THE TCI INTEGRITY COMMISSION ON THE OCCASION OF THE UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL ANTI-CORRUPTION DAY
The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Integrity Commission joins the nations of the world to observe today, the 9th December, 2011 as United Nations International Anti-Corruption Day. Since 2003, the United Nations (UN) has designated the 9th of December as a day to raise people’s awareness of corruption, and its devastating effect on the economic, social and political lives of a people and to identify the tools to combat and prevent it.
Corruption undermines democracy, good governance, justice and the rule of law; it breeds poverty in the midst of plenty; insecurity where there should be safety. Corruption is a deadly cancer that corrodes and destroys the social, economic and political fabrics of any nation. ACT AGAINST CORRUPTION!
The global reach of corruption and its scourge, led to the passing of the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) and The OECD Convention on the Bribery of Foreign Officials in International Transactions--- two very important global legal instruments in the fight against corruption. Countries were urged to incorporate the provisions of these Conventions into their domestic laws.
In 2008, TCI enacted the relevant legislation namely, the Integrity Commission Ordinance 2008 (the Ordinance) which essentially mirrored the provisions of these Conventions. The Ordinance came into force on June 1, 2009. On May 10, 2010, the Integrity Commission was established under this Ordinance with a mission to lead in combating corruption and promoting integrity, honesty and good faith in public life so that public resources are used fairly and equitably for the benefit of all TCI citizens and residents. Since its establishment, the Commission has worked to help set up the legal, infrastructural and institutional framework necessary to effectively and efficiently carry out its statutory and constitutional mandate.
The passage of the Integrity Commission Ordinance and the establishment of the Integrity Commission is a clear message of commitment by the TCI government and its people to fight corruption.
On this International Anti-Corruption Day, the Integrity Commission reaffirms its resolve to play a leading role in this anti-corruption campaign, and wishes to thank the government, citizens and residents of TCI, especially persons in public life for their support and cooperation since its establishment.
Manuel Noriega extradited to Panama to serve jail terms
Panama's ex-leader Manuel Noriega has been extradited back to his home country from France and taken straight to a prison.
His plane touched down in Panama City on Sunday evening after flying from Paris via Madrid.
He was convicted in absentia of crimes committed during his time in power in the 1980s.
The 77-year-old has already spent more than 20 years in prisons in France and the United States.
Last month, a French court approved a request from Panama to send him back home to be jailed over his convictions for murder, corruption and embezzlement.
He had the right to appeal, but his lawyers said he wanted to return to Panama.
Foreign Minister Roberto Henriquez has said the government's priority is to guarantee Noriega's safety.
Noriega travelled with a team of Panamanian officials, including the country's attorney-general and a doctor. After his arrival, he was escorted to El Renacer jail, south east of Panama City.
Murder of opponents
Although he was never president, General Manuel Noriega served as Panama's de facto leader between 1983 to 1989.
Once a US ally, he was arrested by invading American troops in January 1990, amid allegations he had turned the Central American nation into a drug-trafficking hub.
He spent 20 years in prison in the US after being convicted there of the charges.
In 2010, he was extradited from the US to France, where he had been convicted in absentia of laundering money from Colombian drug gangs through a French bank to buy property in Paris.
He received a seven-year jail sentence from the French court.
In Panama itself, he faces three 20-year jail terms for crimes committed during his rule, including the murders of political opponents.
However, it remains unclear whether he will remain in prison, as Panama allows people aged 70 years and above to serve their sentences at home.
Job creation, crime among issues at first political debates in Jamaica
The first of three political debates between the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the Opposition People's National Party (PNP) got underway last night in the studios of the Creative Production and Training Centre in Kingston.
For 90 minutes the Peoples National Party's Team (PNP) represented by Dr Dayton Campbell, Lisa Hanna and Raymond Pryce went face to face against the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP's) Senator Marlene Malahoo Forte, Dr Saphire Longmore and Senator Warren Newby.
In its closing arguments, the JLP, through Malahoo Forte, emphasised the need to end the blame game and highlighted the importance of putting Jamaica first. She added that the JLP boasts "leaders of today for tomorrow".
In countering the JLP's appeal, Pryce called on Jamaicans to support the PNP and to ask whether they are better off today than they were four years ago, when the JLP won the general election. He highlighted job losses, foreclosures and hardship on the Jamaican family as reasons why the JLP administration should not be returned to power.
