicial Review proceedings against the Government on October 27, 2022, after the Bahamas Investment Authority (BIA) rejected his efforts to acquire the remaining 1,600 acres at Treasure Cay from Robert and Stefan Meister via a $22.325m deal.

Documents detail a series of meetings between with the Prime Minister, Cabinet ministers and other senior government officials, with Philip Davis KC at one point purportedly telling Dr Kovats: “Don’t let me down” were the Government to approve the Treasure Cay sale. The Davis administration ultimately decided against this, confirming its decision to Dr Kovats in the BIA’s June 16, 2022, letter.

The Lyford Cay resident appears especially unhappy with the Government’s escalating demands that he post a performance bond to guarantee the Treasure Cay redevelopment he promised will actually happen. The sum required rose from an initial $5m to $25m by the time that Dr Kovats’ commercial attorney, Greg Cottis, met with the Prime Minister on August 24, 2022, in a final bid to avoid litigation and move the project forward.

It is unclear how the total $3.127bn damages sought by Dr Kovats have been calculated, although they appear to represent lost sales revenues and profits that would accrue to him if his Treasure Cay plans were approved. They seem to have been calculated using a report produced by the CBRE

Group, an international real estate firm, for “updated Albany/South Ocean development plan proceeds” as well as based on property values at Abaco’s Baker’s Bay project.

Many observers are likely to be highly sceptical at the damages calculation submitted by Dr Kovats and his attorney, Damian Gomez KC, the former minister of state for legal affairs, as well as their prospects of Judicial Review success. One source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Tribune Business: “How he can take the Government to court and expect to win is beyond me. They can turn anyone down. That’s the nature of the beast.”

The concern for The Bahamas is that prime tracts of real estate, extremely valuable for driving future development, investment and job creation, face being potentially tied-up for years in expensive, time-consuming court fights. Several sources have suggested that litigation is frequently employed as a hardball negotiating tactic by Dr Kovats as a means to an end in securing his desired outcome.

His various legal battles have been exposed through documents filed in the US federal district court for Delaware on Friday. Dr Kovats is seeking “discovery” from a somewhat bizarre set of parties, including Elektra America Hospitality Group, the failed Grand Lucayan buyer; the principals behind the proposed $250m Calypso Cove cruise port for Long Island; rival Treasure Cay purchasers; and Rothschild & Co, the Government’s debt adviser.

The purpose appears to be to

uncover evidence that Dr Kovats has been treated in a harsh and discriminatory manner, thus supporting the Judicial Review bid to “quash” rejection of his Treasure Cay purchase obtain Supreme Court declarations that the BIA and National Economic Council (really the Cabinet) “failed to act fairly” and “acted irrationally” over how they treated him.

In his filings, Dr Kovats said it took almost two years of negotiations before he secured a deal to acquire Treasure Cay’s remaining undeveloped 595 acres, plus 1,000 acres of additional property, from the Meisters on February 9, 2021. To consummate the purchase, exchange control approval from the Central Bank was required by Dr Kovats is a non-Bahamian. To achieve this, a “no objection” letter was needed from the BIA.

Following the September 16, 2021, general election, Dr Kovats alleged that himself and Mr Cottis were asked to attend a meeting one week later by Chester Cooper, deputy prime minister, to update the new administration on his various real estate projects in The Bahamas. Also present was John Pinder, parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, and then-BIA director, Candia Ferguson.

Besides Treasure Cay and South Ocean, the Austrian has also been pursuing development of a 121unit condo complex at Love Beach which received Town Planning Committee approval just prior to the 2021 general election. After the BIA did not reply to “follow-

up correspondence” sent after the meeting, Dr Kovats alleged he was then informed by The Meisters of a December 2021 meeting that took place without his knowledge.

Present were the Meisters; M. Craig Roberts, their attorney; Phylicia Hanna-Woods, current director of investments; and Jerome Fitzgerald, the Prime Minister’s senior policy adviser. Eventually, Dr Kovats and Mr Cottis, his attorney, met with Mrs Hanna-Woods and Mr Fitzgerald on January 25, 2022, at which the latter allegedly said “the Government of The Bahamas has no desire to interfere in a private commercial transaction”.

The Austrian then met briefly with the Mr Davis and Myles Laroda, minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office, on February 4 but this “was cut short by the Prime Minister due to unexpected and unrelated business”. They reconvened on February 7, 2022, when Mr Davis was briefed on the Treasure Cay redevelopment plans and both Love Beach and South Ocean.

“Noting that the Love Beach project was undergoing final construction architecture for permitting, the Prime Minister questioned Dr Kovats’ ability to also pursue both his Treasure Cay and South Ocean projects,” the Judicial Review action alleged.

“Dr Kovats explained that although the South Ocean project had commenced in 2014, his immediate focus and priority was Treasure Cay following the devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian. To this end, Dr Kovats explained that he wished to

commence reconstruction of the marina immediately and had already had multiple discussions with Jimmy Mosko of Bahamas Marine Construction in this regard.

“Dr Kovats further explained to the Prime Minister that two restaurants would be immediately constructed, one at the marina and the other on the beach, as currently there existed no proper food and beverage facilities within Treasure Cay. In response, the Prime Minister said: ‘If I approve Treasure Cay, don’t let me down’.”

The Austrian investor described the next several months as “a backand-forth” with the Government as he sought to obtain the necessary approvals to close Treasure Cay’s purchase. However, it was at an April 7, 2022, meeting that the Prime Minister “intimated concerns had been expressed to him by unknown sources that Dr Kovats would not develop Treasure Cay”.

To ease such fears, Mr Davis inquired as to whether the developer would lodge a $5m performance bond to be released once the marina was completed. This was increased to $10m at a subsequent meeting on May 4, 2022, but Dr Kovats “did not consider such a request appropriate in the context of a private commercial transaction”.

“On June 20, 2022, I received a copy of a letter from the BIA refusing my application to the Central Bank to acquire the shares of Treasure Cay Ltd. Amazingly, that same letter contended that an application had never been made formally,” Dr Kovats alleged.

“On August 24, 2022, one of my attorneys [Mr Cottis] met with Bahamian Prime Minister ‘Brave’ Davis in an attempt to resolve the dispute. My attorney also provided a set of renderings in furtherance of the master plan delivered previously to the BIA and Prime Minister.

“During that meeting, the Prime Minster again demanded a performance bond for a private, commercial transaction. While I was not amenable to a bond, the Government had previously suggested bonds of $5m or $10m. During this meeting, my attorney inquired about the bond that would be required,” Dr Kovats continued.

“The Prime Minister responded that a $25m bond would be required, representing 10 percent of the $250m project value. In lieu of a bond, I provided a financial reference statement from my bank and offered a personal guarantee, even though these were not required to purchase private property.” His Judicial Review added: “There is no lawful basis for imposing any bond upon Dr Kovats.”

Aerial view of Treasure Cay Town Centre

Scotland blocked from holding independence vote by UK’s Supreme Court

BRITAIN’S Supreme Court has ruled that Scotland’s government cannot unilaterally hold a second referendum on whether to secede from the United Kingdom, in a blow to independence campaigners that will be welcomed by Westminster’s pro-union establishment.

The court unanimously rejected an attempt by the Scottish National Party (SNP) to force a vote next October, as it did not have the approval of Britain’s parliament.

But the decision is unlikely to stem the heated debate over independence that has loomed over British politics for a decade.

Scotland last held a vote on the issue, with Westminster’s approval, in 2014, when voters rejected the prospect of independence by 55% to 45%.

The pro-independence SNP has nonetheless dominated politics north of the border in the intervening years, at the expense of

the traditional, pro-union groups. Successive SNP leaders have pledged to give Scottish voters another chance to vote, particularly since the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016.

The latest push by SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon involved holding an advisory referendum late next year, similar to the 2016 poll that resulted in Brexit. But the country’s top court agreed that even a nonlegally binding vote would require oversight from Westminster, given its practical implications.

“A lawfully held referendum would have important political consequences relation to the Union and the United Kingdom Parliament,” Lord Reed said as he read the court’s judgment.

“It would either strengthen or weaken the democratic legitimacy of the Union and of the United Kingdom Parliament’s sovereignty over Scotland, depending on

which view prevailed, and would either support or undermine the democratic credentials of the independence movement,” he said.

Sturgeon said she accepted the ruling on Wednesday, but tried to frame the decision as another pillar in the argument for secession. “A law that doesn’t allow Scotland to choose our own future without Westminster consent exposes as myth any notion of the UK as a voluntary partnership & makes (a)

case” for independence,” she wrote on Twitter.

“Scottish democracy will not be denied,” she said. “Today’s ruling blocks one route to Scotland’s voice being heard on independence - but in a democracy our voice cannot and will not be silenced.”

England and Scotland have been joined in a political union since 1707, but many Scots have long bristled at what they consider a one-sided relationship dominated

by England. Scottish voters have historically rejected the ruling Conservative Party at the ballot box and voted heavily – but in vain – against Brexit, intensifying arguments over the issue in the past decade.

