volume 9 issue 1

Website: www.suntci.com Email: [email protected]

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JANUARY 12TH - JANUARY 19TH, 2013 VOLUME 9 - No. 1

CHESHIRE HALL BY-ELECTION LIKELY

By Hayden Boyce and Vivian Tyson

After three days of trial in the Cheshire Hall/Richmond Hills elections petition before Acting Chief Justice Madame Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale, there is every indication that there will be a by-election in that constituency.

Although the judge said she will give her ruling in open court at a later date, legal and political analysts said that based on the evidence which emerged during the trial, there will have to be a by-election, which could possibly change the balance of power and the government of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

As it now stands, the Progressive National Party (PNP) has 8 seats and the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) has seven. The constituency is now held by the PNP’s Amanda Misick, Minister of Health and Human Services, who defeated the PDM’s Oral Selver by 30 votes. Dr. Ed Smith of the People Progressive Party (PPP) got 58 votes.

If there is a by-election and the PNP loses, the PDM will have eight seats and the PNP, meaning that their leader Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson will replace the PNP’s Dr. Rufus Ewing as Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Last year, commenting on the election petition, Attorney General Huw Shepheard said the basic allegation is that Dr Edward Smith stood as a candidate when he was disqualified under s.49(1)(a) of the Constitution. Shepheard said then, “If that is true, the election may be declared void and, if it is, a by-election must be held.”

He went on to say that the challenge would not affect the Government until the Court made

ALVERNA DUNCOMBE IS DIGICEL’S GRAND PRIZE CHRISTMAS PROMOTION WINNERAlverna Duncombe could not contain her excitement after she was declared the Digicel TCI $10,000 grand prize winner in that telecoms company’s Christmas promotion. She emerged the winner from a group of three after the strip of paper that she picked from a raffle bag contained the sum. Duncombe(left) is seen here receiving the carbon cheque from General Manager for Digicel TCI, E. Jay Saunders (right). The drawing took place on Friday, December 22. Other finalists received valuable gifts, including Blackberry Playbooks, Samsung Galaxy SIII handets and Ipad Mini. The obviously overjoyed Duncombe told the gathering before winning that she wanted the money to commence work on her house. Looking on centre is the TCI Top Model winner for 2012, Washandra Registre. Washandra was the Digicel’s poster girl for its Christmas promotion. Saunders told the media that the 2012 Christmas promotion surpassed that of 2011 in customer participation.

ILLEGAL CUBANS

RELEASED FROM DETENTION

CENTRE – PAGE 7

IMMIGRATION MINISTER CLARIFIES

STATEMENTS ON HAITIANS

– PAGE 8

LEGAL AID LAWYERS ON

STRIKE – PAGE 10

MIKE MISICK’S FAMILY CALLS FOR JUSTICE

– PAGE 15

its ruling. “The legal position is that a Member of the House of Assembly continues to be a Member until the petition has been heard and determined. The Government therefore continues

on its existing basis. If the petition is successful, the Member will cease to be a Member of the House of Assembly and there will be a by-election…

Continued on PG2

JANUARY 12TH - JANUARY 19TH, 2013 TURKS & CAICOS SUN

LOCAL NEWSLOCAL NEWS

Page 13

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN DECEMBER 22ND - DECEMBER 22TH, 2012

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The Young Enterprise which mouldsyoung minds with the skills tobecome future business leaders waslaunched on Saturday, December 15,at the Gustarvus LightbourneSports Complex in Providencialeswith much fanfare.

Among the attendees at the eventwere His Excellency Governor RicTodd and Deputy Premier Hon.Akierra Misick, who is also Ministerof Education, Youth and Sports.

Eight companies comprising 92students from high schools across theTurks and Caicos Islands and theEdward Gartland Youth Centre onProvo are taking part in theprogramme.

Youth Director Angela Musgrove,told The SUN that in addition tohoning their entrepreneurial skills, theparticipants in the programme will alsodevelop their employability talent, aswell as their personal development.

She explained that under theYoung Enterprise Programme,participating groups have beenresponsible to set up their ownbusiness that would last for 12 months.They are also responsible for, amongother things, selling shares, runningboard meetings, developing a product,a business plan and an advertisingscheme.

Musgrove was heartened by the

number of persons in the businesscommunity who have been committedto the programme and have beenworking closely with the respectivegroups to ensure their success.

“We have quite a number ofbusiness persons from the communitywho have come on board as businessadvisors and the teachers within theschools who work with the teachers aslink teachers, to give the students thesupport to run their businesses. Thegroups meet on a weekly basis to dotheir admin. And, they have their settimes when they would have engaged

in sales in their various community.“Scotiabank is our premier

sponsor because they donated $30,000for the set-up and running of the YoungEnterprise Programme. And they alsohave a number of advisors fromScotiabank who work with the variousgroups.

The programme was put togetherby the Providenciales Chamber ofCommerce in conjunction with theDepartment of Youth Affairs. She saidalso that a number of entities,including the Governor’s Office, werecontacted to become partners.

“They (Governor’s Office) werevery supportive in seeing the YoungEnterprise Business set up. Theyassisted us in arranging for theFinancial Services Commission andthe Attorney General’s Chambers toget the right legal form for the YoungEnterprise, because each of thebusinesses has to be set up as legalentities in the Turks and CaicosIslands.

“So in order to assist us in gettingexempt from some of those fees,because we are a youth empowermentcompany, we had the support of theGovernor’s Office, the FinancialServices Commission and the AttorneyGeneral Chambers on that,” Musgrovesaid.

Wendy Hill, Treasurer and BoardMember of the Chamber ofCommerce, said that the Chamber wasapproached by the YK Enterprise inLondon to introduce the programmehere, and since the entity was aboutbusiness and entrepreneurship, it wasonly too happy to introduce it here.

“We then approached AngelaMusgrove of the Youth Department,and we were all excited to get thislaunched. And based on what I haveseen, we are very excited that theprogramme will do well here. It is wellattended and students said that theyhave started to learn a little bit aboutbusiness skills and how to do teamwork,” Hill said.

The Young Enterprise Programmewill now be billed as an annual event.In June after one of the businesses isdeclared the winner, there will bedissolution of all existing enterprisesfor the creation of new businesses andcompetition in September.

As of next year, the winningbusiness will get the opportunity toparticipate in the International YouthEnterprise Business competition,slated for the UK.

Nine groups are taking part in thecompetition. They are Unique IslandNational Treats and FrocCo Treat Barfrom H.J. Robinson High Schools;Elite and Pros Cooperation and BrightSparks Enterprise from the RaymondGardiner High School; Island HeatherIncorporated and Premium Qualityfrom the Clement Howell HighSchool; Zion Enterprise fromChampions of Christ and Pyro fromthe Edward Gartland Youth Centre.

Young Enterprise dazzles patronsBY VIVIAN TYSON

SUN SENIOR EDITOR

The Pyro group makes a presentation to Governor Ric Todd

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The Government, as an entity, is neutral but has an interest in the outcome, as it may have to arrange a by-election or take other action and so the Attorney General is usually a party to the proceedings. That is the position in this case.”

The PDM was granted a judicial review of the election result after it alleged that third party

- People Progressive Party’s (PPP) – candidate and retired United States college professor, Dr. Edward Smith, was not duly nominated, since he ran without relinquishing his ties to that country. Smith had earlier told the media that he in fact chopped ties with the U.S. after taking an oath of allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, as a requirement for becoming a census worker.

The Cheshire Hall race was contested by the PNP’s Amanda Missick, who is now the Minister for Health; the PDM’s Isaac Oral Selver and Smith. Selver lost to Missick by 30 votes. Smith received 58 votes. Selver’s team argued that had Smith not in the race, the outcome could have been different.

Several persons took the stand during the three day trial, which lasted between Monday, January 7 and Wednesday, January 9. They included Minister for Education Youth and Sports Hon. Akierra Misick; Selver; Smith; PPP Leader Harold Charles; PPP Deputy Leader Zhavago Jolly; lead PPP Cheshire Hall campaigner Cecil Bailey; Bailey’s son Kemo; and United States immigration attorney Allan Rockwell.

Selver, a restaurant manager and business owner, told the court that he, too, was not qualified to run at the outset and had to travel to the Bahamas to relinquish his Bahamian citizen along with other PDM members before the October 25, nomination day deadline.

He explained to the court that about a week after losing the election, he stumbled on an envelope that someone had been left on his desk, which contained the picture page of Smith’s U.S. passport and later found out that he was not qualified to run, hence his party’s decision to contest the result. Selver said he had no previous knowledge that Smith was disqualified to run as a candidate.

Smith, for his part, told the court that he was under the impression that the taking of the oath for the census would negate his foreign power allegiance, which gave him the impression that he was duly nominated for election and to sit in the House of Assembly. Smith later said that he was aware that it was the U.S. that determines renunciation in its laws regarding individuals holding allegiance to that country, but he did not take advice on the matter.

Charles, upon taking the stands, said that after it became clear that three members of his party – Smith, Jolly and Bight representative Dorell Pratt Delancey, had dual citizenship issues, his party

wrote to the Attorney General seeking clarification. He said the Attorney General, in his reply, said he could not determine their statuses, and to that end, recommended that they sought expert legal advice on the matter.

Charles said the party later learned that Jolly, by virtue of his U.S. passport was renewed before he turned 18, was not affected by the new interpretation in the Constitution, but Smith and Pratt-Delancey were. He said that Pratt Delancey later flew to the Bahamas to relinquish his Bahamian citizenship.

He said Smith, who was aware that he needed to renounce his U.S. citizenship, told him if he took oath to serve another country he would lose his U.S. citizenship. Charles said further that Smith said he had no interest of going back to the U.S., and as far as he was concerned he was not a citizen of that country.

The PPP leader said if he knew that Smith had such issues he would have rejected his candidacy. Charles said that he had no reason to believe that Smith did not renounce his U.S. citizenship, since the former candidate told him he made contact with the U.S. embassy to do so.

Allan Rockwell, U.S. immigration lawyer, who was called by the petitioner, explained that U.S. passports are owned by individuals who owed allegiance to that country, and that there was no known code which suggested that someone could ever make renunciation and still possessed an American passport.

He said that by virtue of holding as U.S. passport, the holder exhibited an act of allegiance. He said that renunciation is culminated, for the most part, with the confiscation of the applicant’s passport.

For his part, jolly, said after learning that his candidacy was in jeopardy, he and Misick began researching together on the renunciation procedure of persons born in the U.S. He said that Misick, by virtue of renewing her passport after age 18, was required to visit the United States embassy in the Bahamas to commence renunciation procedure, while he did not have to do so because his was renewed before he was 18.

Jolly explained that he knew that Smith was not born in the U.S. and therefore acquired his nationality through application. The PPP deputy leader said that he did not discuss the matter in-depth with Smith, since he had earlier explained that he had commenced the process of renunciation. And by virtue of his interaction with Smith, had no reason to doubt that he was qualified to stand as a candidate. Misick, in her evidence, said that the candidates’ nomination packet received in October, 2012, revealed that the interpretation by the Attorney General in the new Constitution regarding election to the

House was different to that contained in the 2006 Constitution. She said the Attorney General’s analysis indicated that persons holding dual citizenships and those with foreign passports would not be eligible to hold seats in the House, since it would be deemed an act of swearing allegiance to a foreign power.

She said that following a discussion with Attorney General Hew Sheppard, she met with Jolly to research the issue, and it became clear that she had to renounce, thus her travelling to Nassau to commence that process. She said that her understanding of the matter was that Smith was eligible to run as a candidate but could not hold political office.

Misick said that she took the oath of renunciation on October 17, 2012, and said she received the relevant papers the following Monday via courier, including a Certificate of Lost of United States citizenship and the passport, which was stamped ‘void’.

In his closing argument, lead PNP lawyer Ariel Misick QC, said the respondent accepted that Smith was eligible to be elected.

He however, stated that he was not disqualified from being nominated since everything that was required of him to make the nomination was done. He said that the question of Smith’s disqualification would only become relevant if he had won.

Misick argued that since Smith was duly nominated, the court should focus on whether or not he was qualified under the law to hold a seat in the House and not his disqualification to run as a candidate. He therefore, urged the judge not to consider ruling for on a by-election, since Smith did not win, reiterating that such election should be considered only if the PPP candidate had won.

For his part, the PDM attorney Allan Wood QC, said that the judge must consider whether Smith was qualified to stand in the election since he did not have the proper documents required under the law to contest the election. He pointed out that there were clear clauses in the Constitution that pointed to the nomination of candidates, and according to those clauses, Smith’s nomination was not valid.

He said that Smith, after taking the oath of allegiance to the Queen in 2010, traveled unrestricted to the United States on his U.S. passport in 2012, which was a clear sign that he still continued to enjoy the benefit of being a U.S. citizen. He said based on Smith’s action the election should be declared void and fresh election being called.

Continued from PG1

Cheshire Hall by-election likely

JANUARY 12TH - JANUARY 19TH, 2013TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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LOCAL NEWSWHY CAN’T WE GET ALONG?COMMENTARYPage 6

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN MARCH 16TH - MARCH 23RD, 2012

Turks and Caicos SunSuite # 5, Airport Plaza

Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands

Tel: (649) 946-8542/ (649) 241-1510Fax: (649) 941-3281Email: [email protected]

Read us online at www.suntci.com

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief: Hayden BoyceSenior Editor: Vivian TysonWeb Designer: Patrina Moore-PierreGraphics Editor: Joleen GrantOffice Manager: Dominique RigbyDistribution Manger: Kelano HowellAdvertising and Marketing Manager-Patrina Moore-Pierre

The Turks and Caicos SUN is a subsidiaryof The SUN Media Group Ltd.

We are committed to excellence in journalism,educating and informing our readers, servingand satisfying our advertisers and assisting in

the overall development of the Turks andCaicos Islands.

ROYAL ROBINSONCONTRIBUTER

EDITORIAL CARTOON

Sometimes I wonder if we can put aside some of our personal petty differences and work towards the greater good of our country. I would not say that we should not dissent from what we see is going wrong in our country, but it must come a time when we do it and provide a solution at the same time. To just do it because we have the freedom to do so make no real sense! In my writings and in my speeches, when I disagree with the position of others, I provide a counter-balance to whatever is being proposed. I have always hated the notion of persons just speaking loud and saying nothing just because they have “an English tongue in their mouths”!

Many of us have taken the grandstanding to a new high without providing alternatives. That sort of behavior cannot take us forward at any time, but most particularly, it cannot do so now. We seem not to get to grips as yet with the knowledge and understanding that the British occupation is not doing us and favours. They have an agenda, and that does not include our wellbeing. The minions that have been sent to rule and lord over us, never in their wildest dreams imagined that they would have been able to live in the type of opulence that they now enjoy!

The greatest improvement in our station in life and in our country came as a result of the direct intervention and direction of our political leaders who had been tasked with that responsibility. Of course over time a number of persons had given to the process of making things better for us. However, they were not able to direct traffic in as meaningful a way as since we were given ministerial government in 1976! We have come a long way through our own initiative. I would like for anyone to point me to something progressive that has been done here at the sole direction of the British that was clearly in our best interest.

All of the major institutions that were built to propel us forward were done by our people. Many of them were done in spite of and not with the help of the British. After the collapse of the salt industry, they provided some budgetary aid to us, but most of that was spent on those of their ilk and kind that were left

here. The first time that the ordinary Turks and Caicos Islander began to get their due is when we moved off grant-in-aid-of development. Just remember how quickly the British money dried up when they saw that we began to make strides. One of the first things that they did was to make us pay for the salary and upkeep of the governor that they sent down here. He is our governor, we pay him, but to whom does he owe allegiance to? I have yet to see any document that shows that when the rubber hit the road, that our paid governor was on our side of

the argument.In our circumstances, we have to rely on

ourselves for our own survival. I thought that by now, more of us would have been able to see through their charade and come to our own rescue. Many of us have come to both see and feel how they have been using their old standard tactic of divide and rule. They have messed up and muddied our system of governance to the point that soon we will become an ungovernable territory of theirs. At least, the try is to make it ungovernable by the people of this country. But if Waterloo thinks that he is going to continue his dictatorial ways in the face of the wishes of the people, through their duly elected government, then he in for a surprise! We have been to this brink before. The man in Waterloo has not. In the end, we did prevail and would do so again.

In recent times I have been advocating the unification of our people around a common theme. Some have been reluctant to come around to that notion. But I must say that a better nucleus is forming. Once the ball really begins to roll, there will be no stopping us! What is the phrase? “It only takes a spark to light a flame”! We are being milked and the benefits are not accruing to us as they should. It is time now for us to see that the supposed sins of previous Turks and Caicos Islander administration pale in the face of the atrocities of the Interim administration! And the sad part of it is that they want to continue in that vein. Let us get

COMMENTARYPage 6

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN MARCH 16TH - MARCH 23RD, 2012

Turks and Caicos SunSuite # 5, Airport Plaza

Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands

Tel: (649) 946-8542/ (649) 241-1510Fax: (649) 941-3281Email: [email protected]

Read us online at www.suntci.com

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief: Hayden BoyceSenior Editor: Vivian TysonWeb Designer: Patrina Moore-PierreGraphics Editor: Joleen GrantOffice Manager: Dominique RigbyDistribution Manger: Kelano HowellAdvertising and Marketing Manager-Patrina Moore-Pierre

The Turks and Caicos SUN is a subsidiaryof The SUN Media Group Ltd.

We are committed to excellence in journalism,educating and informing our readers, servingand satisfying our advertisers and assisting in

the overall development of the Turks andCaicos Islands.

ROYAL ROBINSONCONTRIBUTER

EDITORIAL CARTOON

EDITO

RIAL

Car

toon

real among ourselves and see the infidel for what he is. We have pulled together before to row our own canoe. It is high time that we do so again! I am not saying that the Opposition should give the government a pass, but there are crucial and critical decisions to be made in our best interest as Turks and Caicos Islanders that Waterloo would not take kindly to. We cannot let that detract or deter us from doing those things. Just remember that people like the “talking parrot” will have to leave some day, no matter how they might want to stay on. Those that engineered themselves into positions to stay here we have to get rid of and place our people in those positions. When you are given those responsibilities, you cannot shirk them. Put your shoulders to the wheel and make us and this country proud!

Just keep in the forefront of our minds that when things “go south” here, they have somewhere else to go. The vast majority of us here do not have that luxury.


LOCAL NEWS

HAB MANAGEMENT LTD.HAB Management Limited is seeking a suitably qualified individual to fill the following position. Only candidates who meet the minimum requirements will be considered:EXECUTIVE CHEF

Job DescriptionThe Executive Chef will be responsible for all aspects of managing the kitchen and kitchen staff, ensuring the quality preparation and presentation of all food for the restaurant.

Main Duties- Responsible for the day to day food and beverage operation of the restaurant. - Develop creative menus and catering packages to assure maximum appeal to customers.- Hire, supervise, schedule, train and develop kitchen staff.- Must maintain a clean and orderly kitchen and conform to all local sanitation standards and regulations.

- Oversee the inventory process for food and beverage products.- Prepare the F & B budget and maximize restaurant resources to contribute to the successful achievement of the budget. Requirements

- Must have ten (10) years or more culinary experience from an accredited culinary school or equivalent work experience.

- Thorough knowledge of food preparation, purchasing and inventory procedures. - Must be proficient in MS Office application and QuickBooks.- Good organizational and administrative skills required. - Excellent oral and written communication skills are required.- Must be willing to work a variety of day/night and weekend shifts.- Excellent people skills in order to communicate well with guests and staff. The salary for this position is $50,000.00 - $60,000.00 per annum commensurate with experience, training and education. Interested applicants should contact Veronica Rigby via email by January 28, 2013 at [email protected] or by fax 649-946-5191. Only persons selected for an interview will be contacted by email or telephone to schedule an interview.

10 Cubans released from detention centreBy Vivian Tyson

Ten of 16 Cubans who had been languishing in cells at the detention centre were granted bail by Acting Chief Justice Madame Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale when they appeared in the Supreme Court on Wednesday, January 9, 2013.

The Spanish-speaking prisoners, who had been in custody since October 2, 2012,were ordered released after their new attorney George Missick file a Habeas Corpus writ to seek their freedom until their asylum application is heard by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The court was told that the 16 Cubans, including four children, believed to be the subject of a human trafficking ring involving Cuba, the Turk s and Caicos Islands and the United States, were discovered living at a house in Discovery Bay, Providenciales, after authorities, acting on intelligence, raided the property.

The names of the 16 were given as Yaenis Charon Milanes, seven months old; Jose Miguel Camejo Milanes, 10; Ivania Ortiz Garcia, 11; Reylianis Charon Milanes, 17; Mariela Garcia Palma; Estela Milanes Salazar; Ivan Ortiz Melanes; Eutimio Castell Castro; Yosniel Fernandez; Alivska Perez Milanes; Letcia Lopez Chavez Diaz; Dianelys Alverez Perez; Katia Mesa

Diaz; Andriana Reyes Fernandez and Narobis Milanes Salazar.

It has also been alleged that Estela Milanes Salazar is the mother a rising US Baseball League star for the Oakland Athletics, Yoenis Céspedes Milanés, and has been named by immigration officials as the main bankroller behind the scheme. Reports are that Estela Milanes Salazar was also an Olympian for Cuba in the 1980s.

Yoenis Céspedes Milanés, who defected from Cuba in the summer of 2011 to the Dominican Republic to seek free agency in Major League Baseball, reportedly agreed to a 4-year, $36 million contract with the Oakland Athletics on February 13, 2012. The deal became official on March 3, 2012.

Deputy Director of Public Prosecution, Adrian Higgins, who initially opposed to the Cubans’ release, told the court that a representative from the UNCHR, Kitty Tubin, was due in the country to interview migrants, and so the authorities were not seeking to deport them at this point.

He told the court that some of the Cubans could have been in the country as early August of 2012, and only filed for asylum after they were held. He stressed that not all asylum-seekers were legitimate, which could be the case for the Cubans. And if the court decided to release them, then strict

supervision should be considered.Acting Chief Justice Ramsay-

Hale said that despite how the Cubans arrived in the country, once they applied for asylum the Immigration Department should consider status change because their situation has been changed from illegally landing in the country to application for asylum.

A statement from Director for Immigration, Larry Mills, snippets of which were read in court, indicated that Tubin should have arrived in the country to hear the Cubans’ case on January 1, but would now come either January 21 or 22.

However, he opposed any release of the migrants on the grounds that they could flee the territory in a go fast boat, which was said to have been their means of arriving here.

However, Ramsay-Hale declared that the prisoners should not have to be treated to such uncertainty, stressing that there ought to have been alternative that kind of detention, since they were asylum seekers, even though their application, which appeared bona fide may not have been sincere, since some of them came in on false documents.

But Missick argued that most asylum seekers enter other countries on false documents. He stressed that they are not criminals by nature, but oftentimes did what they had to do to run from persecution in their country.

He pointed out that it did not make sense holding them in such a fashion in a country where they could eventually call home.

According to Missick, one of the detainees suffered a miscarriage at the facility, and was only release after the incident. He said others suffered ailments such as stomach viruses.

He argued that their release would not be burdensome to state since the Cubans would take care of their own food. He told the court that the Cubans, who were earlier released from the detention centre, were staying at an immigration-supervised domestic dwelling in Providenciales.

