REGATTA 2012 CULTURALLY FLAVOURED
Regatta Committee 2012 through this media wishes to remind the general public that the annual festival will be taking place from Thursday, May 24, to Sunday, May 27, 2012.
The emphasis this year will be on culture and to this end several events that will take us back to the early days of Regatta. In keeping with our theme, “KEEPING THE VIBES ALIVE!” we want to revive that family atmosphere and communal spirit of togetherness, fun and catering for every experience of the past.
The calendar of events is as follows:
Thursday, May 24 …… LITTLE MISS REGATTA CULTURAL SHOW
Friday, May 25 ……….. FASHION AND COMEDY SHOW
MUSIC AND DANCING
Saturday, May 26 …… DAY’S ACTIVITIES
JUMP – UP
OPENING CEREMONY
TRIATHLON
KITE FLYING
DOMINOES
UNCLE ARCHIE’S DIVE
BOAT RACES
JUNKANOO CONTEST
TUG-A-WAR
BICYCLING BALANCING
MAY POLE AND MANY MORE FAMILY GAMES
SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS - SOUTH CAICOS COMPANIES CREATIVE FLOATS
Sunday, May 27 …. GOSPEL EXTRAVAGANZA
STATEMENT OF CARLOS W. SIMONS QC
Let me begin by saying how happy I am as always to be in the nation’s capital. I came over on Saturday for my Aunt Sarah’s funeral and had the opportunity to worship yesterday at her beloved Salem Baptist Church.
I also want to apologize to your listeners, many of whom expected me to be here on Friday. My difficulty was that I had a campaign meeting in North Caicos on Thursday night and I just couldn’t get back to Providenciales and then to Grand Turk in time to make the show. I hope to be able to make up for the disappointment by what I say today. I will try to be as brief as I can to give your listeners as much time as possible to call in with their questions and comments.
We live in very perilous times and the people have being crying out for a Leader to match these times. Well look no further. You have found him and his name is Carlos Simons, born in Salt Cay, grew up in Grand Turk, educated in Britain and lives in Provo. I’ve walked with kings and princess but prefer the company and the struggles of the common folks. The search for your leader is over. If you will have me, I am your man!
The times are perilous because the British have made them so. I cannot possibly condense the sins of the British into this brief statement. But I will do my best to mention those I believe are the most egregious.
I will begin with the SIPT and the so called Civil Recovery Team. Now here we have a situation in which the British Government is forcing us to pay millions of dollars to Helen Garlic and their other lawyers to investigate so called crimes that were committed on their watch and to recover land, every acre of which was doled out over the signature of their Governor. At the same time as we are paying these millions of dollars to Helen Garlic and other British Government lawyers, public servants and others are being laid off and the people of Grand Turk have to line up at the public tank with buckets for water.
Now just ask yourself, what is wrong with that picture? And the answer is everything. Everything. On the one hand they are terrorizing and traumatizing our own people with our own money and on the other hand they are driving the rest of us into poverty. It is morally wrong. The only reason it is not legally wrong is because the British have made the laws.
They call it the SIPT. But it’s really nothing more than a gravy train. Its name ought to be the GTMT- The Garlic Time and Money Team. But I promise you this- the day I take office is the day Helen Garlic gets laid off. That gravy train they’re riding will not just be stopped; it will be brought to a screeching halt. I will not spend on dime, no not one dime of TCI taxpayers’ money on Helen Garlic. The events they are investigating took place under the watchful eye of their Governor, the investigation was recommended by their Commissioner, it is being conducted by their lawyers, applying laws that they themselves have recently made. But it’s all being paid for with our money. That is not justice and I will see justice done or I will die in the process.
So the day I take office, I will be saying to the British Government is relation to Helen Garlic, not in my name and not on my dime. You hired her, you pay her. Otherwise she can pack her bags and go home. I just don’t roll like that.
Imagine issuing an international police warrant with our money as though they’re hunting some kind of genocidal maniac and as though they had nothing to do with the circumstances. It is an affront to this Country as a whole. I call upon the Governor to rescind that warrant today. If he does not I will the day I take office. That is how I roll.