The 90-minute debate focused on social and economic issues, from the perspective of the youth.
Source: jamaicaobserver
VAT day option in Barbados
Barbadians could benefit from a reduction in Value Added Tax (VAT) – at least for one day – on the heels of Duty-Free Day and calls for a repeat of the initiative.
Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler told the DAILY NATION that was one of the options that could be considered once an evaluation of last Friday’s exercise was complete.
While he could not say whether there would be a repeat of Duty-Free Day – which saw thousands of customers flocking to Bridgetown from very early morning until after nightfall, to purchase a maximum of $1 000 in items at prices usually reserved for visitors – Sinckler said other initiatives to ease the strain on consumers would be examined.
“We will look at it again to see where we can do something like this again, not only for the businesses but for the people of Barbados,” he said.
Cuban medics to stem shortages at hospitals
Minister of Health Dr Fuad Khan says more than 200 Cuban doctors and nurses are in T&T to help reduce the shortage at the Eric Williams Medical Science Complex in Mt Hope and the San Fernando General Hospital. The specialists are scheduled to undergo an orientation programme at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Port-of-Spain, this morning. “It will have a great impact on the shortage and service given to the people of T&T. I intend to open the hospitals later and also on weekends. These doctors are going to do that,” Khan said.
He said the initiative will also be used “to prevent the haemorrhage of patients into the private sector.” He said the Intensive Care Units “will be fully manned instead of what currently exists.” Khan said that “certain doctors are going to be up in arms for me using the Cubans but I am going ahead with it. I think that’s the only way the people of T&T could be served.” Khan said the Cuban doctors are bilingual. He said two neurosurgeons will be placed at the Mt Hope Complex and one at the San Fernando General Hospital.
$4m A DAY IN LOSSES
Businessmen are bracing for massive losses over the upcoming Christmas season after the continued stand-off between union and management left the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago crippled for four days.
With over 4,000 containers at a standstill, Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) head Gregory Aboud described the situation as a "hostile" attack on the business community.
"It is an understatement to say that this situation is a catastrophe," Aboud said in a telephone interview yesterday.
Aboud said the demurrage on stalled containers cost businessmen as much as $1,000 a day and with 4,000 containers still to be cleared, businessmen were looking at almost $4 million in daily losses.
"This situation now is like an upper-cut after a tough bout," he said.
With businessmen facing these crippling losses, Aboud feared it would create more disharmony between business and unions.
"It will create a further separation between all the parties and especially among those in the business community who are made to suffer at this crucial time," he said.
He is also warning the striking workers that once this situation is settled, they may find themselves "irrelevant to the equation".
"We have travelled far and carried the heavy burden of the inefficiencies and unreliability of the Port operations. It is time for us to think of a solution. When there are big problems, we need big solutions," he said.
Aboud said it was a well-known fact that even under "normal conditions and if everyone reports to work" the Port was considered inefficient.
Aboud said Christmas sales and goods were already lost.
"Even if they resume operations immediately, in this current scenario, some cargo may not return to this Port for several weeks," he said.
He said it was time to consider alternative arrangements to circumvent the continued inefficiencies at the port.
"Several shipping lines want to set up privately owned ports for operations," he said.
Michael Annisette, head of the SWWTU, said he was preventing this action by port workers for over 40 months. He said on Friday he was told the workers were frustrated and would start withholding their labour.
He said he met with management until 4 a.m. on Sunday morning with no resolution.
"Negotiations broke down, but I have spoken to the Minister of Transport and he intervened," Annisette said in a telephone interview yesterday.
Annisette said there was no wage offer on the negotiating table just yet.
"I know how volatile this situation is. I am painfully aware of how important the port operations are to the country," he said.
"But you have to have a satisfied workforce," he said.
"I'm trying to say and like the Government not understanding the mass majority of people demanding more than the five per cent. The new attitude of the frustrated workers has me worried," Annisette said.
He said he was told if the Government offered more than five per cent, it would compromise its agreement with fellow trade union leader Watson Duke.
"What Duke have to do with this?" he asked.
Transport Minister Devant Maharaj said he spoke to both negotiating parties and they agreed to re-visit the negotiating table.
He said if the parties needed him to intervene or help with policy changes, he was always available.
Mexico earthquake kills two in Guerrero state
A 6.7-magnitude earthquake has struck Mexico, shaking buildings and sending people rushing out on to the street.