In her judgment, Ramsay-Hale ruled that while it was clear that the Cubans’ journeyed from their homeland to the United States, using the Turks and Caicos Islands as a transshipment point, and that they only filed application for asylum after they were held, she would grant them bail in principle.

She said that prior to bail, their proposed dwelling should be inspected and a cash pot of $20,000 secured on their behalf. As a condition of their bail, the Cubans should be broken down in three groups, which each group reporting to the Providenciales once per week.

All three parties agreed on the condition.

Expired Firearms Licence Warning

The Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police is urging all persons with expired firearms licence to visit the Firearms Unit to renew their firearms licence. All firearms licence in the Turks & Caicos became expired as of December 31st, 2012. There are over two hundred expired firearms licence holders at present who are at risk of having their firearms licence suspended indefinitely for failing to renew their licence.

Firearms licences are generally valid for one year, and it is the licence holder’s responsibility to renew their licence in a timely manner. Renewing on time will help to avoid possible complications and consequences, including being charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm.

If you acquired a firearms licence last year and have not renewed your firearms for 2013, then you must visit the Firearms Unit now with your firearm and all ammunition.

Individuals who possess firearms or handle them in the course of their work are required, under the Firearms Act, to have a valid firearms licence. A valid firearms licence is also necessary to acquire firearms or ammunition.

If anyone has any doubts, concerns or questions relating to firearms, please contact Sgt. Thomas of the Firearms Unit at 2316262.

Schools on Providenciales, North Caicos sanitized for reopeningAll schools on Providenciales and North Caicos were deep-cleaned and sanitized for the New Year in keeping with a commitment by Government, through the Ministries of Health and Human Services, Education and Government Support Services.

During the Christmas break, crews cleaned all private and public schools on the two islands to prevent any threat of the Norovirus among the school populations. This meant that all rooms, equipment, books, desks, chairs, tables and carpets etc. had to

be cleaned and sanitized according to Norovirus protocols. This labor-intensive process delayed the reopening of two public high schools namely the Raymond Gardiner High School on North Caicos and the Clement Howell High School.

The Norovirus Protocols require that once cleaned, all rooms had to be closed for a period of two days (48 hours) to ensure that the sanitization process was effective.

The Government is committed to taking whatever measures are necessary to safeguard the health and

safety of the children and young people of the TCI. As an ongoing precaution, TCIG is urging the public to practice proper hand washing and personal hygiene as encouraged by the Ministry of Health and Human Services in previous news releases.

The Ministry of Education extends its thanks to all the parties including, Principals and staff of the private schools who took part in this exercise. Their cooperation ensured that the deep cleaning and sanitization process was completed, in most instances, to commence the Hilary Term on January 7, 2013.


LOCAL NEWS

Page 8

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN DECEMBER 22ND - DECEMBER 29TH, 2012LOCAL NEWS

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Judge Margaret Ramsay-Hale hasbeen sworn in as the acting ChiefJustice of the Turks and CaicosIslands from December 17th 2012 toJanuary 11, 2013 by His ExcellencyGovernor Ric Todd.

Chief Justice Edwin Goldsbroughis on vacation.

Ramsay-Hale, a former ChiefMagistrate of the Cayman Islands, iscurrently the most senior judge onthe Supreme Court afterGoldsbrough.

A Jamaican, Ramsay-Hale holdsa degree in economics from theLondon School of Economics inaddition to her law degree from theUniversity of the West Indies.

Prior to her arrival in the Turksand Caicos Islands she was appointeda Judge of the Family Court in StJames, Jamaica, eventually movingto the Criminal Courts as a ResidentMagistrate for the parish.

She then moved to CaymanIslands to serve as a Magistrate of

the Summary Court and she sat as anActing Judge of the Grand Court forseveral months.

Ramsay-Hale is the daughter of thelate legendary Jamaican attorney Ian

Ramsay, QC, who is widely regarded asone of the best lawyers in the history ofthe Caribbean and who was the firstJamaican lawyer to earn thedistinction of Queen’s Counsel.

Margaret Ramsay-Hale is Acting Chief Justice

Government has requested a reportfrom the Sandals Group and itslatest acquired property – TheVeranda Resort and Residences asto how locals would fair on theiremployment scale in the wake of thehotel sale.

Premier Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewingmade the announcement at a newsconference held at the Tourist Board’sConference Room in the Bight onFriday, December 20. He reiteratedthat the transaction between theSandals Group and owners of theVeranda Resort was a private matterwhich was facilitated by the former

Interim Administration through aMemorandum of Understanding(MOU). He said though, thatGovernment would ensure that theyhold up their end of the bargain.

“It is indeed public knowledge thatthe owner of the Veranda Resort, forsome time now, was looking for abuyer and was in dialogue with theowners of Beaches for some time. Therecent sale of Veranda to SandalsGroup is a private transaction that wasnot facilitated by the currentGovernment. However, there werediscussions between Beaches and theInterim Administration on thedevelopment of a Memorandum ofUnderstanding that would apply in theevent that the purchase was made.

“My Government is currentlycontinuing those discussions on theMOU, which would seek to acquiremore and improve educationalcommunity employment and financialbenefits for the government and thepeople of the Turks and Caicos Islands.The Veranda Resort had the highestpercentage of local staff in the hotelindustry, and it is our intention to seethat this increased number of localemployees continues with the newowners,” Premier Ewing said.

Dr. Ewing continued: “TheMinistry has requested a detailedreport from Veranda and Beacheshighlighting the before and afterpicture of the purchase. Veranda, todate, has reported that with a staff

complement of 187 workers, 156applied to Beaches. A hundred andfifty were interviewed, and 145 weregiven job offers.”

Ewing said that the LabourDepartment was present on the hotel’sclosing date and had ensured thatemployees got their appropriateredundancy payments. Premier Ewingsaid that he had given instructions tothe employment services of the LabourDepartment to actively intervene andfacilitate employment of all Turks andCaicos Islanders, who are qualified,willing and able to take upemployment with Beaches Resorts,saying that he was confident that suchinstruction would be carried out.

Veranda axes 43 jobsBY VIVIAN TYSON

SUN SENIOR EDITOR

Page 10


CHERRY LTD (ZEN SPA)• SPA THERAPIST NEEDED FOR IMMEDIATE HIRING• 4 NAIL TECHNICIANS( manicure ,pedicure ,acrylics, gel all spa nail services.• 3 MASSAGE THERAPIST /ESTHETICIAN with extensive and through knowledgeof numerous types of treatments and spa services.Depilatory (waxing and threading)(Swedish, sports, aromatherapy, hot stone, deep tissue, shiatsu massage,reflexology ,pregnancy, Ear candling,facials, microdermabrasion,The following will be required that each therapist:- Must be flexible and skilled enough to perform several or all treatments.- Each candidate must have a minimum of 2years experience as a nail technician /massage therapist - Be on time for shifts, be prompt with each appointment and perform services withinthe appropriate time allotted for the service.- Be flexible with the spa schedule. Work on holidays and weekends- Have complete knowledge and understanding of all services and products offered..- Actively promote the spa, treatments, other services, retail and specials offered.- Handle guests professionally and courteously.- Possess the ability to work without direct supervision.- Applicant must be honest, reliable, hardworking and fluent in English and French orSpanish.We operate in a very demanding and competitive market, and is seeking to hire thebest candidates for the position. Each candidate must have a certificateaccompanied with a resume and proof of a clean police record to qualify for thisposition.Salary (commission only) dead line December 27th 2012Email: [email protected]

LOTS FOR SALEAffordable lots for sale,

Located Norway Five CaysStarting at $20,000Contact 344-5921

The first dedicated Director of PublicProsecutions (DPP) of the Turks andCaicos Islands has been appointed itwas announced by His Excellency,Governor Ric Todd on ThursdayDecember 20th.

Canadian JoAnne Meloche will besworn in as the new DPP in February2013. She has been appointed inaccordance with sections 91 and 100 of theTurks and Caicos Constitution Order 2011.In addition, Turks and Caicos IslanderAngela Brooks has also been appointed asthe new Deputy DPP.

Meloche previously held the positionsof Deputy Director of Prosecutions in theAttorney General’s (AG) Chambers from2011-12, was Principal Criminal CrownCounsel also in the TCI AG’s chambersfrom 2009-2011 and was CrownProsecutor in Ontario from 1995-2009.Although she was chosen, the SUN wasreliably informed that she was not the mostqualified of the candidates.

During her original stint in the Turksand Caicos Islands she gained a reputationof being extremely brash, a trait which ledto her having an adversarial relationshipwith several lawyers, police officers andofficers of the court.

She even attracted the ire of lawyerswhen she signed off certain documents asDeputy Director of Public Prosecutionswhen the post was not even ratified in the

new Constitution.Meantime, Brooks was called to the

Bar of the Turks and Caicos Islands as anAttorney at Law in 2003, she has beenemployed in the Attorney GeneralsChambers since 2002, first as Crowncounsel and then promoted to SeniorCrown Counsel. She taught at the Ona

Glinton Primary School, Grand Turk,before studying law.

Both women were appointed after aninterview panel sat over two days toconsider all the candidates for Director andDeputy Director as some candidateswished to be considered for both posts.There were 10 applications and six peopleselected for interview.

Brooks will take up her post in theSpring following a period of maternityleave. In the interim Adrian Higgins, a UKbarrister, will be appointed for one monthfrom 2 Jan 2013 in the Deputy post.Higgins is a senior government lawyer inthe UK with many years relevant

experience in the public sector who cancompetently provide additionalprosecutions manpower as well as usefulsupervisory assistance at a busy time.

Leonard Franklyn, Senior CrownCounsel, has been acting Deputy DPP. Hewill now return to his regular duties in theAG’s Chambers.

“I offer my warm congratulations tothe two successful candidates, JoAnnMeloche and Angela Brooks. The post ofDPP is an important one set out in theConstitution. In a competitive environmentfeaturing several highly qualified andexperienced candidates, JoAnn Melochestood out as having the drive, experienceand understanding to establish theDepartment and develop the staff with aview to them being appointed to the moresenior posts in the future. I would also liketo express my appreciation to the actingDeputy DPP, Leonard Franklyn,” saidGovernor Todd.

Controversial JoAnne Meloche appointedDPP; Angela Brooks, deputy DPP

HAB LIMITED HAB Limited is seeking a suitably qualified individual to fill the followingposition. Only candidates who meet the minimum requirements will beconsidered.

SENIOR RESORT ACCOUNTSOFFICER

Duties Include• Managing the day to day accounting of all aspects of resort accounting formultiple properties• Responsible for all aspects of company accounting up to production of TrialBalance and Financial Statements.• All Balance Sheet reconciliations, including bank, credit card accounts andsupplier statements.• Reconciliation of Sales Reports and Accounts Receivable and supervision ofAccounts Payable processing and Payroll.• Reconciliation and preparation of bank deposits.• Payment of purchase invoices and raising of cheques as applicable.• Corresponding with wholesalers to ensure payment received in a timelymanner• Preparation of Strata invoices and corresponding with Condo owners andStrata Executive Committees when required. • Coordinating with auditors of company and for various Strata Corporationsunder management

Requirements• Should have at least (ten) 10 years’ experience in a Senior Accounts Position• Must hold a minimum of a Degree in Accountancy.• Advanced knowledge and skills in MS Office (particularly Excel), Visual OneAccounting and Quickbooks• Must have a good understanding of Condo Resort Accounting includingRMAs• Must have a good understanding of Strata Corporation Accounting• Must have a good understanding of NIB/NHIP regulations• Work with minimal supervision.

The salary range for this position is $30,000 - $41,000.00 per annum,commensurate with experience, training and education. Interested applicantsshould contact Veronica Rigby via email by December 31, 2012 [email protected] or by fax 649-946-5191. Position is availableimmediately. Suitable applicants will be contacted by email or telephone toschedule an interview.

Angela Brooks

Director of Public Prosecutions JoAnne Meloche while driving around Providenciales with AttorneyGeneral Huw Shepheard a few years ago.

WANTED1 LABOURER

Applicant must be honest reliable & hardworking and fluent in English


TRADE WIND INDUSTRIES LTD. JOB OPPORTUNITY

MANAGER AQUACULTURE OPERATIONS

Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Marine Biology or related field required. Must have a minimum of ten (10) years husbandry experience in a marine environment and Industry experience in Broodstock incubation/larval production/hatchery & nursery protocol, as well as complete knowledge & familiarity with pumping, filtration and sterilizing systems. The Manager of Aquaculture Operations manages and is responsible for both skilled and unskilled employees (10) and answers directly to the TWI Board of Directors. Compensation commensurate with experience. Submit resume to:

SAUNDERS & COTown Centre Building*Box 257*Providenciales*

Turks and Caicos IslandsAttention: TWI Board of Directors Belongers Preferred

The Alexandra Resort is also looking to fill the following line positions:

Gardeners, Housemen, Janitors, Labourers and Room Attendants…to qualify for these positions you should be able to push/pull carts weighing up to 150 lbs. Must be able to ensure the cleanliness of all areas assigned, which may include guest rooms, public areas, linen closets, gardens and grounds. Must be able to stand for long periods of time and also have the ability to climb several stairs each day.

Only persons selected for an interview will be notified. At that time a full job description and compensation package will be discussed.Resumes along with references should be faxed to 941-4240 or emailed to [email protected] to be no later than January 29th, 2013

Minister Gardiner clarifies perceived anti-

Haitian statementBy Vivian Tyson

Minister for Border Control and Labour Hon. Don-Hue Gardiner said that statements he made in the House of Assembly about making the lives of illegal Haitians unbearable was not meant for just Haitian nationals but any other nationality living in the country illegally.

The SUN caught up with Gardiner shortly after a post-cabinet meeting news conference held inside the boardroom of the Tourist Board at Stubbs’ Diamond Plaza in the Bight on Thursday, January 10.

Gardiner who was arguing for the Supplementary Appropriations Bill in the House of Assembly on Friday, January 4, said: “…We must also be vigilant and be mindful, as a show of national pride, by not harbouring illegal migrants, not providing them with things like jobs and other things that they come here looking for. We must make their lives unbearable to ensure that they never get legal status in this country, in the hopes that they, themselves would decide to go home.”

The international media reported that Gardiner had asked residents to round up illegal Haitian migrants and hand them over to the authorities, and that their lives of Illegals should be made unbearable to the point that they want to leave this jurisdiction.

But during the interview on Thursday, Gardiner said that his comments were taken out of context, since he was not singling out a particular group.

“The comment is not geared towards any one, or any group of persons other than persons that are here without the lawful authority of the immigration authorities. If persons are here, whether they are from Haiti, Jamaica, the United States of American or any place else; if you are here legally, you have a legal work permit, you have permanent residency, you have residency, you have Belonger status, you have British Overseas Territories status – whatever your legal status is in this country – you have nothing to worry about.

“If you are in this country and you are here illegally, you are to sort your status our. If you are not able to sort

your status out then you should leave. We are a country of laws, and it is my intention, as long as I remain the Minister of Immigration, to enforce all of the immigration laws. We will seek to move along applications and everything else to ensure that people have their legal status here as fast and expeditious a manner as possible,” Gardiner said.

He continued: “However, if we have gone through that manner and your application has not been approved or you are here without any authority whatsoever, then I owe it to the people that voted for me,

and the people of the TCI, and indeed, my oath that I made to uphold the laws of this county, to ensure that those laws are implemented without fear or favour, affection or ill will. I don’t intend for anybody to feel as though they are a target. It is not meant to target Haitians or anybody else.”

The Border Control and Labour Minister outlined that Haitians played a critical role in the development of the Turks and Caicos Islands with their labour, money and contribution to the country’s social well-being.

“And so, it is never the intention to target them. And the way the statement has been broadcast in the media and around the world is certainly way out of the context that it was intended,” Gardiner reiterated.

In the meantime, prominent Haitian educator in the Turks and Caicos Islands, Pastor Alces Dor, said he believed that Gardiner’s statement was not played out as the minister meant for it, while emphasizing the belief that the statement was in good grace.

However, he stressed that the government should issue a clarification to the minister’s parliamentary statement, so as to create a clearer picture in public’s mind.

Minister for Border Control and Labour Hon. Don-Hue Gardiner


LOCAL NEWS

Page 12


Reporting to: Director TCI RC, task managers: Head of Office, GTResponsible for: Finance and basic administration Location: Grand Turk, TCIContract length: 1 year

Background to programmeRunning activities in Admin and Finance of the TCI RC

Job purposeEnsure a fluent financial and administration management of GT subbranch in relation to the overall TCI RC (national level) Provide basic admin support to the GT office and its programs- First Aid,Thrift Store, Psychosocial Support, Restoring Family Links, andFundraising.Provide administrative as well as financial day to day running of theDisaster Risk Reduction Programme.

Duties and responsibilitiesRUNNING ACTIVITIES TCI RC• Providing TCI RC national level with monthly accounts, varianceanalysis, forecasts and cash requests and department copies of varianceanalysis.• Facilitating and verifying payments including ensuring correctauthorisation • Review of key controls such as bank reconciliations, cashreconciliations• Ensuring that the legal requirements of the country are adhered to inrespect to contracts, payments, staffing, leases• Ensure value for money obtained through efficient and effective use offunds• Perform ad hoc internal audits• Support in HR administration as required• Support in Logistics administration as required• Attend to all administration tasks in the Grand Turk office, also includingreporting at meetings, make bookings, keep petty cash, respond tophone, maintaining office supplies etc.• Liaise and coordinate closely with the TCI RC Provo office• Any other duties necessary to support the well-running of the office asconsidered necessary by the line manager.

DISASTER RISK REDUCTION (DRR)Finance• Maintain the day-to-day cash of the programme, cash count, cashreconciliation, cash book recording, petty cash, receipts• Do bookkeeping of Programme in close relation with Finance Desk inHeadquarters• Execute payments in the context of the programme insuring thatauthorization as outlined in the Chart of Authority has been obtained• Ensure bank reconciliations at the end of each month• Follow-up on expenditure of programme in line with budgets

Administration• Booking of local flights, accommodation etc. for programme• Support the DRRO in volunteer administration, procurement and logisticadmin• Support the DRRO when necessary, in communications withstakeholders in the programme

Duties applicable to all staff• Work towards the achievement of Red Cross objectives in the country• Adhere to the 7 principles throughout daily responsibilities and in allrelations with stakeholders involved to reach the most vulnerable• Provide support and work in Disaster Response

Accountability• Work within the larger strategic approaches of the British Red Cross• Maintain open en good relationships with all partners involved

ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE OFFICER

The Turks and Caicos Islands scoredbig at the World Travel Awards inIndia last week when it walked away

with the coveted World’s Leading Beach Destination, courtesyof the world famous Grace Bay Beach.

Grace Bay Beach turned back the likes of Bora Bora, Tahiti;Cancun, Mexico; Cape Town, South Africa; Copacabana, Riode Janeiro, Brazil; Goa, India; Maldives; Maui, Hawaii, USA;Mauritius - Trou Aux Biches; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Negril,Jamaica; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Saadiyat beach, Abu Dhabi,UAE; Seychelles - Praslin Anse Lazio; Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt;and Sydney, Australia.

The award followed Grace Bay Beach being named theCaribbean’s Leading Beach Destination in the Caribbean leg ofthe awards ceremony, held on Providenciales in September.

That title was not the only accolade that the TCI walkedaway with; as one of the most prominent resorts here - TheRegent Palms – captured the World's Leading Spa Resort.

The Regent Palms won the title from a field of 22 otherresorts across the globe, including AYANA Resort and Spa Bali,Indonesia; Banyan Tree Cabo Marques, Mexico; CorneliaDiamond Golf Resort & Spa, Turkey; Gili Lankanfushi,Maldives; InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa,French Polynesia; Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Dubai, UAE; andLayana Resort & Spa, Thailand.

Director of Tourism Ralph Higgs was elated at theachievements by the products. He said that the latest tourismattainment speaks to the rich brand that the country has beenpromoting over the years.

“Along with our tourism partners and stakeholders we aredelighted to accept this award as World’s Leading BeachDestination. This is further testament to what we here in theTurks & Caicos have known all along and the world is beginningto find out,” Higgs said in a statement issued by the TouristBoard.

In the Meantime, Graham Cooke, World Travel AwardsPresident and Founder, said it has been evident that the Turksand Caicos Islands brand was growing leaps and bounds, whilemaintaining its hideaway status that give the discreet guest theidyllic vacation.

“The Turks & Caicos continues to build its reputation as thedefinitive low-key luxury hideaway, offering stunning beachesaway from the public glare,” Cooke said.

World Travel Awards, which will celebrate 20 years existencein 2013, was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward andcelebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry.Today, the WTA brand is recognised globally as the ultimatehallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark towhich all others aspire.

The annual programme is renowned as the most prestigiousand comprehensive in the travel and tourism industry. In 2011,791,358 individual votes were cast by travel professionals andconsumers in 171 countries. Each year WTA covers the globewith a series of regional gala ceremonies staged to recognise andcelebrate individual and collective successes within each keygeographical region.

The Grand Tour of WTA gala ceremonies are regarded asmilestone events in the industry calendar, attended by theindustry’s key decision makers, chief figure heads and theleading trade and consumer media.

Grace BayBeach, RegentPalms top atWorld Travel

AwardsBY VIVIAN TYSON

SUN SENIOR EDITOR

British Government ignores former Premier Michael Misick’s request to drop

extradition request and allow him to return home

Although former Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands Michael Misick has told British authorities that he does not want an extradition and that he wishes to return home to be questioned and tried, they are still pushing ahead with the process.

In a hand-written letter from his maximum security cell in Brazil, Misick said his lawyers had written Special Prosecutor Helen Garlick and informed her that although he was legally entitled to be in Brazil until April 2013, he wanted to return to the Turks and Caicos Islands voluntarily, accompanied by police officers.

However, Attorney General Huw Shepheard issued a press release on January 9th, 2013, which indicated that Misick will have to spend more time in Brazilian jail, because they have to submit documents to Brazil courts.

He stated: "Michael Misick is the subject of an extradition request made lawfully and properly, in accordance with the relevant Treaty in place between the UK and Brazil, as extended to the Turks and Caicos Islands. As such, he is currently being held in accordance with the terms of this Treaty, under a provisional warrant of arrest. The Treaty requires that the full request with supporting documentation to be submitted formally within 60 days (following his arrest on 7 Dec 2012). It is intended that this request be submitted in January 2013.

“Following this Mr Misick will have the opportunity to consider whether he wishes to contest his extradition. If he does not contest the extradition, and there are no other outstanding issues, then everything possible will be done by Turks and Caicos authorities, in collaboration with his legal advisors and the Brazilian authorities, to ensure his speedy return to face questions in relation to alleged crimes during his time in office and to face trial in accordance with our laws.

“We have received assurances that during his time in custody Mr Misick will receive consular assistance from the British Consulate General in Rio de Janeiro, who will work to ensure that Mr Misick receives the same level of treatment as other British prisoners in Brazil, and is treated in accordance with international minimum standards. The consular staff in Rio will provide the same level of consular assistance offered to all British Citizens in Brazil.”

The AG’s statement said that Misick is sought in relation to the criminal investigation arising from the Sir Robin Auld Commission of Inquiry 2008-09 Report which stated: “1. There is a high probability of systemic corruption in government and the legislature and among public officers in the Turks & Caicos Islands in recent years. It appears, in the main, to have consisted of bribery by overseas developers and other investors of Ministers and/or public officers, so as to secure Crown Land on favourable terms, coupled with government approval for its commercial development. Breach and/or by abuse of the Government’s Belongers’ Empowerment and Crown Land Policies appear to be frequent mechanisms of, and aids to, such transactions.”

