Turks and Caicos among 10 Caribbean jurisdictions featured in BCQS market
Turks and Caicos among 10 Caribbean jurisdictions featured in BCQS market report, where construction costs are said to be highest.
The TCI listed as one of the costliest countries for construction to be carried out. While construction costs in the Cayman Islands and the Caribbean have risen slightly overall in 2011, property and development consultants are forecasting costs to decrease up to 2015, according to BCQS Internationals 2011 Market Trend Report.
According to the report, the two main factors behind the projected cost decrease are a decline in commodity indexes and raw materials, and the natural balancing of the market in terms of demand for new construction.
Out of the 10 Caribbean jurisdictions featured in BCQS market report, construction costs are said to be highest in the Turks and Caicos Islands, followed closely by Barbados and Cayman. Construction costs in Cayman are particularly high in the commercial sector, as opposed to residential or hotel. By a significant margin, Cayman has the highest commercial construction costs in the Caribbean, and Caymans commercial rental rates are second only to the Bahamas.
Costs in that sector are high in Cayman generally because of requirements of offshore financial firms, and lessons learned from Hurricane Ivan's devastation in 2004.
Identified as the most expensive place to build in the Caribbean, Turks and Caicos is looking to become a little less pricey.
According to the BCQS report, the Turks and Caicos government has instituted a reduction in stamp duty for property transactions with the aim of mitigating the effects of the recession.
Another boat load of Haitians attempt to reach Turks and Caicos shores
Illegal immigrants from Haiti continue to brave the high seas and so risk their lives, determined to make the Turks and Caicos their ultimate stop.
It was just two days ago Wednesday 28th December at approximately 3:30 p.m. that the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police intercepted a Haitian sloop approximately seven miles to the North East of French Cay, carrying prospective irregular entrants to the TCI.
"A total of 117 persons were aboard - some 90 males, 21 females and six female children.
In his 24 Hour Crime Recap in Providenciales today, Friday 30th December,Detective Inspector Calvin Chase reported another interception of illegal Haitians.
During the course of this morning, Chase reported that Police Officers from the Marine Division intercepted an illegal 45foot wooden sloop,
equipped with an outboard engine 2 miles off of French Cay, within the territorial waters of the TCI. That sloop was towed to South Dock where a
total of 139 irregular immigrants, inclusive of 115 males and 24 females, were handed over to Immigration Authorities.
TCIG Immigration officials were to have started the repatriation process for those Haitians intercepted on Wednesday, yesterday, Thu, 29 Dec 2011,
beginning with the children.
Inspector Chase also reported in his 24 hour crime recap that Police in Providenciales responded to six reports of serious nature, including Three Burglaries off Millennium Highway, Kew Town and Behind Glass Shack, Three Thefts, 2 in Five Cays and 1 in The Bight
One male was arrested on suspicion of Theft in connection with a report made on Thursday 29th December 2011.
Michael Buble Remains No. 1, Adele's '21' Has Best Sales Week Yet
Michael Buble's "Christmas" album spends a fifth straight week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 467,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan. Its sales were up 4% in the tracking week that ended on Dec. 25, Christmas day.
Buble's "Christmas" is now -- so far -- the year's second-best selling album with 2.43 million sold. Adele's "21" is 2011's biggest, with 5.68 million. As there is one more week left in the year (ending Jan. 1, 2012), we'll have the full report on the year's top sellers on Wednesday, Jan. 4.
As for this week's chart, Adele's "21" holds at No. 2, selling 399,000 (up 44%) -- its best sales week yet. Its previous high came during its debut frame (44 weeks ago!), when it bowed at No. 1 with 352,000.
Watch for "21" to return to the top of the chart next week -- for a 14th non-consecutive frame -- as Buble's "Christmas" set will certainly tumble from the No. 1 position. (Holiday albums fall down the chart rapidly once Christmas passes. Last year, Susan Boyle's "The Gift" fell from No. 2 to No. 31 in the week following Christmas.)
Young Jeezy's "TM 103: Hustlerz Ambition" debuts at No. 3 with 233,000 -- the rapper's fifth-straight top five set (his entire output, including the U.S.D.A. mix tape in 2007). His last release, 2008's "The Recession," started at No. 1 with 260,000.
Justin Bieber's "Under the Mistletoe" slips 3-4 with 225,000 (up 32%), Drake's "Take Care" moves 7-5 with 131,000 (up 71%) and Lady Antebellum's "Own the Night" slides 5-6 with 110,000 (up 36%).