The quake, which struck the western state of Guerrero at 19:47 local time (01:47 GMT), was strongly felt in Mexico City.
At least two people have died in the state, but reports suggest the country has escaped major damage.
Many districts in the capital suffered power outages.
One person was killed after a roof collapsed in the small city of Iguala, while a second died after a rock fell on a small van on the Mexico City-Acapulco highway, officials said.
The tremor - which was 40 miles (65km) deep - was also felt in other states including Michoacan, Puebla and Hidalgo, local media reported.
"I was dreadfully afraid, I thought it was never going to end," Laura Gonzalez, who was in a bar in Mexico City when the quake struck, told Reuters news agency.
In 1985, an 8.1-magnitude quake killed as many as 10,000 people in the city.
NBA:Bryant upset at Odom's looming departure
Even Kobe Bryant can't figure out why the Los Angeles Lakers apparently are trading Lamar Odom to one of their biggest rivals.
"To be honest with you, I don't like it," Bryant said Sunday when the Lakers showed up for their third day of training camp knowing their top reserve probably will be shipped to the Dallas Mavericks for nothing but a trade exception.
"It's tough to lose Lamar," Bryant added. "Pau (Gasol) is still here, and we're all thankful for that. It's hard when you've been through so many battles with players to just see them go somewhere else. It's tough."
Neither team formally announced a trade early Sunday, but Dallas coach Rick Carlisle and star Dirk Nowitzki both essentially confirmed the deal, acknowledging their excitement about adding Odom to the defending NBA champions' roster without losing a player in return.
Odom wasn't at the Lakers' training complex Sunday, and his teammates aren't thrilled to know he's probably on his way to Dallas, which swept the Lakers out of the second round of the postseason last spring.
"Especially to them," Bryant said. "We were supposed to come back and get them back. It's tough. ... Do I think we got too little? Who did we get? I don't think Mark Cuban is protesting this trade."
Bryant and Derek Fisher don't know what to make of their front office's aggressive pursuit of Chris Paul followed by an apparent change of focus toward Orlando center Dwight Howard, who has requested a trade from the Magic, after the NBA blocked a megatrade for Paul on Thursday. Odom didn't attend the Lakers' first two days of practice after the team attempted to include him with Gasol in that three-team trade for Paul.
"As a basketball player, it confuses you as to what your focus should be," Fisher said. "I'm very disappointed and frustrated for (Odom and Gasol)."
Although Bryant expressed his faith in general manager Mitch Kupchak, he would prefer to have Odom in camp as the Lakers regroup from last season's failed attempt at a threepeat.
"You're talking about the sixth man of the year last year," Bryant said of Odom, who averaged 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3 assists while playing in all 82 games last season. "He played lights-out. I don't understand the criticism of reality shows and this. I don't get that. He had his best season last year, clearly wasn't a distraction, played his (rear) off. I don't get where that comes from."
Odom starred in a reality show last season with his wife, Khloe Kardashian, clearly enjoying his celebrity at the main intersection of sports and Hollywood. Kardashian tweeted obliquely about her excitement when news of the apparent trade surfaced Saturday night.
Even Odom's contract is a good deal for his employers: He will make a modest $8.9 million this season in the third year of a four-year deal, which can be bought out next season for a modest amount. The Lakers' trade exception means they can acquire a player making Odom's salary or less without the usual complications, but it would be only one part of a hypothetical deal for Howard or another star.
With this chaos on top of the usual amount of drama surrounding the high-profile Lakers, new coach Mike Brown is attempting to plan for a season with no idea who will be in his lineup in two weeks when Los Angeles hosts the Chicago Bulls in their Christmas season opener. Gasol and fellow big man Andrew Bynum went through their third day of workouts on Sunday not knowing whether they would have a chance to use all this new information.
"If I'm here, I'm looking forward to the season," said Bynum, who knows he's rumored to be the main component in any proposed deal for Howard. "If they were able to pull a move like that off, it would be great for the organization, and I'd be in Orlando hooping."
Lakers forward Matt Barnes has been in contact with Howard, his former teammate in Orlando. Barnes said he doesn't need to sell Howard on the Lakers.
While Odom stayed away from the Lakers, Gasol reported to the team despite the possibility of his imminent departure. He remains hopeful he'll stay in Los Angeles, but the four-time All-Star no longer knows what to think about his near future.