LOCAL NEWSPage 13


Domestic Workerneeded to work 5 days a week, cleaning,

washing & taking care of other householdresponsibilities. Working hours 9 am to 5 pm@ $5.50 per hour. Saturday & Sunday off.

Please call 2417278 before 5pm.

ISLAND SUPPLIESSEEKS

1 CASHIERTo work 5 days per week


The Young Enterprise which mouldsyoung minds with the skills tobecome future business leaders waslaunched on Saturday, December 15,at the Gustarvus LightbourneSports Complex in Providencialeswith much fanfare.

Among the attendees at the eventwere His Excellency Governor RicTodd and Deputy Premier Hon.Akierra Misick, who is also Ministerof Education, Youth and Sports.

Eight companies comprising 92students from high schools across theTurks and Caicos Islands and theEdward Gartland Youth Centre onProvo are taking part in theprogramme.

Youth Director Angela Musgrove,told The SUN that in addition tohoning their entrepreneurial skills, theparticipants in the programme will alsodevelop their employability talent, aswell as their personal development.

She explained that under theYoung Enterprise Programme,participating groups have beenresponsible to set up their ownbusiness that would last for 12 months.They are also responsible for, amongother things, selling shares, runningboard meetings, developing a product,a business plan and an advertisingscheme.

Musgrove was heartened by the

number of persons in the businesscommunity who have been committedto the programme and have beenworking closely with the respectivegroups to ensure their success.

“We have quite a number ofbusiness persons from the communitywho have come on board as businessadvisors and the teachers within theschools who work with the teachers aslink teachers, to give the students thesupport to run their businesses. Thegroups meet on a weekly basis to dotheir admin. And, they have their settimes when they would have engaged

in sales in their various community.“Scotiabank is our premier

sponsor because they donated $30,000for the set-up and running of the YoungEnterprise Programme. And they alsohave a number of advisors fromScotiabank who work with the variousgroups.

The programme was put togetherby the Providenciales Chamber ofCommerce in conjunction with theDepartment of Youth Affairs. She saidalso that a number of entities,including the Governor’s Office, werecontacted to become partners.

“They (Governor’s Office) werevery supportive in seeing the YoungEnterprise Business set up. Theyassisted us in arranging for theFinancial Services Commission andthe Attorney General’s Chambers toget the right legal form for the YoungEnterprise, because each of thebusinesses has to be set up as legalentities in the Turks and CaicosIslands.

“So in order to assist us in gettingexempt from some of those fees,because we are a youth empowermentcompany, we had the support of theGovernor’s Office, the FinancialServices Commission and the AttorneyGeneral Chambers on that,” Musgrovesaid.

Wendy Hill, Treasurer and BoardMember of the Chamber ofCommerce, said that the Chamber wasapproached by the YK Enterprise inLondon to introduce the programmehere, and since the entity was aboutbusiness and entrepreneurship, it wasonly too happy to introduce it here.

“We then approached AngelaMusgrove of the Youth Department,and we were all excited to get thislaunched. And based on what I haveseen, we are very excited that theprogramme will do well here. It is wellattended and students said that theyhave started to learn a little bit aboutbusiness skills and how to do teamwork,” Hill said.

The Young Enterprise Programmewill now be billed as an annual event.In June after one of the businesses isdeclared the winner, there will bedissolution of all existing enterprisesfor the creation of new businesses andcompetition in September.

As of next year, the winningbusiness will get the opportunity toparticipate in the International YouthEnterprise Business competition,slated for the UK.

Nine groups are taking part in thecompetition. They are Unique IslandNational Treats and FrocCo Treat Barfrom H.J. Robinson High Schools;Elite and Pros Cooperation and BrightSparks Enterprise from the RaymondGardiner High School; Island HeatherIncorporated and Premium Qualityfrom the Clement Howell HighSchool; Zion Enterprise fromChampions of Christ and Pyro fromthe Edward Gartland Youth Centre.

Young Enterprise dazzles patronsBY VIVIAN TYSON

SUN SENIOR EDITOR

The Pyro group makes a presentation to Governor Ric Todd

MANGO BAR & RESTAURANTSEEKS

2 CASHIERS - $5.00 PER HOUR1 BARTENDER - $5.00 PER HOUR

2 CHEFS - $8.00 PER HOURInterested persons should contact 247-0187


LOCAL NEWSLOCAL NEWS

Page 17


TCAHTCAH is seeking suitably qualified individual to fill the following opening, onlycandidate who meet the minimum requirement will be considered:

FLIGHT DISPATCHERJob Description• Authorizes, regulates and controls commercial airline flights according to governmentand company regulations to expedite and ensure safety of flight. • Responsible for economics, passenger service and operational control of day to dayflight operations.• Analyzes and evaluates meteorological information to determine potential hazards tosafety of flight and to select the most desirable and economic route of flight.• Computes the amount of fuel required for the safe completion of flight according totype of aircraft, distance of flight, maintenance limitations, weather conditions andminimum fuel requirements prescribed by federal aviation regulations. • Prepares flight plans containing information such as maximum allowable takeoff andlanding weights, weather reports, field conditions, NOTAMS and many otherinformational components required for the safe completion of flight.

Requirements:Minimum Qualifications:• High School Diploma or General Education Development (GED) Diploma• Bachelor's Degree preferred but not required• Valid Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aircraft Dispatcher Certificate• Currently in possession of a valid Passport with the ability to travel in and out of theUnited States• Five (5) years Dispatch experience • Five (5) years Aviation experience• Exceptional communication skills with complete fluency in written and spoken English• Regular attendance and punctuality• Organizational fit for the TCAH culture, that is, exhibit the TCAH values of Safety,Caring, Integrity, Fun and Passion• Well groomed and able to maintain a professional appearance• Pass a ten (10) year background check, pre-employment drug test and criminalhistory records check • Legally eligible to work in the country in which the position is located

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:• Proficient with Microsoft Office suite• Able to work in a team environment• Excellent verbal and written communication skills• Strong attention to detail• Strong technical knowledge of aircraft performance, navigation, weather, and federalair regulations

Salary range for this position range between $40,000-$45,000 per annum,Commensurate with experience, training and education. Interested applicants shouldsubmit application via email [email protected] suitable applicants will contacted by email.

ThankYouThe Kiwanis Club of Providenciales

Thank the following for theirDonations andParticipation at the Kiwanis 2012 Christmas

tree Lighting CeremonyMike SchwenkGraceWay IGA Supermarket & Maintenance teamDigicelButterfield GoldFortis TCI Ltd.The Tourist BoardMr. George Taylor (Santa)J.S JohnsonTony Garland (Discount Liquors & Wine Cellar)First Caribbean International BankCaribbean ManagementTCI paintTurks & Caicos Fire DepartmentThe Royal Turks & Caicos Police ForceCaicos ResortInspector Hilton DuncanMrs. Teri Davis (WIV Cable)Miller Simons O’SullivanMr. Lye Simons (Gustavus Lightbourne Sports Centre)Clement Howell High SchoolOlseta Jolly Primary SchoolEnid Capron Primary SchoolIanthe Pratt Primary SchoolMrs. Partronella Been (Sis. Peggy)

TCI Brass BandTCI Marching BandMr. Almando RigbyMr. Carl LewisAnd all Volunteers

Again thank youMerry Christmas & Happy New Year from the

Kiwanis Club of Providenciales

On Sunday, December 9, the Kiwanis Club of Providenciales hosted its annual Christmas Tree Lighting and Children’s treat at the Town Centre Mall, downtown that Island, and as usual, the event waspacked with children. Prior to the arrival of Santa Claus, whose entry into a fire truck has been a perennial spectacle, patron were treated to a concert, featuring the likes of Clement Howell High School, theEnid Capron Primary, the Ianthe Pratt Primary, the Turks and Caicos Brass Band and the Turks and Caicos Islands Marching Band. Photo shows Santa doling out gifts to the children.

KIWANIS CLUB CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING:

HANDY’ PRO MAINTENACESEEKS

1 LABOURERSalary $5.00 per hour

Contact 242-0388

Lawyers implement strike action in court of appealBy Hayden Boyce

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

Trial lawyers in the Turks and Caicos Islands who argue legal aid cases have now effected a general strike.

Led by F. Chambers, which is headed by Attorney Mark Fulford, and which has a number of cases listed to be heard in the approaching first sitting of the Court of Appeal for 2013 will withdraw their legal services. There will also be mass withdrawal of legal services in several legal aid matters by other lawyers. Some lawyers from other law firms have reported to the court’s office that they are not available for this coming session or simply stated that they refuse to accept any more legal aid cases until they are properly and fully paid all outstanding bills. The Registrar has been circulating an email request for any willing lawyer to provide legal aid so that the court session does not collapse.

According to legal sources, for many years, the lawyers appeared to be functioning reasonably well with the legal aid system, until the departure of former Chief Justice Gordon Ward. In 2009 the advocates had complained to Ward about late payment, and arbitrary decision making by the Registrar. After a round of consultations a number of directives were put in place in 2009 and the system settled down and appeared to be working fairly.

Legal sources told the SUN that the judicial regime under present Chief Justice Edwin Goldsborough, appears to be now deeply problematic for several lawyers. The group of striking lawyers have complained bitterly about the disproportionately high sums being paid SIPT lawyers of a brief and preparation fee of $90,000, accompanied by $10,000 for plea and directions hearings and a further $5,000 for each pre-trial application amounting in total to over $100,000 payments before the trial starts, paid to legal aid lawyers defending the politicians who have been accused of wrongdoing.

Ward had refused the grant of legal aid for those cases, but upon his arrival Goldsborough presided as Chief Justice in a regime that, according to lawyers, allegedly appears to have endorsed the grant of the significant legal aid sums, while either delaying or refusing to pay locally based lawyers who do similar legal aid work.

The group told the SUN that they are paid $1,200 brief and preparation fees and $600 per day for each day after the first day of trial, even for acting as advocates in defending the most serious charges of rape, murder

or inflicting grievous bodily harm which all can attract life sentences. Likewise, the SUN was informed that for appeals in these types of matters, which involve reading hundreds of pages of transcripts, reviewing evidence in detail, doing legal research and producing at least seven to eight appeal court tabulated bundles for the court to read, the lawyers are paid on appeal, $1,200 first day and $600 per day if the appeal needs to be heard beyond one day. Details were provided of what many said was flagrant and unapologetic racism and high handed conduct with gross indifference displayed by the Chief Justice and the Registrar.

It came to light that former Providenciales based Registrar, Ms. Shanta, from Trinidad and Tobago sought a small uplift as housing allowance, but was allegedly refused the allowance. “It can only be inferred that her resignation was not coincidental but was a form of quiet and dignified protest. She was replaced as Registrar by an Englishman who is not a qualified lawyer and who was also promoted over Deputy Registrar, Ms. Skippings, who is a qualified Turks and Caicos Islands lawyer,” a legal source added.

To add insult to injury, the lawyers pointed out that the remuneration for the new English Registrar exceeds what Ms. Shanta had requested and is accompanied by a more generous housing allowance than that which Ms. Shanta sought. The payments to a legally unqualified man left the group saying that the preferential treatment related directly to the fact that he is white and English. The word racism featured repeatedly in the lawyers complaints.

The SUN understands that F. Chambers is owed significant amounts of money for legal aid work already completed, but is not being paid, which caused them to lead the charge to the point of a full strike.

The lawyers also stated that their group had first sought for some time to have dialogue with the Registrar and requested to speak directly to Chief Justice Goldsborough. After several weeks of documenting their grievances, and repeatedly seeking audience with the court’s office they collectively decided to take decisive action. The Registrar, the lawyers say, has adopted an attitude of arrogance, will not abide by the established directives placed in force since 2009 and has reverted to the former arbitrary behavior and is doing so in the extreme, with no respect being shown for the lawyers. They said that he does not reimburse

properly spent expenses which the lawyers use out of pocket, is not at all a person who applies rational reasoning power and inflicts a take it or leave approach, while remaining distant and non-communicative. The lawyers group also indicated that they were totally shocked at Chief Justice Goldsborough when, after many weeks of seeking dialogue in the court system, the Chief Justice departed the Turks and Caicos Islands without any response to the group.

The militant stance that has been taken has constitutional implications for the rights of all indigent persons criminally charged in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Finally, the lawyers stated that they are in the process of preparing an application by way of Judicial Review which might name both the Chief Justice and the Registrar to bring them to court to answer the allegations. The substance of the dispute about malfunctioning of the judicial system goes back many years. Investigations by the SUN note that efforts had been led many years ago by Attorney Lloyd Rodney (now deceased) who brought to the judicial system’s attention the need to act in compliance with the constitutional provision that poor persons charged with serious criminal offences must be provided legal representation at the public expense.

Rodney was ultimately successful in implementing the constitutional provision by ensuring that legal aid was provided to secure competent legal representation for the poor. Problems in the justice system did not end then, but mushroomed when along with his friend and fellow human rights advocate, Courtenay Barnett they sued Cable and Wireless for charging the public in a manner inconsistent with the law governing telecommunications.

Both lawyers were arrested for contempt of court, but ultimately triumphed. Rodney was imprisoned at that time, then assaulted and shackled by prison guards while recuperating in his hospital bed. Barnett along with Attorneys from around the Caribbean, and backed by Amnesty International, secured Rodney’s release, sued the government and won the case, as well as succeeding in breaking the monopoly stranglehold which Cable and Wireless held for several years on telecommunications in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The problems in the judiciary continued with the Chief Justice who was also the undisclosed Chairman of the Board of Cable and Wireless sat in conflict of interest, then after resigning in disgrace, sent a friend to be the next Chief Justice then after that his brother in law was the next appointed Chief Justice.


LOCAL NEWS

GOVERNMENT VACANCYJOB TITLE: TRAINING OFFICER

DEPARTMENT: Deputy Governor’s Office. MINISTRY: Office of the Human Resource Directorate. LOCATION: Grand Turk.

JOB SUMMARY:The incumbent reports to the HR Manager, Training and organizes and assists with the design and conduct of training programmes for the Civil Service. This position has limited decision-making since problems can generally be evaluated in terms of defined procedures.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:1. Researches and organizes training programmes, seminars, workshops and conferences for clerical, supervisory, technical, and lower-level management personnel. 2. Assists with the design, implementation and evaluation of existing and proposed programs; recommends appropriate changes. 3. Assists with the Training Needs Analysis and the analysis of the findings.4. Prepares budgets for all training programmes, seminars, workshops and conferences.5. Prepares and distributes training aids such as instructional material, handouts, evaluation forms, and visual aids; sets up audio-visual equipment and makes presentations when necessary. 6. Overall co-ordination of training workshops and programmes. 7. Schedules the appropriate classroom and ensures that all logistics are in place for training. 8. Conducts Orientation sessions for ministries; conducts other lower-level training programmes when necessary.9. Maintains and updates a training database.10. Networks with various training agencies and resource personnel.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES:• Training in Instructional Techniques.• Report-writing skills.• Database management.• Basic knowledge of budget preparation.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE: Bachelor’s Degree in Education/Human Resource Management or related field. At least 2 years experience in an Adult Learning environment. SALARY: Range: T30 - T34: $30, 024 - $34, 992 per annum.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

Serving officers should apply through their Heads of Department. Resumes with current contact information must be accompanied by a Cover Letter, two letters of reference (one preferably from a former employer), copies of educational certificates, a Police Certificate and a copy of the Passport photo page. Applications should be addressed to the Office of the Human Resource Directorate, Church Folly, Grand Turk. Facsimile: 946-1582 or sent by email to: [email protected] with the subject line being: Training Officer Application. Envelopes should have the subject: Training Officer Application clearly marked on the front.

Qualified Belongers will be given first consideration for this position. Successful applicants will work in accordance with the Public Service Ordinance.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 21st. January, 2013.

GOVERNMENT VACANCYJOB TITLE: STATISTICIAN

DEPARTMENT: Strategic Policy and Planning Unit. MINISTRY: Finance, Trade and Tourism. LOCATION: Grand Turk.

JOB SUMMARY:This is a specialist position with wide responsibility for shaping statistical information and economic policies. The incumbent also monitors socio-economic indicators with a view to evaluating economic turn-out and quality of life.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:1. Assists in organizing and directing the collection, processing, analysis and publication of statistical data on various subject matter relevant to the economic and social conditions of the country.2. Supervises subordinate staff performing statistical routines related to the compilation and presentation of statistical data.3. Designs questionnaires and other instruments for the collection of primary and secondary data.4. Documents methodologies and procedures used in the compilation and analysis of data, as well as data sources and limitations of estimates and guidelines for their use.5. Develops training manuals and conducts training.6. Plans and conducts field surveys7. Selecting sample establishments and other sources of data for study8. Collecting statistical data including but not limited to social and economic statistics9. Analyzing statistical data to determine trends10. Prepares statistical and technical reports and research papers.11. Designing and presenting relevant tables, graphs and charts

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES:• TechnicalReport-writing skills.• Census and Survey Management and Operations.• Research Design – sampling procedures and applications.• Financial and Economic Analysis.• Demography.• Statistical Research Methodology.• Familiarity with SPPS or any statistical software will be considered an asset.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE: Bachelor’s Degree in Statistics, Economics, Mathematics or related discipline. At least. 3 years working experience in Census and Survey Management and Economic and Social Analysis. SALARY: Range: T30 - T34: $30, 024 - $34, 992 per annum.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

Serving officers should apply through their Heads of Department. Resumes with current contact information must be accompanied by a Cover Letter, two letters of reference (one preferably from a former employer), copies of educational certificates, a Police Certificate and a copy of the Passport photo page. Applications should be addressed to the Office of the Human Resource Directorate, Church Folly, Grand Turk. Facsimile: 946-1582 or sent by email to: [email protected] with the subject line being: Statistician Application. Envelopes should have the subject: Statistician Application clearly marked on the front.

Qualified Belongers will be given first consideration for this position. Successful applicants will work in accordance with the Public Service Ordinance. APPLICATION DEADLINE: 21st. January, 2013.

Oral Selver said he never heard about Dr. Smith being disqualified as a candidate until after elections

Businessman Oral Selver said he read newspapers, watched television and listened to the radio but he never heard of any discussions about Dr. Smith being disqualified.

He told the court, presided over by Madame Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale, that the first time he heard anything about Dr. Smith being disqualified was after the November 9th general elections.

Selver admitted that prior to Nomination Day he was not qualified to be a candidate and he knew the process that had to be taken to renounce his Bahamian citizenship. He said he became aware that he was not qualified when the then PDM leader Oswald Skippings called a meeting with the party’s candidates.

Responding to a series of questions from Ariel, Selver said he and his brother Orville saw Dr. Smith at Sweet T’s on occasions but neither he nor his brother ever discussed Dr. Smith’s status with him.

Selver said that in respect of the matter to stand as a candidate, he had to make arrangements to go to The Bahamas and renounce his Bahamian citizenship. Selver said he flew to The Bahamas on October 17 and returned on October and during that time he renounced his Bahamian citizenship along with PDM leader Sharlene Cartwright Robinson and

Sonny Forbes.Before he came back he received certificates of

renunciation and he was nominated as a candidate on October 22, 2012. He was asked to produce a certificate of renunciation and this was done.

Said that shortly after the elections he arrived at his office one morning and found a document on his desk which contained a copy of Dr. Smith’s US passport page.

Under cross-examined by Ariel Misick, who asked Selver when he first became aware that Mr. Smith was disqualified, Selver said he had no clear knowledge that Dr. Smith was disqualified as a candidate.

Misick asked: Are you aware that your party made representation to the Supervisor of Elections that Dr. Smith was not qualified?

Selver: “I had no such evidence that he was disqualified.”

QC, Misick: “When did you become aware that PDM was making representation?”

Selver: “Shortly after the elections.”QC Misick then suggested to Selver that he was

aware during the time leading up to the Nomination Day, that it was widely known that Dr. Smith was a US citizen. Selver then said yes.

Ariel also put the suggestion to Selver that he knew that Smith did not renounce his US citizenship, but Selver said he did not know that.

Selver told the court that he was not aware of a letter which then party leader Oswald Skippings sent to the Supervisor of Elections.

Selver said he wanted to win the seat and although he campaigned against Dr. Smith and Amanda Misick in the form of house-to-house visits and political rallies, he never raised any issues about the other candidates.

He said that when he went house-to-house, he never made mention of Dr. Smith being disqualified and none of the constituents raised it with him.

QC Misick asked: “Was Dr. Smith an opponent of yours?”

Selver: “Yes.”QC Misick: “I suggest that because he was

an opponent, you did raise the question of his disqualification with him and other and that you knew about it.”

Selver: “No. I never raised it with him.”QC Misick: “Were you not aware of a letter

written to the Supervisor of Elections about the disqualification of candidates?”

Selver: “I was not aware.”


LOCAL NEWS

Miramar Resort

Is looking for a labourer

Must be able to work weekends and

holidays$5 per hour

Contact 243-4620

BUTTERFIELD GOLD GROUP OF COMPANIESPOSITIONS AVAILABLE

Two (2) MasonApplicant must be experienced with at least 10 years in general masonry work. Wages: from $7.00 per hour Application forms available from Butterfield Gold Human Resource Department. Only applicants selected for interview will be notified.

Submit applications to by January 20, 2013 to:Butterfield Gold Ltd.,Human Resource DepartmentTown Center Mall, ProvidencialesTel: 649-946-4211

INTERISLAND AVIATION SERVICES GROUP is seeking

Two Ground Mechanics: 5 years experience in repair and maintenance of the Airline ground service equipment gas/diesel engine etc. Ability to drive trucks, towing vehicles. Salary commensurate with experience.

One Aviation TechnicianMust be able to install avionics navigational equipment and systems, troubleshoot for GPWS, FMS, AHRS, GPS etc.Must be able to install passenger audio and video entertainment system (embrear 120). Be able to read and understand complex wiring diagrams.Must have Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Communications Engineering

Salary commensurate with experience.Belongers need only apply.Interested person should apply to [email protected] or via fax to HR Department 649-946-4040.No phone call please. Qualified candidates will be contacted for interview.

MECHANICGOLF COURSE EQUIPMENT

Provo Golf Club seeks a qualified mechanic. A minimum of twelve(12) years experience in golf course equipment is required andthe applicant must possess the following skills and experience.

Requirements• A history of maintenance of Golf Carts, mowers and tractors.• General maintenance and repairs of all equipment used and operated on the Golf Course.• Ordering or replacing any parts necessary.• An aptitude to work unsociable hours is required.

Salary for this position is commensurate with qualifications and experience. Interested applicants should contact Veronica Rigby via email by January 28, 2013 at [email protected] or by fax 649-946-5191. Only persons selected for an interview will be contacted by email or telephone to schedule an interview.

Wanted One Gardener To clean and keep garden free of shrubs and weeds and removing of garbage. Applicant must be of good

character and must be flexible.

Salary $5.50/hr

Interested persons should contact Saunders & Co at

941-4500

Dr. Smith maintains in High court that he had renounced his US citizenship

Retired college professor Dr. Edward Smith said he genuinely thought that he had renounced his United States citizenship when he swore allegiance to the Queen when he moved back to his native Turks and Caicos Islands.

Dr. Smith made this assertion during the elections petition case which was heard before High Court Judge Madame Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale.