Since 1999, Scotland has had a devolved government, meaning many, but not all, decisions are made at the SNP-led Scottish Parliament in Holyrood, Edinburgh. (CNN)

Indonesia deadly earthquake: Rescuers battle aftershocks as survivor

Rescuers are battling dozens of aftershocks in Indonesia’s West Java region as the search for earthquake survivors reaches its third day.

West Java governor Ridwan Kamil told the BBC that the region had experienced around 140 shocks since Monday’s quake.

At least 268 people, including many children, have died so far. Around 151 people remain missing and more than 1,000 are injured.

Hundreds of responders have been sent to Cianjur, where the quake struck.

But their efforts have been hampered by torn-up roads and continuing tremors in the area.

Mr Kamil told the BBC’s Newsday programme that the local community was still exposed to these aftershocks, which have in some cases put responders at risk.

“Currently we are co-ordinating [our mission] to focus on search and rescue... [as] many people are still missing, mostly in remote areas [and] mountain tops,” he said.

Mr Kamil told the BBC rescue teams are still traversing the ground

search continues

on foot and motorbike, with roads and paths not always accessible, but that they also had helicopters on standby to transport people who were found to hospital.

The 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck near the heavily populated town of Cianjur shortly after lunchtime on Monday, reducing scores of buildings to rubble.

Many people were crushed or trapped when walls and roofs caved in. Many children are among the victims - with about 80 schools in the area affected, officials said.

“Most of the casualties are children because at 1pm, they were still at school,” said Henri Alfiandi from the National Search and Rescue Agency.

Aprizal Mulyadi was at school when the quake hit, and was trapped after “the room collapsed”.

The 14-year-old said his “legs were buried under the rubble”, but he was pulled to safety by his friend Zulfikar, who later died after himself becoming trapped.

At least 58,000 people have been evacuated with dozens of refugee camps set up around the area, the governor said. He cited

the National Disaster Mitigation Agency which has estimated 22,000 homes have been damaged.

The quake triggered landslides which buried entire villages.

In the village of Cibereum, a family said their eldest son, 28, had died when the house collapsed on him. His relatives and younger siblings had survived because they were on a higher floor.

“We have to dig through the concrete of the second floor that crushed the victim. But we have seen the body,” a military official, Sergeant Payakun told the BBC on Tuesday.

President Joko Widodo had earlier visited the remote disaster zone where he was pictured with responders.

“My instruction is to prioritise evacuating victims that are still trapped under rubble,” he said, adding that he had pledged compensation to affected communities.

Mr Kamil said the government would repair damaged houses, adding that residents living in “vulnerable” areas would be told not to build future houses there.

Scottish voters rejected independence in a 2014 referendum

Over 250 persons, many of whom are children, have been confirmed dead

Stocking and supplying designated facility areas, dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, restroom cleaning etc. Salary: $6.50 Hourly

Adele kicks off Las Vegas residency 10 months after postponing all shows

ADELE finally said “Hello” to Sin City.

After a nearly 10-month delay, the multi-Grammy-winning singer opened her eagerly anticipated residency in Las Vegas on Friday night, apologizing to her fans for the pause she had attributed to COVID-related preparation issues.

“Weekends with Adele,” the first concert residency by the 34-yearold British musician, debuted at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace to a crowd of more than 4,000 fans

— an impressive list that included celebrities James Corden, director Baz Luhrmann, and Apple CEO Tim Cook.

“I’d really like to thank Caesars because there’s been a lot of [expletive] written about me since I canceled those shows,” she told the audience, according to Variety. “Ninety percent of it is completely made up, but not once did [Caesars] ask any questions.”

She told the crowd she was “truly sorry for any inconvenience and any disappointment,” according to

Variety.

The concert — in support of Adele’s fourth album, “30” — was initially scheduled to kick off Jan. 21. But less than 24 hours before the show, a tearful Adele said she had to postpone her residency because of the pandemic.

“We’ve tried absolutely everything that we can to put it together in time, and for it to be good enough for you,” she said on Twitter. “But we’ve been absolutely destroyed by delivery delays and COVID.”

Bruce Lee died from drinking too much water, new study claims

LATIN music trailblazer Pablo Milanés, the Cuban singersongwriter and staunch Fidel Castro supporter who was among the pioneers of the island’s socially conscious “nueva trova” movement, died Tuesday. He was 79.

Milanés died in Madrid where he had been undergoing treatment for blood cancer, his representatives said.

Throughout a career that spanned more than five decades, Milanés was recognized as a cultural ambassador for Castro’s revolution despite being a frequent critic of the communist government.

Born to working-class parents in the eastern city of Bayamo, Milanés helped found Cuba’s politically and socially-charged nueva trova movement alongside Noel Nicola and Silvio Rodríguez, and crafted a string of hits including the influential love song “Yolanda,” “Yo Me Quedo” and “Amo Esta Isla.”

He composed his first song in 1963 as a member of Cuarteto del Rey in the early 1960s. The song “Tu Mi Desengano” addressed moving on from lost love.

The winner of two Latin Grammys in 2006, Milanés was

also the recipient of numerous Cuban honours including 1982’s Alejo Carpentier medal and the 2005 National Music Prize in 2005.

Earlier this month, Milanés announced he was being hospitalized and canceled concerts. (NYDailynews)

NEARLY 50 years after Bruce Lee’s death, new research suggests the movie star’s sudden passing was caused by drinking too much water.

The martial arts master died in Hong Kong in July 1973, with brain swelling ruled as the cause of death.

A study published in the December issue of Clinical Kidney Journal, however, claims Lee drank more water than his body could handle, and that the real cause of death was hyponatraemia.

The condition occurs when the amount of water in a person’s body reduces the sodium levels in their blood, preventing them from excreting water through urinating fast or efficiently enough.

Lee, who died at age 32, had a “chronic fluid intake” that included alcohol and a juice-based diet, used marijuana and previously injured his kidneys doing martial arts — all risk factors for hyponatraemia, the study says.

“We hypothesise that Bruce Lee died from a specific form of kidney dysfunction: the inability to excrete enough water to maintain water homeostasis,” wrote the researchers, a group of doctors from Autonomous University

in Madrid. “This may lead to hyponatraemia, cerebral oedema and death within hours if excess water intake is not matched by water excretion in urine.

“Given that hyponatraemia is frequent, as is found in up to 40% of hospitalized persons and may cause death due to excessive water ingestion even in young healthy persons, there is a need for a wider dissemination of the concept that excessive water intake can kill.”

The researchers noted the hyponatraemia may have caused the brain swelling doctors found in 1973.

“Ironically, Lee made famous the quote ‘Be water my friend’, but excess water appears to have ultimately killed him,” the researchers conclude.

Theories have long circulated about Lee’s cause of death, including claims he suffered heat stroke, poisoning — possibly accidentally after consuming tainted aspirin — or an assassination by triad gangsters. The idea of a supernatural family curse has also been floated — a theory apparently reverse-engineered after Lee’s son Brandon’s accidental death while filming “The Crow” in 1993. (NYDailynews)

Bruce Lee died at the age of 32

Cuban musician Pablo Milanes sings during the inauguration of the XXXVI Latin-American Cinema Festival at Karl Marx theater, on December 4, 2014 in Havana

Pablo Milanés, Grammy winning Cuban singer-songwriter, dead at 79

Adele performs onstage during the “Weekends with Adele” Residency Opening at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on November 18, 2022 in Las Vegas

A Little Life: Hanya Yanagihara novel heads to London stage

A NOVEL which developed a passionate following among young audiences will be adapted for the stage in a new West End production starring James Norton.

A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara, follows four classmates from a small US college who move to New York to pursue their careers. It deals with complex themes including abuse, race, privilege, sexuality, friendship and addiction.

The novel was shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2015. It did not win, but became a word-of-mouth hit after striking a chord with younger people - something which can rarely be said for the kinds of books normally shortlisted for the prestigious literature prize.

A Little Life’s devoted fanbase includes singer Dua Lipa, who interviewed Yanagihara for her podcast, telling her the book had “changed her life”.

The stage adaptation will play for 12 weeks at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London from 25 March.

The West End premiere will mark the show’s English-language debut - its director Ivo van Hove has previously only staged it in Dutch.

“The book is a kind of a mystery, because it became a huge bestseller,” he tells BBC News. “It’s a little bit strange because it talks about cruel things, about a traumatic experience that haunts somebody for the rest of his life.”

“But after all these years, every night, theatres are full, people are moved, sometimes angry, but it creates a very visceral reaction towards it.”

Sales of the novel, Yanagihara’s second, were modest following its publication - but it gradually became popular via word-ofmouth, ultimately selling more than 2.5 million copies. (For context, the author’s 2013 debut, The People in the Trees, had sold only a few thousand copies.)