Packers perfect 13-0 after 46-16 win over Raiders
Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers should have been feeling satisfied.
With Sunday's 46-16 rout of the Oakland Raiders , the Packers brushed aside a playoff contender by halftime to win their 19th straight, clinched a first-round bye and moved a game away from clinching home-field advantage throughout the playoffs - and at 13-0, they kept the possibility of a perfect season squarely in sight.
Instead, Rodgers seemed concerned about the health of star wide receiver Greg Jennings , who left the game with an apparent left knee injury in the third quarter.
"Well, it didn't look very good," Rodgers said. "So we'll see what the MRI says tomorrow. And hopefully, we've got a bye wrapped up, so he really has close to five weeks before our (playoff) game."
Packers coach Mike McCarthy was more guarded, classifying the injury as a sprain and saying that it warranted further evaluation.
Jennings' injury put a damper on what was otherwise one of the Packers' most complete performances of the season. Rodgers threw for 281 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in less than three quarters' worth of work, Ryan Grant had two touchdowns rushing and Charles Woodson picked off a pass against his former team.
McCarthy still isn't interested in talking about the possibility of the Packers going 16-0, but his level of confidence is clear.
"(If we're) taking care of things and keeping our focus on improving the quality of play, I don't think we can be beat," McCarthy said. "You could have asked me that six years ago, I would have said the same damn thing. That's the way we think around here."
Rodgers got an early rest in the blowout, as backup Matt Flynn took over late in the third.
"This is the kind of game you want to play going into the playoffs," Rodgers said.
Carson Palmer threw for 245 yards with a touchdown and four interceptions for the Raiders (7-6), who looked like anything but legitimate contenders in the AFC West.
"I'm not going to let this team keep going backwards," coach Hue Jackson said. "The last two weeks, we haven't come close to playing or looking like the football team we've been."
Oakland was without injured running back Darren McFadden , along with wide receivers Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore . And the Raiders made plenty of mistakes to help an opponent that doesn't really need it.
"You are not going to beat a high school team with the penalties and mistakes (like) the ones that we made," linebacker Aaron Curry said. "You make a lot of mistakes, you lose."
Palmer threw an interception on the Raiders' first possession, and Oakland committed eight penalties in the first half alone.
And while the Packers' play has been far from perfect for most of the season, especially on defense, this one was total domination. Things got out of hand so quickly that the Raiders tried a fake punt in the second quarter. As was the case for most things the Raiders attempted Sunday, it didn't work.
Grant rediscovered his big-play ability for the Packers, breaking a 47-yard run two plays after Palmer threw an interception to rookie linebacker D.J. Smith on the Raiders' first possession.
The Packers were without injured running back James Starks , who had surpassed Grant in the Packers' rotation. Until that play, Grant hadn't looked like his explosive old self for most of the season.
After a defensive stop, Rodgers directed a 10-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard scoring pass to Ryan Taylor - the rookie's first career touchdown.
Trailing 31-0 with about six minutes left in the half, the Raiders tried the fake punt. But Shane Lechler threw high to Rock Cartwright for an incompletion, and the Packers took over at the Oakland 28-yard line.
The Raiders finally got on the scoreboard in the third quarter when Michael Bush ran for a 2-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 34-7.
Packers outside linebacker Erik Walden scored on a fumble return late in the third quarter. Walden has been in trouble off the field and was charged Wednesday with misdemeanor disorderly conduct-domestic abuse following an altercation with his girlfriend.
Rodgers - who took three sacks and was hit hard several other times as the Packers rotated offensive linemen - figured his day was done after that.
"I'm sure tomorrow I'll be a little sore, and Tuesday as well, but nothing that I'm worried about," Rodgers said.
Now the Packers are looking forward to the chance to clinch home-field advantage at Kansas City next Sunday.
"Obviously, there's no other team that can say they're 13-0 right now and on the precipice of doing something great," Clay Matthews said. "But there's still a lot left that we need to accomplish. If you really want to look into it, the regular season does mean a whole lot if you get to the playoffs. So we're setting ourselves up nicely."