After opting to affirm rather than swear on oath, Smith was shown a copy of a United States passport which was issued on June 25th, 2010, in addition to a Turks and Caicos Islands passport which was issued in October 2012.

Responding to Queen’s Counsel Ian Wood, Smith said that in terms of his eligibility as a candidate in the general elections he understood that he could not have allegiance to a foreign country.

“On October 25th I did not regard myself as having allegiance to a foreign country because some time before that date I took an allegiance to the Queen and therefore that negated my allegiance to the US, so I considered myself eligible to be nominated to stand in the elections,”

Smith told the court.QC Wood produced a copy of the

November 24 to December 1st 2012 edition of the Turks and Caicos SUN newspaper (headlined DR. SMITH SAYS HE RENOUNCED HIS US CITIZENSHIP) in which he said that he had renounced his US citizenship by virtue of swearing allegiance to the Queen. The newspaper was produced into evidence after Smith was asked to read the article and he told the court that the article was an accurate representation of what he said.

Responding to a question from Wood, Smith said he was aware that the question of renunciation of foreign citizenships depended on the law of that country (in this case the US). Smith maintained that he was eligible to stand as a candidate in the election, adding that he did not advise his constituents that he was not qualified. He also said that he never told anyone that he renounced his citizenship.

“I told them that by default it was renounced because of taking an oath of allegiance to the Queen…Before October 25th I never considered that I was ineligible to stand. I never had any doubts about my eligibility to

stand as a candidate in the election,” he added.

Under cross-examination by Queen’s Counsel Ariel Misick, Smith said he was born in Grand Turk, moved to the US but always maintained close ties to the Turks and Caicos Islands. He said he was a founding member of the TCI Diaspora in Miami, Florida and he also founded the TCI Forum which was an internet group which discussed activities in the TCI and which even represented the country before the United Nations.

Smith said he was known in the TCI as a political activist and in the US and a “Ground Zero” person.

He told the court that when he moved back to the TCI in 2010, he continued his political activity, writing in newspapers, on blogs and appearing on television and radio.

He said people in the Turks and Caicos Islands knew him to be a US citizen and there was never any doubt in his mind about it.

When QC Misick gave Smith a copy of the nomination declaration which he (Smith) had signed and in which he stated he was eligible to be nominated and at that time he genuinely believed it to be correct.

Smith said he knew Oral Selver since 2010 and had political discussions with him, mainly under the tree by Sweet T’s. Contrary to evidence given by Selver, Smith said

that Selver and other persons had asked him about if he had given up his US citizenship.

QC Misick asked: Was it ever suggested to you that you were disqualified and had not properly renounced your US citizenship?”

Smith replied: “No.”QC Misick: “Were you ever

asked about your US pension?”Smith: “They asked me, ‘Are

you going to give up your citizenship and lose all that money? I told them that the citizenship had nothing to do with my retirement.”Smith added that he had several persons assisting him in his campaign, including Cecil and Quemo Bailey and he engaged in house-to-house visits with them, but his qualification as a candidate never came up.

Smith told the court that there was never a point during the election campaign when he considered withdrawing his nomination.

The retired professor said that during a PDM rally in Long Bay he saw the then PDM leader Oswald Skippings who asked about his renunciation. “I told him that I did what I had to do and that I had taken an oath.”

Responding to Wood, Smith said he was sure that Oral Selver and other individuals asked him about his US citizenship, but he couldn’t recall the exact date, although he was certain it was before Nomination Day.


LOCAL NEWS

Island Getaways is looking for a full time Property Manager's Assistant

- Employee must have own vehicle- Employee must own computer and computer knowledge- Can speak 3 languages fluently- Willing to work on all public holidays and weekends- When guests are on island, you will be on call 24/7- Knowledge in Accounting is a necessity- Great organizational skills a mustWage will be $9.50 an hourPlease send resume to [email protected]

Lyndon Gardiner is looking for two:Two security GuardsMust have 5 years experienceSalary $6.00 per hour

Position require the following:Excellent command of the English language – reading, writing and speaking.Good communication skills and team playerDetail oriented & organized individual Ability to work shifts, early mornings, late nights, weekends and Holidays.Clean police record Able to work under pressure

Belongers need only apply.Interested person should apply to [email protected] or via fax to HR Department 649-946-4040. No phone call please. Qualified candidates will be contacted for interview.

Turks & Caicos Water Company d.b.a. Provo Golf ClubApplications are invited from qualified individuals to fill the following position:

ASSISTANT GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENT

The candidate should have advanced knowledge of agronomy and turf grass management practices, a working knowledge of golf course construction principles and a thorough understanding of the rules of the game of golf.Only persons with a minimum of five (5) years experience on a golf course with two years experience as a second assistant will be considered for the position. The successful applicant must have at least a Class C Membership with the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA).

The salary range for this position is $35,000 - $45, 000.00 per annum commensurate with experience, training and education. Interested applicants should contact Veronica Rigby via email by January 28, 2013 at [email protected] or by fax 649-946-5191. Only persons selected for an interview will be contacted by email or telephone to schedule an interview.

Harold Charles said he always thought Dr. Smith was eligible to run

Harold Charles, leader of the People Progressive Party (PPP), said he had no reason to believe that Dr. Edward Smith was not eligible to be a candidate in the November 9th general elections.

Charles told Madame Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale that a former mayor of Miami who was assisting the PPP in their election campaign told him that once an American swore allegiance to another country that person automatically lost their US citizenship.

“I asked Dr. Smith about his US passport and if he needed to renounce his citizenship which he was aware of already and the he said to me what the US law says about a US citizen who takes an oath to any country or foreign government that you automatically lose your US citizenship.

He told me he was satisfied that since had no interest in going back to the US to live, he was no longer a US citizen. He also said that he believed at that time that if there was an issue with his running, that they would have rejected him. I knew that he made several calls to the US Embassy in Nassau and what I am still getting from him is that he is no longer a US citizen and that he is satisfied that he was eligible to run,” Charles testified.

The PPP leader said that during the election campaign the topic of dual citizenship was brought up about many candidates on all

sides. He said three of his candidates, Zvargo Jolly, who was born in the USA; Dorrell Pratt-Delancey, who was born in The Bahamas and himself, who was born in Haiti, were among those who were under scrutiny.

He added: “Dr. Smith never had an issue with giving up his citizenship but Jolly did, and I was concerned to see a young, bright man like him having to give up his US citizenship, but fortunately for him, he did not have to give it up because he was under 18 years old when he got his US passport.”

Charles said he believed that if Dr. Smith knew he was not qualified to run, he would have done the same thing as Dorrell Pratt who renounced her citizenship to a foreign country, The Bahamas.

Charles said he was aware that Akeirra Misick was born in the United States, while Dr, Smith had acquired his US citizenship, “so the cases were different.” He added: “Things were all over the place (regarding renunciation of citizenship)….Rumours were flying everywhere, including that I had six citizenships… I’m surprised that I’m in here (the

court).”Charles added that Smith told him that

the Turks and Caicos Islands was his home and that the pension in the United States will not be an issue.

When examined by Smith, Charles said he campaigned for the retired professor but they never did so together.

Charles said that his wife campaigned for and with Dr. Smith.

When shown a copy of Dr. Smith’s declaration form, Charles said a signature

on it looked like his (Charles’).Charles said he met Smith

around July 2012 and some time after that he agreed to have him run as a candidate. He noted that Smith was previously running At-Large as an independent candidate.Asked by QC Wood if he

had discussed the issue of dual nationality with Smith, Charles told the court that three or four weeks before the elections, he heard about the law regarding dual nationality. That, he said, was when members of the PPP got together and wrote to the Attorney General’s office for clarification.

He said the AG’s office replied and he then asked all PPP candidates to what was necessary to ensure they could run.

Harold Charles, leader of the People Progressive Party

EVANS LAVARD

SEEKS1 Maintenance

WorkerSalary $250.

per weekContact 241-4070

Cairsea Services LimitedRequires a

U.S. based Sales Coordinator

Caicos Caribbean Lines

Apply in person


LOCAL NEWS

The TCI Redcross is currently seeking a Financial Administrator for the Grand Turk Office.

Duties and responsibilities

Ensure a fluent financial and administration management of GT sub branch in relation to the overall TCI RC (national level) Provide basic admin support to the GT office and its programs- First Aid, Thrift Store, Psychosocial Support, Restoring Family Links, and Fundraising.Provide administrative as well as financial day to day running of the Disaster Risk Reduction Programme.

> Providing TCI RC national level with monthly accounts, variance analysis, forecasts and cash requests and department copies of variance analysis.> Facilitating and verifying payments including ensuring correct authorisation > Review of key controls such as bank reconciliations, cash reconciliations> Ensuring that the legal requirements of the country are adhered to in respect to contracts, payments, staffing, leases> Ensure value for money obtained through efficient and effective use of funds> Perform ad hoc internal audits> Support in HR administration as required> Support in Logistics administration as required> Attend to all administration tasks in the Grand Turk office, also including reporting at meetings, make bookings, keep petty cash, respond to phone, maintaining office supplies etc.> Liaise and coordinate closely with the TCI RC Provo office> Any other duties necessary to support the well-running of the office as considered necessary by the line manager.

FinanceMaintain the day-to-day cash of the programme, cash count, cash reconciliation, cash book recording, petty cash, receiptsDo bookkeeping of Programme in close relation with Finance Desk in HeadquartersExecute payments in the context of the programme insuring that authorization as outlined in the Chart of Authority has been obtainedEnsure bank reconciliations at the end of each monthFollow-up on expenditure of programme in line with budgets

AdministrationBooking of local flights, accommodation etc. for programmeSupport the DRRO in volunteer administration, procurement and logistic adminSupport the DRRO when necessary, in communications with stakeholders in the programme.

Deadline is January 15th, 2013. You can apply by email to: [email protected] or [email protected].

GOVERNMENT VACANCYJOB TITLE: FIRE FIGHTER

DEPARTMENT: Turks and Caicos Fire and Rescue Services. MINISTRY: Environment and Home AffairsLOCATION: ProvidencialesJOB SUMMARY: To save lives and protect property as well as enhance community safety by minimizing the impact of hazards.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:• Perform Disaster Management duties.• Provide advice and guidance on how the risk of fires can be reduced. • Participate in a wide range of fire training. • Maintain fire appliances and equipment.• Be involved in rescues in the community.• Basic First Aid.• Write reports.• Work along with security agencies.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES:• Effective communication and interpersonal skills.• Must have strength and stamina to lift over 50 lbs. • Cannot be claustrophobic.• Must not have fear of heights. • Valid Driver’s License.• Must be able to work shift

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE: High School Diploma or equivalent. Prior experience in this environment would be an asset.

SALARY: $14, 580 - $16, 848

Serving officers should apply through their Heads of Department. Resumes with current contact information must be accompanied by a Cover Letter, two letters of reference (one preferably from a former employer), copies of educational certificates, a Police Certificate and a copy of the Passport photo page. Applications should be addressed to the Office of the Human Resource Directorate, Church Folly, Grand Turk. Facsimile: 946-1582 or sent by email to: [email protected] with the subject line being: Fire Fighter Application. Applications sent by post or brought by hand should have the subject: Fire Fighter Application clearly marked on the envelopes.Successful applicants will work in accordance with the Public Service Ordinance.

Only qualified Belongers will be considered for this position.APPLICATION DEADLINE: 18th. January, 2013.

Smith was duly nominated to stand as a candidate By Vivian Tyson

Minister of Education youth and Sport Hon. Akierra Misick said that it was her understanding that People Progress Party (PPP) Candidate Dr. Edward Smith was eligible to be nominated as a candidate but was not sure if he was qualified to sit in the House of Assembly if he had won the Cheshire Hall constituency election.

Misick made the analysis while giving witness statement on the stand in the Cheshire Hall constituency election petition hearing in the Supreme Court. Misick said her conclusion came after conducting a series of research.

The Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) took out a petition in the High Court seeking to annul the result of the November 9, 2012 polls in that constituency and fresh elections called, after it found out that the third party candidate was not dominated properly due to his dual citizenship status.

Smith said that he had renounced his United States nationality after he

pledged allegiance to the Queen as a requirement to land a census job last year. It was proven later that he travelled on his United States passport in 2012, which the PDM lawyer indicated was an act of not giving up his allegiance to that country.

Misick, who was born in the United States, told the court that it was her understanding that persons with dual nationalities and those holding a foreign passport would

not be eligible to stand in the election, courtesy of a new interpretation in the constitution by the attorney general.

She said after a meeting with the attorney general it became clear that she and the PPP deputy leader - Zhavago Jolly, who was also born in the U.S. – would need to research the procedures on how persons born there would be able to relinquish their citizenship. She said that by virtue of her renewing her passport after her 18th birthday, she would be required to renounce her United States nationality, but Jolly did not need to, since his passport was renewed before he turned 18.

She told the court that she travelled to U.S. embassy in the Bahamas to renounce her U.S. citizenship on October 17, 2012 and received the renunciation documents the following Monday via courier.

Missick said that, from her conversation with Jolly, it was evident that the PPP deputy leader knew that Smith needed to renounce his U.S. citizenship.

She told the court that while she was aware of Smith’s dual nationality, she did not highlight the issue to voters because her priority during the campaign was to ensure that the PNP received enough support to win the election and not to police any candidate’s fitness to run.

She however stated that her party leader, Premier Dr. Rufus Ewing, made

a general statement regarding the issue while addressing a campaign rally in Cheshire Hall. She said that by virtue of Ewing generally tackling the matter meant that her party had addressed it in some way.

She further said that if Smith did not travel to the Bahamas at the time she did, it would be unlikely that he would have sufficient time to complete the process before the October 25 nomination day deadline. She said following her nomination her eligibility to stand as a candidate was questioned in some quarters, including a few blogs.

She said at the same meeting while the premier had asked those who did not renounce their citizenship to come clean; he simultaneously challenged anyone to question the fitness of his candidates. Misick later stated that he could not recall whether or not the party leader had singled out Smith as a possible culprit.

She was unable to say, under cross examination by PDM attorney Allan Wood QC, as to whether or not Smith lost his citizenship only by swearing allegiance to the Queen for the census job.

She also stated that while she was aware that Jolly had traveled on his passport after age 18, she did not regard such action as an act of pledging allegiance to the United States.

FLAMINGO CAFÉIs seeking

A WaitressSalary $5.00 per hour

Contact 241-3943

Minister of Education youth and Sport Hon. Akierra Misick


LOCAL NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS FINANCIAL SERVICES

COMMISSIONThe Financial Services Commission, a statutory body of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government responsible for the licensing and regulation of financial services businesses, is seeking qualified applicants for the following posts:

Internal Auditor

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The holder of this position will carry out the following duties:Plan and carry out the internal audit functionEnsure that efficient and effective controls are in place to meet objectivesDocument process flows to show areas of control activities and areas which may require possible process improvementsAssess the effectiveness of operating and control structures and develop audit programmes to test compliance accordingly and where these are not adequate design and recommend improvementsMake report on findings (including recommendations) in relation to internal control reviews and business risk reviews to the Audit and Risk Management Committee of the Board of Directors of the CommissionConduct value for money reviews and review the accuracy, timeliness and relevance of financial information presented to management Examine corporate governance practices and ensure that the Commission abides by its stated principles, including compliance with relevant laws and regulationsAny other duties as may be set out in the Job Description of Internal Auditor or as assigned by the Audit and Risk Management Committee or the Full Board.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCEPreferred qualification is a Degree in Accounting or professional qualification through ACCA, CPA, CIPFA, CISA or similar certification.

The successful applicant should possess a minimum of five (5) years’ experience as an internal auditor, including audit of computer information systems.

COMPENSATION

Compensation will be based on qualifications and experience and in keeping with the Commission’s pay scale.LOCATION OF ASSIGNMENTSThe duties for the above post are in relation to all the Commission’s locations (Grand Turk and Providenciales).

Applications should be received no later than January 31, 2013 and may be emailed to [email protected] or faxed to 649-946-2369.

January 9, 2013

Former Premier Michael Misick’s family appeals for him to be returned home

By Hayden BoycePublisher & Editor-in-Chief

Family members of Michael Misick, former Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands have broken their silence and are appealing for local and international support to have him returned home.

In a letter sent exclusively to the SUN newspaper, one of Misick’s sisters Alith Misick Gardiner, said her brother is “crying out for help” as he was arrested unlawfully and his human rights are being violated.

She stated: “Mike is being made to suffer in one of the worst prisons in the world even though he was never charged with any crime. He left the island without being questioned by Special Investigation and Prosecution. The Attorney General and SIPT representation to the Brazilians that he escaped lawful custody in order not to avoid being prosecuted is a blatant misrepresentation of the facts. He has no right being detained in a maximum security prison. To be placed in a maximum security prison is wrong he was never convicted of any crime in Brazil or the Turks and Caicos Islands. His being placed in such a prison clearly shows that FCO and SIPT will stoop to any level to humiliate the former Premier.”

The 46-year-old Misick is presently being held in a maximum security jail in Brazil after being arrested there on Friday December 7th 2012 on an Interpol red notice and a warrant from the Brazil Supreme Court.

He has not been charged with any offences in the Turks and Caicos Islands, but he is wanted only for questioning by a British-appointed Special Investigation and Prosecution Team (SIPT) which is based in the Turks and Caicos Islands and is headed by Helen Garlick who once worked with the Serious Fraud Office in the UK.

The former premier’s sister said the Misick family “truly believes as others do that all Mike wanted was a fair trial by jury of his peers, with no handpicked Judge and under the same criminal regime that was in place at the time SIPT said he committed these offences”.

The SUN understands that the Misick family met over the weekend before deciding to issue the statement.

In her letter, Alith added: “ We all saw how he was treated after being him arrested by Brazilian Federal police with two SIPT officers in Brazil ; we said nothing hoping that this time the British, FCO and SIPT would act in a

professional manner and ensure that his human rights was protected and bring him home. To date no one from the FCO, the Governor’s Office or SIPT has offered our family the very basic information; as to his detention, where he is being kept and what condition he is being held under, why are we not allowed to call him and why is he not allowed to call us. It is shameful that what we know we have learned through the media.

A letter has since surfaced with shocking information about the conditions he is presently in, this should never have happened to him or anyone. Some wonder if the writing was his, we can confirm it is his writing.”

She added: “If the FCO, the Governor and SIPT are so sure that the evidence is overwhelming in their favor why have they gone to such extreme to rig the outcome of any prosecution. Mike is crying out for help. How can anyone fight against a country like Britain whose leaders are hell bent on convicting him at all cost. One wonders would his side of the story ever be heard and could justice ever be served under these conditions? Would Britain or Brazil for that matter have stuck one of their former leaders in a prison that the UN has condemned as unfit for humans occupation, particularly where that leader is only being detained on the basis of allege non-violent crimes. Great Britain is a member of the United Nations Security Council, should they have been involved in such an act? It is my view that every man is innocent until proven otherwise”

Misick, an attorney-at-law, has been living outside of the country for about two years and on the basis of alleged political persecution in the Turks and Caicos Islands, he sought political asylum in Brazil where he has been living since October 2011 and had legal permission to reside and work until April 2013.

His request for political asylum was denied in November 2012 and he was in the process of appealing the decision when he was arrested by Brazilian police in association with British lawmen who work for the SIPT.

On the day of his arrest he said that he indicated to a SIPT police officer Anthony Noble, that he wanted to return home to the Turks and Caicos Islands to face justice, but this request was denied.

He has since issued a hand-written letter from his maximum security cell, asking for local, regional and international assistance in securing his release from Brazilian jail so that he

will be allowed to return to the Turks and Caicos Islands to be questioned by the SIPT.

The letter from his sister continued: “We saw major changes to our laws and the criminal justice system in the Turks and Caicos Islands over the past three years. These laws we believe were put in place so that the British Government and their Special Investigation Team (SIPT) can secure convictions of persons who were accused by SIPT and not to benefit the general public nor are they in the public interest. How it is that these laws are backward looking and are designed specifically to make it easier to prosecute the former premier, his ministers and others? Aware of the many changes being made to the system of Justice in the Turks and Caicos Islands, the former premier knew that he would not have been afforded a fair trial, his fear was amplified by the remarks made by Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands, the overseas British Minister Bellingham, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Helen Garlick of SIPT. They all made statements to the effect that the former premier and others are guilty and would be convicted. This is the reason he decided not to return home until he can be assured a fair trial by a jury of his peers, anyone who knows

former Premier must know that must have been the hardest thing he had to do, that is stay away from his home the place he love so much.”

She added: “The UK authorities are grateful to their Brazilian counterparts for their cooperation.” SIPT press release reads, does this gratefulness, one wonders extend to the UK complicity in the condition with which the former premier has been detained for the past three weeks. I call on all Human Right Activist everywhere and the Human Rights Commission of the Turks and Caicos Islands to speak out and to look into this situation. I call on all God fearing Turks and Caicos Islanders to speak out against this abuse.”

The former premier hails from a prominent and influential family which has featured significantly in the politics of the Turks and Caicos Islands for decades, dating back to their father and patriarch Charles Misick, a brother Washington Misick who was a former Chief Minister and is now the Minister of Finance; another brother Queen’s Counsel Ariel Misick, one of brightest and most respected lawyers in the Caribbean. Misick’s nephew DonHue Gardiner is presently the Minister of Immigration and his cousin Akeirra Misick is the Deputy Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

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LOCAL NEWS

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Defend Michael Misick's fundamental human rightsBy: Oswald O skippings

I am probably the voice that is least expected to champion the cause of Michael Misick, but his "ought to be" champions are conspicuous by their front line absence in defending his cause and their silence is nothing short of deafening.

Let me be clear! The sole issue that I'm dealing with here is the blatant violation of Michael Misick's human rights and the abuse of those rights by the powers that be, by holding him in that prison in Brazil and preventing his return home to face justice.

But I as his most sought after political rival, am highly disappointed at the lack of concern and effort that is being generated by his own camp, so I can imagine how Mike must feel at this time considering what he is going through and who benefitted most from his reign.

My questions include; Where are the thousands of supporters and sympathizers? Even more important, where are the leaders among them to lead this justifiable charge? Where are the voices of authority who are now duly and democratically elected who were babbling before they had such governmental authority? Has Michael Misick been thrown to the dogs now that elections are over and they have become the government and there is now no more need to take his advice and ride on his sympathy and popularity?

Then again, where are the human rights activists and those in authority who are being paid to look after our human rights? Many of us may be convinced that Mike is a criminal who has done this country and its people much wrong, but even so he is still a human being and he still has fundamental human rights, both locally and internationally and someone needs to represent those rights on his behalf because he can't do it for himself in the situation that he's in.

He is now incarnated in a strange country with no lawyers, no family, no friends and no sympathizers. It

seems that the powers that be have ulterior motives in keeping him away from home based on the fact that he is not resisting coming home to face his fate. In fact from the offset he has volunteered to come home and therefore there is no need for any extradition proceeding to delay his return.

His attorneys were not allowed to see him, his brother was denied the same privilege. That is a violation of his basic human rights and so is his detention in a maximum security prison especially in a country like Brazil where he has committed no crimes and has not refused to voluntarily leave the country and be brought to justice at home.

How do we know that he is ok? If he is now, how do we know that he will continue to be ok? Why is he being kept over there and prevented from coming home to face justice? Who is afraid of his coming and why?

Parliament met at least twice since Mike's arrest and I am yet to hear of the debate on the violation of Mike’s human rights and a resolution to effectively deal with the situation at a level where it really matters and where something will have to be done as a result of such a resolution.