Now the second money matter I will address is the loan of $260 million that the British Government has borrowed in our name and intend to leave on our books for our children and our grandchildren to pay back. They have also declared their intention to stick around and hold on to the purse strings until that is done. That is also morally wrong. The only reason it is not legally wrong is because again the British have made the laws. But mark my words, it will not stand. I will not have it. It is unjust and I will see justice done or I will see die in the process. Just as the need for the SIPT arose because of British negligence, so too the need for this loan. I will not have generations of TCI taxpayers pick up the tab for the incompetence of third rate British administrators. It just is not right and something has to be done about it and I will.
I cannot end without mentioning the National Insurance Fund. Now here you have a situation in which the British Government have come in, they sweep away our constitution and they say in order to get it back you have to meet these milestones. One of those milestones is a balanced budget. Now we can’t meet that milestone because they’re paying the Garlic Time and Money Team all the money. So what does the Governor do? Well he wakes up one morning and he says to himself “you know there is a whole pot full of money down there in the National Insurance Building; I think I’ll just have that”. But the Chairman and Directors of the National Insurance Board say no, no it don’t work like that. Here’s how the law says it should go. But the Governor, behaving like the King he apparently thinks he is says ok, I’ll make a new law and take the money anyway. So he does exactly that. Now what kind of example does that set for the next elected Government? A very bad one and one that ought not to be followed. And because it sets such a bad example when I become the next leader of the Progressive National Party, as I will be and the next Premier of this country, as I will be, I will not let it happen. I just will not let it happen. I will send the Garlic Time and Money Team home and I will balance the budget.
Now, I can speak with the authority that I do because I know my party is behind me. We recently passed a resolution making it a policy objective of the Party to prepare the country for independence. I consider myself to be bound by that resolution. I also consider that it gives me a mandate to say to the British you will treat us fairly and with respect or you can pack up and go home.
But make no mistake, that is going to be a long and difficult fight, involving complex legal issues that I am best equipped to deal with. In doing so I am confident that not only will my Party be behind me in that fight, but after the general election campaign which will see us win back the Government, the people of the TCI will be behind me as well and we will begin to restore to ourselves our dignity, our self-respect, our good name and we will say to the British with one voice, never again, no never again! If you can’t help just get out of our way.
Now how do I know the PNP will win the general elections, for me be in a position to deliver? Well I know that because there is no one on the other side whether he lives in Waterloo or in the South Back Salina, there is no one on the other side who is any match for me!
Now Mr. Hall, as you and your listeners know, I am currently campaigning for the leadership of my Party. My competitor is a bright, well-spoken, charismatic young man with fire in his belly – all good qualities. For those and other reasons, which I understand, he does have some support among Party delegates.
But I want to take this opportunity to tell those delegates who don’t quite understand the seriousness of the time we live in, what they ought to be looking for in the next Leader of our Party, and the next Premier of our country – experience, maturity, stability, standing and reputation, commitment and the ability to deliver. The ability to make the case for the TCI, both legally and otherwise, and to press that case in whatever forum it needs to be taken, whether to the FCO in London or to the United Nations in New York; and when he gets there, to be able to look across the table at whoever is seated there secure in the knowledge that he is their equal!
I can say, without fear of contradiction, I have those qualities in greater measure than anyone who is currently in the leadership race or who might be thinking about it. I was the PNP elected member for Salt Cay from 1985 to 1988. I subsequently served another term in the House of Assembly as the Governor’s appointed member. I was closely involved in three constitutional changes in the TCI – 1988, 1983 and 2006. I was in London with the former Premier Michael Misick and the Minister Jeffrey Hall to negotiate the final details of the 2006 Constitution.
Outside of Government, I have served as Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Chairman of the National Insurance Tribunal, I was a founding member of the National Insurance Board of Directors and the first Chairman of the Community College Board of Governors. And twice the President of the Bar Council. Like one Party delegate put it in introducing me in North Caicos last Thursday night “he is no small fry”.
So I say to our Party delegates, don’t sell our Party short, don’t sell our country short, the choice is obvious, do the right thing. I cannot speak more plainly than that, do the right thing for our Party and for our Country.