Rihanna's "Talk That Talk" jumps 14-7 (99,000; up 83%) after AmazonMP3 sale priced the set. Naturally, it also saw a huge 163% increase in download sales.
Nickelback's "Here and Now" drops 6-8 (with just under 99,000; up 23%) while the Black Keys' "El Camino" falls 4-9 (92,000; up 9%) and the "Now 40" compilation rises 11-10 (88,000; up 38%).
After Young Jeezy, the next highest debut is found at No. 18, where Common's "The Dreamer, the Believer" enters with 69,000. Jeezy and Common are the only two debuts on the entire Billboard 200 tally this week.
On the Digital Songs chart, LMFAO profits from Christmas day purchases (likely on newly-acquired electronic devices) as "Sexy and I Know It" retains the No. 1 slot, but with a massive sales gain. The song sold 395,000 last week -- up a whopping 159%. This is the biggest sales week for any song since Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" shifted 509,000 in its second week at No. 1 on the chart dated March 5.
Katy Perry's "The One That Got Away" vaults 6-2 with 297,000 (up 157%) thanks in part to the release of a new remix featuring B.o.B. The latter mix accounted for 76,000 of the overall 297,000 sold.
Rihanna's "We Found Love" (featuring Calvin Harris) slips 2-3 (276,000; up 86%), Bruno Mars' "It Will Rain" holds at No. 4 (266,000; up 112%) and Jay-Z and Kanye West's "Ni**as In Paris" is also stationary at No. 5 (227,000; up 93%).
Flo Rida's "Good Feeling" drops 3-6 (219,000; up 74%), Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain" is steady at No. 7 (217,000; up 118%) and LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" returns to the top 10, climbing 13-8 (214,000; up 170%). The latter's rise is again chalked up to Christmas day purchases of the year's biggest hits. Other likely beneficiaries of the holiday: Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass" (35-29; 106,000 - up 167%), Lil Wayne's "How to Love" (75-33; 83,000 - up 324%) and Jason Aldean's "Dirt Road Anthem" (49-42; 67,000 - up 146%).
Rounding out the top 10 on the Digital Songs chart is Big Sean's "Dance (A$$)" featuring Nicki Minaj (8-9 with 200,000; up 126%) and Adele's "Someone Like You" (9-10 with 183,000; up 109%).
The highest debut on the Digital Songs tally this week is Taylor Swift's "Safe & Sound" (featuring the Civil Wars), which enters at No. 19 with 136,000. The song was released digitally on Dec. 23 -- meaning that it starts on the list with only two days of sales. Expect the track to make a big jump on next week's list after a full week's sales are registered.
Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending Dec. 25) totaled 15.11 million units, up 35% compared to the sum last week (11.20 million) and up less than 1% compared to the comparable sales week of 2010 (15.08 million). Year to date album sales stand at 322.86 million, up 1% compared to the same total at this point last year (319.01 million).
Digital track sales this past week totaled 38.25 million downloads, up 70% compared to last week (22.48 million) and down 13% stacked next to the comparable week of 2010 (43.96 million). Year to date track sales are at 1.22 billion, up 8% compared to the same total at this point last year (1.13 billion).
Next week's Billboard 200 competes with the same week in 2010 when: Taylor Swift's "Speak Now" was No. 1 for a fifth non-consecutive week, selling 77,000 (down 72%) while Eminem's "Recovery" charged 7-2 with 63,000 (but down 54%). The chart's highest debut was the Maine's "In Darkness & in Light" soundtrack at No. 93 with 7,000 sold.
BILLBOARD
Hollywood hopes for better 2012
Tom Cruise's new mission remains impossible to beat at the box office.
Studio estimates yesterday placed Mission: Impossible Ñ Ghost Protocol in the No. 1 spot for the second-straight weekend with US$31.3 million. With a US$134.1 million domestic total, it's the first US$100-million hit with Cruise in the lead role since 2006's Mission: Impossible III.
The Paramount release led a solid New Year's weekend as Hollywood managed fair business to end a sluggish year on a more promising note for 2012. Domestic revenues closed out at US$10.22 billion for 2011, down 3.4 per cent from 2010's, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.
That was a slight improvement over Hollywood.com's projections a week earlier, when Hollywood was limping through the normally busy holiday season with a lineup of underachieving movies.
"This week was a pleasant surprise," said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "Last week, we were really pretty gloom and doom, but this final push at the end of the year was stronger than expected. It's a good way to head into 2012, with at least a little bit of momentum at the box office."