The stage adaptation of A Little Life will star Norton - who is known for McMafia and Happy

Valley - alongside It’s A Sin star Omari Douglas, Bridgerton’s Luke Thompson and The Witcher’s Zach Wyatt.

The Dutch version played four performances (with English surtitles) at the Edinburgh Festival this year. It enjoyed warm reviews from critics, despite its often grim subject matter.

The Telegraph awarded it five stars, saying in its review: “This devastating play is emotionally gruelling. But that doesn’t detract from how transfixing and heartrending it is.”

There was agreement from the Guardian, which described the play as “mesmerising” in its fourstar review, but added: “This is not a show for the faint-hearted.”

Some critics also noted that the four-hour runtime could put off

ticket-buyers.

Van Hove says the West End version will be slightly shorter, at 3hrs 40mins, but points out there is so much material to reproduce. “The book is 720 pages,” he points out, “but it is a page-turner.”

New ‘Indiana Jones’ film de-ages Harrison Ford through special effects

IT’S not the years, it’s the mileage.

The makers of the upcoming fifth “Indiana Jones” film used movie magic to digitally de-age star Harrison Ford for an opening sequence set in 1944, director James Mangold told Empire magazine.

The scene, which depicts Nazis in a castle, aims to capture the spirit of the franchise’s original films imagined by director Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.

“I wanted the chance to dive into this kind of full-on Georgeand-Steven old picture and give the audience an adrenaline blast,”

Mangold said.

Out next June, the untitled film marks the 80-year-old Ford’s first turn as the adventurer Indy since 2008’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”

“My hope is that, although it will be talked about in terms of technology, you just watch it and go, ‘Oh my God, they just found footage. This was a thing they shot 40 years ago’,” producer Kathleen Kennedy told Empire.

“We’re dropping you into an adventure, something Indy is looking for, and instantly you have that feeling, ‘I’m in an Indiana

Jones movie.’”

The franchise’s first three movies are set in 1930s, while its fourth takes place nearly two decades later. The latest film is partly set in 1969.

“Indiana Jones” becomes the latest high-profile project to employ de-aging technology. Martin Scorsese’s 2019 crime drama “The Irishman” made Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci look younger, while the live-action “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian” did the same with Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker. (NYDailynews)

‘Power Rangers’ actor Jason David Frank dead at 49

JASON David Frank, a longtime actor on multiple “Power Rangers” series, died at age 49, his team said Sunday.

Frank originated the role of Tommy Oliver — the Green Ranger — on “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” in 1993 and appeared on more than 100 episodes of the superhero action show.

The announcement did not include a cause of death for Frank, who played the fanfavourite character on series such as 1996’s “Power Rangers Zeo,” 1997’s “Power Rangers Turbo” and 2004’s “Power Rangers DinoThunder.”

He starred in the 1997 movie “Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie” and continued to make special appearances on “Power Rangers” projects into

this decade — most recently on a 2020 episode of the show “Super Power Beat Down.”

“Can’t believe it,” former “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” actor Walter Emmanuel Jones wrote in an Instagram tribute Sunday.

“My heart is sad to have lost another member of our special family.”

The California-born Frank’s manager expressed hope in a statement that the actor’s loved ones would receive privacy “during this horrible time as we come to terms with the loss of such a wonderful human being.”

Frank earned more than 40 acting credits during a career spanning nearly three decades, and he also competed as a mixed martial artist. (NYDailynews)

Frank was originally casted as the Green Ranger, before he was brought back to play the White Ranger and the new leader of the team

Left to right: Zach Wyatt (who will play Malcolm), James Norton (Jude), Omari Douglas (JB) and Luke Thompson (Willem)

Harrison Ford in “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”

Eurovision scraps jury voting in semi-finals

THE Eurovision Song Contest has announced major changes to the voting process at next year’s contest.

Professional juries have been scrapped from the semi-finals, meaning that viewers alone will choose who qualifies for the grand final.

Countries who are not competing in the contest will also be allowed to cast votes for the first time.

The move comes after it was

discovered that six juries traded votes at this year’s contest in Turin, Italy.

Irregular voting patterns were detected from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania and San Marino, said the EBU, which organises the contest.

Those jury votes were discounted, and substituted with an aggregate score, calculated from the results of other countries with similar voting records.

In the end, the contest was won by Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra, with the UK’s Sam Ryder taking second place.

Liverpool will host the event in 2023.

Professional juries, which comprise professional songwriters

and music industry figures, have existed since at least the second Eurovision Song Contest in 1957 (the voting system for the first competition has never been revealed).

Under the current system, their scores are combined with the results of a public vote to determine the overall winner.

This practice will continue in the final, said the EBU in a press release.

TV presenter Nicki Chapman, who has served on the UK jury twice, welcomed the change, saying fans often know more than the professionals.

“There’ll be lots of people breathing a sigh of relief, because real Eurovision fans are online months and months in advance. They know every single song, and they’ll have their favourites.

“So when Ireland gets knocked out, for example, so many people are disappointed. This [change] gives everybody the chance to put their favourite through and, when it comes to the final, the juries will have 50% of the votes.”

Allowing non-participating countries to vote will reflect “the global impact of the event,” said Martin Österdahl, the contest’s executive supervisor.

favourite songs.”

Online votes from the “rest of the world” will be added together and converted to points that will have the same weight as one participating country in both of the semi-finals and the grand final, the EBU said.

“I love the idea it’s going to go global,” said Chapman, who worked with David Bowie, the Spice Girls and Amy Winehouse before moving into television.

“I wonder whether, say an artist such as Adele might suddenly think, ‘Actually, I want to be part of this. This goes out to a global audience, I want to represent the UK’. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

In the past, Eurovision viewers have frequently voted in opposition to the juries. This year,for example, Ukraine overwhelmingly won the tele-vote at the final, scoring 439 points, but came fourth in the jury vote, with 192.

Sam Ryder, meanwhile, was the jury members’ favourite act, scoring 283 points, but came fifth with viewers at home.

Thirty-seven countries will take place in next year’s contest, with Montenegro and North Macedonia pulling out due to the cost of participating.

RINGO Starr has come up with a new way to spread his signature “peace” greeting among his die hard fans.

The former Beatles drummer is selling 500 life-size statues of the famous hand gesture for an online charity.

Julien’s Auctions announced Tuesday the sale of the limitededition sculptures, which are available in stainless steel and bronze, and priced at $5,000 and $2,000, respectively.

Standing nearly 10 inches tall and weighing more than 3 pounds, each statue comes signed by the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer with a certificate of authenticity and packaged in a Ringo “Peace & Love” box.

Proceeds from the sale will go towards the Lotus Foundation, which was founded by the musician and his wife Barbara Starkey in 1998 to support charitable

“Everyone watching the show, wherever they live in the world, can cast their votes for their

Russia was expelled from this year’s event after its invasion of Ukraine; and its suspension will continue in 2023. (BBC)

CONTRIBUTORS NEEDED

Perhaps

Maybe

Or are you an entrepreneur who would like to share tips on setting up a new business?

We need regular contributors of 400 word articles on a variety of topics for our Lifestyle pages.

Get in touch with us at the Turks and Caicos Weekly News and pitch your idea

for a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly column.

You will have your name in print along with your business contact details if requested.

It’s a great way to share your knowledge and promote your business or start-up.

Contact us now at tcweeklynews@gmail.com

Do you have a subject of interest that you’d like to share with our readers?

you’re a great cook and have created lots of delicious recipes that use local ingredients.

you have ideas on how to save money when shopping and know where to find all the latest bargains.

Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra won this year’s Eurovision Song Contest

Ringo Starr visits his ‘Peace and Love’ sculpture to celebrate his 81st birthday on July 07, 2021 in Beverly Hills, California.

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

FRONT DESK AGENTS

Minimum

ROOM ATTENDANTS / HOUSEMEN

Salary

BEACH STAFF

Candidates

MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR

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:

•

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS:

•

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

The Financial

Commission (FSC),

regulator of 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

While

shortlisted

appreciate

contacted.

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.

LAST KNOWN ADDRESSES: TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.

BELLE is searching for the whereabouts of DOROTHY ANN SANCHEZ, or her descendants, HEIRS OF JOHN HENRY FORBES, CHARLES EBENEZER FULLER FORBES as administrator of the estate of NATHANIEL EBENEZER FORBES, or his descendants, HEIRS OF ROBERT ALEXANDER FORBES, HEIRS OF FRANK STEPHENSON FORBES and NOEL FORBES, WILLIAM DARIUS FORBES AND AUBREY EMMANUEL FORBES or their descendants. The said persons are the registered proprietors or personal representatives of the registered proprietors of land at 40202/4, Central, Middle Caicos. On behalf of its client, BELLE intends to make application to the land registry for the partition of land at 40202/4.

