TC Weekly News October 22 - 28, 2022

Real estate demand remains high, but inventory runs low

BY DELANA ISLES

Tourist and real estate demand in the Turks and Caicos Islands remains higher than pre-pandemic numbers, with the local realtors counting their commissions all the way into the new year.

A third-quarter market report published by The Agency Turks and Caicos outlined that the numbers are higher than prepandemic numbers – both in terms of tourism and real estate.

And while this is the usual trend for the third quarter of every year, Sean O’Neill, Managing Director of The Agency said this year has seen a 71% increase in the volume of sales in the first three quarters, compared to 2019.

He added that “$422,463,559 represents very strong numbers, with a lot of sales still scheduled to close before year-end”.

O’Neill recounted a recent conversation with a purchaser in the Turks and Caicos Islands which highlighted why demand here remains so high and that is, that the opportunity in the Islands remains so great.

He said confirmation of the expansion of the Providenciales International Airport during the current third quarter is evidence of the Government’s commitment to infrastructural improvements, which will in turn see a payoff from greater tourist numbers.

The managing director noted that with more airline routes due

The report outlines that while the inventory of single-family homes has decreased, condominiums remain a strong backbone of the TCI real estate market.

to begin in the 2022/2023 tourist season, the TCI is poised for continued growth in its real estate market.

“At The Agency Turks and Caicos, we are looking forward to the upcoming season as we see a number of significant projects in the works that will continue to enhance our market and showcase our Beautiful by Nature Turks and Caicos,” O’Neill said.

Meanwhile, this quarter’s analysis shows that year-to-date numbers for the TCI remain strong despite significantly reduced inventory which is the real challenge in the current market.

The Agency notes that despite a perception that the market has softened significantly since 2021, a deeper analysis of the numbers shows that the number of sales falls only slightly behind at an 11% decrease, while the volume of sales has decreased significantly more.

The market report outlines: “From a growth perspective, the restriction in inventory means that new developments continue to play a huge role in the market.

Sales at The Summit and The Sanctuary remain steady ahead of both developments breaking ground in the fourth quarter of this year, while The White Coral Townhomes have seen three of the five units go under offer.

“With a number of condo developments in the organisational stage, this new inventory will continue to grow allowing buyers further access to the market.”

The report outlines that while the inventory of single-family homes has decreased, condominiums remain a strong backbone of the TCI real estate market.

The average sale price for condominiums continues to exceed

$1.5m, 50% greater than the national sale average.

As it relates to land sale, The Agency maintains that the gorgeous and pristine beauty of North and Middle Caicos make the twin islands a land of opportunity.

In the third quarter of 2022, 34% of vacant land sales in the TCI were in North and Middle Caicos.

A plethora of vacant land opportunities, beautiful beachfront and lower prices are the driver for activity in the sister islands.

A look at the figures shows that a two-acre parcel on Grace Bay Beach sold for $11m, while a oneacre of beachfront in Sandy Point, North Caicos sold for $495,000.

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Public Appeal

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

Royal Navy warship arrives in TCI to help combat crime wave

BY OLIVIA ROSE

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary Tideforce has arrived in the Turks and Caicos Islands to help the territory tackle an upsurge in violent crime.

The 39,000-tonne Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker will be used as a platform for operations, bringing with it a Wildcat helicopter, which offers a surveillance capability and can support security operations, as well as specialists police firearms officers.

This comes as the territory’s security situation linked to organised criminal gangs has rapidly deteriorated in the past weeks, with 11 fatal shootings in September.

This is the first time a naval ship has been sent to deal with organised

criminal violence by drug gangs in a British Overseas Territory.

Foreign Secretary, The Rt Hon James Cleverly, MP, in a statement on Tuesday, October 11, 2022 said the UK has a moral and constitutional responsibility to “support and protect the people of the Overseas Territories, who are a valued part of the UK family”.

He said: “We had to act following the terrible violence we’ve seen in the Turks & Caicos Islands these past few weeks.

“I’m grateful to the brave men and women of the local police force, as well as those from the Bahamas who are providing invaluable immediate support.

“The Governor and Premier are also working tirelessly to protect communities.

“Together, we will ensure that violent crime is stamped out in the TCI in the long term.

“This help forms part of a wider package of support from the UK government to tackle violent crime on TCI.”

Cleverly said the UK government is also working to recruit and fund a new serious crime team who will sit at the heart of the TCI police force, building permanent capability to tackle gang crime in the territory.”

He added: “UK police are engaging with local TCI counterparts to finalise a contingency plan for additional specialist support to deploy, if needed this is in addition to a series of deployments of UK police to provide longer-term support for operations and to build

capacity in the TCI to tackle gang crime.

“These include firearms trainers, detectives and border force agents the UK is procuring a permanent maritime surveillance aircraft to help secure TCI’s borders.

“The National Crime Agency is deploying staff to the TCI, working closely with local police intelligence teams, to support the development of additional intelligence capability within TCI, including advice on lawful intercept legislation.”

The Foreign Secretary stressed that ongoing support through the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund has included a secondment of a Border Security lead, a programme of training and capability building for the TCI police, as well as support for a

project of customs and border transformation.

As part of the United Kingdom’s efforts to tamp down crime in the territory, specialist police from the Bahamas were also deployed to ensure the safety and security of people, amid the rampant bloodshed.

A detachment of 24 highlytrained specialist firearms officers from The Bahamas arrived on Friday, October 7, and are currently on active duty on the islands.

Discussions are also underway with other neighbouring countries for additional support.

In parallel, the UK is providing a package of longer-term support to build local capacity in areas including intelligence gathering, firearms training and border control.

Justice delayed for murdered youth, as murder charge dropped – Insufficient evidence to proceed cited

Twenty-year-old Akeem Lightbourne who was allegedly caught trying to pawn items stolen from murder victim Travis Parker has been freed of the murder charge.

Lightbourne appeared in the Supreme Court before Justice Tanya LobbanJackson on October 13, for a hearing to determine whether the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) had sufficient evidence to take him to trial on the murder and firearm charges.

As it turned out, they did not.

Lightbourne’s lawyer, Human Rights Attorney Sheena Mair advocated on his behalf, outlining in written submissions the insufficiency of the Crown’s evidence against her client.

The defence lawyer’s arguments were persuasive to the court, resulting in the ODPP discontinuing the murder proceedings against Lightbourne.

On March 15 this year, Parker was gunned down during the commission of a

robbery in an area known as the Well, just off South Dock Road in Providenciales.

Lightbourne is alleged to have been one of three men who attacked and robbed Parker.

On July 20, police arrested Lightbourne charging him with murder and two counts of handling stolen goods.

Reports at the time were that Lightbourne was attempting to pawn the stolen items belonging to Parker. This led to a police raid on his Five Cays home,

where they recovered a gun alleged to have been used in the murder. Ballistic tests are said to have confirmed it to be the murder weapon.

Lightbourne still must face the court on charges related to the seized illegal firearm, ammunition and handling of stolen goods.

He will remain on remand at Her Majesty’s Prison in Grand Turk until a hearing on those counts. (DELANA ISLES)

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary Tideforce in TCI waters (Office of the Governor photo)

BRITISH DETECTIVES ARE HERE

A large contingent of experienced UK detectives will arrive in the TCI in the next three weeks to support the work of the police forces' serious crime unit with investigations of murders and gang-related activity. As the territory experiences an unprecedented uprisal of ruthless gangs and reprisal murders, the territory's leaders Governor Nigel Dakin and Premier Hon Charles Washington Misick reached out to the United Kingdom for assistance to tamp down on crime which has escalated to crisis levels. To this end, an Anti-Gang Unit of 24 detectives from the UK & other Caribbean countries, funded by the United Kingdom to an initial tune of £3 million, is being established to combat violent crime.

The deployment of UK detectives will be for a period of 1824 months and will provide a significant uplift in capacity for the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, according to the Commissioner of Police, Trevor Botting. What are your thoughts?

A little too late

The report goes that a “large contingent of experienced UK detectives will arrive in the TCI” and the people are asking “How many are they and when will they return from whence they came”?

This out-of-control crime situation is placed at the Governor’s feet and he’s to blame for the rampant crime that has taken the islands, tarnished its image and gave rise to so many unnecessary murders such as the NAACP Official.

These murders are rooted in the illegal immigration community of Dock Yard, Providenciales, an area where Nigel Dakin as Governor visited, “hallowed and placed on a pedestal”. As such he refused to allow any serious law enforcement exercise to enter Dock Yard until of course the crimes and murders escalated in the TCI and innocent people were being murdered. The outreach to the United Kingdom by “the territory's leaders Governor Nigel Dakin and Premier Hon Charles Washington Misick” comes a little too late after crime in the TCI spiralled out of control and senseless murders took place. What are the UK detectives going to do?

They're late as the vanguard of law

enforcement from the Royal Bahamas Police Force, already came in, entered Dock Yard, arrested seven suspects, found guns, drugs, ammunition and contraband in less than a few days. Something that “His Belated Excellency” the Governor and His Hapless Commissioner of Police were both capable of but refused to act when the time was right. They had the money, the vehicle, the evidence, the local police, a “few good men”. They sat on the intelligence, played games and the result is chaos. Local police personnel were quite capable of locking down Dock Yard.

‘Nobody in and Nobody out’ unless searched, stripped down, profiled, and properly investigated. Exercises of that nature were well within the grasp of local TCI Police force, but they were restrained, held back and true law enforcement took a back seat to the Governor’s idea of politics, the protection, cuddling and promotion of the illegals from the Haitian Community found in Dock Yard. It is time for the Hon Premier, Leader of the Opposition, The Private Sector and Civil Society to demand the recall and removal of the Governor. There is “no confidence in them”.

Deployment of the UK detectives for a period of 18-24 months in the TCI leads to

“nothing good”. As they fill local space, where is the plan to train and elevate local TCI police? Having them here to do what? TCI has already benefitted from its highly effective brothers from the Royal Bahamas Police Force and that level of comradery and cooperation should continue. It has already produced tangible and positive results in seven apprehensions. Why not sign an agreement with the Bahamas to continue this effort and tell the British Boys to go home? They are coming in, after the fact, underfunded as 3 million Pounds for an unlimited amount of UK officers, cannot go very far. The indication of how many is far too vague and another game is being played here on the finances of the TCI people.

Not fruitful

Bringing UK police to patch up the failings of this interfering Governor and His protected Commissioner will not be fruitful. The Governor's commitment to other nationalities is clear. He has no care, concern and commitment to the advancement and empowerment of the TC Islander. His job is to play games with the Haitian Community.

Sitting on the floor of the TCI House of Assembly, engage a game of deflection and deception, "spin a yarn", point fingers at so-called Jamaican Gangs when the real culprits were found in his backyard, Dock Yard, Provo from amongst his preferred nationality. What is he telling the UK officers? What are they in the TCI for? Will they enter into an extended mission creep and stay forever and far beyond the sliding scale of 18-24 months? What is this all about? TCI, it seems, is a ball being tossed around. The country has really lost control over its own affairs and they are doing what they like. Will the political high command, PNP and PDM take a stand? What are their positions?

Not the best fit

Experienced UK Personnel? Really now. Since 2019 an "experienced UK Police Commissioner" has been in the TCI fumbling and bumbling. Multiply that by 20 and that will be the result, an out-ofcontrol crime situation. The word is "large"

contingent. What does that mean? 10, 20, 200 UK officers? Are the islands being invaded and taken over militarily because it is now deemed a failed State owing to the inaction of the Royal Appointed Governor?

How many will be coming? This cannot possibly pose an issue for the Hon Minister of Finance as His Ministry is projecting an unprecedented $400m plus in revenues. So after that 3 million pounds gets exhausted the TCI Treasury will be the swamp from which they will drink to maintain this incursion. Again scholarships and monies for the empowerment of the TCI get shortcircuited because the swamp needs to be fed. This is a situation that will feed on itself and they are "going nowhere".

Will the UK officers get local support?

It is rather apparent the RTCIPF needs help. But even these experts coming in will need the cooperation of the community to be truly effective. And the community isn’t talking. Because they are afraid? Or because they cannot understand, or refuse to understand that their lives, the future of their children and the future of this little country are at stake.

No long-term vision

This is a short-term fix at best. We need long-term solutions. We need our officers trained. Our criminals are not trained in Britain, they are from this hemisphere and we need people that understand how their minds work. We need to train our young police to understand their way of thinking and how to respond.

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87 drug seizures made in September at Provo airport

– Immigration Minister says investment in detection systems paying off

BY OLIVIA ROSE

For the month of September 2022, there were a total of 87 drug seizures including cannabis, cannabis-infused edibles, and heroin.

These recent interceptions come on the heels of the Government's investment in the enhancement of the Customs Department enforcement functions at the Providenciales International Airport.

This was disclosed in a ministerial statement read in the House of Assembly on Wednesday, October 19, by the Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development (PPID) Hon Akeirra Missick on behalf of the Minister of Immigration and Border Services Hon Arlington Musgrove who was out of the country on official duties.

Missick said the illicit drugs were seized from both male and female passengers.

“We continue to see a return on our investment. Mr. Speaker for the month of October to date with an entire week remaining, there were 26 drug seizures of cannabis.”

Missick stressed that these impressive drug seizures highlight customs officers’ commitment to keeping the territory’s border secure.

She said: “We commend the work of the customs officers and

encourage them to continue to keep a vigilant eye for those passengers who may have nefarious intentions in these islands.”

Missick reported that the Minister of Immigration and a team from his Ministry are currently visiting islands in the region that have container scanning capacity to assist the Ministry with the adoption of similar systems.

She said: “This is with a view to

seek and procure a mobile scanner and implementing container scanning capabilities at our South Dock Port Providenciales, immediately on their return.”

To this end, a pallet scanner will also be procured and stationed at the South Dock Port as the Ministry ramps up its detection capacity.

She added: “This will allow for 100% scanning of all less-thancontainerized shipments.

“This capability will allow the detection and interdiction of any illicit goods such as drugs and weapons being smuggled into these islands unlawfully.

“The department Mr Speaker continues to work closely with other law enforcement agencies around the world and the Turks and Caicos Islands police force and the Immigration Department on enforcement initiatives

geared towards enhancing border protection and by extension the protection of our society.”

In keeping with this, the Customs Department is also working closely with the police canine unit in a number of customs-controlled areas to detect the smuggling of illicit goods.

She said that in the case of the immigration department, the government will continue to work to intercept illegal migrant vessels and search cargo vessels from both Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

“The public should know that the customs department is working closely with the United States Homeland Security Investigations.

“And if anyone has ever watched a show called how to catch a smuggler, you would know the work that the US Homeland Security Investigation team do at airports and ports and it's very, very good work.

“So I'm pleased Mr Speaker that we are working with HSI on a number of matters that would better assist us with targeting and interdiction of shipments carrying on lawful and illicit goods. It is the intention of this department to make available a tip line for concerned persons to report nefarious activities regarding our borders, whether the airports or the seaports”, she added.

Buckingham Palace has announced that the Coronation of His Majesty The King will take place on Saturday, May 6, 2023.

The coronation ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey, London, and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The ceremony will see His Majesty King Charles III crowned alongside The Queen Consort, Camilla.

Buckingham Palace said the coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry.

Next year's coronation will be the first for almost 70 years - the last being for Elizabeth II in June 1953 - and the first held on a Saturday since Edward VII in 1902.

King Charles will be 74 at the coronation - the oldest that a new monarch has been crowned. The date will also be the fourth birthday of his grandson Archie, the son of Prince Harry and Meghan.

Coronations have been held at London's Westminster Abbey for more than 900 years, with the medieval church the setting for a ceremony that is a mixture of religious and constitutional symbolism.

Minister of Immigration and Border Services, Hon Arlington Musgrove

His Majesty King

UK and US aircrafts bolster

TCI’s maritime surveillance

–Several sloops turned around

BY OLIVIA ROSE

As the TCI Government doubles down on its efforts to tackle transnational crime which has wormed its way into the territory, the UK and the US have deployed surveillance aircrafts to monitor the territory’s borders.

This was revealed by HE Governor Nigel Dakin who said two different types of air support has been offered to the territory from the United Kingdom and the United States to support the law enforcement-led response to the surge in violent crime.

In an Instagram post on Monday, October 17, Dakin said: “The UK Wildcat Helicopter is operating off RFA Tideforce that

some may have noticed anchored off Providenciales Northern shore.

“The helicopter crew received briefing and tasking from the Police on Saturday.

“The Wildcat has remarkable day and night surveillance capability and will provide direct support to police land operations while hunting fast boats bringing drugs and guns to the territory.”

The aerial support to the Turks and Caicos Islands is part of a wider regional response to crime.

He said: “That also includes US Fixed Wing aircraft - covering our maritime approaches - that can be supplemented by a Blackhawk Helicopter.”

Dakin stressed that the increased surveillance has already averted

sloops from making landfall in the TCI.

He said: “In recent days, the US aircraft have already had success identifying sloops inbound towards us - but far enough away that they could be turned around by the US Coastguard.

“That’s the best outcome by far for TCI.”

Coupled with this, Dakin further informed that the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF) will receive a UKprocured maritime surveillance aircraft with a full suite of similarly sophisticated surveillance sensors later this financial year.

“ The Intelligence it collects will of course help direct our own Maritime Police, giving them much longer time to react, but

given it can cover international waters between TCI and Haiti, help support US Coastguard and Bahamas operations.

“It will also help hunt for fast boats and given its range and the long distance it can identify such craft from, it will make their interception by our Maritime Police far more straightforward.

“This has been long in the planning, which of course helps deliver a long, as well as a short and medium-term response, on this and other types of security support”, he added.

Apart from this, the UK’s National Crime Agency has also arrived in the territory and is currently working with the RTCIPF Intelligence Branch to draw together information on the gangs

operating in the territory, Governor Dakin said in a statement last week.

“The National Crime Agency has a regional and global reach, are extremely well connected to US agencies and other Caribbean Governments so given that we are, unfortunately, now involved in a trans-regional, drug-driven, antigang operation, their support will be invaluable.

“They, for instance, have been highly instrumental in advising us in terms of the strategic asset that is vital for any trans-national and local operation against the drug and gun crime ‘industry’ – ‘lawful intercept’.

“That, Judge authorised capability, will come online once transparent, world-class legislation is passed.”

Government struggling to find a head for $2.4m ‘Delivery Unit’

The Government’s newly established ‘Premier’s Delivery Unit’ set up to ensure that highvalue and impactful development projects are completed in a timely fashion, is still without a head.

This was recently revealed by Premier Hon Charles Washington Misick who said the Government is still struggling to fill several vacant positions within the public sector including the Delivery Unit.

The Delivery Unit brings together a team of skilled project management leaders and engineers who will operate under the purview of the Office of the Premier with an overarching aim of delivering services to the citizens and residents of TCI.

Speaking at a sod-turning ceremony for the new Port Office Building at South Dock, Providenciales on Thursday, October 13, Misick said: “We just set up a Delivery Unit within the Premier’s Office and Dr Justin Ram is a consultant on that project which has ten critical projects that we’re working hard to deliver on.

“For the last three months, we’ve been struggling to find someone to

head up the delivery unit because he [Dr Ram] is a consultant and he and his team are doing a fantastic job for us.”

Dr Ram, CEO of Justin Ram Advisory Services and former Director of Economics at the Caribbean Development Bank, was contracted as the lead consultant for the project.

He told the gathering that there is still a significant number of vacancies within the public service that the Government is “struggling to fill”.

“Some of you who have projects and you are the stakeholders/ owners of some of these projects need to focus on making sure that they are advanced and that they are

delivered on time”, he added.

The PDU will monitor, track, and facilitate the completion of ten specific priority projects and will be an active partner to ministries, departments, and other government bodies, according to HE Governor Nigel Dakin.

During his throne speech in the House of Assembly on Monday, October 3 he said that “the ten specific priority projects are: South Dock Port Redevelopment, Fibre Optic Cable Link, Solid Waste Management, Comprehensive Housing Development - a framework to guide the different pathways to home ownership, Agriculture and Food Security and National ID, Digitisation of the Land Registry, Management & Containment of Informal Settlements, Digitisation of Border Services and a New Providenciales Court Complex.

“A detailed plan with clear start and completion dates and the persons responsible for execution at various stages has been developed for each project.

“These plans are paired with key performance indicators for progress tracking.”

He explained that the results will be constantly monitored for Cabinet’s attention and intervention where required.

He added that the Delivery Unit was expected to publish the first dashboard and scorecard on Friday, October 7 to show the progress of the projects.

Speaking at the launch of the Unit on Monday, July 11 at the Palms Resort, Deputy Governor and Head of the Civil Service, HE Anya Williams also emphasised the significant role of the unit in ensuring critical projects are not side-tracked.

She said: “To ensure that these projects are prioritised and are not subjected to delays due to other day-to-day pressing priorities, a Delivery Unit is being established to place a sharp focus on critical projects and programmes across government to ensure that from conception to implementation they are given the attention that is needed to ensure their successful delivery.”

The Delivery Unit was established to the tune of US$2.4m and is expected to last approximately 15 months.

