Statement by the Ministry of Border Control and Labour
An unusually high number of new citizens are being sworn in by the Governor’s representative this week on the island of Providenciales. According to a release from the Ministry of Border Control and Labour, this was due to there being a gap of several weeks in swearing-in ceremonies due to key absences over the holidays; and
to the Ministry of Border Control and Labor continuing to make progress with clearing a backlog of old applications, some of which date back to as far as 2006, and possibly longer. The Ministry had reported to the Consultative Forum on 16th August 2011 that there were at that time 1,658 naturalization/registration applications awaiting consideration.
There has been no moratorium on such applications and they continue to be made at an average rate of 20 per week. In order to clear the backlog of old cases the Ministry currently aims to process around 40 cases per week. A full report on the cases processed this financial year, 2011/12, with a detailed breakdown of outcome, nationality and the relevant statutory provision will be published during the course of 2012. The Ministry of Border Control and Labour is reminding the public that in order to be naturalized as a British Overseas Territories Citizen, a person must have had a PRC for at least 12 months,
and should have been resident in TCI for at least five years. In practice most of the new citizens will have been resident for very many more years than that, often 20 or more. The Ministry’s release noted that acquiring British Overseas Territories Citizenship does not confer the rights and entitlement of a Belonger. “It is also important to note that applications for British Overseas Territories Citizenship are considered and processed and decided by TCIslander staff in the Ministry of Border Control and Labour,
against the requirements set out in the British nationality Act 1981, and that the Governor’s role in signing the certificates, is a formality,” the ministry’s statement noted. The paper for the Consultative Forum’s current consultation on options for a new fair and transparent process for acquisition of Turks and Caicos Islander status, sets out the ways in which
it is currently possible to qualify for PRC and for British Overseas Territories Citizenship, with an indication of the minimum length of time that it takes. The consultation process, which is being led by the Consultative Forum, invites comments from all islanders on what should be required of people in order to progress, by means of a fair and transparent process, to Turks and Caicos Islander status.
Comments can be emailed to the chair of the Consultative Forum at citizenship@gov.tc. The consultation is due to close in mid February.
TCI AIRPORT NOT FOR SALE
Advisory Council out-rightly rejected a proposal put forward by His Excellency the Governor Ric Todd to sell off the shares of the Providenciales International Airport. The Advisory Council of the Turks and Caicos Islands has out-rightly rejected a proposal put forward by His Excellency the Governor Ric Todd to sell off the shares of the Providenciales International
Airport. Governor Todd took that matter to the council at its meeting last week. Local tabloids, television screens and internet blogs after getting wind of the story, headlined the governor’s intent and questioned the rationale for this draconian move, especially coming so soon after
millions of dollars were pumped into upgrading of the airport and runway. Spokesperson in the Governor’s office Neil Smith, acknowledged that a proposal to sell all 6 airports throughout the islands, was tabled at the Advisory Council meeting.
According to Smith, selling of the airports throughout the islands, would have had the potential of raising millions of dollars and it’s nothing new to other territories.
CENSUS STARTS IN TCI WITH CHURCH SERVICE
Special Census Sunday observance as the build up to Census continues Census Sunday will be observed across the TCI this coming Sunday as the country prays for a successful start to the 2012
population and housing census on Wednesday 25th January 2012.
The main service takes place at the Salem Baptist Church on Grand Turk and will be attended by HE the Governor Ric Todd and government officials. Governor Todd will address the congregation
on this special occasion.
The build up to next week’s Census is being coordinated by the Department of Economic Planning and Statistics (DEPS). The Department is meeting this week with Pastors and representatives of
the Haitian and Dominican community on Providenciales to enlist their support for the Census.
A similar meeting was held on Grand Turk last week.
DEPS also brought together the Census Supervisors, Enumerators and Interpreters for four days of training beginning this Friday 20th. The training for Providenciales and Middle and North Caicos will take place at the Five Cays Community centre and for Grand Turk, Salt Cay and South Caicos at the DEPS office on Grand Turk. Meanwhile, His Excellency Governor Ric Todd will administer the oath of secrecy to enumerators, supervisors and interpreters for the 2012 population and housing census on Monday 23rd January at
3:30 pm at the Five Cays Community Centre on Providenciales. This comes ahead of the start of census field work on Wednesday 25th on Provo and Middle and North Caicos, and Friday 27th on Grand Turk, South Caicos and Salt Cay. Governor Todd and lead organizer for the census Mr. Shirlen Forbes will deliver remarks during the administration of the oaths of secrecy. “As we get ready to begin collecting field data, I want to stress the importance of getting full public support for this exercise”, stated DEPS’ Shirlen Forbes. “It is essential that we get total and accurate information which can be used to guide policy formulation and help direct the overall development of the TCI,” he added.