Man City's Mario Balotelli handed Italy boost for Euro 2012
Italy coach Cesare Prandelli insists Manchester City's Mario Balotelli remains key to Italy's Euro 2012 plans.
The temperamental striker was left out of the Azzurri squad in February after his stamp on Tottenham's Scott Parker during a Premier League clash.
"I never really thought of doing this without Balotelli, he is a focal point of the national team," Prandelli said.
"Have I made peace with Balotelli? Yes, although to be honest we never argued in the first place."
Question marks hung over Balotelli's club future in England after his red card against Arsenal prompted City manager Roberto Mancini to announce he would "probably" sell the forward at the end of the current campaign.
Balotelli has since apologised for his dismissal at the Emirates, which came on the back of a four-match suspension for a controversial challenge on Parker in January.
However, the incident cast further doubt over his international future following Prandelli's decision to omit him from the squad for the friendly against the United States in February in line with a code of conduct he introduced upon taking over in 2010.
But Prandelli told Italian broadcaster Rai that Balotelli was never out of contention for a place in his squad for this summer's European Championship, in which Italy face defending and world champions Spain, Ireland and Croatia in Group C.
Prandelli added: "I was pleased that he took responsibility with his statements after the latest incident at Manchester City. I like those who stand up and accept responsibility for their actions."
Lakers outlast Thunder 114-106 in double OT
Metta World Peace was subdued and contrite in the Los Angeles Lakers ' locker room, apologizing to Oklahoma City's James Harden for throwing the elbow that sent them both to the locker room in the second quarter.
They both missed a beauty of a game that could echo into the postseason for two division leaders.
Kobe Bryant scored six of his 26 points in the second overtime alongside an unorthodox Lakers lineup, and Los Angeles rallied from an 18-point deficit in the second half for a 114-106 victory over the Thunder on Sunday.
Pau Gasol had 20 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists for the Lakers, who made an impressive comeback in their regular-season home finale against off-target Thunder stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who combined to miss 42 of their 56 shots. Los Angeles' rally stunned the Thunder and set an early tone for their possible second-round playoff matchup.
"It's not so much that we beat Oklahoma, but how we did it," said Bryant, who shook off his own woeful shooting game with two key 3-pointers late in regulation. "In the playoffs, particularly if you don't have home-court advantage, you're going to have games like this. We have to have the poise and the confidence to just keep chipping away."
Yet everything after halftime was colored by the drama and violence that occurred 1:37 before the break.
World Peace had just dunked over Durant and Serge Ibaka on a fast break and was headed back upcourt when he ran into Harden. While pounding his chest with his right arm, World Peace raised his left elbow over Harden's shoulder and cleanly hit Harden in the back of the skull.
Harden dropped to the court and stayed down for about a minute before heading to the locker room. Ibaka and other Thunder players challenged World Peace, but were kept apart, and World Peace was ejected after officials reviewed the tape.
"I got real emotional and excited, and it was unfortunate that James had to get hit with the unintentional elbow," said World Peace, who had scored 12 points and played solid defense on Durant. "I hope he's OK. Oklahoma, they're playing for a championship this year. I apologize to the Thunder and James Harden. It was just unfortunate."
The Thunder didn't immediately announce whether Harden, who scored 14 points, had a concussion. Bryant and other Lakers acknowledged World Peace is likely to face a multigame suspension with just one game left in their regular season.
"I'm just happy my teammate is all right," said Durant, who scored 35 points on 11-for-34 shooting. "It was a bad play. Hopefully Ron didn't do it intentionally or have any malicious intentions on that. We've got to move past that."
Ibaka had 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Thunder, who led by 11 points with 4 minutes left in regulation. Westbrook had 14 points on 3-for-22 shooting and 10 assists as Oklahoma City fell 1 1/2 games behind San Antonio atop the Western Conference with just its third loss in nine games.
Despite the loss, Durant finally passed Bryant in the race for both superstars' third NBA scoring title. Durant, the two-time defending scoring champion, is averaging 27.906 points with two to play, while Bryant - the NBA's top scorer for nearly the entire regular season - slipped back into second at 27.862 points per game with just one game left.