UK Wildcat Helicopter is operating off RFA Tideforce (Office of the Governor photo)

Premier Hon Charles Washington Misick

TCI to transition to digital immigration systems to bolster border protection

The TCI Government is moving towards a full digital immigration system as part of its efforts to better control who enters and leaves the territory and identify potential threats before they reach the border.

The implementation of new technologies aims to improve the operational process at the border, customer service delivery, and bolster the territory’s border protection.

The first phase of this digital border project is already underway and is being funded by the United Kingdom to the tune of £300,000.

This was revealed in a ministerial statement read in the House of Assembly on Wednesday, October 19, by the Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development (PPID) Hon Akeirra Missick on behalf of the Minister of Immigration and Border Services Hon Arlington Musgrove who was out of the country on official duties.

She said: “The work to move towards a border force remains ongoing and we are active in the development of a digital border which has the ambition to do three things…firstly, have all

immigration-related information stored digitally and one place on one border management system.

“This will allow immigration applications consideration and interactions to take place digitally, we are moving into the digital age Mr Speaker, it is time.”

The Minister explained that this will transform the Ministry’s ability to quickly determine a person's immigration status and their access to services.

She said: “The second component of this system Mr Speaker would use biometrics to lock in identity for all non-citizens of these islands.

“This will allow law enforcement officers to identify people legally and quickly, and I think it's the quick aspect of this, which is the most important and also means, Mr Speaker that irregular migrants cannot simply change their name to hide their past and move from being caught here illegally to reinventing themselves with a work permit and another name.

“If you are caught, you will not be able to get regularised.”

She stressed that when these measures are brought to fruition, it is expected to serve as a deterrence

from persons committing immigration offenses.

“The third component of this system Mr Speaker is the automation of border crossing for low-risk travellers.

“This will allow using data and identity matching technology to make frictionless travel for our own citizens and a subset of lowrisk arrivals.”

“We may need a little more money from the UK, but we're going to use it to start …this is called the discovery phase.

She further explained that a digital team from the His Majesty's government will be deployed to the TCI on October 30 and remain in the territory throughout November to refine the Government’s border security ambitions.

“The team will work together to the point of tender work with the staff on the ground and assist our own computer unit to help us get to a place where a tender for the exact solution will be possible.”

BORDER FORCE

The UK has also sent a team of analysts to the territory to work with local immigration and customs teams to produce the very

first border force strategic threat assessment.

Turning her attention to the establishment of the border force, Missick said: “The analysts are working across government and, as well as being embedded in immigration and customs, have already met with various policing units, education and national security colleagues.”

She underscored that the threat assessment will take the current crime landscape into consideration and highlight very important areas to cover.

“This is a holistic threat assessment considering the entirety of the risks to our border.

“The assessment team will be with us in a little over two weeks' time and the job of designing new objectives, priorities, and performance measures for our Border Force can begin in earnest.” As part of the Government’s goal to increase the capabilities of border staff, three UK immigration enforcement trainers are also in the Turks and Caicos Islands working with immigration leads to deliver two formal operation training courses covering the entire immigration

task force team.

She explained that: “The content of this training has been designed in partnership with immigration leads and will help us to develop and professionalise our approach to immigration enforcement not only in personal skills but in criminal investigations, enforcement and detention operations.

“During their time with us, Mr Speaker, the trainers will also support our leads in reviewing and refreshing our immigration enforcement policies and procedures.”

To further strengthen the territory border protection measures, Missick said partnerships are also being forged with United States law enforcement.

She said: “The United States of America law enforcement agent remains on the ground here in the Turks and Caicos Islands embedded within our immigration and customs teams.

“And the public may see him and our United Kingdom customs officers at our ports, airports or in the field or our United Kingdom officers coaching and supporting our customs teams by reinforcing training delivered in April.

Nelene Swann appointed VP of Enid Capron Primary School

The Office of the Deputy Governor has announced the appointment of Ms Nelene Swann to the post of Vice Principal of the Enid Capron Primary School.

According to a statement from the Government, Ms Swann holds an Associate’s Degree in Computer Studies from the Turks & Caicos Islands Community College; a Teaching Diploma with credits in Reading and Computer from the Mico University College in Jamaica and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts Degree in Education - Management and Leadership at the Oxford Brookes University by distance learning.

She began her teaching career in 2009 at the Enid Capron Primary School following the completion of her studies at Mico College where she has served for the last 13 years.

Commenting on her appointment Ms Swann stated:

Believing in the philosophy that

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”, I am elated to be given the opportunity to serve as the Vice Principal of The Enid Capron Primary School.

Excited and eager to commence my teaching career after graduating with credits in my area of studies at Mico Teachers’ University College, I was initially dismayed that I was placed at the Enid Capron Primary School, in Five Cays.

“There were days when I cried; disappointed that I was not placed at Ianthe Pratt Primary School where I desperately wanted to teach.

“Words of encouragement and sound advice from colleagues, family, friends and leaders in the community especially Dr Candice Williams encouraged me to remain at the E.C.P.S.

“Was it God in the midst of it all? It certainly was, because I now could not imagine being at any other institution than the Enid Capron Primary School. The Love

of my life! is no better way to put it!

I vow to continue to give my best to support the: principal, staff, students and community at large of this noble institution and look forward to serving in this new capacity.”

Deputy Governor and Head of the Public Service HE Anya Williams in commenting on Ms Swann’s appointment stated: “It is with great pleasure that I extend congratulations to Ms Nelene Swann on her appointment as the new Vice Principal of the Enid Capron Primary School within the Ministry of Education, Labour, Employment and Customer Services.

This appointment follows the appointment of the former Vice Principal of the E.C.P.S. Ms Abigail Delancy to the post of Principal of the Adelaide Oemler Primary School and follows a series of new appointments and

promotions across the majority of public schools in the Turks and Caicos Islands over the course of the last two years.

Ms Swann having worked in numerous capacities and having

headed numerous committees during her tenure at the Enid Capron Primary School, has helped to mould and to shape thousands of young lives during her tenure and is deserving of this promotion.

Nelene Swann

Leadership makes a difference

–It can build you up or break you down

Leadership is very important in the home, the workplace, the church, Government, and the community.

Leadership makes an impactful difference. If you are an effective leader, you will build up an effective and high-performance team. If you are an ineffective leader, you will break down the morale of your team.

Leaders need to lead by example. How do you expect your team to do right when you are not doing right? It is leaders that set the direction for the organisation. Therefore, lead by example.

Leaders must be bold and brave enough to make decisions and act. Your team and organisation are in the state because you are indecisive.

Sometimes leaders think they know everything. They allow their titles to get to them and do not value the input from the team. Your team

BY DREXWELL SEYMOUR

their team in the presence of others or use social media to throw shade at them. If you have an issue with a member of your team, speak to them privately. How do you think you would feel if someone embarrassed you publicly?

Leaders need to encourage and inspire their team. Everybody needs encouragement. Of course, leaders need encouragement too.

Therefore, it is important for leaders to communicate frequently.

Leaders must learn to delegate. You do not have to do everything yourself. If you want your team to grow, delegate some duties and allow them to grow even if they fail at it. Furthermore, you don’t want to get burned out by doing everything yourself.

may have a lot of suggestions for the organisation. Listen to them and do not count them out. After all, your team is at the frontline of your organisation. If you do not listen to your team, you will make your team feel that their input is not significant.

You must also hold your team accountable. Too many of us turn a blind eye to some situations. Some of us are too close or friendly

with our team members and so we don’t want to hurt their feelings. However, if you do not hold them accountable, you are not helping anyone. Your team will continue to do what they like without being held accountable. I can assure you if you hold your team accountable, they will eventually appreciate you and respect you.

Sometimes leaders embarrass

Leaders be honest. Don’t lie to your team. The thing is, if you are not an honest person, you may end up telling more lies to cover up your other lies. When the people discover you are lying, they will not trust you and remember the truth will eventually be revealed.

An effective leader needs to communicate. If you don’t, you leave the door open for a lot of rumours and assumptions.

Too many of us disrespect our team. We take sides with individuals depending on who they are and where they are from. Stop acting like everybody is on the job just for a paycheck. Maybe it is because of how you treat them as a leader. Don’t talk about your team members to others.

Leadership must stop blaming others and assume responsibility for the outcome whether it is failure or success.

The resurgence of world government: Can the TCI cope?

History is undoubtedly at a turning point! Already, Covid-19, climate change, internal political strife, instability, and supply chain disruptions are toppling economies and societies worldwide and now, the world’s governments must overcome a myriad of challenges. More so, it is compulsory that the global community tackle the aftermath of a menacing clash between major global powers and the dissimilar value systems they embrace.

Coupled with this, the spiralling world’s debt has become unsustainable and to date, it reaches an astonishing $300 trillion, and the US alone is owing almost $29

BY D MARKIE SPRING

that the cooperation we’re seeing today, is the dress rehearsal for the emergence of a world government.

governmental organisations, such as Greenpeace and Doctors without Borders.

trillion. If these phenomena are not resolved, inevitably, the world’s economies would collapse.

In addressing the dangers of international anarchy, proponents argue, one of the biggest flops of the nation-state system in recent years is the leader’s inability to successfully cope with the emerging

challenges, which confront the world’s population, and recently, Covid-19 has exposed international institutions on this front.

As the world becomes more globalised – economically integrated and culturally interconnected –individual nations have grown increasingly averse to coping with all-encompassing plights, which are not caused by any single state and cannot be mended, even by the focused efforts of individual governments.

Verifiably, we’ve witnessed the TCI's incapacity to effectively deal with the recent flurry of criminal activities – which outraged communities – without outside intervention.

Interestingly, while some may agree – amid global crises – that government cooperation is key to creating a better future – and rightly so – detractors are concerned

So far, the inception of the United Nations (UN) in the mid20th century remains the closest approximation to this ideal, as it is by far the largest and most powerful international institution. However, the UN is mostly limited to an advisory role, with the state purpose of fostering cooperation between existing national governments; in lieu of, exerting authority over them.

Today, the World Government Summit is strengthening the tide and shaping the future of governments worldwide with a focus on harnessing innovation and technology to solve universal challenges facing humanity.

In October 2021, 137 countries adopted the global minimum corporate tax rate, where each country would be eligible for a share of revenue generated by this tax.

Still, there is “COP 47” – an annual event of the Water and Climate Cluster, which assembles actors of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France, and the greater southwest to develop and adapt policy framework to climate change adaptation; coupled with, other non-

To bolster this argument, Covid-19 has inspired cashless systems and the governments of the United States and China are contemplating digital currencies; however, these are mostly driven by tech engineers, start-ups, and common street vendors.

So, where does this lead us?

The fact remains, the TCI cannot function alone, and lawmakers will be forced to adopt internationally agreed policies in its decision-making and considering it is currently a British Overseas Territory, bolsters the idea that the TCI – like other regional players – cannot act autonomously, even within its own borders.

In fact, the G7 – a consortium of the world’s largest IMF advanced economies and liberal democracies is already making trade and financial decisions, without the participation of other economies, which often negatively impacts the rest of the world.

Quoting Alexander Wendt, America’s most influential international relations theorist, “a world government is simply, inevitable.”

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.

Drexwell Seymour

accountant

has

BA

Accounting

Positioning a Caribbean tourism destination

The Caribbean marketplace is cluttered with twenty-plus territories positioning themselves pretty much in the same way and offering similar benefits. Smart positioning will make one tourist destination stand out from the rest. It makes the difference from being average to becoming a dominant market player.

Positioning is one of the most powerful marketing concepts. It creates an identity or image of a destination in the mind of tourists in terms of an awareness that distinguishes it from competing destinations. It can boost the economic development of a destination. Positioning should be decided before any promotion is created. A good position gives the destination a USP (Unique Selling Proposition). A good position in the market also allows a destination to ride out bad times more easily.

“The battle of the mind of tourists” is what it is all about. Before one can have a share of market, one must have a share of mind. Being successful requires finding a window in the mind through stimulating perception. The position that a destination has in the mind of the consumer can be more important to success than the tourism destination itself. Don't tell them how good the destination is; tell them how good it makes them feel. It is the tourist who decides whether to follow the perception. The tourist often knows more about vacationing than the marketers of

OCTOPEN

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

a destination, simply because they have the experience of going on vacation every year.

Don't count how many people that you reach, reach the people that matter. A positioning strategy is a tool to enter into a source market that matters most. Often disproportionate sums of money are spent on overseas promotions with a “being-everything-foreveryone” model, and in the hope that with a nuclear attempt that destination will be the winner. It spreads efforts too thin where they could have the strongest impact when concentrated elsewhere.

Settling on fewer targets may effectively bring in more. Budget size is not the winning element. Smart application of funds backed by serious marketing research determines the altitude of the return on investment.

The check-up from the neckup of destination marketing starts with positioning based on the principle that a destination exists to satisfy needs and deliver the promised benefits. The benefits should be different and better than the ones offered by the

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.

competitors. Tourists have many choices within and beyond the region. The process of setting one destination apart from rivals is a critical success factor. Having a clear identity and placement to the needs of the tourists is vital.

Create a concept of “destination personality”!

Positioning strategies designed for the destination will fail if they are designed from their own perspective instead of from the tourists’ perspective. “We believe that we are …” is an assumption.

Assumptions are an imperfect method of decision-making that’s “good enough” and saves time.

A lack of background marketing research is susceptible to using dubious data and generalisations. When assumptions are proven wrong, the rest may go horribly wrong and at a cost.

The first step in positioning is to pick the market segment that has the most potential. Market segmentation breaks down the broad tourism market into smaller target markets for which the destination is identified. Those segments will become the focus

of special attention. It is important to determine the parameters for competitive success in that specific source market. Destinations that want to go niche, must have a more targeted premium positioning.

Perceptual mapping is a technique that attempts to display the perceptions of tourists rather than the opinion of the destination marketer. Understanding the tourist perspective is essential. A perceptual map wants to find out where the destination is positioned in the market and helps to find out how the tourists see the destination in relation to others in the market. The map can be used to identify gaps in the market as well as for clarifying perceptual problems with a destination. Two questions to be considered. How does the target market perceive the destination and how does it perceive the competition? Marketers must know their tourists. This may require considerable research on tourist perceptions and competitor activity. If marketing research is too simplistic or not taken seriously enough, it can result

in misrepresented factors or conditions.

A Positioning Map is a list of the competitors and what they claim to be their specialty. It will help the actual positioning of a destination within a competitive marketplace. It can include destination characteristics or distinctive features that inspire tourists to pick one destination over another. The list can show where competitors are lagging behind when looking at what is important to the preferred tourist. The map is essentially part of a consumer-centric approach to marketing communication which represents how a destination communicates its value to tourists. It can uncover marketing opportunities and "position" its marketing message to appeal to the target segment.

Following the above steps should provide a framework for the practical planning and implementation of marketing positioning strategies in the tourism context. Not capitalising on unique strengths of a destination is missing out on the business opportunity that specialisation offers toward efficiency and profitability. The marketing plan should be unique to the destination and focus on the essential tourists and their expectations. Spend the budget funds wisely. Don’t spread out the efforts. You cannot have them all.

Last but not least, the above can be applied to any kind of business; just replace ‘destination’ by ‘product/service’ and ‘tourists’ by ‘clients’.

Humility and my self-finding journey

Being humble isn’t always easy.

‘Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less” – C.S. Lewis

I admit, at times, I have a hard time being humble. If you hold your head a bit high because you know what it is to have been taken advantage of and if you grew to know your worth, because you expect nothing less from others_ you are not necessarily ungrateful. Knowing what you want and demanding it should not be viewed as selfish or ungrateful.

On the road to my self-finding journey, I thought I need to be a bit more humble. How? Here are a few ways:

LISTEN MINDFULLY

The factor that sets apart ‘the

BY DAVIDSON LOUIS

find ways to praise others. Simple and effective.

ADMIT WHEN YOU MAKE A MISTAKE

You can never run away from making mistakes. Take responsibility and own up to them. Avoid deflecting or being defensive.

APPRECIATE OTHERS

humbles’ from the ‘arrogants’ is that a humble person will go out of their way to listen to what one has to say. A listening ear goes a long way. Try it, it's free.

TO PUT OTHERS FIRST

This is a weakness of mine. Naturally, I put myself first_ at all costs! In fact, I was an only child until I was 17 years old. But how

could I truly care if my needs take front stage over anything or anyone else? I am battling with this, but you would agree that it is a necessary evil. You may stumble along the way but you would shock yourself because it feels so good to be selfless.

BE CONSIDERATE Boasting does not help. Instead,

There is something so pure and kind about humble people. Particularly in small ways, show others that they are appreciated and that you would move mountains for them.

LEARN FROM OTHERS

From time to time, take time to see how you can do things

differently. Your peers and everyone else around may shock you. And you can always learn a thing or two from them.

SEIZE EACH OPPORTUNITY TO UPLIFT

Show additional interest in others. You may be the only person that actually cares about how someone's day has been.

ACCEPT ALL KINDS OF FEEDBACK

Try to accept constructive criticism, even when hearing negative feedback isn’t always the easiest thing to hear. Note to self and now to you.

Share your views on louisedens@gmail.com.

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

CDR BUD SLABBAERT

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

Grand Turk

–An island of historical importance

It has been commonly taught that Columbus’ first landfall was San Salvador in the Bahamas. In recent years, this theory has been challenged by two Turks and Caicos Islands historians, the late H.E. Sadler and Josiah Marvel. These historians promoted the theory that Columbus’ first landfall was Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The late Josiah Marvel started his research in this area in the mid-1980s. Bolstered by his dear friend Tim Ainley, who accompanied him on his expedition, they took their 43foot catamaran and proceeded to retrace the first landfall made by Christopher Columbus on Grand Turk. According to Dave Calvert, the author of an article entitled Sailing the Caribbean in the Wake of Christopher Columbus, the purpose of the expedition was to retrace Marvel’s purported route on a sailing vessel to confirm distances, courses and descriptions of the various islands as recorded by the famed admiral in the ‘Diario of Christopher Columbus’. Columbus also recorded in his diary that when he made landfall, he encountered Indians on the island. Over the years, the argument arose as to whether or not there is evidence to substantiate that there were Indians in the Turks and Caicos Islands at the time.

In short, the following details tend to suggest that there is strong evidence of Taino/Lucayan presence in the islands. It commenced with Theodore De Booy (1912) when he obtained exquisite examples of Taino art. Later on, archaeologist Dr Shaun Sullivan devoted two years of dedicated work to surveys and excavations in the Caicos Islands in an effort to track the Taino colonisation. He rediscovered forty Taino sites, all but five were on Middle Caicos.

In 1989, while attending a conference at which Robert Power and Josiah Marvel presented their case for Grand Turk as the first landfall of Columbus, Dr Donald Keith found two Taino sites on Grand Turk. This was the beginning of the Taino story on that island as the article in the Times of the Islands (Summer 1995) –“History begins on Grand Turk”, suggests. Further evidence also revealed that within a half-century of the European colonisation efforts through conquest, degradation and extermination, this group of people were decimated through the imposition of the Spanish Encomienda System (their forced labour policy), inhumane treatment

and the ingress of diseases by the Europeans which the Taino people were not immune to.

Following the demise of the Taino population, the next main settlement attempt in Grand Turk was by the Bermudians in 1678. The Bermudians first came to the islands on a temporary basis to harvest salt. While they waited on the process to take place, they used their time to salvage wrecked ships and fish for turtles. In time, salt became a very lucrative business which encouraged them to establish a permanent settlement on the island. Remnants of the old salt ponds on Grand Turk tell this story. The island still retains aspects of the old colonial British-Bermudian heritage through its buildings, street designs, and family names in particular Astwood, Butterfield, Dean, Durham, Frith, Seymour and Taylor.

Salt made Grand Turk a virtually important artery linking this small island (whether directly or indirectly) with several global partners including the USA, Canada, England and neighbouring Caribbean countries in particular Jamaica and Barbados. It was the salt from Grand Turk that was shipped to Newfoundland in Canada and cod from here was sold to the slave plantation owners in these Caribbean countries as it was the main diet for their slaves. As the salt trade expanded, it resulted in Grand Turk being declared the first port of entry in the Turks & Caicos with custom officials present to collect the revenue that was being generated from its sales.

By 1681, salt was not only a thriving business but because of its demand, it acquired the popular name “White Gold”. This flourishing business also saw the Bermudians established Cockburn Town in Grand Turk as the capital of the island. It was named after Sir Francis Cockburn, the then Governor of the Bahamas. It was a small Bermudian coastal settlement found on the western side of Grand Turk being the oldest permanent settlement on the island. Its boundaries extended from Duke Street on the southern end heading north along Front Street to where Duke Street merges into Queen Street overlooking the ocean. This was followed by Front Street at some point. As the town developed into an important commercial centre, several government buildings and offices were created in the vicinity, particularly on Front Street. Salt was the lifeblood of Grand Turk. It single-handedly transformed the

BY CARLTON MILLS

island into an economic hub.