Even though I'm one who suffered as a victim from a violation of my human rights by Michael Misick's regime and he is the person that singlehandedly persecuted

me and viciously besmirched my character the most over the years, I am still compelled to speak out against the injustice that I see going on concerning holding him in that prison and preventing him from coming home to face his criminal charges. The truth of the matter is that I fear for his safety.

Mike in his hand scribbled letter did request that representations be made on his behalf to the Latin American countries, the UN and the UK; has that been done, has any such human rights requests been made to the USA and our English speaking neighbors in the region?

I would like to know because there is absolutely no momentum to accompany it. CARICOM, and the English speaking countries in this hemisphere and even the EU, would not shirk their responsibility to deal with this human rights issue if they are officially informed of the circumstances and even more so if they are requested to do so. The absence of PNP government and Party's momentum in this justifiable issue for their former leader is shameful to say the least.

It must be understood that Mike is more of a threat to the same status quo while incarnated and particularly if he's in the TCI, than while on the loose. That is why there were no efforts made to keep him here in the first place. That is also why there are no efforts being made to bring him back home now. How long are they going to wait? Until we hear of some prison incident of which he was an innocent bystander who became a victim, or some other concocted story?

Why keep him in one of the

worst prisons in Brazil locked down for 23 out of 24 hours each day? The longer he is there in a state of limbo, the greater his chances are of being a victim of inexplicable fatal circumstances. There are those of us who understand that the stakes are high and that there are high rollers in this game who Mike could expose.

Considering the possible damage he can do to the high and the mighty, don't you think that there should be some justifiable fear for his safety? After all he was neither the master nor the mind behind the skillfully executed en masse corruption or as sir Robin called it, systemic corruption that shook this country at its very foundations.

All you so called Michael Missick supporters and human rights gurus, now is the time to stand up and be counted if you really care anything at all about Michael Misick as a human being and as a Turks and Caicos Islander and if you would like to see him return here safe and sound. Or equally important, if you seriously care about the protection of one's human rights.

Will the elected government show some concern, show some testicular fortitude, some grit and some inkling of diplomatic authority in dealing with this matter. This is a very serious matter. You now have power, use it! Be wise and demonstrate that you know how; and instead of taking on some of the other foolish issues that you take on regarding him, stand up for the fundamental human rights of Michael Misick and get him home safely ASAP before it’s too late!

Yes! Submitted By Oswald Skippings

Oswald Skippings


LOCAL NEWS


Island Pride SupermarketTwo (2) Butchers

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Why is the Former Premier still in Brazil prison?By SAMUEL HARVEY

The world, along with Turks and Caicos Islanders, saw the former Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands being held by the arms facing something we don’t know, but if you knew Michael Misick, that was him.

I know that many may be surprised that Samuel Harvey will seek to represent the interest of the former Premier, knowing that I am a victim of his administration, recently lost the general election and perhaps through his direct guidance and instructions, but I think it is important that I state here, that this goes beyond party boundaries, but rather a close look at the human rights side and the Office he once held in our country which is the highest of all.

Michael Misick was the Premier of this country. His Mother is well alive and so are the brothers and sisters, family, friends, well wishers, and party supporters. Does the Governor’s Office take into consideration that someone cares about the Former Premier? What happened to the Human rights office for the Turks & Caicos? Do we still have one? What Happen to the Elected Government? Is the Constitution providing the power to allow the Elected Government to call meetings?

What happen to this petition that they are talking about? When the time is right to unite the people look the

other way. My brothers and sisters, this is still the TCI. When it is all said and done, this rock is ours, so we must fight for those whom are not a position to defend themselves.

As a former Deputy Chief Minister of the Turks & Caicos , I am saying the way in which the former Premier is being dealt with is disgraceful, distasteful inhumane to any human who knows what freedom is all about. Let us examine this situation a little closer. We are told that the TCIG and the British Government had a red flag notice on the former Premier , where certain countries were notified and confirmation of cooperation was

given to both Government requests. So when Mr. Misick was arrested, that was on the request of the British and the TCIG.

This being the case, why the Governor’s Office cannot inform our people as to the well being of the Former Premier? After all, he has done nothing in Brazil, there is no need for him to be held in the conditions that we heard of. This behavior by the TCIG Government and the British Government clearly demonstrate how we are seen in their sight. On the other hand we as a people don’t understand when to fight or what to fight for. Is

this justice or just us? I hope that I am wrong, but this doesn’t look right.

The question I need to ask, is, what will happen if the Former Premier returns? Will it be well with those whom were connected to him? Would there be surprises? These are questions that need answers. I believe some would say with the ongoing court case, I should be thinking on that, but when the court is over this will still be the TCI and it’s about time we live this reality.

I notice carefully, during the General Election the PDM Leader said Turks & Caicos Islanders should stand up for their rights. The word went around that he did not want foreign people in the country and so those whom had power they exercised that right against the Leader.

I call on Premier Dr. Rufus Ewing to exercise his right and call a meeting, requesting the British Government to lead a delegation to include representatives from the TCIG, perhaps a senior member from the RTC Police Force, to go to Brazil where the Former Premier is being held, and

once they are carrying out a request by both Governments, then they should be able to leave that country with their man. I know if I were a winner in the election the People of this Country would have known by now, what is happening with Mr. Misick.

Yes, I may be a lone ranger on this one, but it will not be long before more than Mr. Misick’s family agrees with me on this. I know if this were a British born person, he would have been by now in the hands of the British. I believe the Christian community should condemn this action and atrocities by the British and the TCIG Government. Does one contributions means anything in his or her Country? Well, for the younger generation, the late Charles Misick was the father of former Premier of whom I believe, prior to his death, was proud to know that he had served this country in the House that laid the foundation, for he and his wife to have in his life time , two Chief Ministers and The first Premier not to mention the lawyers , doctor, nurse, policeman. Does these mean anything? I am saying we need answers when will the former Premier return home?

Well I see Mrs. Stubbs was forced to come out and make a statement regarding what I had to say along with Former Leader O.O. SKIPPINGS at least we prove democracy still works in the TCI.

Why did Mrs. Stubbs not make a statement before? Following the news from my interview, my phone rang until it ran hot from well wishers thanking me for the courage and taking such bold step.

While I wish to thank those persons, at the same time this is what I represent all my life, but people don’t remember and this does not have anything to do with the PDM or PNP. I am an all time NATIONALIST and I stand by what I write.

Samuel Harvey


LOCAL NEWS

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LOCAL NEWS Parrot Cay Resort and COMO Shambhala have vacancies for the

following positions:

HOTEL GENERAL MANAGER

We are looking for a highly self motivated professional who possesses a keen interest in hospitality with the ability to effectively manage a well established Luxurious Five Star Resort. The successful candidate will be responsible for the following:

• Effective running of the day- to -day operation of the hotel while ensuring that all cost effective measures are enforced.

• Maintain a positive and professional work attitude towards all employees and Guest.

• Attending to the needs of all internal and external guests with a drive to meet and exceed expectations as well as providing top quality services to all guests while achieving guest satisfaction.

• Efficiently manage all aspects of the hotel operation.• Develop and enforce new rules and policies as the need arise.• Analyzed and prepare operating and capital expense budgets for the hotel when necessary.

• Maintain confidentiality at all times with a view of protecting the resort and its customers.

• Look after the up keeping and maintenance of the entire resort and its Assets. Qualification and Experience:

The successful candidate must have:

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HOTEL PROJECTS MANAGER

We are looking for a highly self motivated professional with a keen interest in project development within the hospitality Industry. The successful candidate must be able to develop and manage special projects supervised by the Director of Caicos Holdings. Previous experience and a proven track record as a Project Manager within a well established Luxurious Five Star Resort is a plus. The successful candidate will be responsible for the following:

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• Look after the up keeping and maintenance of all special projects. The candidate must demonstrate care and respect for guest, fellow colleagues and the resort as a whole.

Qualification and Experience:

The successful candidate must have:

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PRIVATE ESTATE MANAGER

The successful candidate will be a hard working, reliable individual with excellent

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• Handle all special demands and needs during the festive period and assist with all needs of the guests.

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Applicants must have at least five year experience at a managerial level, salary ranges from $55,000 to $60,000 per annum.

Managerial Positions:

• Director of PC Hotel Management/ Caicos Holdings

Assistant Food and Beverage ManagerAssistant Financial ControllerEstates Guest Services ManagerReservations Manager

Job Requirement:

Candidates interested in the above positions will be required to work long hours, live on property and are expected to work during the night, weekends and Public Holidays.

Other AVAILABLE POSITIONS:

Chef de PartieSpa TherapistSenior Spa TherapistSpa AttendantLine ChefChef de PartieAccountantResort NurseFood & Beverage ServerBartenderResort ButlerBellmanNight Auditor/ReceptionistButlerSous ChefK9 Dog HandlerTurndown AttendantPrivate Estates Attendant Salaries for these positions will be paid base on qualification and experience. Please note that all application must be submitted with a valid Police Record, two reference letters from previous employers or a notary public and current educational certificates.

Only suitable candidates will be contacted for an interview.Forward your resume to the Human Resources Department at the following address:

Parrot Cay Resort and COMO ShambhalaP.O. Box 164Providenciales, Turks & Caicos IslandsPh: (649) 946 7788, Fax: (649) 946 7749Email: [email protected]


LOCAL NEWS

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TCI Sun 10x7_5 NOTICE A_S online_ADVT.pdf 1 12/21/12 1:39 PM


LOCAL NEWSPage 27DECEMBER 22ND - DECEMBER 29TH, 2012TURKS & CAICOS SUN

LOCAL NEWS

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LOCAL NEWSPage 25JANUARY 12TH - JANUARY 19TH, 2013TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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LOCAL NEWS

One, two, one, two, three

Oh, yeah, yeah, Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,

Ooh! Oh, yeah, yeah,

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Ooh!

Never had much faith in love or miracles

Never wanna put my heart on the line But swimming in your world is something spiritual

I'm born again every time you spend the night

'Cause you take me to paradise Yeah, you take me to paradise

And it shows, yeah, yeah, yeah 'Cause you make me feel like, I've been locked out of

heaven For too long, for too long

Yeah, you make me feel like, I've been locked out of heaven

For too long, for too long

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Ooh!

Oh, yeah, yeah, Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,

Ooh!You bring me to my knees

You make me testify You can make a sinner change his ways Open up your gates cause I can't wait to see the light And right there is where I wanna stay 'Cause you take me to paradise Yeah, you take me to paradise And it shows, yeah, yeah, yeah 'Cause you make me feel like, I've been locked out of heaven For too long, for too long Yeah, you make me feel like, I've been locked out of heaven For too long, for too long Oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah Can I just stay here Spend the rest of my days here Oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah Can't I just stay here Spend the rest of my days here 'Cause you make me feel like, I've been locked out of heaven For too long, for too long Yeah, you make me feel like, I've been locked out of heaven For too long, for too long Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Ooh! Oh, yeah, yeah, Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Ooh!


LOCAL NEWSENTERTAINMENT2013 Oscar Nominations Announcement

Nominations for the 85th annual Academy Awards were announced by actress Emma Stone and Oscars show host Seth MacFarlane Thursday at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Steven Spielberg's presidential biopic "Lincoln" leads this year's Oscar race with 12 nominations, including best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay and acting nods for stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones.

The visually stunning survival adventure "Life of Pi" made an unexpectedly strong showing with 11 nominations, including best picture, best director for Ang Lee, best adapted screenplay and a host of technical nominations, ahead of "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Les Miserables," which had been considered potential frontrunners.

Best actress nods went to youngest and oldest nominees in the history of the category, 9-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis for the indie underdog fantasy

"Beasts of the Southern Wild," and 85-year-old Emmanuelle Riva for the Austrian film "Amour." Rounding out nominations for best actress were past nominees Jessica Chastain for "Zero Dark Thirty," Jennifer Lawrence for "Silver Linings Playbook" and Naomi Watts for "The Impossible."

Best actor nominations went to first-time nominee Bradley Cooper for "Silver Linings Playbook," former Oscars show host Hugh Jackman for "Les Miserables," and veteran nominees Daniel Day-Lewis for "Lincoln," Joaquin Phoenix for

"The Master" and Denzel Washington for "Flight."Nominations for best supporting actress went

to Amy Adams for "The Master," Sally Field for "Lincoln," Anne Hathaway for "Les Miserables," Helen Hunt for "The Sessions" and Jacki Weaver for "Silver Linings Playbook."

Nominations for best supporting actor went to a crowded field of decorated veterans: Alan Arkin for "Argo," Robert DeNiro for "Silver Linings Playbook," Philip Seymour Hoffman for "The Master," Tommy Lee Jones for "Lincoln" and Christoph Waltz for "Django Unchained" -- all former Oscar winners.

The 85th Academy Awards will be presented on Sunday, February 24th, 2013 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and broadcast live on ABC.

See the full list of nominees below.BEST PICTURE

• Amour• Argo• Beasts of the Southern Wild• Django Unchained• Les Miserables• Life of Pi• Lincoln• Silver Linings Playbook• Zero Dark ThirtyBEST ACTOR

• Bradley Cooper, “Silver Linings Playbook”• Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln”• Denzel Washington, “Flight”• Hugh Jackman, “Les Miserables”• Joaquin Phoenix, "The Master"BEST ACTRESS

• Emmanuelle Riva, “Amour”• Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings

Playbook”• Jessica Chastain, “Zero Dark Thirty”• Naomi Watts, “The Impossible”• Quvenzhane Wallis, “Beasts of the

Southern Wild”BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Alan Arkin, “Argo”

• Christoph Waltz, “Django Unchained”• Philip Seymour Hoffman, “The Master”• Robert De Niro, “Silver Linings Playbook”• Tommy Lee Jones, “Lincoln”BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Amy Adams, “The Master”• Anne Hathaway, “Les Miserables”• Sally Field, “Lincoln”• Helen Hunt, “The Sessions”• Jacki Weaver, “Silver Linings Playbook”BEST DIRECTOR

• Ang Lee, "Life of Pi"• David O. Russell, “Silver Linings Playbook”• Behn Zeitlin, "Beast of the Southern Wild"• Michael Haneke, “Amour”• Steven Spielberg, “Lincoln”BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• “Amour”• “Django Unchained”• “Flight”• “Moonrise Kingdom”• “Zero Dark Thirty”BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• “Argo”• “Beasts of the Southern Wild”• “Life of Pi”• “Lincoln”• “Silver Linings Playbook”BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

• “Brave”• “Frankenweenie”• “ParaNorman”• “The Pirates! Band of Misfits”• “Wreck-It Ralph”BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

• “Amour”• “A Royal Affair”• “No”• “Kon-Tiki”• “War Witch”BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

• “Anna Karenina"• “Django Unchained”• “Life of Pi”• “Lincoln”• “Skyfall”BEST COSTUME DESIGN

• “Anna Karenina”• “Les Miserables”• “Lincoln”• “Mirror Mirror”• “Snow White and the Huntsman”BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

• “5 Broken Cameras”• “The Gatekeepers”• “How to Survive a Plague”• “The Invisible War”• “Searching for Sugar Man”BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

• “Inocente”• “Kings Point”• “Mondays at Racine”

• “Open Heart”• “Redemption”BEST FILM EDITING

• “Argo”• “Life of Pi• “Lincoln”• “Silver Linings Playbook”• “Zero Dark Thirty”BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

• “Hitchcock”• “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”• “Les Miserables”BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

• “Anna Karenina”• “Argo”• “Life of Pi”• “Lincoln”• “Skyfall”BEST ORIGINAL SONG

• “Before My Time” from "Chasing Ice"• “Everybody Needs a Best Friend” from

"Ted"• “Pi's Lullaby” from "Life of Pi"• “Skyfall” from "Skyfall"• “Suddenly” from "Les Miserables"BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

• “Anna Karenina”• “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”• “Les Miserables”• “Life of Pi”• “Lincoln”BEST ANIMATED SHORT

• “Adam and Dog”• “Fresh Guacamole”• “Head Over Heels”• “Maggie Simpson in 'The Longest Daycare'”• “Paperman”BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

• “Asad”• “Buzkashi Boys"• “Curfew”• “Death of a Shadow (Dood van een

Schaduw)”• “Henry”BEST SOUND EDITING

• “Argo”• “Django Unchained”• “Life of Pi”• “Skyfall”• “Zero Dark Thirty”BEST SOUND MIXING

• “Argo”• “Les Miserables"• “Life of Pi”• “Lincoln”• “Skyfall"BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

• “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”• “Life of Pi”• “Marvel's The Avengers”• “Prometheus”• “Snow White and the Huntsman


LOCAL NEWS


LOCAL NEWSFUN & GAMES


LOCAL NEWS

Prime Minister warns of consequences in meeting increased salary demands of public servants

CASTRIES, St Lucia – The St Lucia government says while it is anxious to bring closure to the wage and salary negotiations involving public servants it is not going to endorse salaries that would further affect the economic situation in the country and force the island into the clutches of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In a nationwide radio and television broadcast on Sunday night, Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony, who is also the Finance Minister, said the crux of the issue that faces the government is the ability to meet the demands of its 9,500 workers for increases in their wages by 15 per cent, spread over three years.

Public sector trade unions have rejected an offer of zero per cent increase and a onetime payment of EC$1,000 (One EC dollar= US$0.37 cents) and have called on the intervention of the Prime Minister to reach an amicable solution.

Prime Minister Anthony said the current proposal by the trade unions would increase the government wage bill by an estimated EC$55 million annually while the back pay associated with this proposal would cost about EC$40 million, “leading to a worsening of the current deficit of close to EC$100 million for this financial year.

“It also means that for every ensuing year, Government would have to borrow an extra EC$55 million just to meet the increase. This is clearly a path that a responsible government should not take.

“Even with the offers on the table from the Government Negotiating Team of a lump sum payment, which is equivalent to a one-off three percent increase, Government would still have to borrow an extra EC$10 million just to pay wages.

“We still have the chance to avoid going to the IMF but this will involve some very tough decisions. It will involve rebalancing our expenditure and taking steps to ensure that we borrow only for high-return capital projects. “ Prime Minister Anthony told the nation that St. Lucia cannot be oblivious to the fate that has befallen “once mighty democracies” in Europe, North America as well as countries right here in the region.

“Save for our pleas to our Maker and Creator, we have nowhere to turn for help to deal with our problems especially when they are of our own making. We cannot turn to the rest of the world for help. They have all abandoned us, consumed with their own challenges and what they believe to be their strategic interests.

“We are now seen by the rest of the world as a middle income state. This means that they want to disqualify us for grants and concessionary financing. The message is that we must stand on our own, despite our vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change, despite our smallness of means or might. They will invest in us only if they have an interest to protect,” Anthony said.

He said that it is clear that St. Lucia is at “a critical crossroad and face serious financial challenges. Prime Minister Anthony said the mounting fiscal pressures are a consequence of low growth and attempts by successive governments to actively spur employment and protect the vulnerable.

“These actions are costly, as government has had to borrow heavily to support these activities. Fortunately, the financial markets continue to view the debt issued by our Government to be relatively sound.

“However, we must be extremely careful moving forward. Given our previous and current borrowing needs, we have arrived at the point where caution must be exercised in choosing the programmes and projects to be financed with debt. Our rate of debt accumulation must be reduced and this must be done without delay.”

He said while there has been much talk about the Value Added Tax (VAT) and its impact on revenue to the point that some people even say the government has had a VAT windfall and so can pay the demands of the public servants, based on the early trends, VAT collections appear to be in line with what was expected.

“It does not appear that it will be much higher than the EC$120 million that was budgeted for this fiscal year, adjusted for the one month delay. Because this amount had already been budgeted for in the 2012 Estimates, VAT will not provide us with any additional or new resources this year and therefore cannot be factored as money which is available to pay public officers this year.

“In other words, our projected revenue shortfall this year takes into account our VAT collections. This confirms what we have always stated; VAT’s main effect is to simplify the collection of taxes by replacing a range of taxes like Consumption Tax, Environmental Levy, Cell Phone Tax and Hotel Accommodation Tax, among others.”

Prime Minister Anthony told the nation that expenditure has grown, driven mainly by a 17.2 per cent increase in interest payments for loans, a 17.1 per cent rise in payments for goods and services, and an 18.5 per cent increase in transfers to government corporations, statutory boards and companies to enable them to meet their costs.

Cayman Islands new female Premier resigns from her party

Although she did not state precisely when she had resigned from the United Democratic Party, Cayman Islands Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly assured reporters during a Tuesday news conference that she had done so.

According to the Caymanian Compass newspaper, Ms O’Connor-Connolly said she did not resign on 29 December, along with her other four “minority government” colleagues. She said she believed the resignation had been submitted later – “sometime last week”.

She gave some of the reasons for the delayed resignation. “My committee sits in Cayman Brac, I’ve been here working 18, almost 20 hours [a day] since

the transition,” the premier said. “Secondly, my [district] committee is not as entrenched as the committees [in Grand Cayman] because I come from an island where the majority percentage are civil servants and the rest of the community, for the most part, are the merchant class who don’t normally get involved in politics. I don’t have a formalised committee as you do in Grand Cayman. Things are always a little bit different on the Brac.

“There was never any weakening of initiative or desire to resign,” Ms O’Connor-Connolly continued. “It just took a little bit longer because obviously, I had to fly to the Brac, I had to get in touch with the delegates for the UDP and I had to consult them. They took the view that they

did not find any reason to discipline me, they were very elated that the Brac now has the premier. So that, in itself, caused a difficulty that my colleagues didn’t have in Grand Cayman.” Members of the United Democratic Party said late Tuesday that they were unaware the premier had resigned, but were checking into the matter before making any formal comment. Nothing had been received by press time.

Fellow minority government member Deputy Premier Rolston Anglin and Cabinet ministers Cline Glidden Jr., Mark Scotland and Dwayne Seymour submitted resignation letters to UDP district committees on Saturday, 29 December, just prior to meetings where they had been summoned

to explain their votes on a “no-confidence” motion in government. The vote taken on 18 December in the Legislative Assembly succeeded on a 11-3 margin and was tantamount to former Premier McKeeva Bush’s removal from government last month.

Premier O’Connor-Connolly had not responded to numerous questions about her status within the UDP last week.

“It’s quite easy to explain,” she said on Tuesday. “I took the opinion that I did not have anything against the members of the UDP and I still don’t have anything against them. Once it became very clear that there was a process on foot to have our district committees remove us, all of our Cabinet together felt that it was better for us to resign from the party.


LOCAL NEWSCARIBBEAN NEWS

Students want DEA to release information on

JamaicaNEW YORK – Three Yale Law School students have filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request calling on the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to release aerial surveillance footage compiled during the operations by security forces in Jamaica to detain Christopher “Dudus” Coke who was wanted in the United States on drugs and firearms charges.

In 2010, Jamaica police and military officials moved into Tivoli Gardens in a bid to arrest Coke, following an extradition request from Washington. The operations led to the deaths of more than 70 civilians.

The three students filed the suit on behalf of Mattathias Schwartz, the reporter who covered the event for The New Yorker magazine.

The suit, which was filed on December 19, 2012, arose from Freedom of Information requests that Schwartz had made to the DEA and other federal agencies for records pertaining to the Tivoli operation. The DEA has until January 22 to respond.

An article appearing on the Yale Law School website, notes that although the DEA has acknowledged in response to Schwartz’s requests that it is in possession of six DVDs containing aerial surveillance footage of the raid, it has refused to release them, citing six exemptions under the US Freedom of Information Act.