The Lakers rallied with seldom-used Devin Ebanks and Jordan Hill alongside Bryant, Gasol and backup point guard Steve Blake, who hit three key 3-pointers. Ebanks had eight points and two key defensive plays in the final minute, while Hill had 14 points and a career high-tying 15 rebounds.
"Being down double digits against a very good team, we could have folded easily," Lakers coach Mike Brown said. "This might have been our best team win of the year."
Bryant struggled through the first three quarters of his first home game since April 6 before coming alive down the stretch during Los Angeles' rally. Bryant then hit the tiebreaking fall-away jumper with 52 seconds left in the second overtime, followed by two free throws as the Lakers hung on.
Even with Harden unavailable to provide his usual offensive boost, the Thunder could only blame themselves for a 4-for-19 fourth quarter with four turnovers, followed by a 5-for-17 effort in the two overtime periods.
"I believe in Kevin, I believe in Russell, I believe in what our guys do," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "Some nights they're not going to fall for you, but if the execution is good and the shots are good, you have to live with the results."
World Peace was making major contributions to the Lakers on both ends of the court before his ejection for yet another unpredictable outburst in the erstwhile Ron Artest's long history of misbehavior.
World Peace, who changed his name last year, has been mostly well-behaved during his three seasons with the Lakers, even winning an award as the NBA's citizen of the year for his extensive charity work around mental-health issues. Yet he'll always be most famous for his 86-game suspension for participating in the brawl in the Palace of Auburn Hills stands while playing for Indiana in November 2004.
The Lakers pulled within one point on World Peace's dunk, but fell apart after the ejection, managing just 14 points in the next 14 minutes.
--AP
Vodafone agrees £1bn takeover of C&W Worldwide
UK mobile phone giant Vodafone has agreed to buy telecoms group Cable & Wireless Worldwide (C&WW) in a deal valuing the firm at just over £1bn.
Vodafone was left as C&WW's only suitor after India's Tata Communications ended its interest in the firm last week.
Under the terms of the deal, Vodafone will pay 38 pence per C&WW share, giving the firm a value of £1.044bn.
The takeover will add a UK fixed-line network to Vodafone's existing mobile network.
C&WW operates 20,500km of fibre-optic cables in the UK and owning this network will give Vodafone greater capacity at a time when the increasing use of smartphones is leading to a rise in demand for mobile data.
Vodafone said the deal would also lead to cost savings, as at present it has to lease fixed-line capacity from companies such as BT.
Analysts suggested it was also strategically "really significant" for Vodafone's Global Enterprise division, which provides services for multinational companies.
Adding in C&WW's global networks, data centres and video conferencing, it will be able to offer them a broader range of services.
"While Vodafone has great mobile services support for enterprise customers, large companies and multinationals are looking for a combination of fixed and mobile services, and IT as well," said David Molony, global telecoms analyst at Ovum.
"It is really hard to do and the only companies that are near doing that are France Telecom's Orange and Telefonica, which own 02. That is where Vodafone wants to go," he told BBC News.
The Global Enterprise business currently has revenues of £1bn, but Vodafone wants to expand that by five or 10 times, Mr Molony said.
Headcount 'reduction'
In a statement, Vodafone chief executive Vittorio Colao said: "The acquisition of Cable & Wireless Worldwide creates a leading integrated player in the enterprise segment of the UK communications market and brings attractive cost savings to our UK and international operations."
Vodafone also said there was likely to be "a reduction of headcount" and premises following the takeover to remove overlaps between the businesses, although it did not give any details on numbers or locations.
C&WW specialises in networking and broadband for corporate clients, including Tesco and the UK police service.
In 2010, it split from Cable & Wireless Communications, which offers telecoms services to consumers and businesses in almost 30 markets around the world including Jersey, Guernsey, the Caribbean and Panama.
However, C&WW has struggled since the separation. It has issued a number of profit warnings and is now on its third chief executive.
In the year to 31 March 2011, C&WW reported revenues of £2.26bn and a pre-tax profit of £140m. In the same financial year, Vodafone's revenues were £45.9bn, with pre-tax profits of £9.5bn.