From as early as the 18th century, The French showed interest in the Turks & Caicos Islands because of the profitable salt trade. At the end of the Seven Years War in 1764, the French Admiral Comte d’ Estainy briefly occupied Grand Turk. The British did not take kindly to this aggressive move by the French. They were reluctant to see another European power amassing wealth from the proceeds of salt. In order to stamp their dominance on the island, the British made Grand Turk the capital in 1766 and introduced the position of King’s Agent with Andrew Symmer being the first to hold this new-found office. It was also an attempt by the British to maintain a strong physical governmental presence on the island to safeguard all proceeds from the salt trade for the British Crown.

The British presence however, did not deter the French. They returned in 1783. This return trip was historical as it made Grand Turk more famously known for the Battle of Grand Turk which transpired on March 9th, 1783 during the American Revolutionary Wars. The French captured the Bermudians along with their salt workers before proceeding to exercise their political and military might over residents in the Caicos Islands. In response to the actions by the French, the British deployed a 28-gun frigate HMS Albermarle with a force of 100 men under the command of Captain Horatio Nelson. Their mission was to rescue the islands from the French. Unfortunately, this military mission ended in total failure. In the end, it took diplomatic action by both parties through the Treaty of Paris to formally conclude the war after six months. This raid by the French caused the British to exercise closer oversight of the island and its important role in the international salt trade.

Another important historical feature of Grand Turk was Waterloo

which was constructed in 1815. It was later purchased by the British Government in 1857, eventually becoming the home for the British resident Governors in the territory.

In 1898, the first cable was landed on Grand Turk by Halifax Cable Company later called Direct West India Cable Company Limited of Canada. This investment made Grand Turk an important cable station linking the island with the rest of the world.

In 1921, the first high school was opened in Grand Turk and provided secondary education for students on all of the islands. This was in addition to the two government primary schools that were already operational on the island.

An inter-island radio service was inaugurated also in 1923. This operated until 1941 following the takeover of the Grand Turk Station by Cable and Wireless.

A major historical development for the island took place in the 1950s when the US Bases and Radar Tracking Station were set up. The US NAVFAV 104 known as the North Base was commissioned on October 23rd, 1954. This base was a part of the Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) and underwater listening system that was designed to track Soviet Submarines. It was eventually decommissioned on March 31st, 1980.

The Grand Turk Airforce Base, a missile tracking station was built by a joint agreement between the UK and the USA. It came into service in 1953. The purpose of this facility was to track longrange missiles launched from the US and also monitor satellites and manned flights launched from Cape Canaveral.

The third facility that was constructed by the US on Grand Turk was on Colonel Murray’s Hill also known colloquially as ‘Nookie Hill’. When John Glenn splashed down in the waters of the TCI in his capsule Friendship 7 in 1962 after orbiting the earth, NASA never knew that Glenn was still alive. It was from Colonel Murray’s Hill that the heart rates and positions of the astronauts John Glenn in Friendship 7 and later Scott Aurora 7 in that year were monitored. Vice President of the USA at the time, Lyndon Johnson, came to Grand Turk to take Astronaut John Glenn back to the USA. These US bases further augmented Grand Turk’s strategic position in the USA global surveillance operations programme.

The first hotel, The Turks Head Inn was opened on Grand Turk by

the government in 1965. However, it was sold three years later (1968) to a private individual.

In 1966, the government opened a Savings Bank on Grand Turk and Barclays Bank (D.C.O.) (now CIBC/ First Caribbean International Bank) was opened on April 12th, 1966. As a means of boosting the tourism sector following the opening of the Turks Head Inn, the government in 1969 constructed a new terminal building on both Grand Turk and South Caicos.

An attempt at implementing the ‘A’ Level programme was made in the early 1970s but this was short-lived. This failed effort did not impede plans of developing post-secondary education however as the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College opened its doors in Grand Turk on September 18th, 1994 with assistance from the Caribbean Development Bank. The old Navy Base buildings were eventually refurbished to facilitate the transfer of the Community College to a permanent home.

Grand Turk is also the home to the $40m Cruise Port which was constructed in 2006. This facility is erected on 13 acres of land consisting of a 3000-foot pier, welcome centre, recreational centre including a swimming pool, 1000 feet of beachfront, cabanas, shops and the largest Margaritaville in the Caribbean. In 2019, Grand Turk captured the accolade for the Best Caribbean Beach Port by Porthole Magazine.

Grand Turk is usually described in the most fitting terms as a “floating museum” and rightly so. It is home to several important historical sites and buildings. Some of these include the Grand Turk Lighthouse which was constructed in 1852 as an important landmark to guide sailing ships. In addition, there is the Old Prison, the Militia Building, Victoria Public Library, the Museum, Post Office, Odd Fellows Building, the St Thomas Anglican Church built in 1823 being the first church that was constructed on the island followed by its sister church, St Mary’s Anglican Church which was built in 1899.

One might be amazed to know that Grand Turk was also the home to several plantations including Hawkes Nest Plantation which was developed in the 1900s to produce sisal and Eve’s Plantation which was the former site of the Eve’s Family Plantation used to produce cotton. Grand Turk is also the place where

The power of philosophy and ideology

Guns and bullets don’t kill. People use guns and bullets to kill. There were two men who each had gardens with good soil. One bought various fruit seeds, planted, watered and waited. The other took an M-16, AR-15 and a 9mm and planted them in the same soil. He like the other watered and waited. When harvest time came, the first gardener had beautiful apples, oranges, pears and grapes among other fruits to feed his family. The latter’s garden looked the same as it did months ago.

That may not be very poetic, but let’s examine this. Nature has laws built in that produce a determined outcome; no matter how we feel or what we believe. However, what we feel or believe has a very profound impact on what we produce. That production whether positive or negative is a result of our philosophy and ideology. Philosophy has many definitions, but simply it is the most basic

BY KEITH DAVIS

Keith Davis is an IT Consultant resident on Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. He is married and has two wonderful boys. His desire is to contribute to the advancement of the country, but more importantly the youth.

beliefs, concepts, and attitudes of an individual or group. Ideology is defined as a manner or the content of thinking characteristic of an individual, group, or culture.

When babies are born, they do not determine the family, culture, wealth status or future they want. Some are born as they say with a golden, silver or bronze spoon in their mouths. Then some like me were born with no spoon! But one thing that is common is that they are all born into a culture of philosophy and ideology which ultimately and without question impacts their future. If you place a gun and ammunition on a table

and no one touches it, if you return fifty years later, it will still be there. No one would have died as a result of it. That is because a weapon is harmless. Your philosophy and ideology are harmful.

The people who are shooting and killing others today were once innocent and harmless babies. One may say that Judas, Hitler, Stalin and others were not born harmless, but that is another story. If you place ten black babies and ten white babies together, they will play until they get tired or fall asleep. They will not hate each other or be racists. But as they develop in their homes and societies, the beliefs

and ideologies of their culture impact the values and concepts of other people.

When a country decides that the pursuit of money, possessions, power and popularity is more important and valuable than the children, they are simultaneously digging graves for future liabilities. That is what has happened in this country and many others. Politicians, one after the other have forgotten that children are worth investing in and sacrificing for. This is not a current administration or the former. It is a built-in philosophy and ideology of the country we live and others that surround us. The same children that were forgotten as families had to work hard to survive while they were unattended are many of the same that are frustrated today, and we see the results. They are not bad people, but the result of bad philosophy. ‘Good people’ do bad

things also.

If you were to ask many people around you to look at their bank accounts; they will likely smile. If you ask them how much time they have invested in their children, I am not sure their facial expressions will be the same. The country has invested a lot of time in constructing tall and big buildings, but unfortunately, short and small people at the same time. A mass influx of a military force may quelch the violence for a period, but what remains is the ideology and philosophy of the people after they have left. As I still believe, these are not bad people, but babies who were forgotten and ostracised. Whether you believe the Bible or not, two sets of words ring true today. The first is that a man cannot serve two masters. The second is as equally wise: the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. May God bless you and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Don’t do stupid things

The names parents give to their children have always been a topic that fascinates me. For one I think it says a lot about where the parents are spiritually and emotionally at the moment, and to a lesser extent what their vision is for their child.

A friend of mine’s firstborn was named Rain, and, since she came out pretty good when her brother came along he got to be called River. One of my godsons almost became Mershelle (I know what you are thinking and the answer is yes). I can’t remember what space I was in when my son came along but I wanted to name him Vladimir, but my wife stepped in (thankfully) so we settled on Fyodor. One name that still stumps me to this day is La-a.

In the seventh chapter of the book of Joshua, we meet a man named Achan (aw-kawn) and his parents were in a really bad place when he was born because they named their son “troubler”. Now, a person’s name is not a determinant of how their life would go, Rip Torn achieved success as an actor, Misty Hyman won an Olympic gold medal and Ryan Sidebottom played 22 test matches for England. Achan could have turned out a pretty decent guy but he chose otherwise.

When Israel attacked the citystate of Jericho they were told to destroy everyone and everything except precious metals which were to be added to their treasury. This was clearly communicated to everyone along with the

KENYATTA E. LEWIS

consequences. After defeating Jericho they attacked a strategically located, but smaller, city-state called Ai. Joshua was informed by his intelligence officers that several companies totalling 3000 men would be able to take the city rather than the 200,000 men that made up the regular army. Instead

of a quick victory, they lost 36 men and suffered a humiliating and demoralising defeat. In despair, Joshua sought God and found out that their defeat was the result of someone doing something stupid. Achan, the troubler, had stolen what did not belong to him. He had lived out his name and caused

an entire nation to be thrown in disarray.

When we do stupid things others suffer the consequences. When the leader of a family chooses dissipation and debauchery the consequences for the family can last for generations. When those who should protect the weak take

bribes injustice and anger are bred. But there is a way to deal with stupidity. The Bible calls it repentance and it means to turn away. When a person or a family or a nation repents, they change their minds about a thing, they change how they feel about it and eventually they change how they act. Repentance is so important that Martin Luther, the German reformer, felt that it was one of the key things the Catholic Church needed to do if it was to reform. If we are to live peaceful, prosperous lives, whenever it is needed we have to turn away from stupid things and act wisely.

You. Are. Loved.

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

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.

Joint exercise to monitor inbound vessels from highrisk countries commences

The monitoring of vessels from high-risk countries is a top priority for local law enforcement as they work to stem the flow of illicit drugs and weapons entering the TCI.

Joint exercises between the department of Customs, the department of Immigration and the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force started on Sunday, October 16, and continued into the week.

“In an effort to bolster border security, the exercise was geared towards maritime enforcement activities including small cargo vessels and commercial vessels,” Police reported on Wednesday, October 19.

Whilst there remains a legal influx of vessel traffic within the TCI waters, police said the monitoring of regional and international vessels from countries deemed high-risk remains a priority for all law enforcement agencies within the TCI.

The initial exercise began at 5 pm on Sunday in South Dock, during which time the Customs’ Anti-Smuggling Unit, Immigration Task Force and the Police Force’s Marine Branch boarded a small Haitian cargo vessel named ‘Lady Sayou’, to conduct a search of its

interior. The search took place at sea.

In the ensuing days, the rummaging of the vessel continued with the assistance and support of the Force’s Tactical Unit and the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s K9 Unit.

On Tuesday, a separate rummage was conducted on another small Haitian cargo vessel called ‘The Marassa Express’. This was concluded on the same day.

Speaking on the two joint exercises, Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting said they show the magnitude of collaboration and the RTCIPF’s commitment at addressing maritime challenges alongside their customs colleagues, with the common denominator being a safe and secure TCI.

Assistant Collector (Operations) at Customs, Oehlers Higgs spoke of his department’s commitment to combatting all illicit activities on TCI shores.

“The events of the last 36 hours show what can be achieved working together as a team,” he said.

The public is being advised to notify the closest police station or to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-8008477 to give any information of illegal activity anonymously.

Grand Turk – An island of historical ...

the Junkanoo Club was founded, a social organisation that was transformational and progressive in its actions. This group was also instrumental in bringing about a new sense of consciousness in the 1970s – historically, socially and politically which facilitated the ushering in of constitutional changes with wide implications for the country. The Peoples’ Democratic Movement (PDM)

one of the major political parties in the country, eventually emerged from this group of social advocates.

To the present-day visitor, the Grand Turk museum provides a wealth of fascinating displays including a historical oldLucayan carved wood duho (a ceremonial chair) and artifacts from the Molasses Reef Wreck which is believed to be the oldest

European shipwreck excavated in the Western Hemisphere. The island is also known in addition to Providenciales, for excellent scuba diving and offshore snorkeling with pristine and sheer wall sites defining the underwater experience. This wall has attracted many divers as in certain places it can drop from 30 feet to well over 7000 feet making it a most fascinating and breathtaking

site. Along the Cockburn Town front, many beautiful beaches inclusive of small hotels and resorts are located which are dedicated to the tourism product.

The eastern side of Grand Turk is home to several beaches however, the more popular beaches are Governor’s Beach, Pillory Beach, English Point Beach, Cockburn Town Beach and White Sands Beach.

The coronavirus has significantly halted most of the tourism activity on the island as the main contributor to this product, the Carnival Cruise Lines for the moment, have reduced operations. It is believed that once this cruise line resumes operations to the island, Grand Turk will once again retain its glory as one of the leading tourism destinations in the TCI.

Cargo search of a Haitian vessel at South Dock last week (RTCIPF photo)

Sniffer dog searches an inbound vessel at TCI port (RTCIPF photo)

Construction of new Ports Authority Building begins

Construction has officially begun on a new and modern building that will house the South Dock Port Office following a recent groundbreaking ceremony.

On October 13, members of government gathered at the site of the new building to officially mark the commencement of the redevelopment and modernisation of South Dock, Providenciales.

The project – said to be a momentous achievement for the Ports Authority - will take place over the next three to four years, with several components.

Housed in the new building will be the Ports Authority’s office, immigration department, department of agriculture, and the department of motor vehicles.

A new customs office as well as a warehouse and bonded area for storing and inspecting imported vehicles will also be constructed as part of the project, along with several office spaces that will be rented to shipping agents.

The construction of the new building includes resilient

construction methodologies and green economy considerations.

In attendance at the groundbreaking ceremony were Premier Hon Charles Washington Misick, Minister with responsibility for ports Hon Arlington Musgrove, a representative of AE&S Construction Limited and other Cabinet ministers.

Bringing brief remarks were Premier Misick; Minister Musgrove; Deputy Permanent Secretary Emilio Seymour; Stakeholders Committee Chairman Carl Simmons; former Board Chairman Urban Francis; contractor Stephen Walkin and Financial Controller Sarhea Rigby.

Meanwhile, other aspects of the South Dock Port Redevelopment project include construction of two new berths; new container yards and internal roadways; dredging of a new vessel turning basin; installation of mast lights lighting; and provision of fire service and drainage improvements.

(DELANA ISLES)

Clerveaux joins newly formed Housing Department as Deputy Director

Long-serving public servant Mike Clerveaux has moved up in rank and status within the civil service.

This week, The Office of the Deputy Governor announced Clerveaux’s appointment to the post of Deputy Director of the newly formed Housing and Community Renewal Department within the Ministry of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development (PPID).

Having joined the public service in 1997 as an Airport Security Officer with the then Civil Aviation Department, he then received a Government Scholarship to pursue a Diploma in Education from the Mico Teachers’ College, in

Kingston Jamaica later that year.

There he pursued studies in Industrial Arts from 1997-2000; upon completion of which he was placed at the Clement Howell High School, teaching Woodwork and Technical Drawing for five years, as he moulded young minds and helped them develop critical skills.

Mr Clerveaux holds a Master of Science in the Built Environment (Specialisation in Geomatics: 2010-2013) and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Urban and Regional Planning (2005-2009) both from the University of Technology (UTECH), Jamaica.

Upon returning to TCI, he dedicated a span of seven years

with the Department of Planning (2009-2016) as a Land Use Planner. During his tenure he was responsible for reviewing planning applications while promoting integrated development planning through spatial interpretation of the macro-economic and sectoral policies, ensuring their consistency with the principles of sustainable development.

In 2016, Mr Clerveaux, joined the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) as the Hazard Mitigation Officer (2016-2019).

Three years later he was

Mike Clerveaux, Deputy Director of the Housing and Community Renewal Department

New Ports Authority Building breaks ground

No guns surrendered

– As one-month firearms amnesty ends

No firearms were surrendered during the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Forces’ month-long Firearm and Ammunition Amnesty.

The gun amnesty was launched on September 15, 2022, to keep dangerous weapons off the streets and protect residents and guests in light of an upsurge in brutal firearm murders in recent weeks.

The Amnesty-themed “Surrender a Gun, Save a Life” concluded on Saturday, October 15, 2022.

In a statement on Wednesday, October 19, Communications Officer of the RTCIPF, Denyse Renne said: “Sadly, no one took advantage of this opportunity to surrender their homes and properties of these lethal weapons.

“Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting expresses his heartfelt gratitude to the TCI Christian Council for their partnership in this initiative.

“Commissioner Botting assures

the public that the men and women of the RTCIPF remain steadfast, determined and relentless in pursuing criminal elements bent on wreaking havoc on the Beautiful by Nature TCI”, she added.

During the amnesty period, anyone illegally in possession, custody, or control of any firearm, explosive or ammunition was urged to voluntarily surrender or disclose the location of the item/s to the officer in charge of a police station, a designated pastor, or a police post.

Additionally, any person who voluntarily surrendered or disclosed the location of any firearm, explosive or ammunition during the amnesty period was not subjected to charges with any offense relating to illegal possession, custody, or control of that firearm, explosive or ammunition.

In accordance with the amnesty, this individual would be pardoned

and absolved from any criminal responsibility in respect of that possession from the date of the

surrender or disclosure.

Now that the amnesty has expired, those who refuse to

surrender their firearms and ammunition, once convicted, can face stiff penalties.

Clerveaux joins newly formed Housing Department ...

appointed to the post of Hazard Mitigation and GIS Manager (2019-2022). As the Hazard Mitigation and GIS Manager, Mr Clerveaux was responsible for the administration of the Department’s Hazard Mitigation and Planning Programme.

During his tenure at DDME, Mr Clerveaux had acted in the capacity of both the Director and Deputy Director, a position he held until his new appointment.

Commenting on his appointment

Mr Clerveaux stated: “Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.

“I am confident that my professional and academic journey has equipped me with the requisite knowledge and skill sets to continue to make a contribution not just to the Department of Housing…but to the country on a whole and I look forward to serving in this new role.”

Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development

Hon Akierra Missick in extending congratulations to Mr Clerveaux stated: “We are so pleased to be

able to grow the Department of Housing and Community Renewal with Mr Mike Clerveaux.

@Mr Clerveaux is no stranger to the Ministry of PPID and our overall remit of building a sustainable and resilient Turks and Caicos Islands.”

She added that the development of housing solutions throughout the Island is no easy task, and bolstering the staff complement of this department will lend neatly to the government’s bold vision of producing 1,000 housing solution units over the next three years.

“With big vision comes big responsibility and we know that Mr Clerveaux will rise to the challenge and make this a reality. We welcome him and thank him for hitting the ground running already,” Missick said.

Deputy Governor and Head of the Public Service HE Anya Williams joined in extending congratulations to Mr Clerveaux.

“It gives me great pleasure to officially congratulate Mr Mike Clerveaux on his appointment to the post of Deputy Director of the Housing and Community Renewal Department within the

Ministry of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development.”

She said that with the 20 plus years of experience, Clerveaux brings to this position a wealth of knowledge, skills, experience and strong publicprivate sector partnerships, having worked in the diverse fields of Urban Planning, Environment and Disaster

Management.

The Deputy Governor noted that the recently established Housing and Community Renewal Department has a key role to play as the government works towards improving the territory’s housing stock and infrastructure.

“Along with Director Dominique

Durham, we are certain that Mr Clerveaux will do an excellent job in leading the department and on delivering on the governments stated housing objectives going forward.

Congratulations on your welldeserved promotion Mike,” she added.

Public Appeal

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

“Surrender a Gun, Save a Life” logo

Liz Truss resigns as prime minister after Tory revolt

LIZ Truss has dramatically resigned as prime minister after just 45 days in the job.

The PM said her successor will be elected in a Tory leadership contest, to be completed in the next week.

Tory MPs urged Ms Truss to go after her government was engulfed by political turmoil, following the ditching of most of her economic policies.

Ms Truss was elected by the Tory membership in September, but she lost authority after a series of U-turns.

In a brief speech outside Downing Street, Ms Truss said the Conservative Party had elected her on a mandate to cut taxes and boost economic growth.

But given the situation, Ms

Truss said: “I recognise that I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party.”

Ms Truss said she would remain in post until a successor formally takes over as party leader and is appointed prime minister by King Charles III.

Jeremy Hunt - who was appointed chancellor last week - has said he will not stand in the leadership contest to be the next prime minister.

Ms Truss will become the shortest-serving PM in British history when she stands down.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called for an immediate general election following Ms Truss’s resignation speech.

In her speech, Ms Truss said

Liz Truss was elected by the Tory membership in September, but she lost authority after a series of U-turns

she entered “office at a time of great economic and international instability”, as war rages in Ukraine and living costs skyrocket.

The prime minister said her government delivered on providing support for energy bills and reversing a rise in National Insurance, a tax on workers and companies.

But Ms Truss’s resignation

comes after a period of political and economic turbulence, which forced her government to ditch tax cuts that sent financial markets into a tailspin.

