Two accidents in Grand Turk
Two young men in Grand Turk, are lucky to have escaped with their lives when the vehicles they were driving in, received extensive damages over the weekend.
The first accident occurred during the early hours of Saturday morning when Roderick Williams was driving one of GQ jeeps south along Lighthouse Road, when according to a couple of persons who witnessed the accident, Williams tried to veer away from an oncoming vehicle travelling in the opposite direction which had overtaken another vehicle, also traveling in the opposite direction.
Our sources tell RTC News that in order for Williams to avoid a head-on collision, he veered to his left and lost control of the vehicle, which came to rest atop of one of the flower-beds next to Cool Beans.
The other accident occurred during the early hours of Sunday morning when Kevino Smith allegedly hit a pole in the vicinity of Morris Cottingham, spun out of control and hit another pole before the pile of broken and twisted metal came to rest opposite the Cottingham offices at Hibiscus Square.
Friends and families of Smith, as well as hospital officials say the outcome for this youth could very well have had a different ending.
Both Roderick Williams and Kevino Smith are said to have sustained non-life threatening injuries and were taken to the Cockburn Town Medical Centre.
Meanwhile, both vehicles are said to have received extensive damages.
Police are continuing their investigations.
48 Hour Crime Recap for 23rd January
The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force in its 48 Hour Crime Recap for Providenciales has noted that Police on that island responded to eight reports of serious nature, inclusive of Seven (7) Burglaries; one on Leeward Highway, Blue Hills, Five Cays, Kew Town, Windward Road and 2 on Grace Bay Road.
There was also one (1) Attempted Burglary in South Dock.
Police reported that they arrested a male on suspicion of Forgery.
A male was also arrested on suspicion of Robbery in connection with that robbery outside of RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) on 13th January 2012.
A male was arrested on suspicion of Possession of Cannabis. This arrest is in connection with a quantity of suspected cannabis that was seized at the Providenciales International Airport on 22nd January 2012.
Also in Provo, a female was charged for Assault Occasioning Actual Bodily Harm and two males were charged for Burglary in connection with a report made on 3rd January 2012.
Here in Grand Turk in that 48 hour period, Police responded to one report of serious nature; that of aggravated Burglary in the Close Hall Road area.
Meanwhile, a male was arrested on suspicion of aggravated Burglary in connection with a report made on 4th January 2012.
Strengthening Primary Health Care in the TCI - Blue Hills Community Clinic
In keeping with the decisions of the Health Care Funding Challenge, the Ministry of Health and Human Services (MOHHS) is pleased to announce that plans are being put in place for the opening of the Blue Hills Community Clinic in Providenciales in February 2012.
The Clinic will serve the Blue Hill Community, providing preventive,holistic and patient centered care. Initial services will include Antenatal, Child Health and Family Practice Clinics, along with various healthy lifestyles and health promotion programmes. There will also be home visits and community outreach.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health Judith Campbell in welcoming the latest development said Primary Health Care is the cornerstone of a quality health care system. Improving access to care at the primary health care level will prevent persons from waiting to go to the hospital when their health condition becomes more serious. As strengthening Primary Health Care is one of the essential pillars of the Health Care Renewal Strategy, the MOHHS is committed to ensuring that the Blue Hills Community Clinic is opened and that primary health care is accessible to all persons living in the TCI, she said. 'We hope in future to provide additional services in line with the needs of the community.' 'To this end, plans are in place to formulate Community Coalition Groups with all stakeholders, both public and private in order
to provide a service which best fit the needs of the Blue Hills community,' Ms. Campbell added.
A list of services and clinic schedules will be made available closer to next months opening date.
His Excellency Governor Ric Todd to host a media briefing on the civil recovery programme
His Excellency the Governor will on Tuesday January 24th host a media briefing by Mr.Laurence Harris, partner in charge of Edwards Wildman Palmer, the international law firm undertaking the civil recovery programme here in the TCI.
The briefing will provide an overview of:
* the 51 civil recovery cases currently being auctioned by Edwards Wildman Palmer
* the importance of this to the TCI: Edwards Wildman Parker's five largest cases would see 1,200 acres of land and over $50m in damages returned to the Crown
* Edwards Wildman Palmer already securing $2.4m in damages and recovering 900 acres for the Crown and
* All major cases scheduled, or expected to be scheduled, for trial in 2012
This civil recovery work pursues civil actions to recover land and damages where this course of action is more appropriate than criminal proceedings, and is a direct action from the publication of the report of the Commission of Inquiry headed by Sir Robin Auld and the suspension of parts of the 2006 Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order.