If you are or know the whereabouts of DOROTHY ANN SANCHEZ, the HEIRS OF JOHN HENRY FORBES, CHARLES EBENEZER FULLER FORBES as administrator of the estate of NATHANIEL EBENEZER FORBES, the HEIRS OF ROBERT ALEXANDER FORBES, the HEIRS OF FRANK STEPHENSON FORBES, NOEL FORBES, WILLIAM DARIUS FORBES and AUBREY EMMANUEL FORBES or are direct descendants please contact BerthaLee Belle, attorney at telephone number 1(649)241-6246 or belle@tciway.tc

David Johnson: Former Liverpool & Everton striker dies aged 71

FORMER England striker David Johnson, the first man to score for both Liverpool and Everton in the Merseyside derby, has died aged 71.

Johnson, who scored six goals in eight appearances for England, had been suffering from throat cancer.

He had two spells at Everton in between playing for Ipswich Town under Bobby Robson and Liverpool for Bob Paisley.

In his six years at Anfield from 1976, Johnson won three league titles and the European Cup in 1981.

Ex-Liverpool forward David Fairclough led the tributes to his former team-

mate, writing on Twitter: “So sad to hear my great friend and Liverpool legend David Johnson has passed away today.

“Shared so many great moments and memories with ‘Jono’. Today is a very sad day. Condolences to all Dave’s family. RIP ‘Doc’.”

Everton confirmed the news with a statement that read: “Everyone at Everton football club is saddened to learn of the untimely passing of David ‘Doc’ Johnson at the age of 71. Our thoughts are with David’s family and friends at this time.”

Johnson began his career at Goodison Park and

scored in the Merseyside derby in 1971 - then scored for Liverpool in the match nine years later. Only Peter Beardsley has since repeated the feat.

He moved to Ipswich in 1972, helping Robson’s

SENIOR MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN

THE JOB DESCRIPTION IS AS FOLLOWS:

• Responsibility for the maintenance and reliability of all equipment, utilities, and the facilities.

• Works collaboratively with other functional areas to ensure all maintenance related needs are met in a timely fashion.

• Provides support and/or develops programs related to maintenance including preventative maintenance, facility management, budgeting, engineering, and compliance requirements.

• Maintain the equipment, utilities, and facilities.

• Provide support for in house repair and maintenance projects.

• Develop and maintain proper preventative maintenance of systems and facilities.

• Ordering of supplies and consumable items related to utility and maintenance needs.

• Must be liaison between contract labor and management. Must be competent in using contractors to complete various projects.

• Provide technical feedback, analysis, complete shift reports, and assist management with daily duties and reporting responsibilities in support of the maintenance department and operations.

• Staying up to date on maintenance programs and procedures.

• Evaluate existing brewery systems and facilities against current and projected needs.

• Handling of chemicals while wearing appropriate PPE.

SKILLS REQUIRED:

• Previous experience in diagnosing mechanical, electrical, and electronic faults

• Welding (TIG, MIG etc.)

• Previous experience in factory machinery maintenance

Pay $62,000USD per year (negotiable depending on experience)

side win the 1973 Texaco Cup - a competition for club sides in England, Scotland and Ireland - and reach the quarter-finals of the Uefa Cup the following season.

Johnson made his England debut under Don Revie in 1975, scoring twice in a 2-2 draw against Wales at Wembley.

But it was with Liverpool that he enjoyed the most success, scoring 78 goals in 213 appearances after joining for a club-record fee of £200,000 in 1976.

David Johnson won three league titles with Liverpool as well as the European Cup in 1981

Mystery parasites on zombie ant fungus identified by scientists

AROUND the world, a parasitic fungus transforms ants into “zombies.”

The fungus is like something out of a horror movie: The organism hijacks the body and brain of its ant host, mind-controlling it into abandoning its nest and climbing a nearby tree.

There, the infected ant clamps its jaws around a leaf, dangling above the forest floor, and dies in a matter of days as the fungus digests it. Bursting through its host’s body, the fungus then sends down a shower of spores to infect the next generation of ant prey.

Scientifically categorized in the genus Ophiocordyceps, the more than two dozen species of zombie ant fungus populate the globe, including Florida, Brazil and Japan; scientists suspect that each of the dozens of ant species affected has its own specialized Ophiocordyceps strain.

So far, scientists have figured out the molecular mechanism of the parasitic interaction between fungus and ant that forms the basis of the behavioural manipulation, according to a 2020 study. How exactly these parasites systematically operate, however, is poorly understood.

Now, scientists have revealed that the ant-attacking fungus is infected with fungal parasites of its own, which could be helping to keep ant zombification in check, according to a new study.

MYSTERY FUNGUS

Dr. João Araújo, an assistant curator of mycology at the New York Botanical Garden, has been trekking through tropical forests in search of zombie ants for more than a decade. Over the years, he kept noticing something strange: a fuzzy white fungus growing on top of the zombie ant fungus.

Other scientists have noted the mystery fungus for decades, but Araújo and his colleagues decided to become the first scientists to systematically dig into the matter, zeroing in on a strain of zombie ants from Florida. The researchers described the physical structure of the fungi growing on top of the zombie ant fungus and sequenced their DNA in a study published November 9 in the journal Persoonia.

In doing so, the team discovered two new genera of fungus previously unknown to science.

“We realized that there were two different lineages of fungi, novel lineages of fungi, infecting one species of zombie ant fungus in Florida,” said Araújo, the study’s lead author.

Each of the two newly discovered fungi belongs to its own genus. One of the new fungi, Niveomyces coronatus, is responsible for the fuzzy white coating on the zombie ant fungus — a component of its name (“niveo”) comes from the Latin for “snowy.” The second new fungus, Torrubiellomyces zombiae, is harder to spot: The little black blobs “look like fleas,”

according to Araújo.

CHECKS AND BALANCES

The fungi attacking the zombie ant fungus don’t, in turn, zombify their host, but they do feed on its tissues and appear to cause it harm.

“Every time we see these new genera we described growing on the fungus, the fungus looks pretty beaten up, really consumed by this other fungus,” Araújo said.

“In some cases, it castrates Ophiocordyceps (the zombiemaking fungus) first, so it cannot shoot the spores anymore, and then it grows and then consumes the whole fungus.” Since Niveomyces and Torrubiellomyces are so new to science, it’s not yet clear how much of an effect they have on zombie ant fungi populations overall.

These new genera are the first parasites officially described as infecting the zombie ant fungus, but the researchers suspect there could be others out there. “I think it’s more common than we think. Parasitism is a super lucrative sort of lifestyle,” said senior study author Dr. Charissa de Bekker, an assistant professor at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. “It might be the most dominant lifestyle on the planet.”

ADDITIONAL RESEARCH NEEDED

What’s more, she said, parasites in general and parasitic fungi in particular are poorly studied. “The fact that we had to invoke two new genera tells you how little we know

One of the new fungi, Niveomyces coronatus, causes the white coating on the zombie ant fungus

about this part of the fungal tree of life,” de Bekker said.

By deepening our understanding of the zombie ant fungus, the new research could have applications that go beyond the study of fungi, said Dr. Carolyn Elya, a postdoctoral fellow in organismic and evolutionary biology at Harvard University. She was not involved with the study.

“Ophiocordyceps has basically over evolutionary time become an expert neuroscientist. It knows exactly what buttons to push and how to get the ant to do what it wants,” she said. “By studying how it’s figured out how to solve this problem, we can have insight into our more general goal of trying to understand how brains work or produce behaviour.” (CNN)

A Mason is required to work along with the maintenance team and must possess the following skills

• Mix cement using equipment, and/or hand tools.

• Lay blocks follow blueprint plans or drawings.

• Cut or breaks concrete using hammers, power saws etc.

• Remove excess mortar with trowels and hand tools.

• Fabricates, alters, repair foundation and other related structures or surfaces.

• Must have proven experience as a mason.

• Must be willing to work well with the team

• Must have clean police record.

• This position pays $9.00 per hour

Please note that this position is held by a work permit holder. Remuneration for this position is $9.00.

• Full time/$15. per hour

• Applicant must have a minimum of 10 year experience in all aspects of stable maintenance. This includes:

• Riding and horse handling (grooming, tacking up, cleaning tack, cleaning stalls, and lunging)

• Knowledge of Equine Nutrition

• Must have experience in teaching English lessons and jumping to 3 feet. Teaching adults and children (mainly tourists) basic riding skills.

• Basic hoof trimming an asset. Should know basic equine medical care.

• Experience in breaking and training young horses and handling spirited horses.

• Must be able to organize a ride, guide and supervise inexperienced riders on trail rides. Must have own phone. Must weigh 150 pounds or less. Must speak fluent English, second language an asset.

Venture House – Grace Bay

Science & Technology

Esa mulls Solaris plan to beam solar energy from space

SPACE chiefs are to investigate whether electricity could be beamed wirelessly from orbit into millions of homes.

The European Space Agency will this week likely approve a three-year study to see if having huge solar farms in space could work and be cost effective.

The eventual aim is to have giant satellites in orbit, each able to generate the same amount of electricity as a power station.

Research ministers will consider the idea at a Paris meeting on Tuesday.