The prime minister sacked close political ally Kwasi Kwarteng as chancellor and appointed Jeremy Hunt as his successor as she attempted to calm the markets.

At Prime Minister’s Questions

on Wednesday, Ms Truss insisted she was a “fighter, not a quitter” after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer asked her why she had not resigned.

But more instability followed, when Suella Braverman quit as home secretary and a vote on fracking fell into disarray, with some Tory MPs accused of bullying. (BBC)

Trump questioned under oath over rape accuser’s defamation case

FORMER US President Donald Trump has answered questions under oath in a lawsuit brought against him by an advice columnist who says he raped her.

E Jean Carroll alleges the attack took place in a New York luxury department store dressing room in the mid-1990s.

Mr Trump denied the claim and said Ms Carroll was lying, prompting her to sue him for defamation.

Ms Carroll’s attorney did not release details of the deposition, but said it took place on Wednesday.

A civil trial in the case is scheduled for 6 February.

“We’re pleased that on behalf of our client, E Jean Carroll, we were able to take Donald Trump’s deposition today,” a spokesperson for law firm Kaplan Hecker & Fink said.

“We are not able to comment further.”

Mr Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, said in a statement: “As we have said all along, my client was pleased to set the record straight today.

“This case is nothing more than a political ploy like many others in the long list of witch hunts against

Donald Trump.”

More than a dozen women have previously made sexual misconduct allegations against Mr Trump, which he has denied.

It is unclear what Mr Trump said during the deposition, or whether he spoke in person or remotely.

According to CNN, he participated from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

In a 2019 article for New York

magazine, Ms Carroll said she had a chance encounter with Mr Trump in late 1995 or early 1996 at the department store Bergdorf Goodman.

She said she was helping him pick out a gift and the two of them ended up in a dressing room, where she alleges that he raped her. She says she was 52 and he was around 50, and Mr Trump was married to Marla Maples.

At the time, Ms Carroll also said she told two friends about the incident. One advised her to go to the police, but the other warned her to keep quiet, saying: “Forget it! He has 200 lawyers. He’ll bury you.”

Mr Trump quickly dismissed the allegation, accusing Ms Carroll of lying to sell her book.

She then filed a defamation lawsuit against Mr Trump while he was US president, saying his comments had

harmed her reputation.

Mr Trump’s lawyers tried to delay the deposition, but Judge Lewis A Kaplan of the federal court in Manhattan last week denied the request.

Mr Trump had responded to that legal setback by taking to social media to say “this ‘Ms Bergdorf Goodman’ case is a complete con job”.

Last month, Ms Carroll’s lawyers said she intends to sue Mr Trump a second time under a new law that gives adult sexual assault victims a one-time opportunity to file civil lawsuits even if the statute of limitations has expired.

She plans to file the new lawsuit on 24 November, her attorney said.

This is the latest in a string of legal challenges facing the former president.

Among other cases, he is facing allegations of fraud by New York prosecutors, who filed a lawsuit against him in September, and is being investigated by the Department of Justice for removing allegedly classified government documents from the White House and storing them at Mar-a-Lago.

Mr Trump has denied wrongdoing in all cases. (BBC)

Writer E Jean Carroll first detailed her allegation against Donald Trump in a 2019 article.

General election is now a democratic imperative, says Sturgeon

THE first minister has said a UK general election is now a “democratic imperative” following the resignation of Liz Truss as prime minister.

Ms Truss resigned after just 45 days in the job as her government became engulfed in political turmoil.

Nicola Sturgeon said the situation was an “utter shambles”, with ordinary people paying the price.

Ms Truss will remain in post until a successor formally takes over as Conservative Party leader.

She will become the shortestserving prime minster in British history when she stands down. A new leader will be appointed within a week.

Reacting to the news of Ms Truss’s resignation, the first minister tweeted: “There are no words to describe this utter shambles adequately. It’s beyond hyperbole - and parody.

“Reality though is that ordinary people are paying the price. The interests of the Tory party should concern no-one right now.

“A general election is now a democratic imperative.”

Ms Truss was elected by the Tory membership in September, but she lost authority after a series of U-turns.

In a speech outside Downing Street, Ms Truss said the Conservative Party had elected her on a mandate to cut taxes and boost economic growth.

But given the situation, Ms Truss said: “I recognise that I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party.”

The Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, has also called for a general election.

He said: “It’s right that Liz Truss has resigned. But in truth, this entire Conservative government must go.

“The next Tory Leader will have no mandate to be prime minister. We need a general election now.”

Scottish Conservative Leader Douglas Ross said Ms Truss had made the “right decision” following “recent events”.

He said in a statement: “I wish Liz Truss and her family well. No matter

where you stand on her decisions as prime minister, politics can be very tough on people personally.

“She has made a difficult choice but it is the right decision. There were no other options after recent

events.

“We must now move forward quickly with the election of a new leader and prime minister to restore stability for the good of the country.” (BBC)

Ukrainians told to ‘charge everything’ as power grid hit by Russia

UKRAINE’S national energy company has urged citizens to “charge everything” by 07:00 (04:00 GMT) Thursday because of expected power cuts caused by Russian missile strikes.

Energy plants were hit by Russian missiles again on Wednesday - part of a wave of such strikes since 10 October.

Outages of up to four hours at a time will affect the whole country on Thursday, grid operator Ukrenergo said.

It comes as Russia declares martial law in areas of Ukraine it has annexed.

Heightened security measures have also come into force in Russia - mostly areas along the Ukraine border.

In preparation for the blackouts, Ukrenergo has appealed to Ukrainians to stock up with water and ensure they have “warm socks and blankets and hugs for family and friends”.

Phones, power banks, torches and batteries need to be charged, it urged.

As much as 40% of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been seriously damaged, according to Oleksandr Kharchenko, an adviser to the energy minister.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said three energy facilities had been destroyed on Wednesday and energy companies were preparing for “all possible scenarios” for winter. He was due to address a summit of EU leaders, who are trying to reach an agreement on bringing down gas prices.

Serious damage was reported to power facilities in Kryvyi Rih in

central Ukraine and Burshtyn in the west. Ukrenergo said there had been more attacks in the past 10 days than in the whole preceding period since Russia’s invasion on 24 February.

Ukrenergo said it would use “controlled, calculated consumption restrictions” and warned power cuts may occur throughout Ukraine from 07:00 to 22:00. It advised citizens to check the regional network operators’ websites to see how it would apply to them.

Sporadic power cuts have already affected parts of the capital Kyiv and many of Ukraine’s regions.

Russian missiles have damaged infrastructure all across Ukraine, including cities like Lviv in the west

- a long way from the fighting.

Authorities have urged Ukrainians to reduce their power use in the evenings.

“We do not rule out that with the onset of cold weather, we will ask for your help more often,” Ukrenergo said.

Western leaders have condemned the infrastructure strikes.

“Russia’s attacks against civilian infrastructure, especially electricity, are war crimes,” tweeted EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

“Cutting off men, women, children of water, electricity and heating with winter coming - these are acts of pure terror.”

MARTIAL LAW

Russia is now implementing martial law in areas of Ukraine that it recently annexed - Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south and Donetsk and Luhansk in the east.

The Kremlin claims those regions are now part of Russia - a claim internationally rejected and condemned.

Martial law means tighter security checks and restrictions on movement in the areas affected. But the war has already curbed the rights and freedoms of Ukrainians under occupation.

Additionally, while it was decreed by President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday - the Russian military does not fully control those four regions, so what martial law

will mean in reality is yet to be seen.

Heightened security measures are also coming into force across Russia - there will be new restrictions on movement in regions along the Ukrainian border, notably Bryansk, Belgorod and Krasnodar. The same applies to Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.

US President Joe Biden said Vladimir Putin was running out of options in Ukraine.

“It seems his only tool available to him is to brutalise individual citizens in Ukraine to try to intimidate them into capitulating,” he said.

Russia is moving tens of thousands of civilians and Russian-appointed officials out of the Kherson region, as advancing Ukrainian troops close in on the regional capital. Russia says people on the west bank of the River Dnieper (called Dnipro by Ukrainians) are especially at risk from Ukrainian shelling.

The region’s Moscow-installed head, Vladimir Saldo, said all Russian-appointed departments and ministries would cross the river, along with some 50-60,000 civilians.

But Ukrainian officials have questioned whether large numbers of people are actually being evacuated, suggesting that images of a crowd assembled by the river are largely for show.

Ukraine has called on residents to ignore the Russian move.

The transfer or deportation of civilians by an occupying power from occupied territory is considered a war crime. (BBC)

Russia has been targeting Ukraine’s power grid.

Nicola Sturgeon said the situation was an “utter shambles”.

Regional News

Haiti on verge of collapse NGOs warn

NGOs operating in Haiti warn that the chaos engulfing the country has become so total and the social fabric so torn that the country is on the verge of collapse, as discussions continue at the UN security council on how to restore order.

Haitians are currently facing a series of overlapping crises that are becoming deadlier by the day as heavily armed gangs continue to blockade the country’s principal port and fuel terminal.

The country is also experiencing its worst hunger in history as a deadly outbreak of cholera spreads and armed gangs increasingly targeting women and children with sexual violence as a form of warfare.

“In 20 years of working in Haiti, we have never seen something like this,” said Fiammetta Cappellini, country representative for the Avsi Foundation. “Violence is everywhere and touches everybody. The most vulnerable people are literally struggling to survive as humanitarian aid is failing to reach people.”

On Monday, the US and Mexico called for the formation of a nonUN multinational force to take down the gangs who now dominate much of Port-au-Prince.

Violence has mounted following the assassination of president Jovenel Moïse in July 2021 when the gangs – many of which have links to establishment politicians –exploited a power vacuum to seize more ground.

Now the factions dominating most of Port-au-Prince are using

ever more brutal tactics to terrorise the population into submission, the UN’s human rights office said on Friday.

Gang rape of elderly women and girls as young as 10 years old has become a tool “to instil fear, punish, subjugate and inflict pain on local populations,” the UN concluded in its new report.

Among the tens of “gruesome testimonies” collected by the UN there were cases of children being raped for hours in front of their parents and in some cases by more than half a dozen armed men.

“Alarmingly the number of cases increases by the day as the humanitarian and human rights crisis in Haiti deepens,” said Nada Al-Nashif, the acting human rights chief.

Sexual violence is also being used against kidnap victims, the UN said. The organisation documented cases of gangs repeatedly raping women and girls for days or weeks while in captivity. In some cases the gangs send video recordings of the attacks to victims’ families to pressure them into paying for their release.

If not halted imminently the sexual violence will make any chance of reconciliation and peace-building in the country more challenging, the UN said.

“Such rampant use of sexual violence risks further shattering the already deeply fragile social fabric of Haitian society for years to come and may undermine prospects of sustainable development and lasting stability,” the report said.

Haiti on verge of collapse, NGOs warn as UN talks on restoring order continue

Already dire hunger levels are also reaching unprecedented, “catastrophic” levels, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Friday.

A record 4.7 million people are facing acute hunger, with 1.8 million now at an emergency level of malnutrition.

For the first time thousands of Haitian are suffering level 5 hunger – the WFP’s highest alert level and one often reserved for wartime famine.

Malnutrition has long been rife in Port-au-Prince’s slums, but the paralysis of the country by gangs has caused hunger to reach life-ordeath levels.

Many residents are unable to work due to severe petrol shortages and food prices are soaring, leaving 65% of Cite Soleil’s inhabitants regularly hungry and 5% of them needing urgent humanitarian assistance, the WFP says.

As cupboards go bare and water taps run dry, cholera disease has also returned to Haiti with cruel timing.

The bacterial disease can be deadly – particularly for the

malnourished – and is probably spreading through Port-au-Prince’s shanty towns with ease, say medical NGOs, as there is little running water for sanitation.

Port-au-Prince’s national penitentiary has become a centre of the outbreak, with 14 deaths recorded in the overcrowded prison.

Haitian health authorities had recorded 425 suspected cases and 22 deaths as of 14 October.

Haiti’s last cholera outbreak began in 2010 and went on to kill 10,000 in the nine years it took to stamp out.

NGOs fear that history will repeat itself if an urgent solution is not found to pacify the violence and end food and water shortages.

“Haitian people can’t wait any longer,” said Judes Jonathas, who manages NGO Mercy Corps’ Haiti programme. “We cannot descend even further into this abyss. The urgency is now, to save what can be saved.”

As the number of victims of disease, malnutrition and gunshot wounds climbs, access to healthcare is shrinking as many hospitals remain closed due to

national fuel shortages.

“The population is in an unprecedented and dramatic situation. Now it is really a matter of life or death on a daily basis,” Capellini said.

“The progressive destruction” of Haiti and its institutions will make any program to stabilise then rebuild it from a failed state into a functioning democracy a long and arduous one, said Jonathas.

“There is an absence of a clear policy and of governance at all levels, with all the structures needed to respond to the country’s problems having been weakened,” he said.

Any international solution must also include Haitians if it is to be a lasting one, he added. UN missions in Haiti have quelled violence in the past, but it swiftly returned once they departed.

Solutions must be local, among Haitians, but of course with the involvement of our international partners. If we talk about solutions and forget once again the important Haitian actors, it will be a shortterm solution to return with the same problems a few years later.” (TheGuardian.com)

UK Govt pleased with pace of reforms on BVI

THE United Kingdom Government has expressed pleasure with the pace that reforms are being implemented on the British Virgin Islands to address governance lapses.

Governor John Rankin gave this update as he read a letter from Minister of State for the Americas and the Overseas Territories, Jessie Norman, following his submission of the first quarterly review of efforts to implement the Commission of Inquiry (COI) recommendations.

“In his letter, Minister Norman expressly recognises that there have been some real progress in implementing the COI’s recommendations and that most deadlines have been met. He was

stated.

The governor highlighted that Norman expressed concerns, similar to what he identified, regarding the continued use of controversial tender waivers for state contracts.

Norman has asked Rankin to submit a report on the tender waivers and single source tenders in December, ahead of his next quarterly review.

Norman is set to visit the British Virgin Islands on October 27 and 28 to meet with the premier and other officials.

Rankin noted Norman is committed to allowing local politicians, public servants and civil society to implement reforms without the imposition of direct

rule from London. But he warned that proposed deadlines for implementing these measures must be met.

So far, 23 per cent of the reforms have been completed.

Among them are amendments to the Audit Act, reforms to the territory’s disbursement of social benefits and the start of criminal proceedings against public officials who were corrupt.

Rankin stated: “While there’s a long way to go in implementing of the COI’s recommendations to achieve the deep rooted reforms in governance that are required, I’m pleased to stress that there has been a good start in many with many positives.” (Loop Caribbean)

Regional News

Bahamian troops ready to go to Haiti if needed—PM Davis

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis says if CARICOM decides that the Haitian situation requires the deployment of security troops, then The Bahamas “will abide by the outcome” of the organisation’s resolution.

Once that decision is made in collaboration with the United Nations, National Security Minister Wayne Munroe said the country will be “ready, willing and able to deploy” Royal Bahamas Defence Force marines to the troubled state.

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister further called on Bahamians to be vigilant in protecting the country’s borders amid worsening conditions in Haiti. Not only is that country facing a serious social crisis, but there is also both a crime and economic crisis ongoing.

“We have to keep continuing to be vigilant to protect our borders and we hope that the international community will come to the aid of Haiti and address some of the issues to stop the irregular migration,” Mr Davis told reporters yesterday following the swearing in of a cohort of new diplomats.

Mr Davis was asked about his administration’s plans in response to the continued exodus of Haitian citizens amid increasing social and political turmoil there.

Asked if The Bahamas would support a UN resolution to deploy security troops there, Prime Minister Davis: “We will abide by the outcome of that resolution.”

The Bahamas is one of the lead heads of a CARICOM committee that has been given the responsibility of ensuring that a solution is found.

On Monday night, a meeting was held between CARICOM heads and Prime Minister Davis

via Zoom concerning ongoing issues in Haiti.

“Discussions are still continuing,” the prime minister said when asked about the outcome of those talks. “We are trying to work out a strategic position as to what has to happen. I think the consensus is intervention is necessary but the manner (regarding) which scope we will take is still an issue for us to discuss”.

Conditions in Haiti have deteriorated in recent years especially following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise last July.

According to labour officials, more than 1,800 irregular migrants

have already been repatriated to Haiti from The Bahamas so far for the year.

Meanwhile, Mr Munroe said ahead of a Cabinet meeting that The Bahamas will be responsible with its decision making in the matter.

This comes after Mr Munroe revealed on Friday that The Bahamas may be called to be a part of a United Nations multinational force in response to growing social unrest in Haiti.

Mr Munroe explained the country has previously participated in the UN peacekeeping mission to Haiti and noted the other assistance given to the neighbouring country.

Halkitis: Bahamas is not in recession

ECONOMIC Affairs Minister

Michael Halkitis said the government does not believe the country is in a recession, as he pointed to being in the midst of a “very strong rebound in the economy” led by tourism.

He said officials in finance remained “cautiously optimistic”.

“My take is we don’t claim it,” he said. “We don’t claim recession, all right. There are different opinions.

“Some people think we’re already in it. Some economists says that, you know, it’s going to happen.”

“Our experience is that we are in the midst of a very strong rebound in our economy led by tourism.

“Our source market is in the US, which has the problem of too much money being spent hence the actions of the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates to try and tamp it down. My view is, you know, in finance, you are always cautiously optimistic.”

He went on to explain one possible benefit that he sees of a recession, particularly for tourism.

“Our experience is that we’re having a strong rebound in tourism. Tourism officials believe, well they see, that this demand will persist well into next year. And so one silver lining of any recession, particularly when he talks about the US, is our source market. Eighty plus percent of our visitors

come from the US.

“If there’s a recession, I always look at it, perhaps somebody doesn’t take a vacation as far away, they decide to come to The Bahamas. So, it can even be a benefit. You manage your finances. In the event that business cycles are going to be up and it’s going to be down, we’re not worried about a recession.

“You don’t want something to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Because if you’re worried about ‘Oh, recession is coming’, people stop spending money, and then you manifest the recession. Our rebound is going strongly and so we (are) optimistic,” the minister said. (Tribune242)

“We already have a Memorandum of Understanding to assist in training the Haitian national police, because the Haitian national police is the body that has to police Haiti,” he said.

“If a determination is made amongst CARICOM that the CARICOM nations are going to participate in a force, The Bahamas will necessarily, as a CARICOM nation particularly with the prime minister as chair of CARICOM, play our part.”

He added: “If CARICOM determines to send troops in, CARICOM will no doubt know how that troop makeup will be, which could include the Bahamian troops.”

The prime minister will assume chairmanship of CARICOM next month.

Asked what the decision will be should The Bahamas be asked to assist, Mr Munroe said: “If that is the determination, the defense force will be ready, willing and able to deploy – that’s what we have them for. People get this impression that they just sit down doing nothing.

“They sit down preparing for deployments to protect the national interests of The Bahamas. The national interests of The Bahamas overarchingly, is to see peace in this region and if we are called upon to provide men we will.”

Mr Munroe explained one of the biggest problems or issues that the Royal Bahamas Defence Force addresses is irregular migration from Haiti.

“So, we already expend resources addressing the issue of Haitians leaving Haiti, because of desperate circumstances. We’ll have to wait and see what the UN resolution says. We’ll have

to wait and see what CARICOM decides because we don’t really act regionally but we’ll be a responsible country, if there are resolutions that ask for assistance in Haiti and consider it - we’ll consider it.”

He said the Haitian problem is a “complex one”. Moreover, there is no point going and then when one leaves there are no structures that lend for peace.

“And so that’s been the problem. We sent in peacekeepers and we’re right back to the stage again. So, there has to be a comprehensive solution for Haiti, but The Bahamas will play its fair part in resolving any issue that the world community decides needs to be.”

As for logistics, he said it will be a matter for, RBDF, CARICOM and UN.

“I’m not a military planner but even as a layman, you could think most of our squadron is deployed to the southern Bahamas to prevent Haitians leaving Haiti coming up.

“So, if you deploy men in Haiti that could stop Haitian hitting the water - wouldn’t that relieve the pressure on the people who are guarding the southern regions of The Bahamas. Everything we do classically with our man powers and the Bahamian national interest.

“We send officers to the Turks and Caicos because we have a large connection to them in Grand Bahama, where there was an upswing in gun violence earlier this year. So, we’re concerned about our national interest wherever people live that we are required to check, we will check and we have interest all over and the only issue is how we service those interests.” (Tribune242)

Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis.

Bahamas’s Economic Affairs Minister Michael Halkitis

DUTIES

OFFICE CLERK

HILLTOP LTD

MAINTENANCE MANAGER

to oversee 3 high-end properties. Suitable applicants will be required to live in one of Hilltop’s properties.

QUALIFICATIONS MUST INCLUDE:

•

•

•

Very good expertise in pumps & drainage systems

Very good expertise in Air conditioning, with the ability to install and service AC systems

Very good expertise in complex pools

• Computer literate, with knowledge in MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Maximo App and SAP programs

• Can read and interpret mechanical, electrical schematics and as built plans

• Driving license

• Ability to work weekends and holidays

• Must be able to conduct preventive maintenance

• Must know how to swim

• Like working in teams

KITEBOARD INSTRUCTOR

LONG BAY KITEBOARDING

Applicant must have at least 5 years experience in Kiteboarding and at least 3 years experience in teaching Kiteboarding and Kitesurfing lessons.