Still, movie admissions were down sharply for the second year in a row. Factoring in higher ticket prices, domestic attendance slipped to 1.28 billion in 2011, off 4.2 per cent from 2010 admissions and the smallest audiences Hollywood has had since 1995, according to Hollywood.com.
Hollywood started the year in a deep rut, with domestic revenues trailing 2010's by 20 per cent or more as a weak first quarter fell far short of the previous year's spectacular results for the sci-fi sensation Avatar.
Studios nearly dug themselves out from that deficit over the summer, but business lagged through the fall and holidays as audiences had a ho-hum response to most movies.
Some studio executives had predicted record revenues for 2011. The movies themselves may simply have held less appeal to fans than expected, though audiences also could be skipping trips to theatres to watch movies on big-screen home setups or to play with the countless entertainment gadgets now on the market. Viewers can watch films at home or on portable devices for a fraction of the cost of going to theatres.
The industry is looking ahead to an impressive lineup to turn things around this year. Big titles include the superhero tales The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-Man and The Avengers; the latest in the animated franchises Ice Age and Madagascar, along with Brave, the new adventure from animation master Pixar; Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones' Men in Black 3; Daniel Craig's new James Bond thriller Skyfall; Johnny Depp's vampire story Dark Shadows; Ridley Scott's Prometheus, a cousin to his science-fiction classic Alien; and Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first in a two-part prequel to his Lord of the Rings films.
The rest of this weekend's top-three remained unchanged. Robert Downey Jr.'s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, from Warner Bros., finished second again with US$22.1 million, raising its domestic total to US$132.1 million.
The 20th Century Fox family sequel Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked was still at No. 3 with US$18.3 million to lift its haul to US$94.6 million.
In its first full weekend, Steven Spielberg's World War I epic War Horse came in fourth with US$16.9 million, pushing its domestic total to US$43 million.
At No. 5 was David Fincher's thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with US$16.3 million. The Sony release, which stars Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, now stands at US$57.1 million domestically.
Cameron Crowe's family tale We Bought a Zoo, featuring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson, finished at No. 6 with US$14.3 million. Released by 20th Century Fox, the movie raised its total to US$41.8 million.
Rounding out the top films was Spielberg and producer Jackson's animated action story The Adventures of Tintin at No 7 with US$12 million. The Paramount release lifted its domestic sum to US$47.8 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Hollywood.com.
Katy Perry, Russell Brand head for divorce
Russell Brand is divorcing Katy Perry after 14 months of what appeared to be a storybook marriage.
"Sadly, Katy and I are ending our marriage," Brand said in a statement released to The Associated Press on Friday. "I'll always adore her and I know we'll remain friends."
Brand, 36, offered no other details, but in papers filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, the British comedian cited irreconcilable differences.
He and the 27-year-old pop singer were married in October 2010 at a resort inside a tiger reserve in India, and their mutual affection had become a rather sweet feature of the Hollywood celebrity circuit.
The couple announced their engagement in January 2010 after meeting at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, where Brand hosted and she performed.
The comedian, who once struggled with substance abuse and sex addiction, was effusive about his bride while promoting projects earlier this year, saying marrying Perry has "given me much more strength in what I do."
"For a long while, what I do professionally was all that mattered to me really," he said in March.
"Now I think, well, whatever I do, I'll just go back to her, and that's incredibly comforting."
Perry praised her husband backstage at the 2011 VMAs in August, where she won three awards and he offered a tribute to Amy Winehouse.
"I'm proud of him, whatever comes out of his mouth, and sometimes it's very colourful, right?" Perry said of Brand. "That's why I married him, because he's smart and I learn a lot."
No comment from katy
Attorneys for Perry, whose name is listed as Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson in the divorce papers, did not respond Friday to calls seeking comment.
The Internet had been abuzz recently with rumours about possible trouble for the couple after they were seen during the holidays without their wedding rings.
Perry's run of No. 1 singles earned her the distinction of becoming MTV's first artiste of the year earlier this month. She hosted Saturday Night Live on December 10 and gave no indication the couple was in trouble.
Brand's recent film credits include Arthur, Hop and Get Him to the Greek. He is among the ensemble starring alongside Tom Cruise in Rock of Ages, set for release next year.
Both Brand and Perry were conspicuously absent Friday from Twitter, where they often shared kind words to each other.
AP
LeBron James Is Engaged
LeBron James had more on his mind than just ringing in the new year on Saturday night.
At a New Year's Eve dinner and party at the Shelborne hotel in South Beach, the Miami Heat star, 27, proposed to his longtime girlfriend Savannah Brinson. And he got their kids in on the action as well.