This report also led to the establishment of the Special Investigation and Prosecution Team (SIPT) to investigate, and where appropriate, prosecute allegations of corruption and other improper practices revealed by Sir Robin's Report.
There are, therefore, two ways in which civil recovery can take place, either through a civil claim under the general law brought by Edwards, Wildman Palmer, or through a civil action under the Proceeds of Crime Ordinance brought by SIPT following a criminal investigation.
The media briefing by His Excellency the Governor and Laurence Harris is expected to take place from 11:30am until 12:30pm tomorrow Tuesday, 24
January in the Conference Suite of the Department of Disaster Management and Emergency in Providenciales.
After loosing the T20, the Jamaican team said 'We need to work together'
A lack of team unity and the need for more national Twenty20 competitions were some of the reasons highlighted as to why Jamaica were trounced by Trinidad and Tobago in the final of the Caribbean Twenty20 Tournament on Sunday at Kensington Oval, Barbados.
The Trinidadians, who scored 168 for six, won by 63 runs after limiting Jamaica to 105 for five.
Dwayne Bravo (49) and Kieron Pollard (39) made most runs for Trinidad and Tobago, who were winning the tournament for a second straight year.
"As a team, it is about sticking together and we are kind of lacking in that department at the moment," said fast bowler Andre Russell shortly after the team's return, at the Norman Manley International Airport yesterday.
"It's not professional for some people to go on the field and some are doing that and some are doing that.
"We need to work together more as a team and if we can do that then just like how we win the other tournaments we can win the T20 as well," he declared.
Russell, who was among a handful of players who boarded the team bus on arrival at the airport, was supported by batsman Shawn Findlay.
"The team spirit was not the best as it could be. Some of the players were not pulling foreach other as we wanted it to be," he said.
"We are not unified as we should be. On match days you tend to have one set of players pulling to one side and the others to a next.
"You're never going to win a tournament like that. When we won the Super50 tournament everybody was gelling together," he noted.
"We know we can win Twenty20 tournaments if we get to gel, as it is the gelling and chemistry that teams like Trinidad have over us," added Findlay.
Captain David Bernard Jr. called for better preparation.
"A better preparation period, including the playing of more Twenty20 competitions and matches going into the next tournament will go a long way towards helping us to get better," said Bernard.
"But to do this more resources are needed and one can only hope that the JCA can get the support from corporate Jamaica to do this going forward," he added.
Jamaica will turn their attention to the upcoming WICB Regional Four-day Tournament, which is slated to get underway next week Friday.
Jamaica, who are the defending champions, will open their account against the Windward Islands at Sabina Park.
JA.Gleaner
Tiger Woods looking for strong start to 2012 season in Abu Dhabi
Healthier than he has been in nearly a decade, Tiger Woods comes into the 2012 season full of confidence and said Tuesday that he is hoping his strong showing at the end of 2011 will carry over into this week's Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.
Woods ended 2011 with his first victory in two years at the Chevron World Challenge and said Tuesday he is looking to pick more than that one win this year. His Chevron victory moved him up to 25th on the world rankings after he fell out of the top 50 last year.
``Actually, it's been quite a few years since I've been physically fit,'' said Woods, who estimated it had been at least eight years since he wasn't dealing with an injury. ``So I'm looking forward to getting out there and then playing and give it a full season, which I haven't done in a while, so I'm really looking forward to it.
Woods opens his season in Abu Dhabi for the first time and will compete against a star-studded lineup that includes U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy, top-ranked Luke Donald, defending champion Martin Kaymer and second-ranked Lee Westwood.
``I'm looking forward to this year,'' Woods said. ``That's something that I have to say, because I was able to prepare and get fit enough to prepare last year and towards the end of the year. I demonstrated to myself what I can do with implementing what (coach Sean Foley) wants me to do on the golf swing.''