Applicant must have his/her IKO Level 1, First Aid, and a valid Drivers Licence. Applicant must be comfortable driving a jetski and driving comfortably and safely with a trailer on the road.

Applicant must be experienced in all safety procedures relating to Kiteboarding and watersports in general.

Applicant will be in charge of running their own lessons, going over safety procedures with each client, checking and maintaining gear and equipment standards, organizing schedule, receiving payments and setting up and packing down equipment for each day.

Applicant will be scheduled to work 40-44 hours per week. Must be willing to work 7 days a week if needed.

Remuneration for this position will be at 35% commission based on revenue from lessons taught or, a minimum of $40 per hour.

Belongers need only apply.

APPLICATIONS ALONG WITH CERTIFICATIONS, RESUME AND POLICE RECORD CAN BE DROPPED OFF TO LONG BAY KITEBOARDING ON LONG BAY BEACH, TO THE RIGHT OF THE PUBLIC BEACH ENTRANCE NEAR SWAYING PALMS VILLAS, VIA EMAIL TO LONGBAYKITEBOARDING@GMAIL.COM OR TO THE TCI LABOUR BOARD. ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES CAN ALSO BE DIRECTED TO RENEE AT (649) 432-0507.

Marsha

Misick

Stanbrook

TRAINER/

MINIMUM REQUIRMENTS

SPA THERAPIST:

Minimum 8 years’ experience in a Luxury Resort Spa. Must be able to provide professional massage treatments to Hotel Guests and Homeowners. Swedish, Balinese, Deep Tissue, Reiki, Hot Stone, Sports, Body Wraps, Scrubs, Facials, Manicures/Pedicures and Rejuvenation treatments. Being physically fit is essential to provide multiple treatments. Computer skills are mandatory for the Hotel system. A good employment and police record are required. This position may require residing on Pine Cay. 16k per year

EXECUTIVE SOUS CHEF:

Senior Management level, 12 years’ experience in an International, Luxury 5-star resort with strong background in HACCP procedures and applications. 3-year Hospitality Management or University Culinary degree. Responsible for the consistent preparation of innovative and creative cuisine of the highest quality, presentation, and flavor. Additionally, responsible for the smooth operation of the kitchen, plus managing areas of profit, stock, wastage, hygiene, and training. Must be computer literate and a second language would be an asset. A good employment and police record are required. This position will require residing on Pine Cay. 38k per year

•

Must prove

in

manufacturing.

Applicant

and

be in

quality

of all custom

and

and press ons,

(weight

DUTIES:

SECURITY OFFICER

SECURITY OFFICER with 5 years+ experience. Duties: Maintains safe and secure environment for customers and employees by patrolling and monitoring premises and personnel. Knowledge

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATION:

Security / Safety Training Certification from a recognized institution. Fluent in at least two languages: English, Spanish, French Creole, Tagalog. Must be available to work at any location in TCI between the hours of 7:00 am – 7:00 pm, Sunday – Saturday & Public Holidays. SALARY $6.25 - $11.50 per hour (based on qualification & experience).

LEAD CASHIER

(BILINGUAL)

DUTIES:

The Lead Cashier will: identify service cost via system portal, advise clients and execute efficient service; Make frequent presentations to Spanish groups to develop knowledge and awareness of the company's products and services. Monitor branch cashiers for service efficiency, provide coverage and training to cashiers. Handle complex and escalated customer service issues and track customers’ complaint resolution. Cross-sell company products and services; assist Sales Team in promoting products and services in Spanish. Interpret and translate Spanish for efficient service delivery written and verbal; record transactions for money transfer; prepare / maintain multiple end of day reports. Must be available to work rotated shift everyday including weekends and public holidays, between 7:00 am & 7:00 pm. Be willing and available to work at branches - all islands in TCI.

SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS:

and

materials, organizing schedule and receiving payments.

• Applicant will be scheduled to work 40-44 hours per week.

Must be willing to work 7 days a week if needed.

Remuneration for this position will be at 50% commission based on revenue from all

services or,

the

amount to $1,600 in any month worked, $1,600 basic salary per month.

Belongers need only apply.

Minimum of 5 years experience in a financial institution; evidence of cash handling at the senior level; Minimum Bachelor’s degree from a recognized institution; Training, experience and certification in Anti-Money Laundering –evidence required; Demonstrates ability to organize and manage a complex products, systems, service and procedures environment; Fluent in English and Spanish - written and verbal. Evidence of capability to use Microsoft Suite SALARY $16,800 - $36,000 per month (based on qualification & experience).

JOHNSON PHANOR KEW TOWN Is seeking to employ a

LABOURER

K&T DISPOSABLE SERVICES

MANAGER

• A Master’s Degree in Construction Management will be an asset

• 5 -10 years or more experience in Marine Construction work as it relates to, Seawalls & Jetties

• Manage and supervise building of docks and jetties, laying mooring buoys, building/repairing sea defenses, dredging, underwater pipeline installation and boat maintenance.

• Manage team for installation of sheet piling, boardwalk, and boat lifts

• Inspect, monitor and supervision of suction Embedded anchor (SEA) installation

• Completion of multiple contracts, meets

the targeted milestones, budgets, and work quality

• Responsible for code compliance, analyzed blueprints and specifications to forecast projects and prepare estimates.

• Ensuring the project adhere to health & safety policies compliant with industry regulations as it relates to the Marine.

• Create project schedules, daily reports, track, and submit weekly payroll cost and sub- contractor’s estimates and prepare vendor contracts.

• Project material projection and procurement.

Project Manager salary is paid based on experience

Cleaning outside the property with sweeper, pick up yard waste and collect leaves, dispose of trash, clean windows, and doorframes. Salary: $300.00 Weekly

CONTACT: 243-4588

Belongers are encouraged to apply to the Labour Board 32835

KEVIN TAYLOR KEW,

•

•

•

•

be

• Being able to work at heights

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

• Wages start at $6.50 per hour

• This Position is for first time work permit application interested Belongers are encouraged to submit a copy of the resume to the Labour Department

1 FROZEN STOCKER

• Assisting warehouse staff in retrieving specified merchandise from storage as per the delivery or shipping orders.

• Preparing merchandise for delivery or shipping by packaging and labeling them accordingly.

• Ability to stand for long periods of time in the Freezer environment (minus 10 Degrees Fahrenheit or minus 23-degree Celsius)

• Availability on work nights, weekends and holidays.

• Utilizing warehouse lift equipment to load and unload merchandise as well as move, lift and carry 50lbs or stacking them on the shelves and racks accordance with company guidelines.

• Wages start $6.50 per hour

• This Position is for first time work permit application interested Belongers are encouraged to submit a copy of the resume to the Labour Department

PRODUCE

Responsible for doing Manuel work

Loading and unloading Container

Assisting in stocking shelves

Knowledge on produce products and sanitary methods

Should be physically fit to lift products

KETOU VARIETY STORE SOUTH DOCK

#49 Industrial Park by pass Chalk Sound, Providenciales Is seeking SALES CLERK

LABOURER - $6.25 HOURLY

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

CONTACT: 346-1153

Belongers are encouraged to apply to the Labour Board. A work permit holder currently holds this position 32836

LA FAMILIA RESTAURANT

#8 BALL PARK LANE, KEW TOWN

Is seeking to employ a

• Greet customers.

• Receive payments ensure inventory is kept up to date.

• Must be trustworthy

• Able to manage money and count.

Salary: $6.25 Hourly

CONTACT: 342-4751

Belongers are encouraged to apply to the Labour Board 32831

MARDI TAKEOUT RESTAURANT

Godet St., South Caicos Is seeking to employ a HOUSEKEEPER

Is seeking to employ a

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

Ensuring all rooms inspected according to standards. Salary: $6.25 Hourly

CONTACT: 649-341-1051

Belongers only apply

SERVER

To serve food and drinks. Salary: $7.00 hourly

CONTACT: 3478110/246-0739

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

JOB ADVERTISEMENT

*ROOM ATTENDANT

Report directly to the Assist Director of Housekeeping. Responsible for the overall cleanliness of assigned rooms/suites and provide a pleasant, comfortable experience for guest. Reports maintenance deficiencies in order to maintain rooms/suites in compliance with standards. Compensation: $7.00 per hour

*COOK

The Cook is assigned to be directly responsible for one or more outlets or production areas in the following categories: production, alternative restaurants, buffets, or events. The Cook should expect to be rotated into different areas with or without advance notice in regard to business demands and career development. Must have 2-3 years’ experience as kitchen helper or cook in luxury hotel or fine dining restaurant. Able to speak & read English, follow directions consistently, good attendance, good hygiene, likes to cook. Compensation: $15k - $20k per annum.

*CHEF DE CUISINE

The Chef de Cuisine will train and manage kitchen personnel and supervise/ coordinate all related culinary activities; estimate food consumption and requisition or purchase food; select and develop recipes; standardize production recipes to ensure consistent quality; establish presentation technique and quality standards; plan and price menus; ensure proper equipment operation/ maintenance; and ensure proper safety and sanitation in the kitchen. The Chef must have the ability to manage in a diverse environment with focus on client and customer service is essential to succeed in this role. Previous experience with control food and labor cost, demonstration cooking, menu development, and pricing and development of culinary team preferred. The ideal candidates will related culinary degree with four or more years of industry and culinary management experience. Caribbean experience an asset. Compensation: $25k - $36k per annum

*LABOURER

Must have experience in a resort, knowledge of cleaning and preventative maintenance process and pays keen attention to details. Transports and generally maintain all of Maintenance areas. Compensation: $6.25 per hour

*FOOD & BEVERAGE MANAGER

Oversees daily operations of the restaurant. Directs the activities of restaurant service personnel, Bartenders, Beverage Attendants, Host/Hostess. Resolve customer complaints regarding food service. Train workers in food preparation, and in service, sanitation, and safety procedures. Observe and evaluate workers and work procedures to ensure quality standards and service. Assign duties, responsibilities, and workstations to employees in accordance with work requirements. Previous experience working in a multicultural 5 Star property. Extensive wine knowledge. Proficiency with general office PC applications (i.e. Microsoft Office software, Opera, Micros POS, Open Table, Timeclock,). Must be fluent in English, Compensation: $25k - $35k per annum

*CIVIL ENGINEERING

Responsible for ensuring compliance with engineering and construction procedures. Specialize in assessing project needs while adhering to costeffective quality control standards. This includes managing project estimation and budgeting, inspect existing structure, create design plans, and review potential safety issues. The Civil Engineer will also conduct inventories, inspections of operations, planning for improvements and preventive maintenance. Purchasing and acquisition of assets to support the operation.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES INCLUDE BUT NOT LIMITED TO:

• Creating pre-planning process control features to ensure systems effectively meet the organization’s quality standards.

• Supervises management of resort assets and preventive maintenance programs to ensure property is in ‘Like New’ operation to support the highest of luxury standards.

• Assists in overseeing management of the physical plant including equipment and safety systems.

• Ensures equipment is maintained and operated at optimum effectiveness, efficiency and safety.

• Manages assets to meet CAPEX and improvement budgets and project expenses as well as the associated maintenance contracts.

• Monitor asset procurement and inventory controls (equipment, supplies, costs and furnishings).

• Assist in inspection and evaluation of the physical condition of facilities in order to determine the type of work required to maintain.

• Review and manage controllable expenses such as tools, equipment, uniforms, property supplies,

• Analysis of consumption of power and water and develop methods for cost and energy savings with Engineering.

• Supervises the day to day management of FF&E.

• Provide weekly and monthly reports and recommendations to executive management on overall management of property assets.

• Provides estimates and issues work orders to meet project budget and deadlines.

• Creates standards and procedures and researches data and selection of products required for resort to maintained to the highest standards.

• Collaborates and works closely with Senior Management and other colleagues in the planning, development and completion of improvement projects.

• Must demonstrate supervisory skills and be able to direct and secure the cooperation of the staff and contracted personnel and vendors.

• Ability to work well in a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural environment.

• Collaborates with vendors/contractors and monitors work product to ensure quality standards are consistent with the requirements of a luxury resort.

SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE:

The individual must possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities, and be able to explain and demonstrate that he or he can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of skills and abilities.

• B.A or equivalent preferred, from an accredited university in Civil Engineering.

• 8 years’ experience in the engineering and maintenance or related professional area.

• Procurement management experience.

• Knowledge and high skill level of Microsoft Office applications to include spreadsheets and databases, project management and presentation software.

• Considerable knowledge of mathematical skills (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) necessary to interpret electrical, mechanical and building systems.

• Considerable knowledge of electrical and mechanical systems with the ability to analyze their design intent and performance. Considerable knowledge of construction and building systems.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills; ability to speak, read and write fluently in the English language

• Ability to grasp, lift and/or carry or otherwise move goods weighing a minimum of 50 Ibs.

• Ability to perform tasks requiring bending, stooping, kneeling, walking and standing for an extended period of time.

• Due to the nature of the business, the incumbent may be required to do other duties and special projects and other duties as assigned by Management.

Compensation: $35k - $45k per annum

Markle reflects on relationship with Queen Elizabeth II after monarch’s death

MEGHAN Markle praised Queen Elizabeth II as “the most shining example” of female leadership as she reflected on their relationship weeks after the British monarch’s death.

The Duchess of Sussex feels “really grateful” to be able to support her husband, Prince Harry, following the Sept. 8 death of his grandmother, she told Variety in a story published Wednesday.

“I’ve reflected on that first official engagement that I had with her, how special that felt,” Meghan said. “I feel

fortunate. And I continue to be proud to have had a nice warmth with the matriarch of the family.”

Queen Elizabeth II’s death at age 96 ended her recordsetting 70-year monarchy. Her husband, Prince Philip, died last year at age 99.

“I feel deep gratitude to have been able to spend time with her and get to know her,” Meghan said. “It’s been a complicated time, but my husband, ever the optimist, said, ‘Now she’s reunited with her husband.’”

Harry, 38, and Meghan,

41, stepped down from their senior royal duties in 2020, leaving the United Kingdom and settling down in Southern California.

Meghan described

feeling unsupported by the palace during a bombshell interview last year with Oprah Winfrey, but spoke fondly of her relationship with the queen. Harry and Meghan named their second child, daughter Lilibet, after Queen Elizabeth’s childhood nickname.

“In big moments in life, you get a lot of perspective,”

Meghan said. “It makes you wonder what you want to focus your energy on. Right now, we feel energized and excited about all of the things we’ve been building toward. We’re also focused on our [Archewell] foundation.”

The Los Angeles-born Meghan also recently launched a podcast, “Archetypes,” that aims

to eliminate labels used to describe women. The duchess, who starred on the legal drama “Suits” before marrying Harry in 2018, said a return to acting is not on the horizon.

“No. I’m done,” Meghan told Variety. “I guess never say never, but my intention is to absolutely not.” (NYDailynews)

Mercury Prize: Rapper Little Simz wins album of the year award

LONDON rapper Little Simz has won the Mercury Prize, for the best British or Irish album of the last 12 months.

The 28-year-old took the £25,000 award for her fourth album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, a hip-hop comingof-age tale delivered with a cinematic sweep.

She told the ceremony in London on Tuesday she was “very overwhelmed and grateful” to receive the honour.

And the star paid tribute to the other nominees, who included Self Esteem, Wet Leg, Harry Styles and Sam Fender.

“We all made incredible albums,” she said on stage. “We all changed people’s lives with our music, and that’s the most important thing.”

Little Simz adds the Mercury to the Brit Award she won earlier this year. That was for best newcomer, despite the fact she released her debut album seven years ago.

But she has grown in

stature and acclaim with every release, and was also nominated for the Mercury for her last LP, Grey Area, in 2019.

Sometimes I Might Be Introvert reached number

four in the UK album chart when it was released a year ago, and topped a BBC News “poll of polls”, which combined the results of 30 critics’ end-of-year lists for 2021.

Meghan Markle and Queen Elizabeth II prior to her death.

The 28-year-old took the £25,000 award for her fourth album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, a hip-hop coming-of-age tale delivered with a cinematic sweep

Selma Blair announced in 2018 that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis

Selma Blair departs ‘Dancing with the Stars’ over health concerns related to MS

SELMA Blair will not continue competing on this season of “Dancing with the Stars” due to health concerns, the actress said Monday night.

Blair, who first shared she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018, has competed strongly on the series over the past five weeks. Her body, however, “has taken a hit,” she said.

“I’ve been monitored … I had MRIs and the results came back, and it all adds up to, I can’t go on with the competition,” Blair revealed to her dance partner Sasha Farber in a taped piece that aired Monday night.

“I’ve pushed as far as I could. With a chronic illness, you do have special considerations, and my body has taken a hit. It’s way too much for the safety of my bones. I could do extensive damage that I, of course, do not want,” the actress continued.

Blair completed a final Waltz dance with Farber to “What the World Needs Now Is Love.”

“This is a dance for everyone that has tried and hoped they could do more, but also, the power in realizing it’s time to walk away. I am so, so grateful to be able to do one last gentle dance,” Blair said.

Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, who co-starred with Blair in the movie “Cruel Intentions,” shared a photo of her and Blair on her Instagram account after the announcement, captioning it with a heartfelt message expressing gratitude and appreciation for their friendship.

May Wong to become first Asian American to be featured on US quarter

LEGENDARY Hollywood star Anna May Wong is set to become the first Asian American to be featured on U.S. currency.

The groundbreaking actress — who appeared in more than 60 films, television shows and stage productions and continues to inspire actors and filmmakers today — will be the fifth coin released by the U.S. Mint as part of its American Women Quarters Program, a four-year initiative that highlights the accomplishments and contributions made by women.

Four women have already received the honour in 2022: astronaut Sally Ride, activist and poet Maya Angelou, the first woman chief of the Cherokee Nation Wilma Mankiller, as well as the suffragist Nina Otero-Warren.

Wong was a “courageous advocate who championed for increased representation and more multi-dimensional roles for Asian American actors,” mint director Ventris C. Gibson said in a statement Monday.

“This quarter is designed to reflect the breadth and depth of accomplishments by Anna May Wong, who overcame challenges

and obstacles she faced during her lifetime,’ Gibson added.

The Los Angeles-born actress, who died on Feb. 3, 1961, at the age of 56, was cast in her first role as an extra in 1919’s “The Red Lantern.”

After more than 10 years playing small roles, Wong finally landed her first leading role as

Lotus Flower in the 1922 silent drama “The Toll of the Sea.”

Wong, who was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960, is remembered as “an international film star, fashion icon, television trailblazer,” the U.S. Mint said in a news release.

“Many prominent actors from the 1920s and 1930s saw their

name framed by lightbulbs on movie theatre marquees, so I thought it made sense to feature Anna May Wong in this way,” said Emily Damstra, U.S. Mint’s artistic infusion program designer.

The coin features a close-up image of Wong with her head resting on her hand, surrounded by the bright lights of a marquee sign.

Anna May Wong

Netflix: Big hits reverse subscriber losses

NETFLIX has stopped losing customers, after struggling to hold on to them in the face of competition and pressures from the rising cost of living.

The streaming giant said it added 2.4 million households to its subscriber base over the July to September period.

That reversed the losses it suffered in the first half of the year after raising its prices in key markets.

Hits such as Stranger Things and Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story helped draw viewers back to the site.

“After a challenging first half,

we believe we’re on a path to reaccelerate growth,” the company said in a letter to investors on Tuesday.

The company said it expected to continue to add subscribers in coming months. It is also rolling out a number of changes intended to restore its fortunes, including launching a less expensive option with adverts next month.

New charges aimed at people who share their accounts, already being tested in parts of Latin America, will start to be implemented more broadly in early 2023, the company added.

That news comes a day after

the company said it had created a way to transfer user’s profiles along with viewing histories and preferences, to new accounts, so personalised settings would not be lost.

Analysts said the changes should help the company make more money. But many remain doubtful that the firm - already a mainstay of households in many countries - has much more room to grow, especially in core markets such as the US, where much of the competition has also seen subscriber growth plateau in recent months.

Sign-ups in the Asia-Pacific region drove growth in the most recent quarter, putting its subscriber total above 223 million, Netflix said.

“They’re going to continue to have more US subscribers than most but as far as the overall share of the pie, it’s going to be tough to actually grow,” said Wade PaysonDenney of Parrot Analytics, a data firm that tracks demand for content.

Netflix currently accounts for over 8% of all video viewing time in the UK, and 7.6% of TV viewing

time in the US, the streaming giant wrote in its latest financial statement.

That is neck-and-neck with YouTube in the US, but well ahead of rivals such as Amazon and Disney.

Netflix series, like Cobra Kai, Stranger Things and The Crown, also continue to dominate lists of most popular streaming shows.

But after a boom during the pandemic, the company has struggled to attract new sign-upsand maintain the loyalty of existing members.

Price hikes in major markets, including the US and UK, contributed to the problem, especially as the rising cost of living leads to people cutting back.