The students, who are

members of Yale’s Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic (MFIA), argue in the complaint, filed in federal district court in the Eastern District of New York, that none of the exemptions are applicable to the footage being sought.

The MFIA was established to, among other things, defend the public’s right of access to government information.

Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) has called on the Jamaica Parliament to explain why the Office of the Public Defender has still not produced a report on its investigation into the Tivoli Gardens incursion.

Public Defender Earl Witter has missed self-imposed deadlines to produce the report and JFJ executive director Susan Goffe said it is unacceptable that the country remains in the dark on the status of the probe.

“We are at a point of being stalled in this process because this, a report, is the next step in forcing the way forward. So here we are in 2013 and we will be calling on the Speaker of the House to update us on what the position currently is,” she said, adding that a petition containing 200 names had been submitted to Parliament last month.

The petition called for the Office of the Public Defender to be provided with the necessary resources so that the report on the Tivoli investigation can be submitted by the end of January.

LIME to fire nearly 100 employees in BarbadosBRIDGETOWN, Barbados – A national strike, which could see thousands of workers on the streets, is now looming following LIME’s decision not to withdraw dismissal letters to 97 employees.

According to a report in the Barbados Nation newspaper, a last-ditch effort mediated by Minister of Labour Esther Byer-Suckoo at the Ministry of Labour’s offices in Warrens, St Michael, failed to bring a resolution between the telecommunications company and the island’s largest trade union, the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU).

Emerging from over four hours

of intense negotiations, general secretary of the BWU, Sir Roy Trotman, said the union would go ahead with plans to launch an island-wide shutdown after the talks broke down yesterday.

“We are now going to advise my council to take industrial action against Cable & Wireless. The council will decide when that will be,” said the union boss. “I am very disappointed with Cable & Wireless and the Barbados Employers’ Confederation and with the way that employers are deciding that they don’t respect . . . the rights of workers in Barbados,” he said, before

heading to the union’s Solidarity House headquarters for the meeting with the executive council.

LIME said that it would be outsourcing its retail operations in a bid to improve its financial position.

LIME managing director Alex McDonald said while the company would be sending home 97 employees 48 new positions would be created.

He said the company has since last August been in negotiations with the Barbados Workers Union (BWU) regarding the dismissals and the possibility of having the former workers take charge of the retail business.

McDonald said that the talks had not been successful forcing the company to resort to a managed services model.

“We are getting out of the retail business and as a core element (being) offered to the customer, we would wish to open the operations to others who are more retail-centric than LIME,” said McDonald, adding that the decision was informed by a number of other factors, including changing technology, increasing costs and competition and poor customer service.

Prosecutor questions former Haitian President

AristidePORT-AU-PRINCE - A prosecutor questioned former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Wednesday over accusations he used homeless children to elicit donations that were later used to help fund his political career.

Aristide, who has not been charged with a crime, answered questions from prosecutor Lucmane Delille at his home on the outskirts of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.

Several thousand Aristide supporters marched to his residence in a show of support for the ex-leader. Some said the investigation was politically motivated.

A small group of people have filed a complaint against Aristide alleging they are former street children who were rescued by Fanmi se Lavi, an organization Aristide created in the late 1980s to house and educate homeless orphans. They claim they were physically abused and used to raise money.

Neither Aristide or his lawyer, Mario Joseph, have publicly commented on the accusations.

Under Haiti's judicial system, once a prosecutor has completed the questioning, the case will either be dismissed or assigned to a judge who will decide whether to file any formal charges.

"We heard the other party and today we heard him," Delille told reporters. "If one citizen brings a complaint against another citizen, they must be heard. The former president understood that and he was in agreement."

A former Roman Catholic priest still popular among poor Haitians, Aristide became president of the impoverished Caribbean country in 1991 but was later ousted in a military coup.

He was elected again in 2000, but driven from power four years later in a rebellion led by former soldiers. Aristide returned to Haiti in 2011 after seven years in exile in South Africa.

Premier Parry announces election date for Nevis

CHARLESTOWN, Nevis – Premier Joseph Parry has announced January 22 as the date when voters in Nevis could go to the polls to elect a new Nevis Island Administration (NIA).

“At this the start of 2013, we hold the future of our beloved island truly in our hands,” said Premier Parry in a nationwide radio and television broadcast.

Premier Parry agreed to a snap poll instead of holding a by-election in the St. John’s constituency after the High Court and the Court of Appeal ruled that the victory of his former deputy Hensley Daniel was null and void last

year.The ruling Nevis Reformation Party

(NRP) held a one-seat majority over the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) following the last NIA poll.

Daniel had won the seat by 14 votes defeating the CCM’s Deputy Leader Mark Brantley and giving the ruling party a slender 3-2 majority in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA).

Brantley had filed an election petition charging widespread irregularity and following a two-week trial in January last year, Justice Lionel Jones declared the election invalid.


LOCAL NEWSCARIBBEAN NEWSParliament dissolved in Grenada, paving way

for general elections on Caribbean islandST. GEORGE’S, Grenada — Grenada’s prime minister has dissolved parliament, paving the way for general elections on the Caribbean island.

Prime Minister Tillman Thomas says he advised the governor general to dissolve parliament Wednesday. This means an election must be scheduled within 90 days.

Thomas says he will set the date “shortly.” He says he decided against dissolving the legislature earlier since he was waiting for a new voter registration system to be put in place.

He made the announcement in a televised

address Wednesday evening.In September, Grenada’s governor general

suspended a parliament session, allowing Thomas to avoid debate on a no-confidence motion filed by a former political ally.

The move bought Thomas time to thwart an attempt by unhappy members of his party and the opposition to push through the no-confidence measure.

With a population of just over 100,000, Grenada, an island nation, is located in the southeastern Caribbean Sea. It is the second-smallest independent

country in the Western Hemisphere (after Saint Kitts and Nevis) and is located 100 miles north of Venezuela. To the north lie St. Vincent and the Grenadines and to the south Trinidad and Tobago.

The nation consists of three islands: Grenada, Carriacou (pronounced Carry-a koo), and Petite Martinique (pronounced Pitty Mar-ti-neek). Grenada (133 square miles) is the largest of the three.

Known as “The Spice Isle of the Caribbean,” Grenada produces cloves, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla and about a third of the world’s supply of nutmeg.

Sick Chavez misses own inauguration bashVenezuelan President Hugo Chavez remained on his sickbed in Cuba on Thursday while supporters planned to rally in his honor on the day he should have been sworn in for a new six-year term in the South American OPEC nation.

The postponement of the inauguration, a first in Venezuelan history, has laid bare the gravity of Chavez's condition after complications from a fourth cancer operation in his pelvic area.

It has also left his chosen heir, Vice President Nicolas Maduro - a former bus driver who shares his boss's radical socialist views - in charge of day-to-day government until there is clarity over whether Chavez will recover or not.

"People traveling on foot, the

humble, the patriots ... tomorrow we're going to demonstrate, one proud people with one slogan: we are all Chavez!" Maduro said in a televised cabinet meeting late on

Wednesday.The president, whose

legendary energy and garrulous dominance of the airwaves had often made him seem omnipresent in Venezuela since 1999, has not been seen in public nor heard from since his surgery on December 11.

Venezuela's 29 million people are anxiously watching what could be the last chapter in the extraordinary life of Chavez, who grew up in a rural shack and went

on to become one of the world's best-known heads

of state.The saga also has huge

implications for the likes of Cuba

and other leftist allies who have benefited for years from Chavez's subsidized oil and other largesse.

A clutch of foreign friends, including the presidents of Uruguay, Bolivia and Nicaragua, were due at Thursday's events in Caracas despite Chavez's absence.

Government officials have called supporters to the streets around the presidential palace. It has been the scene of some of the biggest dramas of Chavez's rule, from protests in 2002 and a coup that toppled him briefly, to speeches after election wins and emotional returns from previous cancer treatments in Havana.

"Take your songs, take your banners, so everyone knows we are all behind Chavez in this revolution," Diosdado Cabello, the head of Congress and a close Chavez ally, urged the president's supporters.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez

Authorities probe bogus marriage scheme in Grenada

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada – Grenada authorities say they have launched an investigation into a bogus marriage scheme involving men from Middle Eastern countries and local women.

“We are conducting an investigation and these notices are part of the process,” said an official in the Ministry of National Security.

The notices, placed in a weekly newspaper, and naming at least six people, indicate that they should “ contact the Ministry of National Security for further information in order to show cause on or before 31st March 2013 why the Minister of National Security should not exercise his right to do so”. Last week the Financial Intelligence Unit also issued a notice calling on 12 Grenadian women to contact the office immediately.

FIU head, Senneth Joseph, said that the “notices are interlink and its part of an investigation” and officials who spoke to reporters on condition that they now be identified said the “marriage of convenient scheme” involved foreigners paying a significant amount of money to women in order to acquire Grenadian citizenship.

Last October, eight members of the Syrian Community here were accused of falsifying documents in which they claimed they were married to Grenadian nationals in an effort to obtain Grenadian Citizenship. The suspects, including a businessman, were arrested following a yearlong investigation by the FIU.

Billion dollar resort project in The Bahamas 50 percent complete

NASSAU, The Bahamas -- The $3.5 billion Baha Mar development in The Bahamas is about halfway completed and is on schedule to meet its December 2014 target date, according to Baha Mar’s senior vice president of administration and external affairs Robert ‘Sandy’ Sands.

“The superstructure is coming out of the ground very nicely,” Sands told The Nassau Guardian on Thursday.

“It is envisioned by the middle of February we would have completed all of the floors of the superstructure for all of the buildings. So we are looking forward to meeting that particular milestone. We have started in earnest the golf course.

“The golf course will be completed and open for use in December of 2013. I can say that we will be open next year, 2014, so we’re making tremendous progress.”

Sands pointed out that there is still a lot of work to be done. “We are basically 50 percent of the way. While you see the

superstructure there is still quite a lot of work to be done in terms of the detailing, the outfitting, the plumbing and electrical aspects that will be going in pretty soon. So in the next six months you will see a totally different facade.”

When The Guardian spoke to Sands in August he said the project was 25 percent completed.

“We are beginning to put work on the closing up of the building. The beach renourishment program has really taken off quite well. So we’re very happy with the progress that we continue to make. We’re on schedule and we’re on time.”

Beach access surrounding the Baha Mar property is blocked by boulders and a long sea wall to facilitate a beach restoration exercise. That project is expected to be completed sometime this year.

During the interview Sands also gave an update on the $45 million that the government owes Baha Mar.


LOCAL NEWS

New York Governor Cuomo proposes

minimum wage hikeNew York Governor Andrew Cuomo called on Wednesday for raising the state's minimum wage by nearly 21 percent, to $8.75 an hour.

"It is long overdue," Cuomo said during his State of the State address. "We should have done it last year."

New York's current rate of $7.25 an hour is below that of 19 other states, he said. On January 1, 10 U.S. states increased their minimum wage rates by between 10 and 35 percent.

Lawmakers in neighboring New Jersey passed bills late in 2012 to ask voters whether the state ought to hike the minimum wage to $8.25 per hour from the current $7.25.

But the legislators must approve the measure again this year before it goes on the ballot.

Drugmakers report shortages of flu vaccine, Tamiflu as US scrambles to cope with serious outbreak

This year's U.S. flu season has created shortages of the Tamiflu treatment for children and of the most widely used flu vaccine, their manufacturers said.

Roche Holding AG told Reuters late on Wednesday that it had a shortage of the liquid form of Tamiflu, given to children who already have the flu to slow or stop symptoms. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed that there have been supply interruptions in some locations.

Roche said it told wholesalers and distributors in recent weeks that temporary delays in shipments were imminent. In the meantime, pharmacists can make a substitute by dissolving Tamiflu capsules in a sweet liquid, according to Tara Iannuccillo, spokeswoman for Roche's Genentech unit, which makes Tamiflu.

Sanofi SA, the largest flu vaccine provider in the United States, said on Thursday it had sold out of four of the six different dosages of Fluzone seasonal flu vaccine due to unanticipated late-season demand. The vaccine is made in different sized vials and pre-filled syringes.

"At this point we are not able to make any more vaccine because we are gearing up for next year's vaccine," said Michael Szumera, a spokesman for Sanofi.

Most of the United States is

nearing peak levels seen during moderately severe flu seasons, according to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. As of last Friday, the percentage of people seeing health care providers for influenza had increased for the previous four consecutive weeks to 5.6 percent. That compares with 2.2 percent the previous year, when flu was mild.

"We are hearing of spot shortages. Given the time in our flu season, it isn't surprising. People who haven't been vaccinated and want to get the vaccine may have to look in several places for it," CDC spokesman Tom Skinner said on Thursday.

It is not unusual to run out mid-season during a moderate to severe season, which is what this year looks like, he said.

It is definitely not too late to receive the seasonal flu vaccine, said epidemiologist Craig Roberts, a physician assistant at University Health Services at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The 42,000-student campus gave 10,000 flu shots before the holiday break in December and has 5,000 more in stock. "We'll be offering walk-in shots" once the students return around January 22, he said, "which we haven't done in January before. We also sent out a mass e-mail asking students to get the shot at home if they can."

The vaccines that are available

this year are a fairly good match to the strains of the flu that are circulating, Skinner said. It takes about two weeks for the vaccines to provide protection.

Manufacturers planned to produce 137 million doses of the vaccine and as of late last year, 112 million people had been vaccinated, the CDC said.

Sanofi produced 60 million of those doses and GlaxoSmithKline PLC had planned to make 25 million doses.

AstraZeneca's MedImmune unit sells FluMist, an intranasal spray approved for people aged 2 to 49. Tara Mullins, an outside spokesperson for MedImmune, declined to provide details about demand for and available supply of

FluMist.Karen Andersen, an analyst with

Morningstar, said Tamiflu sales would likely more than double to about $750 million this year from about $350 million in the 2011-2012 flu season. Tamiflu demand could boost overall Roche revenue this year by about 1 percent, but she said that would be a "small positive impact" for the company.

Tamiflu sales peaked at $3 billion in 2009, when governments stockpiled the product in case of a global epidemic of avian flu that never materialized.Walgreen Co, which provides flu shots in some of its pharmacy locations, said on Wednesday it had given 5.7 million doses so far this flu season, up from 5.3 million a year ago.

Flu season has Boston declaring health emergency

BOSTON — Boston declared a public health emergency Wednesday as flu season struck in earnest and the state reported 18 flu-related deaths so far.

The city is working with health care centers to offer free flu vaccines and hopes to set up places where people can get vaccinated. The city said there have been four flu-related deaths, all elderly residents, since the unofficial start of the flu season Oct. 1.

"The best thing you can do to protect yourself and your family is to get the flu shot," said Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.

The city was experiencing its worst flu season since at least 2009, Menino said, with about 700 confirmed cases of the flu, compared with 70 all of last season.

Massachusetts was one of 29 states reporting high levels of "influenza-like illness," according to the most recent weekly flu advisory issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC said the proportion of people visiting health care providers with flu-like symptoms climbed from 2.8 percent to 5.6 percent in four weeks. By contrast, the rate peaked at only 2.2 percent during the relatively mild 2011-12 flu season.

The estimated rate of flu-related hospitalizations in the U.S. was 8.1 per 100,000 people, which is high for this time of year, according to Dr. Joe Bresee, chief of the epidemiology and prevention branch of the CDC's influenza division.

Barbara Ferrer, director of the Boston public health commission, said the emergency was declared in part to get residents' attention. She said that the 700 confirmed cases represent only those reported to the city and that thousands of other people may be ill.

Boston hospitals had counted about 1,500 emergency room visits since December by people with flu-like symptoms. Menino said people with symptoms shouldn't go to work or school.


LOCAL NEWSWORLD NEWSUN envoy says 40 years of Assad family

rule is too longBEIRUT - Syrians believe 40 years of Assad family rule is too long, the international mediator for Syria said, the closest he has come to calling directly for President Bashar al-Assad to quit.

The remarks by U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi cast doubt on the future of his peace plan, the only major diplomatic initiative to end a war the United Nations says has killed 60,000 people.

He appears to have been pushed to take a firmer stance by a speech Assad delivered on Sunday, which was billed as a new peace proposal but offered no concessions and included a vow never

to talk to foes he branded terrorists and Western puppets.

"In Syria, in particular, I think that what people are saying is that a family ruling for 40 years is a little bit too long," Brahimi told Britain's BBC in an interview aired on Wednesday.

"So the change has to be real. It has to be real, and I think that President Assad could take the lead in responding to the aspiration of his people rather than resisting it."

Brahimi's comments were welcomed by the opposition, which has long been angered by the

U.N. mediator's refusal to take a firm position on excluding a future role for Assad.

"The statement of Lakhdar Brahimi has been long awaited," the opposition National Coalition's representative to Britain, Walid Saffour, told Reuters.

"He hasn't criticized Bashar al-Assad before, but now after he despaired of Assad after his Sunday speech, he had no other alternative than to say to the world that this rule is a family rule, and more than 40 years is enough."

Assad has ruled since 2000, taking over from his father Hafez, who seized power in a 1970 coup.

Final defendant in Newark schoolyard murders gets 195 years in prison

The sixth and final defendant convicted in the 2007 schoolyard shooting deaths of three college students in Newark, New Jersey, was sentenced on Wednesday to 195 years in prison.

Gerardo Gomez, 20, was the youngest defendant convicted in the murders of three Delaware State University students and the attempted murder of a fourth in the playground of Mt. Vernon Elementary School on August 4, 2007. The day of the murders was Gomez's 15th birthday.

Shot dead were Terrance Aeriel, 18, and Dashon Harvey and Iofemi Hightower, both 20.

Natasha Aeriel, now 24, was shot and attacked with a machete but survived. Although a minor at the time of the crime, Gomez was tried as an adult.

He must serve 165 years of his 195-year sentence before he is eligible for parole.

Four other defendants are serving multiple consecutive life sentences for the shootings.

A fifth defendant, Shahid Baskerville, had been charged with murder but pleaded guilty to lesser counts in exchange for testimony against Gomez and others. Baskerville is currently serving a 30-year sentence.

"Together these six defendants have been sentenced to more than 1,000 years in prison for committing one of the most heinous crimes known to Essex County," said Assistant Essex County Prosecutor Romesh Sukhdeo in a statement.

The schoolyard shooting drew national attention just one year into Cory Booker's first term as mayor of Newark. In the wake of the high-profile incident, violent crime in Newark lessened, with the city experiencing its first murder-free month since 1944 in March 2010, although crime has been rising in the last two years amid police staffing cuts.

India lashes Pakistan after deadly Kashmir encounter

JAMMU, India - India denounced Pakistan over a firefight in the disputed territory of Kashmir in which two Indian soldiers were killed, but the nuclear-armed rivals both appeared determined to prevent the clash escalating into a full diplomatic crisis.

India summoned Pakistan's envoy in New Delhi to lodge a "strong protest", accusing a group of Pakistani soldiers it said had crossed the heavily militarized Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir of

"barbaric and inhuman" behavior.The body of one of the soldiers was found

mutilated in a forested area on the side controlled

by India, Rajesh K. Kalia, spokesman for the Indian army's Northern Command, said. However, he denied Indian media reports that one body had been decapitated and another had its throat slit.

India's foreign minister sought to cool tensions, however, saying that exhaustive efforts to improve relations could be squandered if the situation was not contained.

"I think it is important in the long term that what has happened should not be escalated," Salman Khurshid told a news conference. "We cannot and must not allow the escalation of any unwholesome event like this."

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since their independence in 1947, two of them over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, and both are now nuclear-armed powers.

India considers the entire Kashmir region of snow-capped mountains and fertile valleys an integral part of its territory. Muslim Pakistan contests that and demands implementation of a 1948 U.N. Security Council resolution for a plebiscite to determine the wishes of the mostly Muslim people of Kashmir.

Iranians freed in major prisoner swap in SyriaDAMASCUS, Syria — Rebels freed 48 Iranians on Wednesday in exchange for more than 2,000 prisoners, including women and children, held by Syrian authorities — a deal struck after rare negotiations involving regional powers Turkey, Qatar and Iran.

It was the first major prisoner swap since the uprising began against President Bashar Assad nearly 22 months ago.

Iran is one of Assad's main allies, and the Iranians, who were seized outside Damascus in August, were a major bargaining chip for factions trying to bring down his regime in the civil war that has killed more than 60,000 people.

The exchange also highlighted the plight of

tens of thousands of detainees languishing in Syrian prisons, many of whom were picked up at street protests and have not been heard of since.

The group of 48 Iranians arrived Wednesday at the Sheraton hotel in several vans escorted by Syrian security forces.

Looking disheveled but healthy, they were greeted by Iran's ambassador in Damascus, Mohammad Riza Shibani, and several Iranian clerics who distributed a white flower to each of the men, some of whom broke down in tears.

"The conditions placed (by the captives) were difficult, but with much work ... we succeeded in securing this release," Shibani told reporters.

"I hope such tragedies will not be repeated."He said their release was a result of elaborate

and "tough" negotiations, but did not elaborate. The Syrian government, which rarely gives details on security-related matters, had no official comment and it was not clear what prompted the exchange.

Rebels claimed the captives were linked to Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard, but Tehran has denied that, saying the men were pilgrims visiting Shiite religious sites in Syria.

The rebels had threatened to kill the captives unless the Assad regime halted military operations against the opposition.


LOCAL NEWSWORLD NEWSFederal investigators seek cause of

New York ferry crashNEW YORK - Investigators searching for the cause of a ferry accident Wednesday morning near Wall Street that injured dozens of people will reportedly look into possible mechanical failure, which was blamed for one of the boat's past docking crashes.

The National Transportation Safety Board inspectors were in Highlands, New Jersey, on Thursday where the Seastreak Wall Street was towed to its usual berth following Wednesday's morning rush-hour crash, said Coast Guard spokeswoman Jetta Disco.

The high-speed commuter ferry was carrying more than 300 passengers from New Jersey when it crashed into a pier during a docking approach injuring 57 people, one critically, authorities said.

"It's a pretty good sized hole," Disco said of the gash torn into the 141-foot ferry, which was

traveling at between 10 and 12 knots, or about 11.5 to 14 miles per hour, when it crashed into the pier.

The five-member, all male crew of the Seastreak will undergo drug tests after having passed breathalyzer tests administered following the accident, Disco said.

The gruesome scene of passengers lying on stretchers at the pier recalled earlier landing crashes involving the Staten Island Ferry, including one in October 2003, which killed 11 people and injured dozens more, and a crash in May 2010 that injured about 40 people.

The ferry pilot in the 2003 crash and his supervisor were each sentenced to more than a year in prison for their roles in the accident. The pilot, Richard Smith, had passed out at the helm. He had taken painkillers the night before for a bad back.

Among the possible causes under scrutiny in

Wednesday's crash is mechanical failure, after the boat struck a buoy about 100 feet from the dock before making the hard landing, according to local media reports.

Seastreak Wall Street had at least two previous docking accidents in 2009 and 2010, including one blamed on mechanical failure, according to a Coast Guard website.

The accident occurred as commuters lined up to quickly disembark the craft and head to work. Many were thrown to its deck by the impact of the hard landing.

The ferry is run by Seastreak, a company owned by the Barker and Tregurtha families, who also own the Interlake Steamship Company, Mormac Marine Group Inc, and Moran Towing Co, the largest tug and barge operator on the East and Gulf Coasts, according to the company's website.