While several organisations and other space agencies have looked into the idea, the so-called Solaris initiative would be the first to lay the ground for a practical plan to develop a space-based renewable energy generation system.

The programme is one of a number of proposals being considered by ministers at Esa’s triennial council, which will decide the budget for the next phase of the space agency’s plans for space exploration, environmental monitoring and communications.

Josef Aschbacher, who is Esa’s director general, told BBC News that he believed that solar power from space could be of ‘’enormous’’ help to address future energy shortages.

‘’We do need to convert into carbon neutral economies and therefore change the way we produce energy and especially reduce the fossil fuel part of our energy production,” he said.

‘’If you can do it from space, and I’m saying if we could, because we are not there yet, this would be absolutely fantastic because it would solve a lot of problems.”

The Sun’s energy can be collected much more efficiently

Game-changing type 1 diabetes drug approved in US

A “GAME-CHANGING”

immunotherapy drug proven to delay the development of type 1 diabetes has been approved by regulators in the USA.

Experts say teplizumab marks a “new era” in treatment, tackling the root cause of the condition for the first time, rather than just the symptoms.

It works by reprogramming the immune system to stop it mistakenly attacking pancreatic cells which produce insulin.

It is likely to pave the way for approval decisions in other countries.

About 8.7 million people have type 1 diabetes worldwide. In the UK the condition affects 400,000 people, including more than 29,000 children.

BURDEN’

In type 1 diabetes, the immune system (that normally fights off bacteria and viruses) mistakenly attacks key cells in the pancreas which produce insulin.

Insulin is crucial, helping the body use sugar for energy, and most current treatments focus on people checking their blood sugars and taking insulin - by injection or infusion - every day.

In 2019, a trial showed the drug delayed some people at high risk of the condition from developing it for an average of two years.

Experts say this delay can be very significant, particularly for young people who would not have to take daily insulin or monitor their sugars as intensively for that period of time.

They suggest people could also spend more years with their blood

in space because there is neither night nor clouds. The idea has been around for more than 50 years, but it has been too difficult and too expensive to implement, until maybe now.

The game-changer has been the plummeting cost of launches, thanks to reusable rockets and other innovations developed by the private sector. But there have also been advances in robotic construction in space and the development of technology to

wirelessly beam electricity from space to Earth.

Esa is seeking funds from its member nations for a research programme it calls Solaris, to see if these developments mean that it is now possible to develop spaced-based solar power reliably and cheaply enough to make it economically viable.

“The idea of space-based solar power is no longer science fiction,” according to Esa’s Dr Sanjay Vijendran, who is the scientist leading the Solaris initiative,

“The potential is there and we now need to really understand the technological path before a decision can be made to go ahead with trying to build something in space.”

A key focus of the Solaris programme is to establish whether it is possible to transfer the solar energy collected in space to electricity grids on Earth. This can’t of course be done with an extremely long cable, so it has to be sent wirelessly, using microwave beams.

The Solaris team has already shown that is is possible in principle to transmit electricity wirelessly safely and efficiently.

Engineers sent 2 KW of power collected from solar cells wirelessly to collectors more than 30 metres

away at a demonstration at the aerospace firm, Airbus in Munich in September. It will be a big step up to send gigawatts of power over thousands of miles, but according to Jean Dominique Coste, who is a senior manager for Airbus’s blue sky division, it could be achieved in a series of small steps.

‘’Our team of scientists have found no technical show-stoppers to prevent us from having spacebased solar power,” he said.

Dr Ray Simpkin, who is the chief scientist of Emrod, the firm that developed the wireless beaming system, said that the technology was safe.

‘’Nothing will get fried,’’ he told BBC News.

“The power is spread out over a such a large area that even at its peak intensity in the centre of the beam it will not be hazardous to animals or humans.”

The US, China and Japan are also advanced in the race to develop space-based solar power and are expected to announce their own plans shortly. Separately from the ESA proposal, in the UK, a company, Space Solar, has been formed. It aims to demonstrate beaming power from space within six years, and doing so commercially within nine years. (BBC)

About 8.7 million people have type 1 diabetes worldwide

sugars in a healthy range, offering more time to be protected from the complications of high blood sugars such as kidney or eye disease.

Beth Baldwin’s son Peter died after a diabetic ketoacidosis emergency in 2014. He had undiagnosed type 1 diabetes and his body was shutting down. He was just 13.

Beth said: “A drug like this would be life-changing.

“You cannot stop people getting type 1 diabetes for now. But delaying the onset.... would be phenomenal -

particularly for children.

“It means three years of not having to intensively manage the condition, and it may delay it long enough for more research to take place.

“It is a huge step forward.”

Beth now works with the charity JDRF UK to increase awareness of the signs of type 1 diabetes, including feeling very thirsty, urinating more than usual, feeling very tired and losing weight without trying.

WHAT IS DIABETES?

Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes a person’s blood sugar level to become too high.

There are two main types: type 1 - where the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin type 2 - where the body does not produce enough insulin, or the body’s cells do not react to insulin

Type 2 diabetes is far more common than type 1. (BBC)

Engineers would have to wirelessly transmit gigawatts of energy safely and reliably from space

Science & Technology

Having good physical balance ‘makes life worth living,’ expert says

WHEN people think about improving their physical fitness, they often overlook the issue of balance. That’s a critical oversight. Good balance is an integral part of being physically fit and key to living a long life, according to research. It’s an important issue for everyone, no matter your age.

Older adults are most affected by poor balance. Falls are the leading cause of injury and death for those 65 and older, with nearly 30% in this age group reporting at least one fall in 2018, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But younger adults frequently stumble, too.

Forty-eight percent of young adults reported falling at least once during one 16-week study. The tumbles most commonly occurred during walking and sports activities, with female participants in the study reporting more falls and fall-related injuries than males.

Falls within the previous two years were reported by 18% of young adults (ages 20 to 45) in another study published in the journal BMC Public Health. That figure compared with 21% of middle-aged adults (46 to 65) reporting falls and 35% of those over 65. While falls among young adults often correlated to participation in sports, stumbles by the middle-aged group were typically related to health issues and physiological changes.

Many factors can affect your

balance outside of age, such as medication, vision changes, neuropathy of the feet, brain injuries, obesity and a general lack of physical fitness. Even if you have no risk factors, simply neglecting to work regularly on your balance will result in increased instability.

“Our body is conditioned to lose what we don’t regularly use and practice, and balance is no different,” said Susan Baxter, a physiotherapist in Melbourne, Australia, via email.

EVALUATING AND IMPROVING BALANCE

To see if your balance is on the shaky side, here are three tests you can try. Before doing so, make sure you’re in a safe environment in case you fall.

Stand with your feet together, ankles touching and arms folded across your chest. You should be able to stand in this position, with your eyes closed, for 60 seconds. You can also do the same test placing one foot directly in front of the other. You should be able to stand 38 seconds on both sides.

· Stand on one foot, without your other foot touching your standing leg. Those under age 60 should be able to stand in this position for 29 seconds with their eyes open and 21 seconds with them closed. People 60 and older should be able to clock 22 seconds and 10 seconds, respectively.

· Stand on one foot with your

hands on your hips, placing the other foot against the inside of your knee. Raising the heel of your standing foot off the floor, you should be able to remain steady and upright for 25 seconds.

If you failed any of these tests, don’t despair. With some practice, you can regain — and improve upon — your balancing skills. One of the easiest ways to do so is to practice a single-legged balance hold on each leg, said Meltem Sonmez Burr, a certified personal trainer and founder of Barreitude in New York. Practice standing next to a chair or something you can grab onto if you become unsteady.

Walking up stairs is another easy way to enhance your balance, Baxter said, as part of good balance lies in a strong lower body. Squats and lunges work, too. And since the vestibular system in your inner ear thrives off sensory input, Baxter recommended motions such as

kneeling on the ground or standing up from a seated position, both of which require movements across different planes of your body.

If you prefer more playful exercises, you can dance, jump, walk sideways or backward, or stand on your tiptoes or heels, said Michael Landau, a Feldenkrais practitioner in Limache, Chile, who teaches mindful movement. (Feldenkrais is an exercise therapy designed to help people reconnect with their bodies and improve their movement.)

The most important thing is to challenge your balance constantly.

“When you have good balance, you move around with less fear and more flexibility,” Landau said, adding that a fear of falling makes you stiff and stressed — and thus more likely to fall.

Don’t think you have the time to work on your balance? There are easy ways to sneak it into your daily

routines. Stand on one leg while brushing your teeth, watching television or waiting in line at the grocery store. Or periodically walk around shoeless, Baxter said.

“Mechanoreceptors in our feet send messages to our brain to let us know our feet are working and where they are in space,” she said. “Once trained adequately to balance without footwear, step on a yoga mat or thin pillow and try that challenge.”

Don’t get discouraged if you find these exercises challenging. Balance improves pretty quickly with a little practice. And exercises will net you benefits at any age, whether you’re a child or in your 90s.