The company also faces fierce competition from the likes of YouTube, Apple TV, HBO Max, Amazon Prime and Disney+.

LS Lowry’s Going to the Match sells for £7.8m at auction

AN LS Lowry painting described as an “iconic masterpiece” has been sold at auction for a recordbreaking £7.8 million.

Going to the Match depicts a bustling throng of football fans gathered at the former home of Bolton Wanderers.

It had been loaned to The Lowry

gallery in Salford by the Players Foundation.

But the foundation said the financial crisis meant it was forced to sell the 1953 work, raising fears it could be lost from public display.

The buyer has been confirmed as The Lowry arts centre, securing its future at the gallery.

Stranger Things season four was one of the big hits this year.

Going to the Match depicts a bustling throng of football fans gathered at the former home of Bolton Wanderers.

Kevin Spacey finishes testifying in civil sexual misconduct trial

AFTER about five hours on the witness stand, Kevin Spacey finished testifying in his defense in a sexual misconduct trial, stemming from allegations made by actor Anthony Rapp.

Rapp, best known for his role in

“Star Trek: Discovery,” claims that in 1986, Spacey, then 26, invited Rapp, then 14, to his Manhattan home where he picked Rapp up, laid him down on his bed, grabbed his buttocks and pressed his groin into

The Source Ltd

LUXURY VILLA – BUTLER

Rapp’s body without his consent.

He is suing Spacey for battery.

Spacey grew emotional multiple times during his testimony, including when he discussed a statement he put out shortly

after Rapp went public with his allegations in 2017 to BuzzFeed.

Spacey has said in his testimony that his publicity team at the time advised him that he’d be labeled a victim blamer if he pushed back.

“I was being encouraged to apologize and I’ve learned a lesson which is never apologize for something you didn’t do,” Spacey testified on Monday. “I regret my entire statement.”

KITEBOARDING INSTRUCTORS BEACH MANAGER ASSISTANT

•

We are looking for an honest, hardworking, self-motivated individual with keen organizational and communication skills to join our team. The butler must be knowledgeable about services offered and serve as an attentive liaison between guest and staff. Please note this position requires the applicant to be on call 24/7.

Butler Duties and responsibilities

• Inspect villa before and after guest arrival

• Greet guest upon arrival, unpacking and packing guest suitcases/bags

• Anticipate and meet guest needs

• See Guest off upon departure

• Unpacking and packing guest clothing

• Ironing clothing and pressing linen

• Serve meal & prepare cocktail and other beverages

• Run errands (must have valid driver’s license)

• Must assist with cleaning rooms and assist with the upkeep of the villa

• Assist with replenishing inventory, including cleaning supplies, dishware, etc.

Butler Requirements and qualifications

• Certification in Safety Management or Food Safety

• Minimum of 5 years’ experience working as a butler at a luxury villa/resort

• Must have a sunny disposition and must maintain a positive attitude

• Ability to adapt to fast paced-paced environment

Please note that renumeration for this position starts at $1500.00 based on qualifications and experience. Interested persons are asked to send a copy of their resume to hr@thesource.tc and send a copy to The Employment/Labour Department.

LIVE IN HOUSEKEEPER

A housekeeper/Server is required for a Luxury Villa. Applicant is required to perform a variety of housekeeping duties including but not limited to the following:

• Maintaining proper inventory of linen and amenities

• Performing a variety of cleaning details such as vacuuming, mopping, surface cleaning, dusting, changing and laundering linen.

• Ensure that rooms in villa is cared for and inspected according to company standards

• Notify Villa Manager of any damages

• Deal with any request and or complaints in a professional manner and patience.

• Must be committed to working as a part of the team

• Must have the initiative to work with minimal supervision

• Must be willing to perform any other duty assigned by Supervisor

• Must follow directions both written and verbally

• Must be honest and confidential

• Must be a good communicator

• Attention to detail and some customer assistance and service are required. This position requires someone with a sunny disposition who can remain calm during stressful situations. Applicant must have a minimum of 2 years Luxury Villa housekeeping experience. Applicant may work long hours including weekends and holidays. Renumeration for this position starts at $1500.00 per month. Interested persons should address their resume to hr@thesource.tc. and send a copy to The Employment/Labour Department

An IKO teaching certification or equivalent

• A minimum of 2 years of teaching experience

• Ability to teach beginner and advanced lessons. Candidates who can also teach Hydrofoil and Wing Foiling are preferred

• Be fluent in English. Second language (French or Spanish) beneficial

• Willingness and ability to work in a team

Remuneration: hourly wage based on experience, commission for bringing new business

PLEASE

Plastering,

• Ability to provide jet ski support during kiteboarding lessons

• Be the representative of our company on the beach

• Be fluent in English

• Have a valid driving license

• Willingness and ability to work in a team

Remuneration: hourly wage $12.50, commission for bringing new business and complimentary kiteboarding instruction. Training will be provided.

AND

MASONS

Reads and

Salary: $9.00 per hour

etc.

CONSTRUCTION / PROJECT SUPERVISORS

BS Civil Engineering Graduate, Must have at least 10 years experience in construction industry. Responsible in construction management and implementation, organizing & cofacilitating sessions, dealing project planning and scheduling, including time impact analysis, etc. Salary Range: $30K - $36K per annum

CONSTRUCTION MEP MANAGER

Must have at least 5 years’ experience as MEP manager Incumbent should be able to read construction drawing, manage and lead MEP subcontractors, develop detailed CPM schedules for all MEP installation activities, etc.

Salary commensurate with qualification / experience

SENIOR SITE SUPERVISOR

Building Construction Graduate. Keen at reading blueprints. Site supervisory experience. At least 10yrs experience in construction industry. Must be able to develop contracts, liaise with subcontractors and vendors, and co-facilitate sessions dealing project planning and scheduling, including time impact analysis, etc. Salary Range: $42K - $60K per annum

CARPENTERS / FINISHING CARPENTERS

Prepare drawings for cabinetry, framing and other construction projects on-site. Build cabinets, vanities, tub and shower surrounds, Install cabinets, counters and molding, etc.

Reads and follow blueprints.

Salary: $9.00 per hour

CONSTRUCTION QUANTITY SURVEYOR

Collecting, weighing, analyzing, tabulating, and maintaining cost data for projects. prepare tender documents, contracts, budgets, bills of quantities and other documentation. At least 10 yrs experience in construction QS field. QS certification & experience is a mandatory Salary commensurate with qualification / experience.

WATERLOO PLAZA COMPLEX, GRAND TURK, TCI is looking for

Classifieds

Manage transactions with

Scan goods and ensure

Tend to customers query.

using

is

Issue receipts, refunds, change or tickets.

Cross-sell products and introduce new ones. Assist with inventory management.

$8/hr

Develop and evaluate current business processes and implement operational

plans.

Provide financial management support.

Track, measure and resolve performance issues and risks.

commensurate with experience/ qualification.

D&B TILES Bay Road, Blue Hills 347-9060

TILE LAYER

Measure and cut tile and marble. Arrange according to design plans. Installing. Apply grout, grout and apply necessary finishes. Salary: $8.00 per hour.

RENEWAL, BELONGER WILL BE GIVEN FIRST PREFERENCE. 33101

DESIREE LEWIS

Back Salina, Grand Turk Is seeking to employ a

DOMESTIC WORKER

Sweeping and keeping the house clean. Do laundry of house fabric décor and personal clothing. Carry out other house chores. Salary: $6.25 hourly

CONTACT: 431-8150

Belongers are encouraged to send copy of resume to the Labour Board 33099

BONDE FIDELE VARIETY STORE 343-6068

Five Cays ( behind the Gas Sation)

LABOURER

$280 weekly

unloading container, assist with transporting goods, assist customers in out of the store with merchandise

ELYSEE ANGELO 341-6787

Leeward highway Sheldon lane # 20

DOMESTIC WORKER

$280.00

Cleaning the house, making beds, wash, cook and iron

SAMMY’S SEAFOOD RESTUÏARENT 246-0503

Granny Hills Five Cays

KITCHEN HELPER

$6.50 hourly preparing the workstation for the cook, sorting and distributing ingredients, keeping the kitchen clean

PASSION BEAUTY

HAIRDRESSER

$7.00

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Your primary function will be the Executive Assistant to support the President and the General Secretary of the TCIFA. You will work closely with the President and General Secretary in assisting each with their daily tasks. This will include but not limited to the drafting of correspondence, managing business related matters, creating reports, organizing travel and accommodation, managing the President’s diary, and such other organizational tasks as required by the President and General Secretary. To do this role properly you should have a detailed understanding of the administrative side of Football, knowledge of the full Microsoft Office suite, be adept at solving problems and have experience as an executive or administration assistant in the past. Additionally you will be responsible for the recruiting and assignment of Match and Venue Commissioners, organizing and facilitating the training of Match and Venue, acting as a liaison for the Match and Venue Commissioners with CFU, Concacaf and FIFA.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Proven experience as an executive assistant or other relevant administrative support experience

• In-depth understanding of entire MS Office suite.

• High school diploma at a Minimum

• Ability to organize a daily workload by priorities.

• Must be able to meet deadlines in a fast-paced quickly changing environment.

• A proactive approach to problem-solving with strong decision-making skills.

• Professional level verbal and written communications skills.

• English proficiency

• Outstanding organizational and time management skills

• Aware of the latest office gadgets and applications

• Acquainted with office management systems and procedures

• Discretion and confidentiality

• Uphold a strict level of confidentiality

• Reasonable availability outside of normal office

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Preparing reports, memos, invoices, letters, and other documents.

• Format information for internal and external communication – memos, emails, presentations, reports

• Being the point of contact between the President and the General Secretary and the TCIFA’s employees/clients and managing information flow between them

• Coordinate executive communications, including taking calls, responding to emails and interfacing with clients and stakeholders of the TCIFA

• Answer, screen and direct phone calls and distribute correspondence

• Taking messages.

• Devise and maintain office filing system

• Preparing, filing and retrieving records, documents, and reports.

• Researching and conducting data to prepare documents for review and presentation by the President and the General Secretary

• Helping prepare for meetings.

• Accurately recording minutes from meetings.

• Using various software, including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and presentation software.

• Manage the President’s and General Secretary’s diaries and arrange their daily schedule (set up meetings, travel, speaking engagements)

• Making travel arrangements for the President and General Secretary.

• Opening, sorting and distributing incoming faxes, emails, and other correspondence.

• Overseeing the performance of other clerical, administrative and technical staff

• Provide general administrative support

• Heading up the Referee’s Department by performing the duties as detailed above.

• Develop and sustain a level of professionalism among staff and clientele

Cleaning

CONTACT:

Belongers

DARVILLE HADFIELD

FURNITURE CARPENTER

Work 6 days/week, unsupervised. 7am6:00pm Mon-Sat. Requires adequate experience in building furniture. Salary $11 p/hour. Apply by 14th September 2022 at HYPERLINK mail to: handmy@tciwaytc

DARVILLE HADFIELD

PLUMBER

Work 6 days/week, unsupervised. 7am6:00pm Mon-Sat. Requires adequate experience in all areas of plumbing. Salary $11 p/h. Apply by 14th September 2022 at HYPERLINK mail to: handmy@tciway.tc

TILE LAYER

Work 6 days/week, unsupervised. 7am6:00pm Mon-Sat. Requires adequate experience especially in granite cutting and laying. Salary $11 p/hour. Apply by 14th September 2022 at HYPERLINK mail to: handmy@tciway.tc

To assist

workers

DUTIES: To assist skill workers

WOUILFRID

THAMARA

LABOURER

Cleaning

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

FINANCE MANAGER

The Somerset Resort Management Ltd. is seeking for a dependable, disciplined, self-driven and efficient Finance Manager. Applicant should possess the following qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in related field (Graduate Degree is a plus)

• Minimum of 5 years hospitality industry experience as an Assistant or Finance Manager. CPA/CA/ACCA preferred

• Must be able to perform advanced analytics

• Exceptional communication skills

• Proficiencies in the following software applications: Opera PMS and QuickBooks

• Maintains and monitors workflow including checklists and fulfilling daily operational needs

SUMMARY

To direct the Organization’s day-to-day financial planning and accounting practices. Under the leadership of the General Manager, the successful applicant will be responsible for the preparation and analysis of the financial reporting process for the Resort as well as the annual budget process. He/she will provide strong leadership to the accounting team and will develop, implement and monitor effective financial controls and procedures, providing management with advice and making recommendations to improve process and financial performance.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Managing all finance and accounting operations

• Preparing and publishing timely monthly financial statements

• Produce quarterly shareholder reports with assistance from the GM

• Manage all accounting operations including Billing, A/R, A/P, GL, Cost Accounting, Inventory Accounting and Revenue Recognition

• Coordinate and direct the preparation of the budget and financial forecasts and report variances

• Prepare and publish timely monthly financial statements

• Coordinate the preparation of regulatory reporting

• Support month-end and year-end close process

• Ensure quality control over financial transactions and financial reporting

• Duties not limited to but including as outlined above

The ideal candidate should be professional in attitude and demeanor and must read and speak English fluently. Position requires a flexible schedule. Salary: $65k-$75k per annum based on experience commensurate with experience and qualifications.

FRONT DESK SUPERVISOR

The Somerset Resort Management Ltd. Is looking to add a friendly Front Desk Supervisor to our team. As our Front Desk Supervisor, you will be responsible for the overall success of the Front Desk and ensuring guest satisfaction and product quality standards are met. You will plan and supervise the activities of a diverse workforce to ensure the smooth and profitable running of the businesses. Most importantly, you will be a key person of reference for team members, vendors and guests.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Carry out the smooth operation of the Front Office Department and ensure that all standards and operating procedures pertinent to Guest Services are followed

• Able to perform job responsibilities of Guest Service Agent and Concierge Agent and support in these areas when needed

• Anticipate and address guest issues and establish proactive processes to promote guest satisfaction

• Understand and enforce the hotel company credit policies, account for all cash and make deposits in accordance with hotel and company policies

• Be proactive in the greeting of guests in a warm and friendly manner

• Ensure associates adhere to performance and service standards and conduct appropriate accountability measures by providing direction, support and timely feedback

• Able to understand forecasting to ensure appropriate staffing levels are met according to business demands

• Assist in recruitment process with interviewing candidates

• Follow all company safety and security policies and procedures; report accidents, injuries and unsafe work conditions to management; complete safety training and certifications; and

• Any and all other work as required to complete the primary purpose of the position.

QUALIFICATIONS

• High School Diploma or equivalent vocational training

• Minimum of 1 year experience in a Front Office/general office role (Preferred)

• Hospitality industry experience preferred

• The ideal candidate will also have knowledge of Opera software

Position requires a flexible schedule which includes holidays and weekends and. Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications. Outgoing, positive personality is a necessary job component.

RESERVATIONS AGENT

The Somerset Resort Management Ltd. is currently looking for a detailed and engaging Reservation Agent. The agent will be responsible for selling the hotel, providing information to prospective guests and coordinate details of each reservation to ensure the guest’s satisfaction. This individual responds to a wide variety of guest requests by accurately assessing the guest needs and then adding personal recommendations and touches to achieve maximum customer satisfaction while complying with The Somerset on Grace Bay policies.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Responsible for processing world-wide guest reservations

• Ensures accurate guest information and rates are inputted to PMS

• Maximize revenue by using proper up selling techniques

• Fully conversant with all hotel amenities and actively promote them

• Liaise with Department Head on all new rates, packages and promotions

• Effectively deal with customer complaints and take necessary steps to ensure problem resolution

• Communicate regularly with Front Desk, Housekeeping and Maintenance to ensure efficient and courteous service is provided

• Check daily reservation correspondence, ensuring all special requests and VIP guests are properly attended to

• Prepare reports as requested to aid in effective decision making

• Any and all other work as required to complete the primary purpose of the position

SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

• High School Diploma or equivalent vocational training

• One to two years of Front Desk or Reservations experience at a luxury property

• Strong guest service experience

• Ability to prioritize and organize work assignments

POSITIONS AVAILABLE

The Turks and Caicos Islands oldest and leading publishing house is in need of additional staff to fill the following posts:

WRITERS/ PHOTO JOURNALIST

Candidates must have at least five (5) years’ experience working full-time for daily newspapers and/or news/features magazines, reporting on hard news, features and parliamentary/court proceedings. Salary paid weekly will commensurate with experience.

FOR MAGAZINES AND OTHER PERIODICALS GRAPHICS PRODUCTION DESIGNER/ PAGINATOR

This position requires someone with at least five (5) years’ experience working with Macintosh or PC computers. Must be skilled in the make-up of advertising and pagination. Proficiency using InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop software for print is essential. Some technical, networking and web design knowledge an asset. Salary paid weekly will commensurate with experience.

COURT REPORTER

College or high school graduate with at least five (5) years’ experience in community reporting. Ability to drive and use a camera a desirable asset. Salary paid weekly will commensurate with experience.

ADVERTISING SPACE SALES PERSON

Candidates must have had actual hands-on experience selling advertising space for newspapers and magazines. Ability to assist clients with the writing of copy for ads and gathering of collateral an asset. Salary is commission based.

N TINGS

• Applicant must have 5 years experience tattooing, certifications for handling blood borne pathogens, sharps, health and safety practices in tattooing. Must be experienced with all standard health laws for tattooing and piercing.

• Applicant will be in charge of all tattooing, inventory and ordering materials, organizing schedule, receiving payments and opening/closing.

• Applicant will be scheduled to work 40-44 hours per week. Must be willing to work 7 days a week if needed. Remuneration for this position will be at 50% commission based on revenue from tattoos or, should the commission generated not amount to $1,600 in any month worked, $1,600 basic salary per month. This position is currently held by a Work Permit holder.

need only apply.

PO Box 329, Graceway, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, British West Indies Tel 649 333 5638

SPANISH TEACHER

You will be responsible for teaching Spanish to children throughout the primary and

– $43,000

CLASS TEACHER

Your

of responsibility and qualifications, from $36,000 - $52,000 per annum (based on 40 hours per week). This position is currently held by a work permit holder.

PART-TIME CLEANER

Required to clean our school facilities including classrooms, bathrooms and outdoor areas. You will be required to work Monday – Friday from 1 pm – 5 pm. Applicants must be physically fit, hardworking, dependable and trustworthy and be able to provide excellent references. A good working knowledge of English is essential. Hourly rate: $7.00 per hour. This position is currently held by a work permit holder. We invite prospective applicants who are Turks Islanders to send copies of their applications to Providenciales Primary & Middle School and to The Immigration Board.

ANTOINETTE CHARLES

DOMESTIC WORKER/ CARETAKER

Cleaning

AQUA SHORES PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

seeking

GARDENER

Soil

BERNATHA NOELGARDINER

EW, NORTH CAICOS

seeking

LABOURER

• General yard work and helping with my personal farm.

Applicants must be honest and willing to work.

CONTACT:

Belongers

$350.00

CONTACT:

Belongers are

$6.50 Hourly

CONTACT:

Belongers are

to

MERCHANDISE

BLUE WATER

SPA

SPA

CHARLES DELANCY

CARETAKER

LABOURER

to

CANDICE WILLIAMS

CLINTON HIGGS

CLEANER

DELIURANCIA JEAN

LABOURER

DIANE PHANOR

LABOURER

BABYSITTER

COX

MAINTENANCE WORKER

LABOURER

Cleaning

LABOURER

ELIES LANDSCAPING CLEANING SERVICES

CLEANER

Stocking

JANITOR/ CLEANER

CONTACT:

Belongers

BALUSTERS

#41 Horse Shoe Lane, Leeward highway Is seeking to employ a

MASON

Mixes mortar; lays bricks and stones and/

concrete sidewalks; makes and repairs steps and plasters.

$10 per hour

CONTACT: 342-4656

Belongers only apply

Five Cays. Is seeking

Stocking and supplying designated facility areas, dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, restroom cleaning etc. Salary: $320.00 Weekly

CONTACT: 649-346-2026

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

MECHANIC

BABYSITTER

MONA

CLEANER

NUVA PHANOR

LABOURER

with

BARBER

Cutting, trimming,

styling

giving shaves. Clean and

scissors, combs, clippers, and other

Salary: $6.50

CONTACT:

Belongers

PAULA HIDALGO / IBAN BARBER SHOP

BEHIND BALL

DOMESTIC

the house. Mop the floor. Clean the bathroom. Clean the ceiling and walls. Salary: $6.25

children and

the fundamental principles of music and musicianship skills,

$1200.00

TIME, BELONGER WILL

FIRST PREFERENCE.

LABOUR

outside the property, Pick up yard waste, dispose of trash, cleaning windows, and door frames, Cares for the garden.

$6.25 per hour.

RENEWAL, BELONGER WILL

GIVEN FIRST

DYNAMIC CONSTRUCTION

DOMESTIC WORKER

Keep

Prepared

Bank Feeds.

COSMETOLOGIST

Sweep the house. Mop the floor. Clean the doors and windows. Wash & iron for the family.

$6.25 per

shape

and

8.00 per hour

beauty service, braiding, dress wigs, perform hair removal, provide nail and skin care services.