Woods took part in a traditional Emirati ayala dance earlier in the day with Westwood and McIlroy, and was in good spirits for most of the news conference. But he appeared slightly agitated when the questions turned to a book written by Hank Haney, who was Woods' swing coach for six years.
The book due out in March chronicles the time Haney began working with Woods at the Bay Hill Invitational in 2004 until they parted ways a month after the 2010 Masters, where Woods made his return to golf after being exposed for multiple extramarital affairs that shattered his image and led to divorce.
Woods said he was unhappy that those he had worked with, including Haney and former caddie Steve Williams, who had spoken out.
``Certainly it's something that I have to deal with. I get asked at press conferences what these guys have done, and that's just part of it,'' he said. ``Am I disappointed? Yes. Frustrated? Certainly, because I have to answer the questions. ... So I've answered them and I guess I'll have to continue doing it. Hopefully, this will come to an end.''
After missing much of 2011 with injuries, Woods said he finally was ``healthy enough to practice'' toward the end of the season and it paid off.
He finished third at the Australian Open, and then delivered the clinching point for the American team in the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne before winning the Chevron.
``I think Australia was pretty big for me to go down there for two weeks and play in that type of wind, and to hit the ball as well as I did, I really controlled my golf ball for two weeks, and you know, I think that led to what I did at the World Challenge,'' Woods said. ``I hit the ball just as well there, and made a couple of putts, and especially on the last two holes there. You know, consequently, got a W.''
The 14-time major winner would only say his goal this year is to win more than he had last year and was hopeful one of those victories would be another major. He is four short of Jack Nicklaus' record of 18.
``The game plan is still the same. Every event I play in is to try and win,'' Woods said. ``That's what's going to hold me back is obviously if I don't play well, and there's also going to be 155 other guys in the field that are going to have a chance, as well. There's a number of factors, and that's what makes golf so interesting; that it is very difficult to win golf tournaments. And to do it consistently over a long period of time, it's not easy to do.''
Woods has traded Torrey Pines for Abu Dhabi this year and admitted his scheduling decisions are influenced by the appearances fees he is offered. Unlike the PGA Tour, the European Tour allows for appearance fees, which can reach into the millions of dollars for the top stars.
``You know, I'd have to say yes, it certainly does,'' he said of the fees. ``That's one of the reasons why a lot of the guys who play in Europe, they do play in Europe, and they do get paid. I think the only tour that doesn't pay is the U.S. Tour. But, you know, a lot of the guys play all around the world and they do get appearance fees.''
Woods refused to say how much he is getting at Abu Dhabi, the season-opening event on the European Tour.
China Criticizes ‘Hyped’ Reports of Tibetan Clashes
China on Tuesday accused foreign human rights organizations of exaggerating recent clashes between Tibetan demonstrators and police in southwestern China.
Tibetan advocacy groups and witnesses said Monday that police in Sichuan province opened fire on several thousand unarmed Tibetan demonstrators in a county called Luhuo by China and Draggo by Tibetans.
But foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei on Tuesday called those reports “hyped” , saying the clash involved only “dozens of protesters.” He said the unrest started when protesters began destroying stores and attacking police with rocks and knives.
The organization Free Tibet said one person was killed and at least 30 others wounded, while the International Campaign for Tibet said three were killed and nine wounded.
China's official Xinhua news agency quoted local officials as saying one person was killed and five police officers wounded when a clash broke out over the presumed self-immolation of a monk.
Several reports from international news organizations said the situation had calmed on Tuesday.
The heavily Tibetan region of Sichuan has been hit by ongoing protests and a series of self-immolations by Tibetan Buddhists demanding an end to widely perceived religious and cultural repression by Chinese authorities. The monks and their followers also are demanding the return of their exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
John Powers, a regional analyst at the Australian National University, told VOA the Tibetans are caught in a vicious cycle of demonstrations, violence, mass arrests and repression that fails to redress Tibetan grievances.
“Tibetans are looking for some sort of angle that will draw both the attention of the Chinese authorities and world attention to their situation, which is very bad and getting worse. The self-immolations that are happening, which are up to 16 now, is very clear indication of the desperation the Tibetans are feeling, and how little options they feel themselves as having.”
Powers says Chinese authorities are likely to consider any sort of protest by Tibetans calling for freedom from Chinese rule a provocation.