The 38p per share offer represents a 92% premium to the level of C&WW's share price before the bid interest became known in February.
Shares in C&WW were trading up 4.25p at 36.25p in afternoon trade.
European shares fall as anxiety returns
Stock markets have fallen after weak manufacturing data and political uncertainty in France and the Netherlands hit investor confidence.
France's Cac 40 and Germany's Dax indexes were down about 2.5%, while the UK's FTSE 100 was about 1.5% lower.
On Sunday, President Nicolas Sarkozy narrowly lost to socialist rival Francois Hollande in the first round of France's presidential election.
The collapse of budget talks in the Netherlands added to market nerves.
The closely-watched Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) survey suggested manufacturing activity in Germany fell to an almost three-year low of 46.3 in April. Any figure below 50 suggests contraction.
Figures for the wider economy, both in Germany, France and the wider eurozone, also showed a deeper contraction.
"The flash PMI signalled a faster rate of economic contraction in the eurozone during April, extending what appears to be a double-dip recession into a third consecutive quarter," said Chris Williamson, chief economist at survey-compiler Markit.
Earlier, HSBC's PMI reading for China improved slightly in March to 49.1, up from 48.3 in the previous month.
To compound the gloomy mood of investors, the Bank of Spain estimated that the Spanish economy shrank by 0.4% in the first three months of this year, pushing the economy back into recession after it contracted by 0.3% in the final quarter of last year.
Spain's official GDP data is published on 30 April
In the French presidential election, Mr Hollande won 28.6% of the votes with Mr Sarkozy taking 27.1%. It is the first time a sitting president has lost in the first round of a presidential election.
The two will go head-to-head in a second round of voting on 6 May.
While Mr Sarkozy, along with the rest of Europe, has stressed the need for austerity to bring down high levels of debt, Mr Hollande has said stimulating growth is the more effective option.
This has raised fears among investors that France would struggle to control its debts should the socialist candidate replace Mr Sarkozy.
Markets were also unnerved by the failure of the Dutch government to agree on austerity measures, raising the prospects of fresh elections in the country.
"The Netherlands could be a problem because, up until now, it was a stable partner in the eurozone; this shows the problems and increasing tensions within the area," said Christian Stocker at UniCredit Global Research.
"It's definitely a problem for the market."
Nestle to buy Pfizer Nutrition for $11.85bn
Food giant Nestle has announced a deal to buy children's food maker Pfizer Nutrition for $11.85bn (£7.35bn).
The world's biggest food group, based in Switzerland, said its new acquisition was a "perfect complement" to its existing infant food business.
It said it expected sales at Pfizer Nutrition, 85% of which are in emerging markets, to be $2.4bn this year.
The deal, which had been expected this month, is still subject to regulatory approval.
"Pfizer Nutrition is an excellent strategic fit and this acquisition underlines our commitment to be the world's leading nutrition, health and wellness company," said Nestle chief executive Paul Bulcke.
Nestle beat a rival bid from French food group Danone to the deal.
"The price tag is high, however Nestle is securing a high growth/margin business with high exposure in the emerging markets. China will become the number three market for Nestle overall," said Vontobel analyst Jean-Philippe Bertschy.
Nestle shares fell about 3% in early trading following the announcement.
Pfizer Nutrition's brands include S-26 Gold, SMA and Promil.
Last week, Nestle reported improved sales of 21.4bn Swiss francs ($23.4bn; £14.6bn) for the first three months of the year, but said trading had been subdued in developed markets.
Dutch PM Mark Rutte 'to deliver resignation'
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will submit his government's resignation to Queen Beatrix today, reports say, paving the way for early elections.
The government was plunged into crisis when Geert Wilders' Freedom Party pulled out of talks aimed at slicing 16bn euros (£13.1bn) from the budget.
Mr Wilders said he would not accept austerity demands to bring the budget deficit in line with EU rules.
His party was not part of the coalition but supported the minority government.
Dutch broadcaster Nos said Mr Rutte had arrived at 14:00 Dutch time (12:00 GMT) at the queen's palace in The Hague where he was expected to make the cabinet's resignation official.