7.25 per hour

BELONGER

CLEANER

Clean the store every morning, upheld safe and clean working environment, clean customers bathroom, remove trash. Salary $6.25 per hour.

241-3896

RENEWAL, BELONGER WILL

GIVEN FIRST PREFERENCE.

DOMESTIC WORKER

the house. Mop the floor. Clean the bathroom, doors, and windows. Wash & iron for the

$6.25

241-0452

CHARLES

IMMANISE SAINT CYRIN

KENNETH

BELIEVE BARBER & SALON FIVE CAYS

Is seeking to employ a

CLEANER

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

Salary: $6.25 Hourly

CONTACT: 246-6370

Belongers are encouraged to apply to the Labour Board 32851

EASYWAY

DELIMENE PHANOR EMMANUEL KEW TOWN

DOMESTIC WORKER

DIAMOND CLEANING SERVICES

KEW TOWN

Is seeking to employ a LABOURER

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

Salary: $6.25 Hourly

CONTACT: 245-7854

Belongers are encouraged to apply to the Labour Board 32839

EVETTE HALL CONSTRUCTION Kew Town. Seeking

Is seeking to employ a PAINTER - $8.00 HOURLY

Apply paints to walls, and other structural surfaces.

Cleaning outside the property with sweeper, pick up yard waste and collect leaves, dispose of trash, clean windows, and doorframes. Salary: $6.25 Hourly

CONTACT: 241-7600

Belongers are encouraged to apply to the Labour Board. Renewal 32848

2 MASONS - $9.00 HOURLY

Mixes mortar; lays bricks and stones; makes and repairs steps and plasters.

DOMESTIC WORKER - $6.25 HOURLY Stocking and supplying designated facility areas, sweeping, mopping, restroom cleaning etc.

CONTACT: 247-1124 Belongers only apply 32934

HENRY O. WILSON

#65 WALTER COX DRIVE, KEW TOWN.

seeking

TILE LAYER

Install materials on floors, walls, ceilings, countertops. Level the surface with a layer of mortar or plywood. Salary: $7.30 Hourly

CONTACT: 332-7196

Belongers are encouraged to send a copy of their resume to the Labour Board. Renewal 32849

JEAN ERILIEN JOSEPH SOUTH DOCK RD. Is seeking

LABOURER

Cleaning outside the property with sweeper, pick up yard waste and collect leaves, dispose of trash, clean windows, and door frames. Salary: $6.25 Hourly

CONTACT: 342-5808

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

VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY!!

THE LARGEST READERSHIP IN THE TURKS & CAICOS

On behalf of our clients

SECURITY

DOMESTIC WORKER

MAINTENANCE MAN

HAIR STYLIST

A Governess is required

A resident Canadian family is seeking an experienced and qualified Governess for the care and education of their two children, a girl soon to be 6 and a boy soon to be 3. They also have an older daughter aged 14, who will be starting boarding school in September.

Whilst Turks and Caicos is their main residence, they travel frequently throughout the year, mostly to Canada, which is home to them. The Governess will be required to travel with them on some of their trips. The candidate must enjoy travel and be experienced in travelling with families. The Governess must therefore also have valid US & Canadian visas and be able to travel to Europe and to the UK.

Enjoying the outdoors and being physically active is essential, especially swimming as the children spend a lot of time outdoors and in their pool.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced governess/nanny who is kind, organised, respectful, clean and who is confident in supporting the children through their different ages and stages, implementing appropriate manners, etiquette, and discipline with a firm but fair approach and confident in assisting with educational activities as well as support the British Curriculum. The candidate should also have the experience and confidence to provide parents advice on child development and well-being.

Salary range is $4,000.00 per month

DRYWALL FINISHER

FORBES SECURITY

GARDENER

Duties:

CONTACT:

to keep

equipment available

as,

MARIA

MARIE

MARIUS

DOMESTIC WORKER

the

personal

and other

such

CLEANER

supplying designated facility areas, dusting, sweeping,

FOREMAN/ SUPERVISOR

WALKER CONSTRUCTION

CARPENTER

RENEWAL

DOMESTIC WORKER

Turkberry Ltd. is seeking qualified individuals for the following position. Only candidates who meet the minimum qualifications and requirements will be considered. All candidates must be willing to work unusual hours including weekends and public holidays. All candidates must be nonsmokers, and must have a valid passport. Applicants will be required to pass a written skills and fluency (English) test. This position is currently occupied by a Work Permit holder. Salary is $40,000 per annum. Qualified Turks Islander applicants are invited to apply online or forward resumes to the Labour Board.

BARISTA SUPERVISOR

• Responsible for creating & supervising maintenance program

MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR

• University Certificate required.

• for all electronic Commercial Laundry, Dry Cleaning and affiliated

• equipment such as boilers, compressors, hydraulic pumps etc.

• Minimum 10 years experience mechanical and electrical maintenance.

• 5 years Supervisory experience.

• Work flexible shifts including nights. Emergency on-call.

• Must be fluent in English.

• Must have exceptional computer and diagnostic skills.

• Must be self-motivated, hard-working and reliable.

• Pay rate: $20.00/hour.

• Currently work permit holder

COCO BISTRO

ASSISTANT RESTAURANT MANAGER

DUTIES:

• Coordinating daily restaurant management operations

• Delivering superior food and beverage service and maximizing customer satisfaction

• Appraise staff performance and provide feedback to improve productivity

• Estimate future needs for goods, kitchen utensils and cleaning products

• Ensure compliance with sanitation and safety regulations

• Must be willing to work 6 days per week Salary: $38k per annum. Contact: 9465369

•

•

•

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Supervise employees

• Prepare and serve

techniques

• Maintain and monitor

• Clean and sanitize work areas,

and equipment

• Ensure all health and food safety standards are maintained

• Clean service and seating area

• Opening and closing shift procedures

• Keep equipment in optimal operating condition by following operating instructions, troubleshooting breakdowns, performing preventative maintenance, calling for repairs

• Describe the menu items to customers or suggest products that might appeal to them

• Order, receive, or stock supplies and retail products

• Provide customers with product details, such as coffee blend and preparation descriptions

• Receive and process customer payments

• Prepare and serve all products, donuts, frozen yogurt, coffee, etc.

SKILLS REQUIRED:

• A minimum of

and

years

in

and

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

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

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

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

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

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

Experience in corporate brand development and multi-channel strategy roll-out of

creative digital and non-digital assets.

A

be available various days per week on short notice to perform butler duties and assist high-end clients where necessary. Must be eligible for international travel at any time at the request of clients. Position is currently held by a work permit holder.

$1200 / wk.

Duties will include housekeeping and taking care of two senior citizens must be able to speak, read and write English must have first aid training. Must be able to work 5 days a week $7.00 per hour

Duties will include housekeeping and taking care of two disable persons must be able to speak, read and write English must have first aid training. Must be able to work 3 days a week $7.00 per hour

Starts from $10.00 per hour depending on job experience.

Qualifications:

• Experience in carpentry, plumbing, roofing, mechanics, maintenance, masonry, repair, remodeling, landscaping and a/c repair and service.

Starting from $10.00 an hour depending on experience. Qualification:

• Knowledge on building and construction.

• Physical skills like lifting, bending and carrying

• Attention to details.

Able to follow oral and written instruction

Job Description:

• Clean and prepare construction sites by removing debris and possible hazards

• Build or take apart bracing, scaffolding, and temporary structures

• Dig trenches, backfill holes, or compact earth to prepare for construction

• Operate or tend equipment and machines used in construction

• Run errands and, maintain building materials inventories.

including weekends and public holidays. Salary is commensurate with experience.

Responsibilities:

(1) Carry out maintenance on all diesel and LPG equipment.

(2) Maintenance of gas stations fire systems.

(3) Install LPG and Diesel terminals in electrical and emergency stop systems.

(4) Liaise with other departments the logistics for the prevention of emergency stops.

Qualifications and Experience:

Must have at least 8 years

in LPG and Diesel

Certification in Electronic

in using LPG measuring

management training

Good spoken and written

is

Science & Technology

Five hours’ sleep is tipping point for bad health

AT LEAST five hours sleep a night may cut the over-50s’ chances of multiple chronic health problems, researchers say.

Ill health can disrupt sleep - but poor sleep may also be a forewarning or a risk itself, they say.

There is evidence sleep helps restore, rest and rejuvenate the body and mind - but why the “golden slumber number” might matter remains unclear.

The PLoS Medicine study tracked the health and sleep of UK civil servants.

All of the about 8,000 participants were asked: How many hours of sleep do you have on an average weeknight?”

Some also wore a wrist-watch sleep tracker.

And they were checked for chronic conditions, including diabetes, cancer and heart disease, over two decades of follow-up:

Those who slept five hours or less around the age of 50 had a 30% greater risk of multiple ailments than those who slept seven hours

Shorter sleep at 50 was also associated with a higher risk of death during the study period, mainly linked to the increased risk of chronic disease

Experts generally recommend about seven or eight hours, the researchers, from University College London and Paris Cité University, say.

WHY DO WE SLEEP?

Scientists do not know for sure,

Experts generally recommend about seven or eight hours of sleep.

but it is clear that sleep helps the brain process memories and is good for mood, concentration and metabolism.

Sleep is also an opportunity for the brain to be cleared of waste.

Surrey Sleep Centre director Prof Derk-Jan Dijk told BBC

Look to exercise to extend life, even for the oldest, study says

PHYSICAL activity guidelines for older adults stress doing at least two days of strength training and 2½ hours of moderate to vigorous aerobic physical activity each week. Yet many people downplay muscle strengthening, relying on the heart-pumping benefits of aerobic exercise.

That would be a mistake, a new study found. Independent of aerobic physical activity, adults over 65 who did strength training two to six times per week lived longer than those who did less than two, according to study author Dr. Bryant Webber, an epidemiologist in the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We found that each type of physical activity was independently associated with a lower risk of allcause mortality in older adults,” Webber said in an email.

“Those who met the musclestrengthening guideline only (versus neither guideline) had (a) 10% lower risk of mortality, those who met the aerobic guideline only had 24% lower risk of mortality, and those who met both guidelines had 30% lower risk,” he said.

The results applied to all ages groups, even the most elderly, according to the study published Monday in the journal JAMA Network Open.

Peope who were 85 and older who met both the aerobic and muscle-strengthening guidelines had a 28% lower risk of dying from any cause than people over 85 those who met neither of the guidelines, the study found.

“This finding suggests that aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity is valuable throughout the lifespan,” Webber said.

The study looked at leisure and other physical activity gathered by the National Health Interview Survey, an ongoing investigation of American health done by the CDC.

Information on strength training and aerobic activity by age group was then compared with deaths over an average of eight years.

The study controlled for demographics and marital status, body mass index, history of smoking or alcohol consumption, and presence of asthma, cancer, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, hypertension and stroke.

Looking only at the data on strength training, the study found adults who did two to three sessions or four to six sessions of muscle strengthening exercise per week had a lower risk of death for any reason than adults who did strength training less than twice weekly.

Doing more wasn’t beneficial — the study found seven to 28 sessions of strength training weekly did not offer additional protection.

You don’t have to go to a gym to strengthen your muscles, the CDC said. You can lift weights at home, work with resistance bands, use your body weight for resistance (for example, push-ups and sit-ups), and dig or shovel in the garden. Even “lifting canned goods could be considered a muscle-strengthening activity,” Webber said.

The goal is to work all the body’s major muscle groups: abdomen, arms, back, chest, hips, legs and shoulders.

Looking only at the data on aerobic exercise, the study found that doing 10 to 300 minutes per week was associated with a lower risk of death from any cause compared with doing less than 10

News: “This work reinforces that getting only short sleep is not good for us. Generally, it’s not healthyalthough for some, it may be OK.

“The big question is why do some people sleep less. What is causing it and is there anything we can do about it? Sleep is a

modifiable lifestyle factor to a certain extent.”

Long stretches of bad sleep can severely affect wellbeing.

GPs now rarely prescribe sleeping pills, which can have serious side-effects and cause dependency. (BBC)

Each type of physical activity was independently associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality in older adults.

minutes per week.

Aerobic activity can include walking, bike riding, hiking, raking

leaves and pushing a lawn mower and water exercises, to name a few. (CNN)

Science & Technology

Ancient DNA reveals first Neanderthal family portrait

MEET the Neanderthals of Chagyrskaya Cave.

The riverside hunting camp in the foothills of the Altai mountains in Siberia was home to a tight community of about 20 inhabitants about 54,000 years ago, including a father and his teenage daughter, a young male who might have been a nephew or a cousin to them, and an adult female second-degree relative — perhaps an aunt or a grandmother.

The girl likely would have moved away from her father and family group when she found a mate. Had she been a boy, like her young cousin, she likely would have stayed put. However, the communities she migrated into probably would have contained familiar faces.

These are some of the intimate details of Neanderthal family and social life revealed by a study of ancient DNA that belonged to 11 former residents of Chagyrskaya Cave, as well as the remains of two others from the nearby Okladnikov Cave.

It’s the oldest known family group and the first time scientists have been able to directly document the fabric of a Neanderthal family and community, making our ancient cousins seem much more human.

“The fact that they were living at the same time is very exciting. This means that they likely came from the same social community. So, for the first time, we can use genetics to study the social organization of a Neandertal community,” said study

coauthor Laurits Skov, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, in a news release. (“Neandertal” is an alternate German spelling.)

The researchers extracted DNA from 17 bones and teeth that once belonged to seven male and six female Neanderthals, of which eight were adults and five were children.

GENETIC THREADS

They were able to unravel multiple threads of genetic ancestry: mitochondrial DNA, which follows the maternal line; Y chromosome DNA, which is

inherited through the male line; and nuclear DNA.

In the mitochondrial DNA, the researchers found several heteroplasmies — distinctive genetic signatures that only persist for a small number of generations — which were shared between individual Neanderthals. This phenomenon, the reseachers said, suggested that the Neanderthals that they studied from Chagyrskaya Cave must have lived and died around the same time.

They also found that the genetic diversity of the Y chromosome DNA was a lot lower than that of the mitochondrial DNA, which is

James Webb telescope

spies ‘Pillars of Creation’

IT’S a classic - one of the most beautiful sights in the cosmos and now the new super space telescope James Webb has visited it anew.

The so-called “Pillars of Creation” are cool, dense clouds of hydrogen gas and dust in the Serpens constellation, some 6,500 light-years from Earth.

Every large telescope has imaged this scene, most famously the Hubble observatory in 1995 and 2014.

James Webb has given us yet another incredible perspective.

The pillars lie at the heart of what astronomers refer to as Messier 16 (M16), or the Eagle Nebula. This is an active star-forming region.

Webb, with its infrared detectors, is able to see past much of the light-scattering effects of the pillars’ dust to examine the activity of the new-born suns.

“I’ve been studying the Eagle Nebula since the mid-1990s, trying to see ‘inside’ the light-years long pillars that Hubble showed, searching for young stars inside them. I always knew that when James Webb took pictures of it, they would be stunning. And so they are,” Prof Mark McCaughrean, the Senior Advisor for Science at the European Space Agency, told BBC News.

The M16’s pillars are being illuminated and sculpted by the

intense ultraviolet light from massive nearby stars. That radiation is also dismantling the towers.

Indeed, if you could magically transport yourself to this location today, the pillars are very probably no longer there.

We only see them because we’re looking at them in the past. The light that Webb detects has taken 6,500 years to reach its mirrors.

James Webb is a collaborative project of the US, European and Canadian space agencies. It was launched in December last year and is regarded as the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. (BBC)

passed from mothers. The study calculated that, in this group, two male individuals could expect to share an ancestor around 450 years before they lived. By contrast, the equivalent estimate for female individuals was around 4,350 years.

The researchers said the best explanation for this was that more of 60% of the female Neanderthals in the small Chagyrskaya group had migrated from another community. This social structure is common among present-day hunter gatherer societies and is known as patrilocality.

More broadly, the community had extremely low genetic diversity — much lower than any recorded for any ancient or present-day human community, the study said. The level of diversity was more similar to the group sizes of endangered species on the verge of extinction, such as mountain gorillas, which have a population of around 1,000.

However, Chris Stringer, research leader in human evolution at the Natural History Museum in London, who wasn’t involved in the research, said that the lack of genetic diversity wasn’t necessarily a significant factor in the extinction of Neanderthals, who disappeared around 40,000 years ago. He said other Neanderthal sites that were active around the same time as the group studied, such as Vindija in Croatia, indicate larger and more diverse populations.

The study authors said that the family group they had uncovered

might not be representative of the social lives of the whole Neanderthal population. They recommended future research that includes the genetic sequencing of more Neanderthal individuals and communities.

FIRST FAMILY SNAPSHOT

The inhabitants of the two caves likely interacted — trekking to the same sources of rock to make their stone tools — supporting the the genetic link between them. The Neanderthals hunted ibex, horses, bison and other animals that travelled through the river valleys the caves overlook.

Chagyrskaya and Okladnikov are within 100 kilometers (62 miles) of Denisova Cave — one of the most important locations in the study of human evolution. That site was occupied by Neanderthals, early modern humans and Denisovans, a more recently identified type of extinct human that was discovered from DNA retrieved from a single pinkie finger.

Svante Pääbo, another coauthor on the Chagyrskaya study, sequenced the first Neanderthal genome in 2010, work for which he received a Nobel Prize earlier this month. Since that initial sequencing, genome-wide data has been recovered from a total of 18 Neanderthals. The new study adds another 13 — a major technical achievement, said Lara Cassidy, an assistant professor in the Department of Genetics at Trinity College Dublin, who wasn’t involved in the research.

An artist’s reconstruction of a Neanderthal father and his daughter

Webb’s view: The pillars are cool, dense clouds of hydrogen gas and dust.

Science & Technology

Florida flesh-eating illness cases spike after Hurricane Ian

THE Florida county that was devastated by Hurricane Ian last month has seen a surge in cases of flesh-eating bacteria illnesses and deaths.

Officials say Lee County, where the category four storm made landfall on 28 September, has recorded 29 illnesses and four deaths owing to the bacteria.

All but two cases were diagnosed after the hurricane.

Vibrio vulnificus infections can be caused after bacteria enters the body through open cuts.

The bacteria live in warm brackish water, like standing floodwaters.

“The Florida Department of Health in Lee County is observing an abnormal increase in cases of Vibrio vulnificus infections as a result of

exposure to the flood-waters and standing waters following Hurricane Ian,” a spokesperson at the county health department said on Monday.

The statement called on residents to “always be aware of the potential risks associated when exposing open wounds, cuts, or scratches on the skin to warm, brackish, or salt water”.

“Sewage spills, like those caused from Hurricane Ian, may increase bacteria levels,” the statement continued. “As the poststorm situation evolves, individuals should take precautions against infection and illness caused by Vibrio vulnificus.”

Collier County, just south of Lee County, has also recorded three confirmed cases that officials say are storm-related.

Officials say Lee County, where the category four storm made landfall on 28 September, has recorded 29 illnesses and four deaths owing to the bacteria.

Across Florida, there have been a record 11 confirmed deaths attributed to the bacterium this year, and a total of 65 cases, according to state health data.

Officials estimate that nearly half are related to Hurricane Ian.

In 2021, 10 deaths were recorded and 34 cases in Florida.

Seven deaths were attributed to the bacteria in 2020.

Vibrio vulnificus is known as “flesh-eating” because it can develop into necrotising fasciitis, a condition that causes tissue to break down. It is not the only bacteria that can cause necrotising fasciitis.

According to the US Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, around one in five Vibrio vulnificus patients dies, sometimes within only a day or two of becoming ill.

It can cause sepsis if it enters the bloodstream, and can sometimes lead to amputations to prevent its spread to other parts of a patient’s body. (BBC)

Ivory seized decades ago still turning up in raids

CONFISCATED ivory from elephants killed more than 30 years ago has turned up in recent raids, say scientists.

The tusks were once part of a stockpile seized from poachers and held in sealed containers by the government of Burundi.

In this study, researchers used DNA and carbon dating techniques to show that some of that stored material is now in the hands of smugglers.

The government of Burundi has not responded to a BBC request for comment.

The authors say seizures should be destroyed and not stored.

Between 2007 and 2016 some 100,000 elephants were killed for their tusks in different parts of Africa.

The study examined samples from four major seizures made by law enforcement officials between 2017 and 2019.

Using techniques to measure the presence of an isotope called carbon-14, the researchers found that most of the captured ivory was from elephants killed within the previous three years.

However, ivory from one seizure was primarily from elephants killed more than 30 years ago.

Markings on these tusks indicated they came from a supposedly well-guarded stockpile held by the government of Burundi.

The trade in ivory has been banned since 1987 in Burundi, one of the world’s poorest countries.

In 2004 scientists from wildlife trade experts, Traffic International, examined the stores which comprised almost 84 tonnes, made up of 15,000 tusks. Customs seals were then affixed to the seven containers holding the ivory.

However since 2015, a number of seizures in different parts of the world have had markings showing Burundi as the origin.

The BBC has approached Burundi’s environment ministry for comment but has not had any answers to our questions regarding

the stockpile.

According to scientists, the government has until recently claimed that their stores are secure.