24 Hour Crime Recap – Providenciales
During the past twenty-four hours (24) Police in Providenciales say they responded to four reports of a serious nature, which included three Burglaries – one on Airport Road & 2 Kew Town and one Attempted Burglary on Turtle Cove Drive.
In the crime update released today, Police also reported Thursday evening a serious motor vehicle and pedestrian accident in the vicinity of the Gustarvus Lightbourne Sports Complex Downtown Providenciales.
Preliminary investigations revealed that a male who was crossing the road in the Pedestrian Crosswalk area, was struck by a vehicle. The male received non-life-threatening injuries.
A female has been arrested on suspicion of Dangerous Driving in connection with this accident.
The Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Traffic Department are continuing their investigation.
Meanwhile, yesterday’s crime update saw one Burglary carried out in Blue Hills.
Police say a male was arrested on suspicion of Robbery in connection with a report made on 13th January 2012.
A male was also arrested on suspicion of Forgery; he was later released on Police Bail with a surety to return to the Five Cays Police Station on 27th January 2012.
In Grand Turk, a male was charged for Attempted Burglary in connection
with a report made on 17th January 2012. He was later released on Police
Bail with a surety and should have appeared in the Grand Turk Magistrate’s
Court today Friday 20th January to answer to the charge.
Adele passes US chart milestone
Adele has passed another milestone in her seemingly-unstoppable dominance of the album charts.
Her album 21 has notched up a sixteenth week on top of the Billboard chart, a feat achieved by only four other records in the last 20 years.
The others were Whitney Houston's Bodyguard soundtrack, Garth Brooks' Ropin' The Wind, Billy Ray Cyrus' Some Gave All and the Titanic soundtrack.
In the UK, 21 has spent more weeks at number one than any album since 1971.
However, with 19 non-consecutive weeks in pole position, Adele still has a long way to go before she catches up with Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water, which managed 33 weeks at number one.
Total sales of 21 in the UK and US are now in excess of 9 million.
The British singer's success is made more remarkable because it bucks a downward trend. In fact, Adele was partly responsible for a small recovery in the US albums market last year.
Over the past year, there have been 33 weeks in which 21 sold more than 100,000 copies.
By contrast, three albums in this week's top 10 shifted fewer than 20,000 copies - a new low for the chart.
They included Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto, Nickelback's Here and Now and the latest Now That's What I Call Music compilation, which landed at number 10 with sales of just 17,000.
Previously, the lowest-selling top 10 album was Ke$ha's Animal, which crept into the chart with a little over 20,000 copies in June 2010.
Adele has kept a low profile since having surgery on her vocal cords last year, but is widely expected to make her return at the Brit Awards next month.
On Tuesday, she took the unusual step of writing a message on her website to deny tabloid claims about her love-life.
The Daily Mail had reported that her current boyfriend, Simon Konecki, was a married father-of-one.
Adele's blog post said: "Contrary to reports and headlines in the press today, Simon is divorced and has been for 4 years. Everyone in our lives separately and together wish us nothing but the best, and vice versa.
"These are the facts. Take care and see you all in February."
Beyonce birth interview 'fake' says press officer
An article billed as pop star Beyonce's "first interview" since giving birth last week has been called a "fake" by the singer's representative.
Published in the UK's Star Magazine on Tuesday, the article is billed on the front cover as a "world exclusive".
Inside, the star divulges information about the birth and says her husband, rapper Jay-Z, will be a "hands-on dad".
Her spokeswoman said the interview was "completely made up". Star Magazine's editor has denied the claim.
"It is not made up or fictitious at all," Anna Pointer said.
"We bought the interview from a reporter in the US, who conducted the interview with Beyonce before the birth.
"The reporter then obtained the 'top-up' info after the birth, which we believe to have been signed off by a girl on her LSM team," she told US TV show Access Hollywood.
The article in Star Magazine does not refer to the interview having taken place in stages, while a promotional article on the publication's website calls it "Beyonce's first interview since the birth of her daughter".