Right after popping the question, James picked up the couple's sons LeBron Jr., 7, and Bryce, 4, and swung them around on the floor. "It was so sweet to watch," a rep for Remy Martin V, who hosted the dinner, tells PEOPLE. "Everyone is extremely happy."
The party, hosted by Heat teammate Dwyane Wade and his girlfriend Gabrielle Union, was also a belated birthday celebration for James, who turned 27 the day before.
Heat star Chris Bosh and Queen Latifah were also on the guest list of 60 friends and family members.
"When it happens, it happens," Brinson, 25, told Harper's Bazaar of marriage in 2010. "If we do it, I want it to be forever."
PEOPLE
Steven Tyler Is Engaged, Jeweler Confirms
Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and his girlfriend of five years, Erin Brady, got engaged over the holidays, the rocker's go-to jewelry maker has confirmed.
Reports that the "American Idol" judge, 63, had popped the question emerged after the 38-year-old Brady was spotted flashing a large engagement ring on her left hand over the weekend. Neither have responded to requests for comment, but jeweler Loree Rodkin was more than willing to give details, telling PEOPLE the proposal was a surprise.
"He was working, so I picked stones, built settings, showed him choices and sent him pictures on his phone," she told the magazine. "He asked for guidance but the choice was his. Having made jewelry for both Erin and Steven made it an effortless process, as I know their taste."
According to Rodkin, the ring is a 5-carat, brilliant-cut diamond that is laid out on a diamond-and-platinum band. The perpetually bejeweled Tyler has been a client of Rodkin's for years.
Tyler popped the question during a vacation in Hawaii. He has been married twice before, first to model Cyrinda Foxe, from 1978 to 1987, then to clothing designer Teresa Barrick, from 1988 to 2006.
US authorities seize $190,000 from vessel leaving Puerto Rico
Caribbean Border Interagency Group (CBIG) federal law enforcement authorities seized $190,000, a Cal-Tech 5.56mm semi-automatic pistol, and approximately 300 rounds of ammunition found in a single-engine yola type vessel, north west of Puerto Rico last Wednesday night.
At midnight on Wednesday, a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) maritime patrol aircraft detected a vessel approximately 60 nautical miles northwest of Puerto Rico. The vessel had no visible registration, flag or markings.
CBP personnel coordinated with watch-standers at Coast Guard Sector San Juan to intercept the vessel at sea. An HC-144 Ocean Sentry fixed-wing aircraft crew from Coast Guard Air Station Miami and Coast Guard Cutter Cushing were diverted to interdict the vessel.
Cutter Cushing boarding team members discovered approximately $190,000, a Kel-Tec 5.56mm semi-automatic rifle, and approximately 300 rounds of ammunition.
The five individuals on board the vessel claimed to be citizens of the Dominican Republic.
Cushing crewmembers team took custody of the five suspects aboard the vessel, currency, and weapon and transported them to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations at Arecibo for further investigation at the Mayaguez Sea Port, Puerto Rico.
OAS electoral observation mission in Jamaica issues preliminary statement
For the general elections of December 29, 2011, in Jamaica, the Electoral Observation Mission of the Organization of American States (OAS) fielded 25 observers from 16 countries in all 8 of the country’s administrative regions. A total of 852 of the country’s polling stations were visited by the OAS team on Election Day.
The following preliminary observations are based on the direct observations of the OAS team, and on meetings with electoral authorities, a cross-section of government, political parties, media, and civil society organizations.
Observations:
• Pre-electoral period
The OAS mission notes the significant preparations made by the Electoral Commission to generate voter confidence and to ensure an inclusive and clean electoral process.
The continued use of the Electronic Voter Identification and Ballot Issuing System (EVIBIS) has strengthened efforts by the Electoral Commission to improve the integrity and access to the voting process. The EOM observed the use of this system in all of the constituencies where it was utilized and wishes to commend the authorities for its introduction.
The Mission took note of the agreements negotiated by the Electoral Commission with political parties on media and advertising protocols, as well as on campaign financing. These agreements have, in our estimation, improved the democratic process and have increased its transparency. In this regard, the EOM welcomed the publication of the list of companies that have made substantial contributions to the two main political parties. The mission was also particularly struck by the undertaking of the political parties to cease all campaigning, campaign ads and polls as of midnight on Tuesday, December 27. It noted however that this did not prevent the publication of opinion pieces by some of the newspapers on December 28.
• Election Day procedures
On Election Day, the OAS observers noted that the polls opened on time in nearly all the observed locations, all essential materials had arrived, and that the poll workers worked diligently to ensure an efficient casting of the vote. For the most part, these officials seem to be well trained and knowledgeable about the procedures. In addition, electors, security forces and party agents were engaged in almost all locations observed by the OAS, demonstrating their commitment to the exercise of the process.