“Those containers need to be re-opened and the stock that’s held there needs to be re-tested,” said Prof Samuel Wasser from the University of Washington, an expert in conservation biology and an author of this new study.

“Because the government are also saying the weights of these containers haven’t changed, does that mean that they are smuggling out ivory and then getting new ivory and simply replacing the old?”

“Well, if that’s happening, that’s really bad,” he told BBC News.

The new research underlines the fact that many African countries continue to hold stockpiles of ivory that they have recovered from seizures since the trade in ivory became illegal.

Some experts question why they are choosing to do this rather than destroying the stocks, given that international agreements prohibit the sale of ivory recovered from poaching.

Stockpiles are also vulnerable to theft as happened in Mozambique in 2016.

Researchers have also seen

evidence of seized ivory coming back into the illegal market by dubious means.

“When we sample these seized tusks we take a little square out of the bottom of them, and there has been at least one seizure where we saw that our squares had been cut out, meaning that this was ivory that we had previously sampled and was now being re-smuggled,” Prof Wasser explained.

However other groups say that stocks can be legitimately kept for research, educational or identification purposes.

The Elephant Protection Initiative (EPI) is currently supporting 15 African countries to secure their stockpiles of ivory but is also helping others to destroy their stockpiles.

“Ivory doesn’t have any commercial value and that is unlikely to change,” said John Scanlon, from the EPI.

“It’s up to each country to decide on the best option for it, and each country will be guided by its own domestic considerations.”

If it is stored, it needs to be done securely and be reported. If it is destroyed, it needs to be accounted for, and forensic samples should be taken to identify the source of the ivory.”

The research has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (BBC)

A sample of ivory seized by the authorities en route to Asia.

WTA Finals: Coco Gauff becomes youngest player since 2005 to qualify

COCO Gauff has become the youngest player since Maria Sharapova in 2005 to qualify for the WTA Finals in singles.

The 18-year-old has also achieved the rare feat of qualifying for the season-ending finals in both singles and doubles, with partner Jessica Pegula.

Gauff and Pegula will be the first Americans to play at the WTA Finals in singles and doubles since Serena and Venus Williams in 2009.

Gauff sealed her place by reaching the third round of the Guadalajara Open.

The WTA Finals take place in Fort Worth, Texas, from 31 October-7 November.

“It means a lot,” said world number seven Gauff, who beat Elisabetta Cocciaretto 7-6 (7-1) 6-3.

“Honestly I didn’t think about it until I realised how close I was

and I think I went maybe a little bit nervous in the end but I’m super excited to be playing in the WTA Finals, especially in the USA, and qualifying in singles and doubles is definitely a good achievement.

“I didn’t expect that when I set my goals at the beginning of the year. I’m really happy and I hope I can do a good performance there.”

Gauff will be the youngest American to play at the WTA Finals since Lindsay Davenport 28 years ago.

She reached her first Grand Slam final this season, losing to Poland’s world number one Iga Swiatek at the French Open, while she also made the quarter-finals of the US Open for the first time.

Gauff joins Swiatek, Pegula, Ons Jabeur and Caroline Garcia in qualifying for the eight-woman singles field, with three places still to be secured. (BBC)

Winter Olympics: Two billion people watched 2022 Games, says IOC

Just over two billion people watched the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, according to the International Olympic Committee.

Independent research conducted for the IOC found that was a 5% increase on the audience for the 2018 Games.

The total minutes watched - 713 billion - were 18% up on Pyeongchang 2018.

Those figures include “linear TV and digital platforms” - with the evidence showing more people watched the events online than ever before.

The IOC said: “In addition to the significant increases in

digital viewing and consumption of broadcast coverage, the Olympics web and app platforms reached 68 million unique users during Beijing 2022 - more than double the reach achieved during the Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018.

“Almost half of the Beijing 2022 viewers surveyed said they wanted to watch more coverage of the Olympic Games in the future. This appetite is particularly strong amongst the youth demographic.”

The BBC was one of the IOC’s media rights partners for the Games, which was held from 4-20 February. (BBC)

Fury v Chisora III confirmed for December 3

Tyson Fury will fight Derek Chisora in their trilogy bout at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 3 December in London.

Fury, 34, will defend his WBC heavyweight title for the third time against a fighter he has beaten twice previously.

The Britons fought in 2014 and 2011, Fury winning comfortably on both occasions.

Fury was in talks to fight Anthony Joshua in December, but negotiations broke down between both camps.

The world champion is unbeaten in 32 fights while 38-year-old Chisora is approaching the end of his career and has three losses in his last four bouts.

Also on the card is Briton Daniel Dubois, who will defend his WBA ‘Regular’ title against South African heavyweight Kevin Lerena.

Chisora ended a three-fight losing streak by beating Kubrat Pulev in July while Fury fights for the first

time since stopping Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium in April.

Fury announced his retirement after that win, but has since done a U-turn and now wants to fight unified champion Oleksandr Usyk for all the main heavyweight titles next year.

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE FIRST FIGHTS?

Fury and Chisora have a long rivalry dating back to the early days of their professional careers. Both men were emerging contenders, unbeaten in 14 fights, when they first met in 2011.

Chisora was 27 at the time and the defending British and Commonwealth champion, and had seen two proposed fights with then world champion Wladimir Klitschko fall through in just eight months.

Fury, on the other hand, was just 23 and considered largely untested, making him the underdog against Chisora.

But Fury handed Chisora the first loss of his career with an assured display at Wembley Arena.

Three years later they met again, this time at the ExCel in London, with Chisora on a hot streak after five stoppage wins in a row following three bad losses to Robert Helenius, Vitali Klitschko and David Haye.

But again Fury was the better man, this time playing with Chisora by fighting in a southpaw stance before the latter’s corner eventually pulled him out at the end of the 10th round.

The victory secured Fury a shot at then IBF, WBO and WBA champion Wladimir Klitschko, whom he would beat in Dusseldorf on points a year later.

There has hardly been a clamour from fans to see a third fight, but since returning from a two-year absence in 2018, Fury has repeatedly said he wanted to fight Chisora again before he retires.

Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula will play both singles and doubles at the WTA Finals.

More

watched the Winter Olympics, research suggests.

Fury and Chisora were both unbeaten when they first met in the ring in 2011.

Ballon d’Or winner Benzema on target for Real Madrid

Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema scored as Real Madrid extended their advantage at the top of La Liga to six points with victory over Elche.

Benzema linked with Rodrygo before slotting home from 18 yards, having seen two earlier efforts ruled out by the Video Assistant Referee.

That doubled Madrid’s lead after Federico Valverde sliced home.

Marco Asensio scored a third as Real extended their unbeaten start to 10 games.

Real opened up a three-point lead on rivals Barcelona with victory in El Clasico on Sunday, with Xavi’s side having the opportunity to cut the gap when they host Villarreal on Thursday.

Elche sit bottom of La Liga, and it was a tough night from the get-

go with Benzema seeing a goal disallowed for offside in the build-up after six minutes.

Valverde’s left-footed strike from outside the area put Carlo Ancelotti’s side ahead after 11 minutes, before David Alaba and Benzema saw efforts disallowed for offside.

It left Benzema to celebrate his fifth league goal of the season by ironically drawing a square like the referee does during a VAR review.

Asensio’s hooked finish rounded off a lovely free-flowing move by Real, who have won nine and drawn one as they seek to retain their league title.

They have won their first six away league games for only the second time, after the 1991/92 campaign. (BBC)

CJ Ujah: UK Athletics says British sprinter will be considered for selection after drugs ban

BRITISH sprinter CJ Ujah will be considered for selection after serving his drugs ban, says new UK Athletics technical director Stephen Maguire.

Ujah, 28, was handed a 22-month suspension after he tested positive for two banned substances, Ostarine and S-23, at the Tokyo Olympics.

Britain won silver in the men’s 4x100m relay but was stripped of the medal following the doping violation.

“If [Ujah] is available to compete we will select him,” said Maguire.

“I haven’t spoken to CJ in a couple of years. He made a mistake and that’s clear, I need to see what the environment is like.”

Ujah, whose ban is backdated to 6 August 2021 and will end on 5 June 2023, was cleared of intentionally taking prohibited drugs by the Athletics Integrity Unit and World

Anti-Doping Agency.

The World Athletics Championships take place in Hungary in August next year - two months after Ujah’s ban ends - and Maguire said he will assess the sprinter’s fitness to see if he is ready to make a comeback.

“CJ, first of all, has to run fast anyway,” said Maguire, who rejoined UK Athletics to replace Christian Malcolm in September.

“It’s looking at that environment and where it all fits. Hopefully things go easy for CJ in coming back and it would be great to have that choice in selecting CJ. The 100m and 4x100m is going to be tough for anyone.

“I’ll definitely be chatting to CJ. I’ve had a couple of conversations with the BOA (British Olympic Association). It’s getting to know them now the CJ news has broken.

He’s eligible next year. It’s a conversation I’ll need to have.”

At the time of the positive test, Ujah said he had “unknowingly consumed a contaminated substance” and the situation is one he would “regret for the rest of my life”.

Ujah apologised to his 4x100m relay team-mates Zharnel Hughes, Richard Kilty and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, after Britain was stripped of a medal at a summer or winter Games for only the third time.

Kilty said earlier this year he would never forgive Ujah for his “sloppy and reckless” behaviour.

On whether it will be hard to reintegrate Ujah back into the team, Maguire said: “Yes is the word because we have to reaffirm where we’re at, are we all on the same page?

Bateman and Hall named in England’s 19-man squad to face France

Coach Shaun Wane has named all seven players who did not feature against Samoa in England’s 19-man squad to face France on Saturday.

John Bateman completed his three-match ban as the hosts opened their Rugby League World Cup bid with a 60-6 win.

The Wigan forward comes into England’s initial squad along with their all-time leading try-scorer Ryan Hall.

Andy Ackers, Joe Batchelor, Mikolaj Oledzki, Kai Pearce-Paul and Marc Sneyd are the others who have come in.

Wigan second rower Pearce-Paul was 18th man against Samoa but is now in line to make his Test debut in Bolton along with Salford hooker Ackers, St Helens forward Batchelor and Salford half-back Sneyd.

They were all selected for the warm-up win over Fiji, which did not have Test status, while Leeds prop Oledzki is set to win his second

cap.

Dominic Young was preferred to Hull KR veteran Hall against Samoa, but the former Leeds winger returns with Bateman.

Goalkicking winger Tom Makinson and forwards Mike McMeeken, Mike Cooper, Morgan Knowles and Matty Lees, are the players to make way as Wane fulfils his pledge of giving each of his players game time by the second week of the tournament and a chance to put themselves in contention for the latter stages of the competition.

Wane must trim his matchday squad to 17 and said on Tuesday that he had yet to decide whether to rest England captain Sam Tomkins.

The Catalans Dragons full-back is likely to be one of the two players to drop out, with St Helens’ Jack Welsby moving from stand-off to full-back, with Wigan scrum-half George Williams taking over the captaincy.

John Bateman is named in England’s 19-man squad to face France after completing a three-match ban

CJ Ujah (left) apologised to Zharnel Hughes, Richard Kilty and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake after the British 4x100m relay team were stripped of their Tokyo Olympics silver medals.

Karim Benzema has now scored 224 goals in La Liga for Real Madrid.

Sports

T20 World Cup: Sri Lanka & Netherlands qualify for Super 12

SRI Lanka and the Netherlands both progressed to the Super 12 stage of the Men’s T20 World Cup following a thrilling conclusion to Group A.

They finished first and second in the group respectively to qualify for the next stage of games, starting on 22 October.

Having lost to Sri Lanka earlier in the day, the Netherlands qualified after a shock seven-run win for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over Namibia.

It was the UAE’s first ever win in the T20 World Cup, in only their second tournament.

Some inconsistent bowling from Namibia allowed UAE to score a competitive 148-3, with opener Muhammad Waseem top-scoring with 50 from 41 balls.

The Netherlands players who stayed in the ground watched in anticipation as Namibia then slipped to 69-7, before David Wiese’s heroic 55 from 36 balls dragged them back.

But needing 14 from the final over, Wiese holed out to long-on to hand UAE an unexpected winand the Netherlands an unexpected qualification.

In the earlier game, Kusal Mendis’ 79 from 44 balls propelled Sri Lanka to 162-6 - the right-hander smashing five sixes in his match-winning innings.

Max O’Dowd’s entertaining 71 not out from 53 balls kept Netherlands in the game throughout their innings but they fell 16 runs

short and were left nervously waiting for the second game to be completed.

Sri Lanka qualify in first position meaning they join England, Afghanistan, Australia and New Zealand in Super 12 Group A, while Netherlands will face India, Pakistan, South Africa and Bangladesh in Super 12 Group B.

Both groups will see one more team join them, on completion of the first-round’s Group B, with Scotland and Ireland both hoping to qualify in Friday’s matches.

PRESSURE TELLS FOR NAMIBIA

Namibia were firm favourites to join Sri Lanka in the Super 12 stage, as they did in 2021. They had shocked Sri Lanka in the first game of the tournament and UAE were yet to register a win.

Their bowlers started well, restricting the UAE to just 30 runs from the six-over powerplay, before it unravelled.

Opener Waseem’s half-century anchored the innings before captain CP Rizwan and Basil Hameed capitalised on some loose bowling in the death overs.

Rizwan finished unbeaten on 43 from 29 balls and Hameed 25 not out from 14 balls as they reached 148-3, a competitive score that was more than Namibia were expecting to chase.

The UAE needed their bowlers to back up the batting effort, which they did brilliantly.

Hameed added two wickets

to his cameo with the bat, and seamer Zahoor Khan put in a stellar performance to take 2-20 from his four overs.

From 46-5 and then 69-7, Namibia looked gone, while the Netherlands’ players were pictured grinning in the stands.

But Wiese and Ruben Trumpelmann, who finished with 25 not out, smashed 70 runs in seven overs to completely shift the momentum.

It was all going Namibia’s way as UAE’s inexperienced bowlers produced wides, fielding errors and dropped Wiese on 35.

But eventual player of the match Waseem took the match-winning wicket in the final over as Wiese attempted one six too many, Alishan Sharafu taking a smart catch on the boundary to secure UAE’s historic win.

SRI LANKA RETURN TO WINNING WAYS

Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup in September but their World Cup campaign started disastrously with a shock defeat to Namibia.

But in a must-win game to secure their place in the next stage, they responded to the pressure impressively.

The Netherlands’ bowlers dominated initially, restricting Sri Lanka to just 36 runs from the opening six-over powerplay.

That soon became 36-2 as Paul van Meekeren took two wickets in two balls, bowling opener Pathum Nissanka for 14 before trapping Dhananjaya de Silva lbw for a golden duck.

But Mendis stood in their way. A partnership of 60 for the third wicket with Charith Asalanka rebuilt the innings to allow him to accelerateSri Lanka adding 102 from the final

10 overs.

His innings of 79 came to an end in the final over and set up an imposing total for the Netherlands to chase.

Max O’Dowd, however, had other ideas.

The opener batted through the innings, watching wickets tumble around him until a disastrous 19th over from Maheesh Theekshana conceded 16 runs to leave Netherlands needing 23 from the final six balls with one wicket remaining.

At the other end, Roelof van der Merwe was hampered by a back injury, barely able to run or swing the bat.

But Kumara held his nerve, conceding seven runs from the over and leaving a deflated O’Dowd unbeaten on 71, a remarkable innings without which the Netherlands would have subsided. (BBC)

Erik ten Hag will ‘deal with’ Ronaldo’s early departure in win

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said he will wait until Thursday to “deal with” Cristiano Ronaldo leaving early during the team’s 2-0 win against Tottenham.

Ronaldo, who has had limited game time under ten Hag and tried to force a move away from United before the start of the season, was an unused substitute in Wednesday’s match.

Rather than staying until the final whistle, the Portuguese forward walked down the tunnel with several minutes left to play at Old Trafford – shortly after ten Hag had brought on Christian Eriksen and Anthony Elanga.

“I don’t pay attention (to that) today, we deal with that tomorrow,” the Dutch manager told reporters when asked about Ronaldo’s early exit. “I want to get the focus on this team. It was a magnificent performance.”

scored just once.

Speaking on the BBC, former England striker Gary Lineker said it was “unacceptable” and “so poor” for the 37-year-old to leave the match early.

Against Tottenham, Fred’s deflected shot gave United the lead at the start of the second half before Bruno Fernandes increased the home side’s advantage from the edge of the area.

It was largely thanks to the excellence of Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris that United only scored twice, which moved up to fifth in the Premier League table with the victory.

In a hit-and-miss season, ten Hag’s side has now recorded wins against Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal, as well as humiliating defeats against Brentford and Manchester City.

Next up is a trip to Chelsea on Saturday, while Tottenham plays Newcastle at home. (CNN)

UAE’s first-ever World Cup victory sent the Netherlands into the Super 12 stage.

Ronaldo warms up ahead of Manchester

United’s game against Tottenham

Ronaldo appeared unhappy when he was substituted 72 minutes into United’s 0-0 draw against Newcastle

on Sunday, a decision ten Hag said he took to keep his strikers fresh ahead of a busy run of fixtures.

In his eight appearances so far this season – six of which have come from the subs bench – Ronaldo has

Sports National

Byfield’s century in vain as Vibes chase down 205

It was a power-hitting exhibition at the Downtown Ball Park last Sunday as Vibes chased down a daunting 205 made by Kishco in the latest clash of the Turks and Caicos Islands Cricket Association (TCICA) T-20 Cricket Competition.

The first half of the match was all Kishco as their opener Alston Byfield mauled Vibes’ bowling with an emphatic display of batting.

After a somewhat conservative start, the left-handed wicketkeeper batsman exploded to score 24 fours and three sixes for a top score of 137.

Ravi Kumar with 20 (1X4) and Smijo Devassy (3X4s) with 15 helped Kishco, who were inserted to bat, reached 205-4 off their allotted overs.

Robert Johnson, who got the prize wicket of Byfield, finished with 3-32 from four overs.

Needing to score at over 10 runs per over to ensure victory, Vibes lost two early wickets, as the talented Kevin Hinds and the explosive Ian Heath were both bowled by Vinod Panikar.

D. Hardware and Gareth Campbell however stabilised the innings with 49 runs for the third wicket before Campbell was caught for 36 (7X4s). This

brought eventual man-of-thematch Ricardo Brown to the crease and he carried the side home.

The seasoned batsman paced his innings well and although he

exploded with some big shots, he was able to sneak in the single and the odd double, which resulted in Vibes winning the game with an over to spare (206-3 from 19

overs).

Hardware also played a topclass innings as he finished with 52 not out (4X4s, 1X6), while Brown added a quick-fire 78 unbeaten

runs (9X4s, 4X6s).

Kishco used seven bowlers, but only Panikar with 2-43 from three overs and V. Nair with 1-14 from two overs, were effective.

Wins for MBHS, LGTHS and BWIC in InterHigh School Girls Football Championships

THE Marjorie Basden High School (MBHS) and the Louise Garland Thomas High School (LGTHS) recorded emphatic victories, while the British West Indies Collegiate (BWIC) registered a slim win, in the

latest round of the Inter-High School Girls Football Championship.

MBHS started their dominance early when they played Elite with two goals coming in the first five minutes of play via Callie Hall and

Crystal Baptiste.

Rose Willande Valan added the third in the 24 minute and Carleah Lewis the fourth in the 39 minute.

Elite’s Nelly Mongerant brought one back in the 40th minute of play

in the 4-1 victory.

MBHS were not as dominant in their second clash and had suffered a 1-0 loss at the hands of the BWIC.

Anika Harry scored in the 28th minute of play.

In the other clash, Krysann Williams scored two of her three goals within the first six minutes of play for the LGTHS versus Clement Howell. With two own goals, the game ended 5-0.

Jodeé Harvey and Brianna Burton were crowned MVP for BWIC.

Krysann Williams scored a hat-trick for LGTHS.

Alston Byfield exploded with 137 runs for Kishco.

Vibes were able to chase down 205 for victory.

The Avengers whipped the Guardians 26-11 in the 12IU semi-finals.

PAL basketball finals set for this weekend

THE Police Action League (PAL) championship clashes will be held this Saturday at Gustarvus Lightbourne Sports Complex.

Avengers have booked a place in the final of both events. At 11 am, they will battle against Skyhawks in the 12U division final, followed by the 1U6 final

against the Badgers.

In third place action, the Guardians will place Seaquest at 9 am and 10 am in the 12U and 16U respectively.

In the 12U semi-finals last weekend, Skyhawks got past Seaquest 20-10, while the Avengers whipped the Guardians 26-11.

Badgers win Police Action League softball title

The Badgers were crowned softball champions of the Police Action League (PAL) when the competition concluded over the weekend at the Downtown Ball Park.

Avengers finished second, Skyhawks third and the Guardians fourth.

The Guardians’ Trashel Williams walked away with two prizes, including the Best Pitcher, and League MVP.

The Championship Game MVP award went to Keimari Simons, while the best Hitter award was won by Laribel Belen.

Trashel Williams won two awards, including the League MVP

Badgers were crowned champions

Avengers finished second overall.

Keimari Simons finished as the Championship game MVP.