South African farmer workers stage strike

JOHANNESBURG — South Africa media say striking farmer workers in Western Cape province are blocking roads in several areas as part of a protest for higher wages.

Eyewitness News cited a motorist as saying Wednesday that rocks have been placed on a highway near Grabouw town, and there is a heavy police presence. Protesters are also demonstrating around the town of Wolseley.

The strikers are trying to prevent other farmer hands from going to work. They want their daily wages to be more than doubled to 150 South African rand ($17.5). Last year, farmers staged similar protests that turned violent, resulting in at least two deaths.

Many farmers work in vineyards in the area. South Africa is a major wine producer.

Sierra Leone stricken by fuel shortage

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — A fuel shortage has hit Sierra Leone, causing rationing and long lines at gas stations and hampering the movement of vehicles and goods in the West African nation.

Former Minister of Trade and Industry Richard Conteh said the next imported consignment of fuel is not expected to arrive in Freetown before Thursday and that it will take time to offload and distribute it to filling stations which now feature long lines of vehicles, both private and public transport, mixed with people toting jerry cans for their generators.

The shortage has hit the entire country for almost a week. Fares for public transport, including taxis and commercial bikes,

have skyrocketed and black marketeers are charging up to $2.50 for one liter of gas. The normal pump price per liter is $1.

Eric Holder to stay on as attorney general

WASHINGTON - Attorney General Eric Holder, a lightning rod of criticism from Republicans, is staying on in his job as President Barack Obama starts his second term.

A White House official said on Wednesday that Holder is among the Cabinet members who will remain in their position. He has been working on Vice President Joe Biden's task force on finding ways to reduce gun violence after last month's mass killing in Newtown, Connecticut.

It is rare for an attorney general to serve more than four years.

The country's top law enforcement officer has been the target of fierce criticism from Republicans, who tried to oust him after a botched department operation called

"Fast and Furious" that targeted gun trafficking along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives allowed more than 2,000 weapons to illegally slip into Mexico.

The operation was brought to

light when a U.S. border patrol agent was killed in December 2010 in Arizona and two guns connected with the case were found at the scene of the shootout.

It is unclear how much longer Holder plans to work for the Democratic president. There has been speculation that he might stay for six months to a year.

Holder has joined Biden in holding talks with various interest groups on how to cut down on mass shootings.

The Biden group is expected to recommend a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips along with making background checks universal for all gun purchasers.

"He remains focused on his job, as illustrated by his involvement in the gun violence sessions," said a Holder aide.

Attorney General Eric Holder

Saudi executes maid despite

appeals for reprieve

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi authorities say a Sri Lankan domestic worker has been executed for killing a Saudi baby in her care in 2005.

The case spurred global appeals to call off the beheading of Rizana Nafeek because she was 17 at the time of the killing. Rights groups called the death sentence a violation of international codes governing the rights of minors. She had denied strangling the 4-month-old boy.

A statement Wednesday from the Saudi Interior Ministry said the execution was carried out, but it gave no other details.

Groups such as Human Rights Watch strongly condemned the execution.


LOCAL NEWS

Verizon CEO says no Verizon Wireless buyout talks with

VodafoneLAS VEGAS - Verizon Communications is not in talks with Vodafone Group Plc about taking full ownership of their Verizon Wireless venture, despite market speculation this week that such a deal could happen, Verizon's top executive said.

"There's no discussions about it," Verizon Chief Executive Lowell McAdam told Reuters late on Tuesday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Verizon, which owns 55 percent of the wireless venture, has long said that it would be interested in buying out Vodafone if the 45 percent owner

would sell its stake.Vodafone shares rose 2.6 percent on Tuesday

and added almost 8 points to the FTSE 100 Index, the UK benchmark, after McAdam was quoted in a Dow Jones report saying that a deal could be feasible.

But McAdam said his comment did not mean that Verizon was any more likely now to be able to purchase Vodafone's 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless than it was before.

"Its been feasible for 10 years," McAdams said. "There's nothing that's changed."

Toyota settlement in sudden-acceleration case will top $1 billionToyota Motor Co. has announced an agreement worth more than $1 billion to settle a lawsuit involving unintended acceleration in some of its vehicles.

Under terms of the settlement, filed in federal court in Santa Ana, Toyota will install a brake-override system in an estimated 3.25 million vehicles and compensate car owners for the alleged reduced value of the vehicles, among other terms.

According to attorneys for the plaintiffs, the estimated value of the settlement makes it the largest of its kind, although there have

Al Gore Richer than Romney thanks to Current TV Sale

Post-vice presidential life has been very good to Al Gore.

Thanks to the $500 million sale of his liberal news station Current TV to Al Jazeera this month, Gore now has a personal fortune of $300 million, Forbes magazine estimates. That puts him ahead of Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney, whose estimated $230 million left him vulnerable to charges that he was out of touch with the common man.

The financial publication ascribes Gore's wealth to a series of savvy investments that substantially multiplied the $2 million he listed as assets when he ran and lost the presidential

race to George W. Bush in 2000.From his reported 20 percent share of

Current, Gore will receive a $100 million pre-tax payday. But that's not the only evidence of his golden touch. Forbes notes that Gore holds more than $35 million in stock and options through his work as a board member of Apple and could have received a hefty compensation package from his stint as a senior adviser on environmental issues to Google, which started before the search giant went public.

Also filling Gore's coffers was his work in financial services companies like Metropolitan West Financial and his position in Generation

Investment Management, which he co-founded with former Goldman Sachs executive David Blood. That company handles some $7 billion in assets, Forbes reports. Not everyone is happy about Gore's newfound mega-wealth. On CNN's site, media watchdog Howard Kurtz questioned the former vice president's decision to sell his company to a news organization like Al Jazeera that has financial ties to the government of Qatar.

"The marketplace will decide its fate," Kurtz opined. "But there is something unsettling about Gore making off with such a big payday from a government-subsidized channel after making such bad television. Nice work if you can get it."

been larger non-auto industry class settlements in recent years. They said the settlement provides that 16 million current Toyota owners will be eligible for a customer care plan that provide a warranty for certain parts alleged to be tied to unintended acceleration claims.

After a fiery crash of a Lexus, Toyota's luxury brand, took four lives near San Diego in August 2009, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded that floor mats could entrap pedals in Toyota vehicles, leading the Japanese automaker to issue its largest recall

ever. That, in turn, led to a series of subsequent investigations and recalls stretching over several years

Toyota has maintained that its vehicles were free from electronic flaws that caused sudden acceleration. The NHTSA and NASA investigated, but was unable to trace a defect.

“This was a difficult decision -- especially since reliable scientific evidence and multiple independent evaluations have confirmed the safety of Toyota’s electronic throttle control systems,” Christopher P. Reynolds, Toyota Motor North America’s chief legal officer, said in a statement.

“However, we concluded that turning the page on this legacy legal issue through the positive steps we are taking is in the best interests of the company, our employees, our dealers and, most of all, our customers.”

The total value of the settlement is estimated to be between $1.2 and $1.4 billion, according to Steve Berman, the lawyer in charge of directing the class litigation and leading settlement discussions.

“After two years of intense work, including deposing hundreds of engineers, poring over thousands of documents and examining millions of lines of software code, we are pleased that Toyota has agreed to a settlement that was both extraordinarily hard-fought and is exceptionally far-reaching,” Berman said in a statement.

Verizon Chief Executive Lowell McAdam


LOCAL NEWSBUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

Boeing top engineer says he is confident 787 is safe

Boeing Co rolled out the Dreamliner's chief engineer to try to quell concerns about the new jet following three mishaps in as many days, including an electrical fire that caused severe damage to a plane.

At a news conference, the engineer, Mike Sinnett, defended the 787, the world's first plastic plane, and said its problem rates are at about the same level as Boeing's successful 777 jet.

Relatively few technical problems prevent 787s from leaving a gate within 15 minutes of scheduled departure time, he said. "We're in the high 90 percents," he said. "We're right where the 777 program was" at this stage.

The prevalence of more significant issues, such as a battery fire, is in the same order of magnitude as previous programs, he added.

"There's no metrics that are screaming at me that we've got a problem."

Sinnett explained in detail how the lithium ion battery system that burned on Monday was designed by his team to be safe and prevent smoke getting into the cabin in the event of a fire during a flight. "I am 100 percent convinced that the airplane is safe to fly," he said.

Asked why smoke entered the cabin on Monday, Sinnett said the plane lacked cabin pressure to expel smoke because it was on the ground. In that scenario, "We expect that there would be sufficient time to evacuate the plane

safely," Sinnett said.The battery fire, on a 787 jet operated by

Japan Airlines, occurred in Boston on Monday while the empty plane was parked at a gate after passengers had deplaned. That was followed by a fuel leak on another JAL 787 on Tuesday, and by brake problems on an All Nippon Airways 787 that forced the airline to cancel the flight on Wednesday.

These mishaps represent the most serious test of confidence in the Dreamliner since it began flying customers just over a year ago, following more than three years of delivery delays.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are

looking into what caused the fire, which came just weeks after Boeing endured a string of other electrical problems that briefly grounded three of the planes. The new jet also has suffered an engine failure and fuel leaks in the 14 months it has been in service.

Sinnett said the electrical faults that occurred in rapid succession in December were traced to a single lot of circuit boards manufactured at one time. He didn't name the supplier.

Analysts said they did not think regulators would ground the 49 Dreamliner jets currently in service due to this week's incidents, but some expected days or weeks

to pass before firm details about the mishaps emerge - making it difficult to assess the severity of the problem, and the cost to fix them.

"It's clear through the conversation (from Sinnett) that it appeared to be manufacturing as opposed to design issues," said Jason Gursky, an analyst at Citigroup in San Francisco. "The fact that we've seen a multitude of small issues crop up and are not seeing the same issue time and time again would support that view."

Further detail from regulators are likely to take more time. In July, regulators took three days to decide whether to launch an investigation of a General Electric engine that failed on a 787, and another week passed before they provided details.

Samsung seeks broader chip base as Apple cuts looseLAS VEGAS - Samsung Electronics Co is looking to supply chips to more Chinese and other emerging smartphone makers, the head of its system chip business said, to counter any fall-off in demand from Apple Inc, which is weaning itself off Samsung chips used in its iPhones and iPads.

Samsung and its main U.S. rival, and biggest customer, together account for more than half the global smartphone market, and the South Korean group is the main supplier of mobile processors, or application processors (AP), powering both Apple devices and its own range of Galaxy phones and tablets.

But, as Apple looks to be less reliant on its rival for parts for its gadgets - it is already buying fewer Samsung memory chips and display screens as the two have gone to war over patents - concerns have grown that Samsung may see its processor revenues tumble.

"As there are just two smartphone makers that are doing really well, chipmakers supplying them have

grown in tandem. So we plan to bolster our relationship with those key customers," Stephen Woo, president of Samsung's System LSI business, which makes processors for Apple products, said in an interview.

Supplying processors for Apple products has been the mainstay of Samsung's system chips business.

Goldman Sachs estimates Samsung's AP chip sales to Apple will rise to 9.3 trillion won ($8.8 billion) this year, or nearly 80 percent of Apple's spending on Samsung processing chips, memory chips and flat screens. But that could tumble to just 2.5 trillion won next year, as Apple will shift 30 percent of its AP business from Samsung and eventually 80 percent by 2017, according to Goldman.

"(We) should diversify our customer base and are making such efforts already, adding some Chinese customers," Woo told Reuters ahead of his first keynote speech at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

China's Meizu, one of the

local smartphone newcomers, uses Samsung's Exynos quad-core chip for its MX smartphone, and Lenovo's K860 LePhone is also powered by Exynos.

Still, Samsung's mobile processor business is almost entirely tied to the fortunes of Apple and its own mobile business - the Galaxy range. By comparison, chip rivals such as Qualcomm Inc, Texas Instruments and Nvidia have a broader client base

- from LG Electronics Inc and Nokia to HTC Corp, Huawei Technologies Co and Google's Motorola.

"We see emerging players who have potential to grow in smartphones and we will continue to make efforts to supply them with our chips," Woo said.

The mobile processor market, driven by roaring sales of smartphones and tablets, is a bright spot for a semiconductor industry that is struggling with falling computer sales. Research firm Gartner estimates the mobile processor market will grow 30 percent this year to $13.5 billion and

hit $16.5 billion next year.To strengthen its chip capability,

Samsung bought UK chipmaker CSR Plc's mobile phone connectivity and location technology for $310 million last year, and it is now looking at how it can improve modem chip technology, especially the baseband chip solution that enables wireless devices' radio communications.

Chipmakers are increasingly seeking to produce a single chip solution that combines AP, modem chip and connectivity chips that support Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and near-field communication functions, in one chipset.

This combo-package is popular among low-end smartphones as it allows phone makers to cram various chips into compact devices.

Woo said Samsung, however, was not considering expanding into a single chip solution and will instead continue to focus on pure AP chips favored for high-end phones, as it allows manufacturers to differentiate their hardware offerings with various chip combinations.

Mike Sinnett


LOCAL NEWS

Come and join our winning team!!!

Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages and Spa, the only 6 Diamond all inclusive property in the Caribbean is inviting applications from suitably qualified Turks and Caicos Islanders for the following vacant positions.

Applicants must have a clean police record and a good command of the English language both written and spoken. In addition candidates must be able to work nights, public holidays and week-ends. The Resort thanks everyone for their interest in advance and advises that only short listed applicants will be contacted for an interview.The Security Department is looking for:

Security ManagerInterested applicants must possess:

Requirements include but are not limited to:• Diploma / Degree in a relevant field.• Minimum 3-5 years’ experience in the security. • Good knowledge and understanding of Security & Safety regulations.• Able to advise the team on Security & Safety provisions, development and systems.• Strong leadership qualities with excellent interpersonal and communication skills.• Computer literate • Excellent health and clean working record.

Housekeeping Department is looking for:

Executive Housekeeper Assistant ManagerInterested applicants must possess:

Requirements include but are not limited to:Five years’ experience in the Housekeeping, management.Due to the physical layout of the property, applicants should be in good physical condition

The salary for the positions indicated above range from $23,000.00 to $40,000.00 per annum

Dining Room Department is looking for:

Food and Beverage ManagerInterested applicants must possess:

Requirements include but are not limited to:

10 years’ experience in F/B Management, Knowledge of restaurant, bar/lounge, banquets, room service and kitchen operational experience. Knowledge of OSHA standards.

The salary for the position listed above is negotiableAdministration Department is looking for:

Executive Assistant ManagerInterested applicants must possess:

Requirements include but are not limited to: Experience in the areas of Housekeeping, Front Office, MOD and Night management.Due to the physical layout of the property, applicants should be in good physical condition

The salary for the position listed above is negotiable.

The Engineering Department is looking for:

Technical Specialist

He/ She will be responsible for the repairs and maintenance of the entire fire alarm system including alarm panels, fire pumps, sprinkler system, fire suppression systems and network. In addition assist with the repairs and maintenance of all other technical areas including frequency drives, control panels, ups systems, CCTV cameras and electrical.

Skills Level of EducationCertification in relevant fields e.g. electrical etc.

The hourly rate for the position indicated above range from $8.00 to $14.00 per hour

Applications giving full details of qualifications and experience should be sent to:[email protected] or Fax to: 941-4870 Attn: M McClean-Vaughn

The Human Resources DepartmentBeaches Turks and CaicosP.O. Box 186Lower Bight Road

and

The Labour CommissionerLabour DepartmentProvidencialesTurks and Caicos Islands\

and should reach not later than January 12th 2013

HAB MANAGEMENT LTD.Applications are invited from suitably qualified individuals to fill the following position:

BAKERMain Duties• CheckProductionscheduletodeterminevarietyandquantityofgoodsbake.• Measureandmixingredientstoformdoughorbatterfollowingrecipes.• Roll,cutandshapedoughtoformrolls,piecrusts,tarts,cookiesandrelatedproducts.• Cut,peelandpreparefruitsforpiefillings.• Placedoughinpans,moldsoronsheetsandbakeinoven.Observeproductswhilecookingandadjustcontrols.• Mixicingsandothertoppingsanddecoratecakes,pastriesandotherbakedgoods.• Useavarietyofkitchentools,includingelectricmixers,pans,rollingpinsandcuttingtools.• Maydevelopnewrecipes.

GeneralActivities• Monitorbakingprocesstoidentifyneededadjustments.• Getinformationfromproductsschedulesandrecipes.• Handleandmoveingredients,toolsandcookingpans.• Controlmixingprocessesandovencontrols.• Implementproductsbyfollowingrecipesorcreatingnewones.

RequirementsApplicantsmusthaveatleast3yearsworkinginahighclassbakeryorrestaurantmakingavarietyofbreadandpastriestoahighstandard.Applicantswillberequiredtoworkearlymorninghourssohavingpersonaltransportationisanecessityforthisposition.Performotherdutiesasassigned,requestedordeemednecessarybymanagement.Applicantswillberequiredtoworkonafulltimebasis.Mustbeabletowalk,standorstoopforthedurationofshift(atleast8hours).Applicantsmustbeabletounderstand/speak/read/writeEnglishproficiently.Applicantsmustbedetailoriented,mustbehardworkingandateamplayer.Workwithminimalsupervision.Wagesforthispositionis$7.00hourlycommensurateexperienceandtraining.

InterestedapplicantsshouldcontactVeronicaRigbyviaemailbyJanuary28,2013atronnie@habgroup.comorbyfax649-946-5191.Onlypersonsselectedforaninterviewwillbecontactedbyemailortelephonetoscheduleaninterview.

Currentlylookingforthefollowingpositions:RestaurantMaitreD’Hotel:Tocatertoourupscalerestaurantclientele.TheidealcandidatewouldhaveperfectEnglishlanguageskillsandbefluentinFrench.StrongFood&Beverageandespeciallywineexpertiseiskeyaswellasbeingabletomanageadiverseserviceteam.Beingabletoworklonghours,holidaysandSundaysisessential,andaminimumof5yearsofmanagementexperienceinafivestarenvironmentisrequired.ComputerskillswithPOSsystems,QuickBooks,InventoryManagement,P&L’s,PayrollsystemsandMenuTrackingbackofthehouseexperiencearerequired.Additionalcleaningandrestockingdutiesareintegraltothisposition.

Hostess:Seekinghostessestocatertoourupscalerestaurantclientele.Awinningattitudeandtheabilitytoworkwellunderpressureiskey.Mustbeabletoworkweekendsandholidays.

Captain:catertoourupscalerestaurantclientele.Ifyouhaveatleast5-8yearsofexperienceinboutique,5staror5diamondrestaurants,believethatyourintelligencecomesthroughyourcuriosity,arewillingtoshowyourskillsaswellaslearningnewones,canworksplitshifts,holidays,Sundaysandarewillingtoworkinachallenging,fastpacedenvironment,thisisyouropportunity.ComputerskillsandPOSexperienceareamust.IdealcandidateshavegreatEnglishlanguageskillsandgoodknowledgeofasecondlanguage,preferablyFrenchorSpanish.Expertiseinwines,foodsandspiritsisamust,withcertificationpreferable.Youmustalsovaluepunctualityandintegrity,aswellasunderstandthatthistypeofworkissalesorientedandrequiresyoutoperformyourdutiesthroughouttheresort,includingthebeach.Additionalcleaningandrestockingdutiesareintegraltothisposition.Leadershipandguestinteractionskillsarekeytoasuccessfulcandidacy,aswellasprovidingatleasttworeferencesfromuppermanagementof5staror5diamondrestaurants.AllapplicantsmustbepreparedtoworkflexiblehoursandworkduringholidayswhentheResorts’occupancyishighQualifiedBelongersneedonlyapplyWewillcontactapplicantsforinterviewshouldyoumeetourrequirements.e-mail:[email protected]

Currently looking for the following positions:

Restaurant Maitre D’Hotel: Tocatertoourupscalerestaurantclientele.TheidealcandidatewouldhaveperfectEnglishlanguageskillsandbefluentinFrench.StrongFood&Beverageandespeciallywineexpertiseiskeyaswellasbeingabletomanageadiverseserviceteam.Beingabletoworklonghours,holidaysandSundaysisessential,andaminimumof5yearsofmanagementexperienceinafivestarenvironmentisrequired.ComputerskillswithPOSsystems,QuickBooks,InventoryManagement,P&L’s,PayrollsystemsandMenuTrackingbackofthehouseexperiencearerequired.Additionalcleaningandrestockingdutiesareintegraltothisposition.

Hostess: Seekinghostessestocatertoourupscalerestaurantclientele.Awinningattitudeandtheabilitytoworkwellunderpressureiskey.Mustbeabletoworkweekendsandholidays.

Captain : catertoourupscalerestaurantclientele.Ifyouhaveatleast5-8yearsofexperienceinboutique,5staror5diamondrestaurants,believethatyourintelligencecomesthroughyourcuriosity,arewillingtoshowyourskillsaswellaslearningnewones,canworksplitshifts,holidays,Sundaysandarewillingtoworkinachallenging,fastpacedenvironment,thisisyouropportunity.ComputerskillsandPOSexperienceareamust.IdealcandidateshavegreatEnglishlanguageskillsandgoodknowledgeofasecondlanguage,preferablyFrenchorSpanish.Expertiseinwines,foodsandspiritsisamust,withcertificationpreferable. Youmustalsovaluepunctualityandintegrity,aswellasunderstandthatthistypeofworkissalesorientedandrequiresyoutoperformyourdutiesthroughouttheresort,includingthebeach.Additionalcleaningandrestockingdutiesare integraltothisposition.Leadershipandguestinteractionskillsarekeytoasuccessfulcandidacy,aswellasprovidingatleasttworeferencesfromuppermanagementof5staror5diamondrestaurants.

All applicants must be prepared to work flexible hours and work during holidays when the Resorts’ occupancy is high

Qualified Belongers need only applyWe will contact applicants for interview should you meet our requirements.

e-mail: [email protected]


LOCAL NEWS

NOTICERegulation 7 of the Physical Planning (Development Permission) Regulations, 1990

An application, PR11389, by CAICOS OIL LTD for, FUEL FARM OFFICE BUILDING, 10FT FENCE AND ANCILLARY SERVICES has been submitted to the Department of Planning for consideration of Detailed Development Permission and Building Permit on 60514/8 FIVE CAYS & NORWAY Providenciales.

Anyone wishing to make representation(s) may do so in writing to the director of planning, south base, Grand Turk or through the department of planning, downtown, town center mall, Providenciales, within twenty eight (28) days of publication of this notice.

DATED: JANUARY 3rd, 2013

Warne banned for one BBL match after brawl with Marlon Samuels

Shane Warne might have played his last game of this Big Bash League campaign after being suspended for one match following his ugly clash with Marlon Samuels on Sunday night. Warne, the Melbourne Stars captain, was also fined $4500 following the fracas in the derby against the Melbourne Renegades at the MCG, while Samuels is yet to face his hearing after also being charged over the incidents.

Warne was charged with four breaches of Cricket Australia's Code of Behaviour and found guilty of three; Samuels was charged with two offences. Warne's suspension means he will miss the Stars' last qualifying match at home to the Sydney Thunder on Tuesday and his chances of taking any further part in the tournament will hinge on whether his side, which is one of four sides locked together on four wins in the middle of the points table, reaches the finals.