The OAS mission noted a steady, albeit slow, stream of voters from the commencement of voting but observed that several voters seemed uncertain as to how to locate their specific polling station within the polling center. In the majority of these cases, the elector did in fact eventually locate their polling station within the center. In this regard, the Election Day Supervisors attached to clusters of polling stations played a significant role in helping to resolve any issues that arose.
In some polling centers, polling stations were placed in uncomfortably small spaces next to each other, affording both workers and electors very little privacy and insufficient work space. At several of these stations, this situation also contributed to delays by creating a bottleneck effect on the queue to access the polling area.
• Tabulation and processing of results
After the close of the polls, the vote counting and transmission process moved expeditiously, with results coming into the Election Center as early as 5:30 pm- half an hour after the close polls. The Election Commission must be commended for providing work space for the media at the Electoral Center to access raw data in real time in order to immediately feed their broadcasts.
Recommendations:
Based on the information gathered by the OAS Electoral Observation Mission during its time in Jamaica, the mission would like to offer the following recommendations to further strengthen the electoral process in the future:
1) Making provision for the allocation of adequate space for polling stations and identifying wherever possible locations that have both an entrance and exit to facilitate the flow of electors;
2) Clarifying the role, duties and responsibilities of the political liaison officer at the polling station;
3) Providing adequate signage at the entrance of the polling station to indicate exactly which polling stations are located within that center;
4) Providing copies of the voter’s list at each polling station in a place it can be easily accessed by voters.
5) Continued efforts by the Electoral Commission of Jamaica and other branches of government in seeking the enactment of campaign finance regulations.
A more detailed verbal report on the observations and recommendations of the OAS EOM will be presented to the OAS Permanent Council in Washington D.C. in early 2012. This report will be shared with all stakeholders in Jamaica and will be available through the OAS website.
Argentine governor dies of shots to head
The ruling party governor of a western Argentine province was killed early yesterday of gunshots to the head, and his wife was being questioned by police.
The .38-caliber revolver was fired as Rio Negro Govenor Carlos Soria, and his wife Susana were in their bedroom after spending New Year's Eve at their home in General Roca, authorities said. Emergency personnel found him bleeding in bed and took him alive to the local hospital, where he was declared dead just before 5 am, local media reported.
The governor's spokesman, Julian Goinhex confirmed the death but gave no further details about what happened to the 62-year-old Soria.
Soria led the province's Peronist Justicialist Party and won election by a wide margin in October. He was inaugurated on December 10 as part of the nation's ruling Front for Victory, displacing the Radical Party that had long controlled the province.
Soria will be succeeded by his vice-governor, Alberto Weretilneck. In an interview with Radio 10, Weretilneck called it a domestic accident and said Soria and his wife were alone at the time.
Susana Freydoz was being questioned by police Sunday to determine whether the shots were fired by accident or intentionally, local media reported.
Soria's son Martin, who replaced him as mayor of General Roca, made no immediate statement about his father's death. The couple also had three other children: German, Carlos and Emilia.
Just before midnight, Soria had given an interview to a local radio station, expressing confidence that 2012 would be a great year and that he was looking forward to the challenge of bringing a new administration to the province, which is quickly developing its mineral and oil wealth through foreign investments. Its land, too, is in huge demand, from developments around Andean ski resorts to farmland.
Chinese companies have reactivated a major iron ore mine and are investing more than $1 billion to irrigate land to provide grains and dairy products for Chinese consumers. The province has 1,400 operations that manage hundreds of thousands of sheep, cows and goats.
"I'm not afraid of any challenge. This isn't very difficult, although it is complex. The province belongs to everyone, and we need to take care of it and not seek personal gain from it," the late governor said.
While Soria was a member of the governing party inspired by Peron, he clashed in the past with President Cristina Fernandez. According to the newspaper Clarin, Fernandez accused him in 2002 of spying on her husband, Nestor Kirchner, while heading the intelligence ministry for Kirchner's predecessor, President Eduardo Duhalde. They put that rift behind them as Soria spent eight years as mayor of his hometown, repeatedly challenging the Radicals until he ended their 28-year hold on the province last year.
Earlier, Soria had led a congressional commission investigating the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires and as regional security minister for Buenos Aires, oversaw a hunt for bodies of victims of the country's 1976-1983 dictatorship. He also made public a stash of documents about the dirty war that had been hidden for years by police.