“Good balance improves your general mobility, so you’ll move more and your muscles and bones will get stronger,” Landau said. “It’s good for longevity and general health, and it makes life worth living.” (CNN)

Tonga volcanic eruption reshaped Pacific seafloor

Scientists say they are stunned by what they’ve learnt about the ferocity of the Tonga volcanic eruption in January.

When the underwater mountain blew its top, it sent ash and watervapour half-way to space, and generated tsunami waves across the globe.

A survey by New Zealand and UK vessels has now fully mapped the area around the Pacific volcano.

It shows the seafloor was scoured and sculpted by violent debris flows out to a distance of over 80km (50 miles).

The mapping exercise at the Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha?apai

seamount was led by NZ’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa).

The gathered data indicates that at least 9.5 cubic km, perhaps as much as 10 cubic km, of material was displaced during the cataclysmic event. This is a volume equivalent to something approaching 4,000 Egyptian pyramids.

Two-thirds of that was the ash and rock ejected out through the volcano’s caldera, or opening.

“You can think of it as ‘a shotgun blast’ straight up into the sky,” said marine geologist and Niwa project director Dr Kevin Mackay.

“Some of that material went beyond even the stratosphere into the mesosphere (57km in altitude) - the highest recorded eruption column in human history,” he told BBC News.

The other third was material scraped off the top and the sides of Hunga-Tonga as debris fell back down to sweep out across the ocean bottom.

This transport took the form of pyroclastic density currents, which are avalanches of tumbling, scorching rock and gas. In water, their searing heat would have

Good balance is an integral part of being physically fit and key to living a long life

Tonga volcanic eruption reshaped Pacific seafloor

Science & Technology

Superbug fight ‘needs farmers to reduce antibiotic use’

HEALTH and animal welfare campaigners concerned about the spread of superbugs in humans are calling for a ban on the overuse of antibiotics in farm animals.

They say routinely using antibiotics in livestock can lead to bacteria becoming resistant and such ‘superbugs’ could spread to humans.

Sample tests they carried out in rivers near farms, in slurry and in chicken litter found resistant bacteria.

The government said it is considering new restrictions on antibiotic use.

A spokesperson from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) said: “We do not support routine preventative use of antibiotics in animals - they should not compensate for poor husbandry practices and we will continue to look into strengthening legislation in this area.”

The National Farmers Union said UK farming was “a leader when it comes to the responsible use of antibiotics”.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been described by the World Health Organisation as “one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today.”

The overuse of antibiotics, in both human medicine and agriculture, has seen them become less effective and led to the rise of ‘superbugs’ - strains of bacteria that can no longer be treated by certain drugs.

The latest data published by the UK Health Security Agency shows that the estimated total number of serious antibiotic resistant infections in England rose by 2.2% in 2021 compared to 2020, from 52,842 to 53,985.

Researchers for the Alliance to Save our Antibiotics and World Animal Protection carried out tests for superbugs in rivers alongside a dozen intensive and higherwelfare pig and poultry farms in Warwickshire, Herefordshire, Devon, Norfolk and the Wye Valley and in the slurry from four intensive dairy farms and in one chicken litter sample.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

They said they found a range of antibiotic-resistant genes and resistant strains of bacteria, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus).

They said higher levels of at least one type of resistance were found downstream of five of out eight intensive farms. None of the four higher welfare outdoor pig or chicken farms tested had higher levels of any type of resistance downstream than was found upstream, according to the report.

“Overall, our findings suggest

that factory farms are likely to be discharging resistance genes and superbugs into public waterways,” concluded the report, which was drawn up with Fera Science and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

Intensive ‘factory’ farming methods have been blamed for contributing to the rise in AMR, with claims that a high number of animals kept closely together can be a breeding ground for disease and can lead to antibiotics being given to whole herds or flocks simply to keep illness at bay.

Cóilín Nunan, scientific adviser to the Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics, said that higherwelfare farming methods were needed to keep the risk of illness and antibiotic use down.

“Most antibiotics taken by people or animals are excreted, along with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. When manure or slurry is spread on land, this increases the number of resistant bacteria in soils and water,” he said.

“The best way to reduce farming’s impact is to make large cuts to antibiotic use, and this means keeping animals in healthier conditions so they rarely need medication.”

Professor Isabelle Durance, director of the Cardiff Water Research Institute, who was not involved in the study, told the BBC it was accepted that faecal matter entering water bodies can carry with it drug-resistant bacteria and genes, and that could come from farming.

“We know that with faecal material from agricultural production, there is an amount that enters wastewater. You can have perfectly healthy chickens with bacteria that have antimicrobial resistance. As soon as there is faecal material in water bodies there will be anti-microbial resistant bacteria,” she explained.

But she warned it was “extremely difficult” to link the bacteria in rivers to a specific source.

Peter Greig, the co-founder of

Tonga volcanic eruption reshaped Pacific...

enveloped them in a frictionless steam cushion on which they could simply run and run at very high speed.

The survey work tracked flows that even managed to travel up and over elevations of several hundred metres.

This explains, for example, the loss of the submarine cable connecting Tonga to the global internet. A large section was cut out of this data link despite lying 50km to the south of Hunga-Tonga and beyond a large hill on the seafloor.

“Where you had these flows, there is nothing living there today. It’s like a desert 70km from the volcano,” Dr Mackay said. “And yet, amazingly, just under the rim of the volcano, in places that avoided these density currents, you do find life. You find sponges. They dodged a bullet.”

The pyroclastic flows also have a part in the tsunami story of Hunga-Tonga.

Waves were recorded across the Pacific but also in other ocean basins - in the Atlantic and even in

the Mediterranean Sea.

The Niwa team says there were essentially four ways water was displaced to generate these tsunamis: by the density flows pushing the water out of the way; through the explosive force of the eruption also pushing on the water; as a result of the dramatic collapse of the caldera floor (it’s dropped by 700m); and by pressure waves from the atmospheric blast acting on the sea surface.

At certain phases during the eruption, these mechanisms likely

worked in tandem.

A good example is the biggest wave to hit Tonga’s main island, Tongatapu, 65km to the south of Hunga-Tonga. This occurred just over 45 minutes after the first major eruptive blast. A wall of water several metres high washed over the Kanokupolu peninsula, destroying beach resorts in the process.

Niwa natural hazards specialist Dr Emily Lane believes an atmospheric pressure anomaly increased the height of the tsunami

Pipers Farm, oversees 45 higherwelfare outdoor farms across Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, Wales and East Anglia which, he says, only use antibiotics when sick animals are in need and not as a routine preventative measure.

Mr Greig said he was not surprised by the report’s findings: “It’s a no-brainer. The excreta which comes out of an industrial pig or poultry environment is then spread so that it feeds into the groundwater and into the rivers. That causes a major disruption to the balance of nature.”

In January, the EU banned all routine farm antibiotic use and all preventative antibiotic treatments of groups of animals in order to tackle the overuse, and inappropriate use, of the medicines.

The government had supported a ban in 2018 but has yet to carry out the public consultation it said it would.

Defra said proposed changes to existing regulations on antibiotic use on farms would be put out for public consultation “in due course”.

Meanwhile, the latest annual UK Veterinary Antibiotic Resistance and Sales Surveillance (UK-VARSS) report, published earlier this month, showed sales of antibiotics for use in livestock had reduced by 55% since 2014.

Cat McLaughlin, of The Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA) Alliance, said livestock farmers were continuing to “make positive progress on antibiotic use reduction targets”.

But she added: “We must remember that antibiotics are important tools that the veterinary sector needs at its disposal to protect animal health and welfare against disease challenges.’ (BBC)

waves.

“For the big local waves - in order to understand them correctly, I believe you also have to have this atmospheric coupling,” she explained. “We had a huge pressure anomaly that on its own would have generated a tsunami. So, when you’ve already got waves, then you’re just adding energy to them.”

The Niwa survey, formally called the Tonga Eruption Seabed Mapping Project (TESMaP), was carried out in two parts.

E-coli bacteria can develop a resistance to the drugs used to treat them

Ronaldo leaves Manchester United: Ferdinand on ‘ticking timebomb’

CRISTIANO Ronaldo’s situation at Manchester United was “like a ticking timebomb”, says the club’s former captain Rio Ferdinand.

Both parties said on Tuesday they had “mutually agreed” for Ronaldo to leave the club with immediate effect.

Last summer the Portugal forward, 37, told United he wanted to leave and he criticised the club in a controversial interview last week.

“Both parties have got what they wanted,” Ferdinand told the BBC.

“When he mentioned in August he was going to reveal some of the details behind the scenes, this was almost like a ticking timebomb.

“I think he felt he was pushed into a corner, in his own mind, and he did what he did [the interview] to get this outcome.

“He put the club in a position where it was an untenable situation. Was it handled perfectly? I think, from both parties, no. But if you look at the end game, they’ve got to where he and the club, through the manager’s eyes, wanted to get to.”

United announced in April that Erik ten Hag would become Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s permanent successor in the summer.