Warne confronted Samuels physically and verbally during the Melbourne Renegades innings at the MCG, seemingly in retaliation for an incident that had occurred earlier during the Melbourne Stars innings. During that incident, the bowler Samuels grabbed David Hussey by the shirt and prevented him taking off for a second run, a strange act given that Hussey's path had not taken him into contact with Samuels.

Later while Samuels was batting, he took off for a run and turned back, after which Warne came down the pitch and said to Samuels: "You want to grab some more people? F*** you Marlon." Warne, who was wearing a Fox Sports microphone at the time, then grabbed Samuels' shirt, apparently to demonstrate what he felt Samuels had done wrong earlier, and pointed at him threateningly.

The clash continued in the next over when Warne collected the ball running in from the off side and under-armed it into the body of Samuels,

who was in his crease not attempting a run. Samuels responded by tossing his bat down the pitch, vaguely in the direction of Warne.

On Monday morning, Cricket Australia confirmed a long list of charges from the incidents. Warne was found guilty of three: showing serious dissent at an umpire's decision; engaging in inappropriate and deliberate physical contact with another player; and using obscene, offensive or generally insulting language to another player. He was found not guilty of throwing the ball at or near a player in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner.

After the hearing, Warne indicated that he would consider appealing the suspension, but later in the day he decided to accept his ban and hoped the Stars reached the finals. In a series of tweets, Warne also expressed disappointment at his own actions. "I have always been passionate when I play cricket and had the game at heart along with its image..." he tweeted. "I'm disappointed at some of my actions last night as captain & as a player,but I'm also very disappointed at the severe penalty I received!"

Samuels has been charged with engaging in inappropriate and deliberate physical contact with another player; and unbecoming behaviour, namely that "players and officials must not at any time engage in behaviour unbecoming to a representative player or official that could (a) bring them or the game of cricket into disrepute or (b) be harmful to the interests of cricket".

However, Samuels ended the match with a potentially serious injury to his eye socket after he top-edged a Lasith Malinga delivery through the grille of his helmet, and any suspension may not affect his availability anyway. The Renegades coach Simon Helmot said Samuels was recovering at the team hotel and would be taking some time

off to care for his injury, and a time for his hearing is yet to be confirmed by Cricket Australia.

"We're now waiting for the swelling around his eye to subside before determining the full extent of the blow," Helmot said. "We are also assessing what, if anything, this means in terms of squad composition for the remainder of the tournament and will take action to source an international replacement if necessary."

Gayle unable to play Caribbean T20Chris Gayle is not playing for Jamaica in the ongoing Caribbean T20 because the selectors decided to omit him from the squad, after the batsman said he would be available only if his Big Bash League franchise, Sydney Thunder, did not make the knockouts of Australia's ongoing domestic T20 competition.

Thunder failed to make it past the league stage of the BBL but, according to the Caribbean T20 playing conditions, Gayle cannot be added to Jamaica's squad unless one of their players is injured.

The WICB had set a December 16 deadline for all the regional teams to send in their squads for the final edition of the Caribbean T20, which will be replaced by the franchise-based Caribbean Premier League next year. Eager to have Gayle in their squad, Jamaica's three-man selection panel, led by Courtnay Daley, contacted him in December, when West Indies were touring Bangladesh. Gayle was open to the offer, but made it clear that he

would be available for Jamaica only after his stint with Thunder. Though Gayle found form in the final match for Thunder with the fastest fifty of the BBL, it came too late in the day.*

"When we got in touch with Chris, he said he could only come if his team [Thunder] did not go through," Daley, the chairman of selectors, told ESPNcricinfo. "So based on our situation we decided to go ahead and name the squad [without Gayle]."

Thunder had a dismal run in the BBL, losing all seven games and finishing bottom of the league. Gayle, one of the most destructive batsmen in T20 cricket, made only 72 runs in six innings.

According to Daley, the Caribbean T20 rules do not permit squad changes and the only way Gayle can be accommodated is as a replacement in case of an injury to an existing player.

Jamaica are also without the services of Marlon Samuels, who is playing for Melbourne Renegades, the BBL leaders with six wins in seven

matches. According to Daley, Samuels could not be directly contacted but the selectors had tried to check his availability through Gayle. "We could not reach Marlon directly and asked Chris to relay the message. But Chris did not get back," he said.

"With the Big Bash going on, we could not take a decision. We would have loved to have both Gayle and Samuels."

Unlike Jamaica, defending Caribbean T20 champions Trinidad & Tobago will be boosted by the presence of Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine, who are also part of the Big Bash. Narine, who played for Sydney Sixers, had returned to play in the washed-out tournament opener against Jamaica on Sunday evening. Pollard, who represented Adelaide Strikers, is expected to join the squad on Tuesday. Both players had worked out an arrangement with the Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board and their Big Bash franchises to play in the Caribbean T20.


LOCAL NEWSCARIBBEAN SPORTS

Grace Bay Club is looking for candidates that have the requirements listed along with an outgoing professional manner. They love to work with different types of people, meet challenges with a positive attitude and live the standards of our organization. Their man-agement style is one that balances a commitment to people and their development with business/financial accountability and delivers an exceptional guest experience

KITCHEN STEWARD Job Requirements:• Washes dishes, utensils and cookware following established procedures• Place clean dishes, utensils, and cooking equipment in storage areas.• Maintain kitchen work areas, equipment, and utensils in clean and orderly condition.• Assists in performing cleaning tasks as needed in the kitchen• Assists the cook(s) with food preparation as requestedBelongers need only to apply. Salary Range: Commensurate based on qualification and experience

Laundry Attendant Job Requirements: • Folds and places item in appropriate storage area.• Sorts torn and stained articles.• Sorts dried articles according to type.• Loads articles into washer and adds specified amount of detergent, soap or other cleaning.• Operates laundry machinery such as washers, driers and ironers.• Lifts clean, wet articles from washer and places them successively into driers for measures time cycles.• Soaks contaminated articles and processes in de-staining cycle.• Iron and fold dried clothes and deploy to the designated rooms or areas. Belongers need only apply.Salary Range: Commensurate based on qualification and experience

Bartender Job Requirements:• Applicant is a minimum of 19 years of age; fluent in written and spoken English• Possess a High School Certificate.• Have two years experience as a Bartender, or one year as a Bar back in a five star-ho-tel upscale environment.• Perform specified Bartender duties, including food and drink orders, preparation, and serving.• Direct and assist the Bar back and beverage servers.• Follow specific cash and system handling procedures.• Be responsible in the serving of alcohol and the laws and regulations surrounding it.• Maintain ongoing knowledge of the hotel operations.• Maintain the cleanliness, working order, and presentation of the bar top, tables, ser-vice areas and outlet itself.Qualified Belongers need only apply.Salary Range: Commensurate based on qualification and experience

Restaurant Manager Job Requirements:• Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management• At least 3-4 years experience as a Restaurant Manager in a luxury hotel/resort/club• Experience in quality and efficiency initiatives• International and multi-outlet experience• Ability to lead, train and organize team to deliver superb guest experience• Ability to manager budget and understand how P&L is prepared.• Knowledge of health and sanitation standards• Be able to prepare staff schedules, timesheets and have knowledge of Macros, Excel and WindowsQualified Belongers need only apply.Salary Range: Commensurate based on qualification and experience

Director of Finance Job Requirements & Qualifications:• Recognized Accountancy Qualification, ACA/ACCA/CIMA/CPA• 5 to 10 years post qualification experience.• Experience in running the finance function in a luxury hotel/resort/club.• Considerable people management experience.• Excellent knowledge of hotel accounting software.• Advanced mathematical and accounting concepts• Analyzing and interpreting general business periodicals, professional journals and governmental regulations.• Coordinates and manages the Business Planning and Forecasting process in conjunc-tion with the General Manager and Department Heads.• Supervises the timely preparation and distribution of Financial Statements and Operating Reports in conjunction with Corporate and Owner guidelines including cash flow statements Qualified Belongers need only to applySalary Range: Commensurate based on qualification and experience

Cook Job Requirements:• Middle level culinary skills• Dependable, proactive, organized, team player with Education from a formal culi-nary program• At least two to three years cooking experience; preparing international breakfast, lunch and dinner in regional cooking environment and have a Sanitation certificate• Ability to plan, organize and execute meal plans• Must speak and read English fluently with additonal languges an assetQualified Belongers need only to applySalary Range: Commensurate based on qualification and experience

Spa Therapists Job Requirements:• Grace Bay Club is looking for a Massage Therapist/Esthetician who is an enthusias-tic team player with excellent customer service.• The therapist will be responsible for administering professional facial, massage and body treatments to our guests.• Must have a thorough knowledge of the skin with numerous massage modalities.• Must possess a general understanding of body treatments and be willing to train in

our spa’s specific facial, massage and body treatment offerings.• Must possess excellent communication skills and be able to learn the product and service knowledge necessary to effectively provide wellness solutions to meet the needs of our guests.• The Therapist will be required to properly care for equipment, perform prep work, clean and restock spa rooms• Assist in all areas of the spa operation as requested by Supervisors or coaches.• Be flexible with your schedule, supporting the needs of the spa.• Build respectful and cooperative relationships with colleagues and leaders.• He/she must maintain the standards of Grace Bay as found in the standard operating procedures of the department, and as they are amended from time to time.Education and Experience:• Secondary level education is required. Good writing, reading, listening and basic computation skills are necessary.• Previous experience in a 5 star spa is required.• International qualifications (or qualifications equivalent to international standards) are required in Esthetics and Massage Therapy. Qualified Belongers need only apply.Salary Range: Commensurate based on qualification and experience

Group Director of People Development Job Requirements To be responsible for the centralized Human Resources Department for Grace Bay Re-sorts by overseeing HR and Training strategies for all properties from an operational and strategic standpoint. The successful candidate will work directly with the company’s senior management team, to develop and implement strategic long range initiatives that will support the growth of the Grace Bay Resorts Brand.The successful candidate must meet the following qualifications and experience:• 10+ years experience in a Senior Human Resource Role within the Hospitality Sector• 10+ years experience in the Luxury Market, in Hotels, Resorts or Cruise Line In-dustries• College or University degree in Human Resource Management or equivalent years of experience.• Caribbean experience considered definite plus.• 3+ years overseeing multi-unit Human Resources Departments within an organiza-tion.• Certified in “Talent Plus” or other recognized psycho-metric testing tool that enables you to conduct certification tests and benchmark talent.• Experience in Kronos set up and implementation. Ability to use Kronos as an HRIS and payroll tool to manage payroll, time & attendance, disciplinary action, employee wage and labor costs.• Extensive knowledge in Training & Development, conducting Needs Analysis, de-signing, developing and facilitating training programs that meet the company’s strategic needs.• Extensive knowledge in writing company P & P’s and SOP’s and developing com-pany Brand Standards.• Previous demonstrated experience in Conflict Resolution, and Employee Relations• Previous demonstrated experience in designing compensation models that attract and retain the best qualified talent for Grace Bay Resorts.• Previous experience recruiting and selecting top notch industry professionals at all levels of the organization.• Ability to determine appropriate staffing levels based on forecasted revenues, to opti-mize the balance between desired profitability, guest demands and employee satisfaction.• Ideal candidate will be a “strategic thinker”, skilled at identifying company develop-ment opportunities as it relates to policies, processes and standards• New Hotel Opening experience considered a definite asset.Qualified Belongers need only apply.Salary Range: Commensurate based on qualification and experience

Group Chef N B /Food & Beverage Director Job Requirements (Chef N B) to be responsible for overall Food & Beverage and Culinary Operations for Grace Bay Resorts by overseeing concepts for front and back of house operations, creat-ing total guest experiences. The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience in achieving food & beverage revenues, profit and guests satisfaction goals by develop-ing and implementing menu designs and concepts that are current with international and local trends, ensuring that the Grace Bay Resorts are culinary Destinations.The successful candidate must meet the following qualifications and experience:• 10+ years experience in a Senior Culinary Role, either as Executive Chef or Culinary Director.• Extensive culinary skills, with exposure and intimate knowledge of international cuisines and food trends.• Educated in Culinary Management, Food & Beverage Management, Restaurant Management and 5 Diamond requirements• International Hotel and Restaurant experience a must.• Caribbean experience considered a definite plus.• As an Executive Committee Member, work closely with the company’s senior management team to develop and implement strategies for food & beverage and kitchen operations that support achievement of the company’s goals.• Oversees the inventory, purchasing and disbursement of all supplies, while main-taining strong P&L statements. • Extensive experience overseeing multiple food & beverage units simultaneously, while driving revenue. • Ability to “think outside of the box” as it relates to menu design, concepts, trends and culinary events and to create the “WOW” factor for entertaining VIP guests.• Demonstrated experience overseeing and developing exceptional Front and Back of House teams to meet and exceed guest expectation, revenue generation and employee satisfaction.• Ideal candidate will be a “strategic thinker”, skilled at identifying company devel-opment opportunities as it relates to overall food & beverage strategies and growth of the Brand.• New Hotel Opening experience considered a definite asset. Qualified Belongers need only to applySalary Range: Commensurate based on qualification and experience

Interested persons can contact our Human Resources Department no later than January 28th 2013 @ (649) 946-5050 Ext. 1050 | Fax: (649) 946-5758 | Email: [email protected]

P.O. Box 128 Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands, British West Indies

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AT GRACE BAY


LOCAL NEWS


LOCAL NEWSWORLD SPORTS

Doctor optimistic after Redskins RG3 knee surgery

WASHINGTON - If Adrian Peterson can do it, maybe Robert Griffin III can, too.

Peterson set an incredible standard this season for NFL players returning from major knee surgery, nearly breaking the NFL single-season rushing record. Griffin need look nowhere else for an inspiration as the Washington Redskins quarterback begins the road back from an operation Wednesday on two ligaments in his right knee.

''I think it gives motivation to everyone,'' said Russ Paine, a physical therapist in Houston who worked with the Peterson as the Minnesota Vikings running back went through rehab.

Griffin had his lateral collateral ligament repaired and his ACL reconstructed for a second time. The surgery was performed in Florida by orthopedist James Andrews, who was optimistic that Griffin would be back on the field this fall.

''We expect a full recovery, and it is everybody's hope and belief that due to Robert's high motivation, he will be ready for the 2013 season,'' Andrews said in a statement released by the Redskins. ''The goal of his treatment is to give him the best opportunity for a long professional career.''

But no two athletes - or knee surgeries, for that matter - are exactly alike, so pinning down a date for Griffin's return is an inexact science. Complicating matters is that Griffin tore the ACL in the same knee in 2009 while playing for Baylor.

University of Maryland head team physician

Craig Bennett said football players typically need seven to 11 months to return from a second ACL reconstruction, but that it often takes up to a year for the ligament to be fully healed.

''Typically your first season back from an ACL reconstruction, there's a tendency to have some struggles from time to time,'' Bennett said.

That's what made Peterson so remarkable. He tore an ACL in late December 2011 and was the league's best back in 2012.

Paine said Peterson's focus and intensity in rehab and natural athletic gifts made the quick recovery possible. Many say Griffin has those same qualities, and he was sounding an upbeat tone on Twitter even before the surgery began early Wednesday morning.

While Griffin heals, the debate will continue as to whether he should have been on the field when he hurt the knee for a final time in the fourth quarter Sunday's playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Griffin reinjured his knee in the first quarter and was obviously hobbled, but he stayed in the game after convincing coach Mike Shanahan that all was OK.

''People can limp around; people can be hurting,'' Hall of Fame quarterback and ESPN analyst Steve Young said Wednesday. ''Some of the great John Wayne hero things that have ever happened in football happened because people play hurt.''

The first major injury to Griffin's knee was the

torn ACL in the third game of the 2009 season with Baylor, when he was hurt on the opening drive against Northwestern State but kept playing until halftime. Griffin missed the rest of the year but returned in 2010 and won the Heisman Trophy in 2011.

Griffin's first notable injury in the pros was a concussion early this season, which led the quarterback to learn to protect his body better while running the ball.

But last month, at the end of a 13-yard scramble, he sprained the LCL when he was hit by Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata. Griffin missed one game and returned to play in three more while wearing a bulky knee brace, his mobility clearly hindered.

On Sunday, Griffin hurt the knee again as he fell awkwardly while throwing a pass late in the first quarter against the Seahawks. He was mostly ineffective the rest of the game, completing only four passes after that drive.

Griffin finally departed with 6:19 to play in the game, after the knee buckled while he was trying to field a bad shotgun snap.

The No. 2 overall pick in last year's draft, Griffin was one of several rookie quarterbacks to make an instant impact on the NFL this season. He set the league record for best season passer rating by a rookie QB and led the Redskins to their first NFC East title in 13 years.

Pettersson says Golf on witch hunt of long puttersKAPALUA, Hawaii -- Carl Pettersson says the proposed rule to ban the anchored stroke for long putters feels like a ''witch hunt,'' and that golf's governing bodies were only reacting to three of the last five major champions using a belly putter.

''It seems silly to ban something that's been around for 40 years,'' Pettersson said in his first comments since the U.S. Golf Association and Royal & Ancient Golf Club announced plans Nov. 28 to outlaw anchored strokes. ''It's unfortunate. I feel like I'm 16 years behind because I haven't putted with anything else for 16 years.''

Pettersson, who qualified for the Tournament of Champions by winning at Hilton Head, began using a broom-handle putter that he anchors to his chest between his sophomore and junior year at North Carolina State.

Keegan Bradley (PGA Championship), Webb Simpson (U.S. Open) and Ernie Els (British Open) used a belly putter to win

their majors.Two more months of comment

period remain before the rule becomes official, and then it does not take effect until the next Rules of Golf is published Jan. 1, 2016.

Even as the long putters were getting more attention, Pettersson made one of the most compelling cases to keep them. It is the only putting stroke he has used during his 10 years on the PGA Tour.

Pettersson long has argued that he has spent thousands of hours practicing the stroke, which did not come naturally to him, and that to start over would put him at an unfair disadvantage. He was said to be among those who might consider a lawsuit if the rule is adopted, though the easygoing Swede said he would see how this year unfolded.

''I don't know,'' he said when asked if he would challenge the rule. ''I haven't made up my mind yet. I'm just going to sit back and see what happens.''

In the meantime, he has no

plans to change putters.Simpson said he had been

practicing on occasion with a short putter in case of a ban, and Bradley had some fun at the World Challenge last month when he grabbed a short putter on the practice green at Sherwood and made a 20-foot putt.

Both showed up at Kapalua with their belly putters.

''I'm not going to change,'' Bradley said. ''I'm not even thinking about it, to be honest. I'm going to wait for the rule to pass first, and then I'll think about what to do.''

Pettersson said he tinkered with a few grips during his month at home in North Carolina, though not to the point that he practiced on a real green. He also said he was not surprised by the decision, saying it became clear in the last few months that the USGA and R&A were leaning toward a ban.

''It feels a bit like a witch hunt to me,'' Pettersson said. ''It was a pure reaction to Keegan and Ernie

and Webb. They keep harping on the younger generation using them, but I think they're going to ban it because it looks bad. But you have strong arguments from other players, too.''

Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker and Graeme McDowell are on a long list of players who use conventional putters and believe an anchored stroke should go away, saying it takes the skill out of putting because the top part of the club is anchored to the body.

What concerned golf's top officials is that players no longer were using an anchored stroke out of desperation to improve their putting, but as a way to putt better.

''There's no argument that it's a better way to putt because then everybody would be using it,'' Pettersson said. ''If it was easy, everybody on the PGA Tour would be using it.

So I don't know where they got that from. It's just a different way of putting.''


LOCAL NEWSWORLD SPORTS

Baseball Hall of Fame elects no players for first time since 1996

Baseball is a game that reveres numbers, and their numbers offer indisputable evidence they were among the best to ever play. Barry Bonds clobbered more home runs than anyone in a single season or a career, and was honored as his league’s most valuable player a record seven times. Roger Clemens won 354 career games and was named winner of the Cy Young Award as his league’s best pitcher seven times, another record.

Yet on Wednesday, Bonds and Clemens were denied entry to the Baseball Hall of Fame, a sharp rebuke not only to those two stars, but an apparent condemnation of the steroids-tainted period in which they played the game.

n their first time eligible to receive the sport’s top honor from the Baseball Writers Association of America, both men — whose careers ended with suspicions they used performance-enhancing drugs, despite their denials -- received fewer than four out of 10 votes, well short of the 75 percent needed for induction.

For the first time since 1996, the baseball writers elected no one to the Hall. Among those rejected were Sammy Sosa, the slugger who sits eighth on the all-time home run list and who joined Clemens and Bonds on the ballot for the first time. Mark McGwire, who sits 10th on the all-time home run list, failed again, receiving his lowest

percentage in seven years of eligibility.McGwire has admitted steroid use. Sosa was

widely suspected of it.The vote was the latest emphatic, if expected,

pronouncement that the vast majority of the 569 writers who cast ballots are not ready to elect even the best performers if there are fears they used drugs. (The Washington Post does not participate in the voting.)

“It means that the period in baseball from about the time I left until the present is a pretty dirty, if that’s the right word, period,” said Fay Vincent, who served as baseball’s commissioner from 1989-92. “I think everybody, including many who were probably clean, are subject to that judgment, and any judgment has got to be a cloudy one.”

The results extended the debate about how baseball, a sport that cherishes its history, should remember those players who defined and dominated an era from the 1990s through the mid-2000s in which baseball’s own investigation – undertaken just as the careers of Bonds and Clemens were ending -- showed the use of performance-enhancing drugs was widespread.

“It’s a tough period for evaluation,” Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson said. “That’s what this chalks up to.”

News of the vote was embraced by some and brought swift rebuttals from others. Clemens, who has defiantly and publicly expressed his innocence, took to Twitter to express his reaction.

“After what has been written and said over the last few years I’m not overly surprised,” Clemens wrote in a link from his account. “Thanks to all the teams I’ve worked with and to fans and friends for all the fantastic letters, voice mails and texts of support over the last few years.

“To those who did take the time to look at the facts … we very much appreciate it.”

US coach admits affair and resignsAUSTIN, Texas — University of Texas women's track coach Bev Kearney resigned Saturday and acknowledged in an interview with the Austin American-Statesman that she had an intimate relationship with an athlete in her program in 2002.

Kearney, who won six national championships since 1993, was placed on paid leave in November as university officials investigated unspecified issues within the program. In a statement released Saturday night, university officials said the relationship was first reported to the school in October and the school was taking measures to fire Kearney before she resigned.

Neither Kearney nor the university identified the former Texas athlete. Kearney told the newspaper it was a "consensual intimate relationship" that began in July 2002 and ended later that year.

Kearney didn't immediately return a telephone message left at her home late Saturday night.

Patti Ohlendorf, Texas vice president for legal affairs, said school officials don't believe Kearney had any similar relationships with other student athletes.

"Coach Kearney is a good person and has been very important to the university. However, she made this terrible mistake and used unacceptably poor judgment in having this

relationship," Ohlendorf said.Despite Kearney’s characterization of

a consensual relationship between adults, Ohlendorf said the university "cannot condone such an intimate relationship, including one that is consensual, between a head coach and an student athlete.

We told Coach Kearney such a relationship is unprofessional and crosses the line of trust placed in the head coach for all aspects of the

athletic program and the best interests of the student athletes on the team."

The 55-year-old Kearney was among the highest-profile women's track coaches in the country and the university was planning to give her a raise before she was suspended. Kearney was inducted into the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2007. She's also a member of the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame.

Barry Bonds

Bev Kearney


LOCAL NEWS

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