“These things need to be put in context. In China, that sort of thing is reason for either executing people or putting them in prison for a long time. These sorts of activities in an open society wouldn't even be noticed. At the very most, they might attract a fine. But in China you can be killed for it.”
At least 16 Tibetans, including monks, former monks and nuns, have died in self-immolation protests since March 2011. Thousands of monks subsequently were arrested by security forces and taken to unknown locations.
2012 Oscar Nominations to be Announced
The French-made film The Artist is expected to be among the contenders for best picture when the nominees for this year's Academy Awards are announced Tuesday.
The critically acclaimed tribute to Hollywood's silent movie era is one of the favorites for the coveted nomination, after winning the best musical or comedy prize at this month's Golden Globes. It will likely be joined by the Hawaii-based family drama The Descendants, which took home the best drama statue at the Golden Globes.
Other likely best picture contenders include Hugo, the World War One epic War Horse, and the 1960s civil rights drama The Help.
In the acting categories, The Artist star Jean Dujardin and The Descendants star George Clooney – both of them Golden Globe winners – are likely best actor nominees, along with Brad Pitt for his performance as a baseball executive in the hit Moneyball.
In the best actress category, oft-nominated Meryl Streep, is expected to receive a nod for her portrayal of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. She may be joined by Viola Davis for her performance as a black maid in The Help, Michelle Williams for her portrayal of film icon Marilyn Monroe in My Week with Marilyn, and Glenn Close for her role as a cross-dressing domestic in Albert Nobbs.
The 84th annual Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, February 26 in Hollywood.
Pastor Troy Gets Taken to Court on Fox’s Judge Alex
An angry promoter has taken Pastor Troy to Judge Alex, on Fox television over a missed show and failure to meet the agreement.
On Judge Alex, the host/arbitrator is Judge Alex Ferrer, a former police officer, lawyer, and Florida judge who solves small claims amongst
Produced in Houston at the television studios of Fox’s KRIV (Channel 26), Troy was is brought to trial for failing to perform at what is a former best friend’s concert.
The promoter, Roderick, claims that the concert was canceled because Pastor was arrested, but Roderick also says he rescheduled the concert only to have Pastor bail on him again.
Pastor claims that he was receiving death threats and out of fear for his safety and for the audience safety, he thought it was best not to appear at the show.
According to Pastor Troy, “this club where he’s having this event is in Augusta, Georgia. This city, Augusta, Georgia and I have a history or just violence and negativity. Somebody had just got shot in that club the weekend before I was supposed to be there.
Australia Joins EU in Banning Iranian Oil
Australia says it will follow the European Union in banning oil imports from Iran.
Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said Tuesday Australia will take the same action as the EU, which on Monday agreed to new sanctions against Iran, including freezing the assets of the country's central bank.
The sanctions are part of a Western campaign to pressure Iran to suspend controversial parts of its nuclear program.
Iran dismissed the EU actions, calling the sanctions “illogical and unfair.”
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Monday the world's long-term need for energy means it is “not possible to impose sanctions on Iran,” with its huge resources of oil and gas.
The EU ban does not take effect until July 1, giving major buyers such as Greece, Spain and Italy time to find alternatives sources of oil. The EU has been the second-largest market for Iranian oil after China.
Iran is heavily reliant on revenue from oil exports.
Western powers accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under cover of a civilian energy program, a charge Tehran denies.
Iran has threatened to respond to new sanctions by closing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital pathway for global oil supplies.
Britain and the United States have warned Iran against closing the waterway located at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. The American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, along with British and French warships, entered the Gulf without incident Sunday.
The U.S. imposed sanctions Monday on Iran's third-largest bank, making it harder for Tehran to access the world's financial system. The U.S. Treasury Department said Iran's Bank Tejarat is accused of aiding the country's nuclear weapons program, including moving tens of millions of dollars to help a state-run agency acquire uranium.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized the EU embargo Monday, saying unilateral sanctions will not help revive negotiations between Iran and six world powers on the Iranian nuclear program. Those talks have been on hold for a year, but Lavrov said he is hopeful they will resume soon.
Russia and China supported several rounds of U.N. Security Council sanctions on Iran, but they oppose further measures, saying all parties should focus on negotiations. Moscow and Beijing both have close economic ties to Tehran.