AP
Bishop wants more 1st class cricket for Pollard
With just 80 runs from four games in the series against India, at an average nearly on par with his career average, the pressure on West Indies’ Kieron Pollard to live up to his billing as a power hitter capable of changing a game is ever increasing. When the opportunity arose in Indore to play a lengthy innings, he faltered yet again. This raised the question as to whether he is capable of shedding the tag of a Twenty20 specialist, and if he’s capable of holding his place in an XI that has allrounders of similar pedigree, like the promising Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo, who is likely to return after regaining fitness. If West Indies are keen on handing Pollard a more responsible role as a batsman, then they could use the final one-dayer in Chennai, a dead rubber, to start a new experiment that could have long-term benefits.
Promotions aren’t usually awarded to underachievers—at least in the corporate world—but sport allows exceptions. Though Pollard hasn’t played Tests, he figures regularly in the one-day set-up, since debuting in April 2007. His numbers as a one-day international batsman, though, don’t make for flattering reading—50 matches, 947 runs at an average of 21.52 with a 0% conversion rate to go with his four half-centuries. His saving grace is his strike-rate of 101.50. But is it really his fault that he can’t come up with bigger numbers? The hidden fact is that Pollard has batted at Nos6 and 7 a combined 35 times, representing an overwhelming majority of his one-day appearances. The highest he has ever batted is No.4, which was only on one occasion. He has been at his most productive at No.5—in eight innings he averages 31.25, with a strike-rate of 152.43. His personal best of 94 off 55 balls, against Ireland in the World Cup earlier this year, came from this slot.
Statistical evidence should give voice to the need for Pollard to get a promotion. Ian Bishop, the former West Indies fast bowler, now a television commentator, believes it’s time for Pollard’s teams—Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies, Mumbai Indians to name a few—to reassess their plans for him, if they want to maximise his potential as a batsman. “If his teams are seriously thinking of developing his game, they have to start thinking of pushing him up the order and allowing him to develop a more long term view of his batting,” Bishop told ESPNcricinfo. “With his power, if he can build an innings and get set there will be more benefit in terms of maximising a Powerplay or finishing an innings, as opposed to coming in late and trying to go for it straightaway—over time this has proven to be more difficult for him.”
Bishop feels Pollard still has a presence in the one-day setup. “I still think there is a place for him [in the ODI team],” Bishop said. “If you look at the last two ODIs, they [West Indies] played with a number of allrounders, expecting Pollard to deliver with the bat but he hasn’t done that. He has to realise that if Bravo comes back and Russell continues to develop, his place might become a liability. So he needs to start delivering more.” Pollard has been pigeonholed as a finisher, a notion that automatically slots him into the lower middle-order. His IPL franchise, Mumbai Indians, mysteriously slotted him at No.8 in the 2010 final against Chennai Super Kings, where his 10-ball 27 wasn’t enough to see them through in the chase.
It could be that teams only see him as a lower-order hitter who can bowl. If Pollard is to inspire confidence for a promotion, Bishop feels that the batsman should start playing more first-class cricket. “He has to start playing more first-class cricket,” Bishop said. “He has played so little first-class cricket over the last two seasons, so I think he has forgotten the how to build an innings. “I’ve seen a couple of attempts to start building an innings recently but he’s still on auto-pilot—he’s thinking of spending time at the crease but subconsciously he’s thinking about going for the big shots, as that is what he’s known for in the last two years. He is limited in his strokeplay, where he tries to strike the ball hard down the ground or to midwicket. What other strokes does he have? Maybe a little tuck off the legs, but his offside play hasn’t developed in the way that it should. Playing spin, good quality spin, is also an issue.”
Bishop is confident that Pollard has the desire to redevelop his game to suit all formats, but the initiative has to come from within. “A lot of the responsibility is going to fall on Kieron alone. He has been in huge demand in Twenty20s and will continue to be,” Bishop said. “I believe he is hungry to lift his game to another level. You can tell a lot about a player’s desire by the way they field. You don’t have to put your body on the line all the time but Kieron does that, so he has the appetite and desire to improve. But he won’t improve until he makes a sacrifice and plays more first-class cricket. It may mean that he will have to turn down more Twenty20 gigs, which generally clash with first-class cricket in the Caribbean or elsewhere, but he has to make that decision. “West Indies will only pick him on form. He is an intelligent, articulate individual. From talking to him, I believe he has the desire to play the longer format of the game. He has to make a sacrifice and say ‘I’ve made a lot of money over the last couple of years but I will have to play more first-class cricket to take my game to another level.’” The question remains if Pollard can actually prioritise, putting West Indies above all else. (Cricinfo)