Quotes attributed to the pop star appear to address the issue of heavy security at the hospital where she gave birth to Blue Ivy Carter on 14 January.
"Security was very tight, but not just for the sake of it, it was for the security of our daughter," she says. "As usual certain things have been exaggerated but that seemed to be the story of my pregnancy."
Asked whether the interview was legitimate, Beyonce's spokesperson said "absolutely not".
The claim comes on the day that several celebrity magazine editors appeared before the Leveson inquiry into press standards.
Several questions dealt with the issue of misleading headlines on front covers.
Rosie Nixon, co-editor of Hello! magazine, was asked about an interview with JK Rowling that had been branded "rare and exclusive".
She said that the quotes had come from a question and answer session with a group of children arranged by Comic Relief, and admitted that the headline was "clearly misleading".
Nixon added that the mistake had never been repeated.
Star Magazine is one of the UK's leading weekly celebrity and lifestyle magazines with a circulation of 402,589, according to ABC figures published last August.
That puts it ahead of Heat (312,063) and Hello! (296,318) but behind OK! Magazine (457,522) and Closer (452,243).
Calls placed to Star Magazine by the BBC for this story had not been returned at the time of publication.
Aretha’s Wish List of Stars for Her Biopic Doesn’t include J-Hud
The search is still on for the best woman to play the role of Aretha Franklin in the singer’s coming biopic, “From These Roots.” The Queen of Soul has a few names in mind, but surprisingly none on the list include Jennifer Hudson.
On Tuesday, Franklin’s rep told the press that she’s scheduled to meet with the director and financiers of “Roots” to discuss the woman for the part and other primary roles, reports the NY Daily News.
Nia Long is a prospective to play the role of the older sister, Erma Franklin, Kerry Washington for younger sister Carolyn Franklin, and Blair Underwood for brother Cecil Franklin. She previously dreamt Terrence Howard to play Smokey Robinson and Denzel Washington for daddy Franklin.
Although last year Halle Berry was her primary choice to play the starring role, she hasn’t come up with any new names recently and her most recent wish list didn’t actually include the star role
Franklin’s wish list also did not include an actor to play her new fiancé, William Wilkerson, 64, and we hear that some sources in Franklin’s camp are skeptical that she’ll actually go through with the planned summer wedding.
Meanwhile, an insider notes that Franklin, who was briefly engaged to Wilkerson — a close confidant and member of the singer’s security team — in 1987, has already changed her mind about the location of the wedding, from Miami Beach to the Hamptons. The source says that’s a telling detail.
Rihanna Takes Over Kobe Bryant’s Table at Basketball Bash
Rihanna had a prime seat after making a late arrival at a party for L.A. Clippers star Chris Paul and his new shoe line: She grabbed Kobe Bryant’s table!
The R&B star, who was recently spotted at a Clippers game, arrived just as Bryant was leaving the bash, which was held at Greystone Manor in Los Angeles. But she and her girlfriends were there in time to enjoy several tunes before the club closed.
As for the newly-single Bryant, he headed to the party after flying back to town from Salt Lake City, where his team, the Lakers, played the Utah Jazz. And once inside, he stuck to his table – secluded behind the deejay booth and across the room from Paul.
But he didn’t go unnoticed: At one point, Jamie Foxx jumped in the deejay booth, grabbed the mic and teased Bryant, saying, “Isn’t this a Clipper party?”
People
Mark Wahlberg sorry for 'disrespectful' 9/11 comments
Mark Wahlberg has apologised after saying things may have turned out differently if he had been on one of the planes that crashed on 9/11.
In a magazine interview, he said: "If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn't have went down like it did.
"There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, 'OK, we're going to land somewhere safely, don't worry.'"
One widow of a 9/11 victim had called the comments "disrespectful".
Mark Wahlberg, who has appeared in films like The Fighter and The Departed, was meant to be on one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Centre in New York on 11 September 2001.
After making the comments in Men's Journal magazine, the 40-year-old issued a formal apology.
"To speculate about such a situation is ridiculous to begin with, and to suggest I would have done anything differently than the passengers on that plane was irresponsible," he said.
"I deeply apologise to the families of the victims that my answer came off as insensitive. It was certainly not my intention."
The Oscar-nominated actor, who made his name in the music business as rapper Marky Mark, started acting in 1993.
He is now promoting his latest movie project Contraband, a thriller in which he plays a former smuggler forced to protect his brother-in-law.