Speaking after the cabinet meeting involving Mr Rutte's liberal VVD and the Christian Democrats (CDA), Finance Minister Jan Kees de Jager said they would "show the financial market and Dutch people that we can also put forward a solid financial policy".
AAA status
Since 5 March, the two coalition parties along with the Freedom Party have been trying to reach agreement on budget cuts. A recent forecast from the Netherlands' Central Planning Bureau estimated that the country's 2013 public deficit would rise to 4.7% of GDP, well above the 3% EU target.
The Netherlands has been asked to submit its budget measures to the European Commission by 30 April, although it is not clear how firm that deadline is.
Mr Wilders said the coalition's proposals would harm economic growth and affect many people's spending power. Socialist Party leader Emile Roemer said he too was not prepared to support the attempt to bring the budget deficit below 3% by 2013.
But there are fears that the failure of the budget talks could harm the Netherlands' prized AAA credit rating status and the low yield on government bonds.
Economic Affairs Minister and CDA leader Maxime Verhagen said on his Twitter feed earlier on Monday that the main concern was "how, on the way to elections, we can keep the economy and finances on the rails".
Dutch daily NRC Handelsblad reported that confidence in the Netherlands had already fallen on the financial markets on Monday, with the gap widening between Dutch and German government bonds.
Mr Rutte's government lasted just 558 days. Only three other Dutch administrations since World War II have been in office for shorter periods, Dutch news agency ANP says.
A parliamentary debate on the Dutch political crisis is expected to take place on Tuesday afternoon.
Eurozone deficits fall as austerity bites
Eurozone governments managed to cut sharply their budget deficits last year, but overall debt levels continued to rise, official figures have shown.
The deficit to GDP ratio for the bloc as a whole fell to 4.1% from 6.2% in 2010, Eurostat said. The overall debt to GDP ratio rose to 87.2% from 85.3%.
The Republic of Ireland, Greece and Spain had the highest deficits.
Eurozone governments have introduced far-reaching austerity measures designed to cut deficits.
The deficit ratio is the difference between a government's annual expenditure and its revenues, expressed as a percentage of its annual GDP. The official deficit target, as laid down in the Maastricht Treaty, is 3% of GDP.
Following the financial crisis of 2008, a year in which the eurozone's deficit ratio stood at 2.1%, budget deficits increased significantly as governments spent billions of euros on bail-out packages and stimulus measures.
More recently, governments have cut spending in order to reassure international lenders of their credit worthiness and bring deficits back towards target.
The Irish Republic reduced its deficit from 31.2% in 2010 to 13.1% last year; Greece from 10.3% to 9.1% and Spain from 9.3% to 8.5%.
However, the Irish government says its deficit last year was 9.4%, beating the target of 10.6% set as a condition of its international bailout, when the money it injected into its banks is taken out.
Germany cuts its budget deficit from 4.3% to 1% of GDP.
Outside the eurozone, the UK saw its deficit fall from 10.2% to 8.3%.
However, overall debt levels across the eurozone continued to rise last year.
The debt ratio is a country's total stock of debt expressed as a percentage of its total annual economic output.
The debt to GDP ratio in the Irish Republic rose from 92.5% to 108.2%, in Greece from 145% to 165%, and in Portugal from 93.3% to 107.8%.
The UK's debt ratio rose from 79.6% to 85.7%.
By contrast, Germany managed to cut its debt ratio from 83% to 81.2%.
US Warns of Terrorist Attacks in Kenya
The U.S. embassy in Kenya is warning of possible terrorist attacks in the capital, Nairobi, and is telling Americans in the city to stay alert.
The embassy issued a message Monday saying it has credible information about a possible attack on Nairobi hotels and prominent Kenyan government buildings.
The statement says the timing of the attack is not known but that the embassy has “reason to believe the potential attack is in the last stages of planning.”
There was no immediate comment from the Kenyan government.
Britain issued a similar warning about possible attacks in January.
There have been a number of small-scale attacks in Nairobi and in northeastern Kenya since last October, when Kenya sent troops into Somalia to fight the militant group al-Shabab.
Militants linked to al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden bombed the U.S. embassy in Nairobi in August 1998, killing more than 200 people.