He arrived at Old Trafford with the reputation of being a disciplinarian and it was unclear how Ronaldo would fit into his tactics once the club had decided not to sell the player.

The Dutchman has had to discipline Ronaldo this season but the Portuguese was captain for what proved to be his final game for the club, a defeat at Aston Villa.

And Ronaldo said in his interview with Piers Morgan for TalkTV that he does not respect Ten Hag.

“In the end, everybody loses, except the Manchester United manager,” former Manchester City and Belgium defender Vincent Kompany said during the BBC’s World Cup overage.

“It’s a problem that’s resolved, they’ll move on from this.”

Ex-England captain Alan Shearer added: “It’s a sad end to his Manchester United career. It was never going to be a match, Ten

Hag and him.

“It will be really interesting to see if a Champions League club comes in for him.”

Former United team-mate Wayne Rooney, whom Ronaldo criticised in the interview, told Indian broadcaster Viacom18 Sports: “It’s a shame because he’s been a fantastic servant for United.

“I’m sure there’ll be teams looking to sign him. Certainly, if he has a good [World Cup] tournament, there’ll be a lot of teams looking to try and sign him.”

‘THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES BUT GOODBYE’ - FANS’ VIEW

Manchester United fan Alex Turk, from YouTube channel Streford Paddock, says Ten Hag has “proven he can handle the game’s biggest personalities and solved one of his squad’s major dilemmas”.

“It feels like a weight has

been lifted and his rebuild can accelerate. United have backed their manager in this spat with one of the club’s greatest icons. Now it’s time to back him with a striker of his desire in January. That’s the next step.”

And here is how you reacted to the news...

Mike: Been a great player, but can’t accept he’s no longer at his peak; narcissistic enough to think everything should revolve around him in perpetuity; petulant & disruptive when it doesn’t. So keen to stand on his dignity that he lost it altogether.

Paul J: Like many, I was excited by his return at first. However, on the outside I could see that there were cracks being papered over on Ronaldo’s part. No one player is bigger than a club no matter how the situation is. A club is a club. If you do not feel or want to be part of that club then there is always

the outside world. Some clubs are better off without the toxic attention seekers.

Phil: Ten Hag could have released Ronaldo when Ronaldo initially asked. To me Ten Hag was trying to be The Big I Am!!

Richard: Erik ten Hag has played this whole scenario masterfully. He’s got what he wanted and come out smelling of roses. Thanks for the memories, Cristiano, but we’re better off without you.

Laurence: Ronaldo couldn’t accept he is getting old and refused to be a team player, assuming it should all be about him. Thanks for the memories but goodbye.

Sarah: I think United are entirely to blame. Ronaldo had other offers and was persuaded to come back to United. They have let him down and I am not surprised he feels betrayed. Ten Hag has no class or respect for Ronaldo’s history with United. (CNN)

ATP Finals: Novak Djokovic beats Casper Ruud to equal Roger Federer’s record

FORMER world number one Novak Djokovic beat Casper Ruud for a record-equalling sixth ATP Finals title.

The 35-year-old Serbian overcame his Norwegian opponent 7-5 6-3 in Turin on Sunday.

Victory for Djokovic in the season-ending event caps a year in which he was forced to miss two majors because of his reluctance to take a Covid-19 vaccination.

He last won an ATP Finals title in 2015 and has matched Roger Federer’s mark.

Earlier, Britain’s Joe Salisbury and American partner Rajeev Ram triumphed in the men’s doubles event.

Salisbury became the first Briton to win the doubles title as he and Ram beat Croatian pair Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic 7-6 (7-4) 6-4.

Djokovic took the biggest pay cheque in tennis, worth $4,740,300 (£3.985m), for going through the tournament unbeaten.

Having sealed the success with one of nine aces in the match, he

said the seven-year wait for the title made the triumph “even sweeter”.

“It feels deeply satisfying and, at the same time, a huge relief because

of the circumstances that I have been through this year, situations earlier this year, of course, with Australia,” added Djokovic.

“That had an effect obviously on my start of the year. For the first several months, I was trying to find that balance game-wise but

also mentally in order to be able to come back to the court and find that tennis level that I need.

Ruud, 23, made two poor errors to hand the 21-time major winner the break in the first set.

Having won the opener, Djokovic then took control and broke his opponent’s serve in the fourth game of the second set.

Ruud continued to battle and forced the veteran into a 36-shot penultimate rally, but Djokovic was stronger and closed out the match with a powerful ace.

It marked another final defeat for the Norwegian who was runner-up at both the French Open and US Open.

But Ruud said: “Overall, if you gave me the offer to end the year at number three, play the finals that I’ve played, on 1st January this year, I would probably sign the contract right away. No doubt about it.” (BBC)

Djokovic equalled Roger Federer’s record six ATP Finals titles

“I don’t know what the future holds but I know that what I hold in my mind is a huge hunger still to win trophies.”

Cristiano Ronaldo’s last appearance for Manchester United was in their 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa on 6 November

Justin Langer:

Ex-Australia

coach says some players were ‘cowards’

EX-AUSTRALIA coach Justin Langer says some of his former players were “cowards” for making complaints about him in the media.

Reports in Australia suggested unnamed players were unhappy with Langer’s leadership style.

He resigned in February having been offered a six-month contract extension despite winning the T20 World Cup and beating England 4-0 in the Ashes.

“Everyone was being nice to my face,” Langer, 52, told the BackChat podcast.

“But I was reading about this stuff and half of it, I swear to God and on my kids’ lives, I could not believe that is what was making the papers.

“A lot of journalists use the

word ‘source’. I would say, change that word to ‘coward’.

“Because what do you mean ‘a source says’? They’ve either got an axe to grind with someone and they won’t come and say it to your face, or they’re just leaking stuff for their own agenda. I hate that.”

Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley responded by saying he wanted to “correct inaccuracies” in Langer’s account.

“I am disappointed by Justin’s comments unfairly criticising some of our players,” Hockley said.

“Regular formal and informal opportunities to provide and receive feedback took place throughout his tenure, which is consistent with a high-performance environment.

Pep Guardiola: Manchester City manager signs contract extension to 2025

MANCHESTER City manager

Pep Guardiola has signed a twoyear contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2025.

Guardiola, 51, has won 11 trophies, including four Premier League titles, during six years at Etihad Stadium.

“From day one I felt something special being here. I cannot be in a better place,” said Spaniard Guardiola.

“I am so pleased to be staying at Manchester City for another two years.”

He added: “I can’t say thank you enough to everyone at the club for trusting me. I am happy and comfortable, and I have everything I need to do my job as best as possible.

“I know the next chapter of this club will be amazing for the next decade. It happened over the last 10 years, and it will happen in the next 10 years because this club is

so stable.

“I still have the feeling there is more we can achieve together and that is why I want to stay and continue fighting for trophies.”

City, the current Premier League champions, are second in the table this season - five points behind Arsenal - and face RB Leipzig in the Champions League round of 16 in February.

Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said he was “delighted” to extend Guardiola’s contract.

“He has already contributed so much to the success and fabric of this organisation, and it’s exciting to think what might be possible given the energy, hunger and ambition that he clearly still has,” said Al Mubarak.

“Under his very special leadership our first team has accomplished so much, whilst continuously playing, and constantly evolving, a City style of

football that is admired the world over.

“Like every City fan, I am looking forward to what lies ahead.”

Guardiola had successful spells as manager at Barcelona and Bayern Munich before he joined City in 2016.

He is Barca’s most successful manager with 14 trophies in four years, including three La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues. He then won three Bundesliga titles in a row at Bayern.

Guardiola added: “Khaldoon never pushed me.

“He never told me ‘Pep you have to do it’. He respects me a lot and it is an example of how we have been since day one.

“He gives his opinion, I give my opinion and after everyone works in the way he believes he should for the benefit of the club and the whole organisation, from the top until the bottom.

Woods beats McIlroy in Player Impact Programme to claim $15m

TIGER Woods pipped Rory McIlroy to the $15m (£12.6m) prize for generating the most media interest this year - despite playing only three events in 2022.

Woods, 46, beat the world number one to top spot on the PGA Tour’s ‘Player Impact Programme’ (PIP).

The scheme was introduced last year to reward competitors for generating positive interest in the PGA Tour.

McIlroy, who earned $18m (£15m) when he won the Tour’s 2022 FedEx Cup title, got $9m (£7.5m) for being second.

Woods also won the inaugural bonus programme in 2021.

The PIP was designed to reward players who generate the most interest in the PGA Tour, with metrics such as Google searches,

news article mentions and social media reach and engagement taken into account. As in 2021, Woods played a

limited schedule this year even before his last tournament in Scotland in July as he continues to recover from injuries sustained in a car crash in February last year.

This season, the 15-time major winner finished 47th at the Masters, withdrew from the US PGA Championship after three rounds and missed the cut at the Open Championship.

McIlroy’s $12m reward arrived just two days after the 33-yearold captured the DP World Tour’s order of merit title for the fourth time.