He has also produced TV shows like Entourage, In Treatment and Boardwalk Empire.
Parker lifts Spurs over Magic 85-83 in OT
It took a while, but the San Antonio Spurs have finally found success on the road this season.
They had to work a little longer than normal to realize it, though.
After dropping their first five games away from Texas to begin year, the Spurs put the ball in the hands of one of their stars late in the game Wednesday night to help them grind out an 85-83 overtime victory over the Orlando Magic .
Tony Parker, who has helped carry the team with Manu Ginobili sidelined, scored 25 points, including 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, to help preserve the win.
"We wanted to come here and try to play well and have an opportunity to win the game," Parker said. "I'm happy it bounced our way finally."
Tim Duncan said the effort was just good enough and came at the right time for a team that was coming off blowing a 17-point lead in a 22-point loss to Miami.
"It took every minute of that game and we couldn't make shots at the right time, but we continued to make stops, continued to push," he said.
The loss snapped a season-best five-game win streak for the Magic, which also lost the only game of their lone back-to-back-to-back stretch of the season.
Dwight Howard led the Magic with 24 points and 25 rebounds, with Ryan Anderson adding 17 and Von Wafer 15 off the bench. But it wasn't enough for them to overcome a dismal shooting night.
Both teams traded a pair of baskets to begin the extra period before and 18-foot jumper by Duncan made it 81-79 with under a minute to play in OT.
A dunk by Howard off a missed jumper by Jameer Nelson quickly tied it again before Gary Neal's 3-pointer on the ensuing possession put the Spurs back up three.
Wafer drove, was able to spin in a layup and was fouled with 16.3 left, but missed the free throw.
Richard Jefferson was fouled on the rebound, though was able to connect on only one of his two free throws.
The Magic got multiple looks at a 3-pointer to win the game on their final possession, but J.J. Redick's final swish from the top of the key was ruled to be after the final horn.
Spurs coach Greg Popovich said he isn't surprised by the resiliency his team showed when things got tight.
"They always respond and tonight they did," he said. "They were aggressive, they were physical and more than anything they just played through whatever was going to happen on the court. They didn't worry about the last play. ... Just that mental toughness that they showed after not showing it last night, that was very satisfying for the whole group."
Winners of 10 of 12 games entering Wednesday, there hadn't been much to rattle the Magic during that streak.
Not long stretches of games with few breaks. Not playing poor defense, shooting badly or allowing teams to hang around late.
But against San Antonio, the Magic at times were guilty of all, most notably a 33 percent (29 for 87) shooting night from the field.
Still, coach Stan Van Gundy said afterward that the deficiencies came most from his end this time around,
"Just kicking ourselves," he said. "Our guys deserve to win with the effort they put out tonight. But I'm kind of disappointed in myself."
Specifically, he noted that he thought he might have reacted to different situations too slow at times and played Howard and Nelson too long. Howard played 40 minutes and Nelson 38.
"We just came up short in the end," Howard said. "Third game in a row, (we) fought hard for the whole game. So there's nothing bad you can say about tonight's game."
Parker scored 10 of the Spurs first 12 points of the fourth quarter to push San Antonio out to a 69-64 lead with less than eight minutes to play in regulation.
Orlando came back and got a steal and layup on the other end by layup by Redick to tie it at 73 with 36.9 seconds remaining before a tip-in by Duncan on the Spurs next trip.
Redick tied it again with a pair of free-throws with 17 seconds left, but Parker badly missed a jumper. The Magic got the rebound, but with only .03 seconds they couldn't get off a clean shot.
The Magic were without one of their best post entry passers Wednesday with starter Hedo Turkoglu sitting because of injury, and it showed for Orlando in its half-court offense.
Duncan matched up with Howard defensively, playing him mostly straight up with no double-team help.
The philosophy worked for the most part with the Magic leading by just three points at the break and Howard managing only seven field goal and four free-throw attempts for eight first-half points.
The Spurs failed to capitalize, though, shooting 40 percent in the half, including 1 for 8 from the 3-point line.
As good as the win felt, Spurs forward Richard Jefferson said it is nothing they are going to dwell on.
"I know it's the first road victory, but let us not get carried away," he said. "It's not like we were a bad team, or under .500. ... We had some tough losses and bad losses. We have a quality team here. We just have to play better on the road for a longer period of time."