The Northern Irishman became just the second player to win the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai titles in the same season after Henrik Stenson in 2013.

Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth won $9m (£7.5m) for

finishing third in the PIP, ahead of fellow American Justin Thomas and Spain’s Jon Rahm.

England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, who won the US Open in June, earned $5m (£4m) for finishing inside the top 10 while Ireland’s Shane Lowry picked up $3m (£2.5m).

Last year’s PIP runner-up Phil Mickelson was ineligible after leaving the PGA Tour to play on the Saudi Arabian-backed LIV Tour.

Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bubba Watson, who were all in the top 10 in the inaugural PIP rankings last year, also exited the PGA Tour for LIV.

Woods will return to action in the Hero World Challenge, an event he hosts in the Bahamas, between 1-4 December.

Woods has not played since missing the cut at The Open Championship in July

Justin Langer (front, centre) coached Australia from 2018 to 2022

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City won the Premier League by one point last season

Sports National

Messi fronts up to defeat as Saudi fans take over Doha after World Cup upset

ARGENTINA’S game against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday was supposed to serve as the perfect springboard for Lionel Messi’s last dance at the World Cup.

The South American side was expected to brush aside its opponent, ranked 48 places below them in the world standings, and fans had come in droves to watch Messi put on a masterclass in what he says will be his last tournament.

But the Argentine captain was overshadowed by arguably the biggest upset in World Cup history and, as Saudi Arabia celebrated its win, Messi trudged down the tunnel with a face of thunder.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or, who has yet to lift the World Cup trophy, didn’t hide from the embarrassment though.

As many of his teammates stormed past reporters on the way to the team bus, Messi was one of two players to speak to the media – the other being goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez.

“There are no excuses. We are going to be more united than ever. This group is strong, and we have shown it,” he said.

“It is a situation that we haven’t gone through in a long time. Now, we have to show that this is a real group.”

In the grand scheme of the tournament, a loss in the opening match isn’t necessarily the end of the world – after all, Spain won the 2010 World Cup after losing its opening match of the tournament to Switzerland.

Argentina will still likely qualify for the knockout rounds if it wins both of its next games against Poland and Mexico but the defeat was felt particularly hard at home.

Words such as “nightmare” and “inexplicable” were used by Argentine media reacting to the shock result which leaves its side with no margin for error.

“The truth? Dead,” Messi said when asked about the team’s morale. “It’s a very hard blow because we did not expect to start in this way.

“We expected to get the three points that would have given us calmness.

“My message to the supporters is to have faith. We won’t leave them stranded.”

Zak Brown: McLaren Racing boss wants driver qualification rules changed

FORMULA 1 should change its driver qualification system to make it easier for IndyCar drivers to join the grid, says McLaren Racing boss Zak Brown.

Red Bull were prevented from signing American Colton Herta for 2023 because he did not have sufficient points under governing body the FIA’s ‘super-licence’ system.

Brown said the super-licence “around IndyCar needs to be reviewed” and IndyCar should be treated in the same way as Formula 2 in the qualification system.

McLaren gave Herta a test this year, as they have with two other IndyCar drivers, 2021 champion Alex Palou and McLaren’s own driver Pato O’Ward.

Brown said it was “a shame Colton Herta isn’t in F1”, adding that all three were “capable of being F1 drivers”.

Although winning an IndyCar championship guarantees a driver the 40 points required for a superlicence, any other finishing position in the top 10 gives less than that.

In F2, the top three positions in the championship all earn 40 points.

Those supporters have gathered in Doha in force and had seemingly outnumbered Saudis inside the Lusail Stadium on Tuesday.

Thousands in blue and white shirts sang Messi’s name as they made their way to the game and continued to celebrate their hero as he graced Qatar 2022 with a penalty in the opening 10 minutes.

But, at 35, Messi is not at the peak of his powers and the Saudis were successful in smothering his space at every opportunity.

The Argentine players still looked for Messi almost every time they got the ball. If he didn’t demand the ball himself, Messi would often orchestrate the play by pointing to where he wanted the ball to go.

But despite flashes of brilliance, he couldn’t find the space in order to change the game. At the final whistle, the Argentine fans were slumped in their seats and it was the Saudi supporters chanting Messi’s name ironically.

While leaving the venue, CNN heard fans joking with volunteers and FIFA officials, asking them if they had seen Argentina captain Lionel Messi “after he went missing all game.”

SAUDI ARABIA FANS CELEBRATE INTO DOHA NIGHT

Doha was abuzz with Saudi supporters long into the evening and flags were still being waved into early Wednesday morning.

Jubilant fans leaving the stadium took the Metro back into downtown Doha where celebrations continued, many singing until their voices started to break.

Others were busy reliving the experience on their phones, watching highlights of the goals and looking at footage of celebrations from back home.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud subsequently ordered a national public holiday for Wednesday as the world came to terms with such an unexpected result.

Amid all the excitement, though, Saudi manager Hervé Renard demanded his side focus on building a successful campaign.

Saudi Arabia faces Poland in its next game before playing Mexico.

“We made history for Saudi football, it will stay forever, this is the most important,” he told reporters after the match.

“But we need to think about looking forward because we still have two games, very difficult for us.”

As for Messi, he will have another day in the sun at Qatar 2022.

What feels like the end of the world today will be a distant memory if he can inspire his side to victory against Mexico on Saturday.

There are thousands of fans in Doha praying their hero can once again be the answer and confirm his status as the greatest player of all time. (CNN)

For IndyCar, there is a sliding scale of points for lower positions. But below first, all places in F2 earn more than the same position does in IndyCar.

It was this disparity that prevented Herta from earning a super-licence.

Red Bull had wanted the 22-yearold, who is a seven-time winner in

IndyCar and regarded as one of its most talented competitors, for their Alpha Tauri team in 2023, to fill the place vacated by Pierre Gasly’s move to Alpine.

Lionel Messi looked dejected following his side’s defeat on Tuesday

Herta is a seven-time winner in IndyCar

Pirates and Oilers win two in a row in PHL

THE new season of the Provo Hockey League is heating up with the Projetech Pirates in the Junior Division and the Kvanar Oilers in the Batam Division registering consecutive victories in the opening weeks of play.

The TMW Lightning and the Scooter Bobs Canucks are also unbeaten, but the two teams drew their clash in the second week in the Novice Division.

In the youngest age group, the Lightning and Canucks battled to a 2-2 draw. Yash Ochani had carried the Canucks ahead in the fourth minute of play in the first period before he again scored at 3:11 in the second period, but the hero in game one, Shemar Francis again stepped

up and scored twice within sixty seconds to lift Lightning back into the game.

In the other Novice clash, last season’s champions, the Grace Bay Car Rental (GBCR) Islanders were able to bounce back from their first-week defeat to beat the Design Studio Jets 1-0. The lone successful strike was scored by the Islanders’ Nicholas Comert late in the second period.

In the Bantam Division, the top week-one teams battled to decide the early leaders and the Oilers took control with a 5-1 win over the Tibors Sharks.

The Oilers started the game with three successful strikes before the Sharks answered 9:43 minutes into

the first period via an Adrien Penn strike.

In the second period, Felix Arnth Jensen and Owen Barkworth Knight completed their double. The opening goal was scored by Jack Henry.

In the other Bantam Division clash, defending champions, the LHeureux Co Canadiens were able to bounce back from their opening week’s loss to beat the Temple Financial Panthers 4-1.

Tyler Malcolm carried the Canadiens ahead in the opening period before Rishith Gururaja took over the game in the second period with a hat-trick.

Liana Bonrud scored the lone goal for the Panthers six and a half minutes into the second

period.

The Pirates, the defending champion in the oldest age division, were able to register a solid come-from-behind victory against the Waratah Flyers.

Jacob Been carried the Flyers 2-0 ahead by the four-minute mark before the Pirates’ Wyatt Pollon scored four unanswered goals in the first period.

Pollon finished with a gamehigh five goals, while Joswin Jose added a pair and Reggie Monuma and Isaac Turner one each.

Been finished with a hat-trick for the Flyers in the 9-3 loss.

In the other Junior Division clash, the Flyers defeated the Saunders and Co Greyhounds after three unanswered late goals.

The come-from-behind 7-6 victory saw both teams dominating at different times.

The Greyhounds opened the scoring in the third minute via Dylan King, before the Flyers answered with goals from Nathan Affleck and Aiden Doherty.

The Greyhounds regained the lead with Liam Redstone taking over the game with three unanswered goals before King, from a Redstone pass, carried them 5-2 ahead.

Been and Cj Moriarty brought the eventual winners back with a goal each before Redstone scored via a King’s assist to regain control.

In the end, Doherty scored twice and Been had a late goal and an assist to carry the Flyers to victory.

Wyatt Pollon scored five goals for the Pirates

Owen Barkworth Knight scored two goals for the Oilers

Nicholas Comert scored late in the second period to carry the GBCR Islanders to victory