Air fair Hike from Air TCI
Passengers in the Turks and Caicos Islands are coming to grips with the rise in air fare by domestic carrier Air Turks and Caicos who have added a five dollar increase to all their flights.
In a statement to the public, Air TCI said quote “Jet fuel, which is the type of fuel used by Air Turks and Caicos has been rising steadily for the past six months, 56 cents per gallon n the last 90 days alone.
Our business is energy dependant and our cost of doing business has steadily risen as the fuel price increases.
“An occasional increase in spike in fuel prices is to be expected and can be caused by any number of events worldwide. We can and do absorb these increases when they are temporary. However when fuel prices continue to increase for an extended period we are forced to adjust our ticket price n the form of a fuel surcharge.”
These new fees came into effect on February 14th 2011
However given the hard economic times many are calling for the airline to rethink and in some cases reduce the cost of inter-island travel. As one customer lamented “t may be better to increase the fare on international flights but flying within the TCI is really too expensive”
PPC Science fair
PPC Ltd has partnered with the Ministry of Education in presenting this year’s Science Fair. The Ministry of Education Science Fair 2011 sponsored by PPC Ltd takes place on March 9-10, 2011 in Providenciales and will be held under the theme, “Caring for the TCI Environment is Our Responsibility: SUSTAIN, PRESERVE, ENHANCE.”
The 2011 Science Fair begins with an opening ceremony at the Gustarvus Lightbourne Sports Complex, Downtown Providenciales at 10:00am and the two day showcase kicks off with a unique display of science exhibits from public and private secondary schools within the Turks and Caicos Islands. Schools will all have a chance to present brilliant and exciting ways in which they can participate in caring for the TCI environment.
Other planned activities for the 2011 Fair are the science quiz competition for high school students on 10th March at 10:00am at the Gustarvus Lightbourne Sports Complex and a science poster competition; culminating with a prize giving ceremony.
Vice President of Customer and Corporate Services, Allan Robinson, commented, “PPC has always been a huge supporter of initiatives which encourage the development of young TCI minds. This partnership with the Ministry of Education also complements our Environmental programme which aims to encourage the public to be more concerned about TCI’s environment. ”
Edgar Howell, Director of Education added, “The Science Fair, as a “Centre of Learning”, presents an opportunity for students to showcase their innovative and creative skills. The Fair is certainly one way to heighten an interest in science and create a public awareness of the importance of the scientific method as a viable approach to solving some of our more perplexing environmental and social problems.”
TCI Budget looks bleak
The new Turks and Caicos Islands budget for 2011-12 is aiming to make 25-percent cuts in spending for public service, statutory bodies and government rents by budget year 2012-13, His Excellency the Gov. Gordon Wetherell announced.
The support package “is a vital step for the Turks and Caicos Islands, because it buys us the time we need to tackle the dire fiscal legacy the interim government inherited,” Wetherell said. “Tackling the severe and structural fiscal problems will not be easy.
“We must make significant changes to get us on course for a fiscal surplus in the fiscal year 2012-13. This is a key milestone to reach before a date for elections can be set.”
The interim government will also be introducing a new, more targeted system of student support, and eliminating all non-essential expenditure and improving financial management and reporting.
Chief financial officer, Caroline Gardner will be mandated to retain control over TCI government finances until the TCI government emerges from its financial crisis. He ended by stating that getting public finance back on its feet will also require “raising revenues through the introduction of new revenue streams, changes to existing streams, and improved collection and enforcement.
Mark Fulford is Barrister
Mark Anthony Fulford was presented to the Chief Justice Hon. Gordon Ward OBE by the Vice President of the TCI Bar Council Wendal Swann and was admitted as an attorney in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Fulford, a barrister of England and Wales, attended the College of Law Bar School where his performance attracted a Lincoln’s Inn Bencher to applaud his efforts “a very fine achievement.”
He is a proud graduate of the University of Buckingham Law School where he was the first Turks and Caicos Islander to receive the coveted Merit Prize Award. At Buckingham University he served as president of the Law Society, a position that ushered him into the company of distinguished leaders including His Royal Highness, the Duke of Kent.
During the ceremony at the Supreme Court on Providenciales, Fulford called for a moment of silence to honour his grandmother, Emily R. Parker, who died Feb. 5.
Fulford said he deemed it a privilege to be joining the legal minds of his homeland at this time in his country’s history, “where a lawyer’s job does not only include prosecuting and defending, but now has to include advocating for the advancement, not retreat, of the Turks and Caicos Islander’s way of life.”
Family wants answers
Family members and friends of deceased pilot and well known Provo resident, Berlyn Missick, are looking for answers and possible legal action as to why it took the Provo hospital and officials of the NHIP- 18 hours to fly the injured man to the Bahamas for medical attention.
RTC understands from reliable sources that Missick who was involved in a motorcycle accident last Friday in the turtle cove marina area was granted admittance to a US based hospital in Florida but instead was taken to Doctors Hospital in Nassau, Bahamas.
Missick succumbed to injuries in the early hours on Monday (February 21st) at the Bahamian hospital- this has left family and loved ones puzzled and a barrage of questions for the Provo medical team and the NHIP with talk of a lawsuit for malpractice. We will have more on these developments as they become more available.
Three inaugural flights to Provo in three days
Providenciales International Airport welcomed three inaugural flights in three days last week, signaling strong travel demand at the height of the winter season.
The first inaugural flight last week was on Thursday with JetBlue’s daily service out of JFK, New York. On Friday it was Continental’s soon to be daily flights out of its Newark Liberty hub next door to New York. On Saturday it was JetBlue’s inaugural weekly service out of Boston Logan.
Thursday, February 17, 
was an unforgettably “Blue” day. The Airbus A320 touched down 15 minutes earlier than was anticipated, in true JetBlue tradition, and the 150 passengers and crew were welcomed with a spectacular water cannon salute from fire trucks.
Friday, February 18, was a classic case of déjà vu at the Providenciales International Airport as a Continental 737 touched down on another inaugural flight from New York/Newark, carrying 160 passengers.
Continental's Regional Director for the Caribbean, Rigoberto Alvarenga, revealed that advance bookings are extremely strong for the next four months and he promised that the flight would become daily in two weeks.
“We have been looking at advance bookings coming into the islands and they are so strong, we are very pleased because they are so strong. We brought zero empty seats into the island today and they are keeping the same trend until the end of June. We look forward to keep promoting and supporting the island. This is a growing destination that we are so proud to be serving from now,” he said.
After cutting the Continental ribbon, TCI Governor Gordon Wetherell said, “The successful merger of Continental and United Airlines, creating the world’s largest airlines will also provide a massive global support network, which should increase the options to travel to and from our shores. It would reach beyond the existing North American markets to other major international destinations and help us diversify our own source markets. The start of this service is also timely as we are engaged in a major redevelopment and expansion of the Providenciales International Airport.”
Continental’s Captain John Fowler said, “It was a beautiful flight and we were able to circle the island and let the passengers get a look from 2,000 feet, and it’s a beautiful place. We were able to do all that and still right on time. From what I’ve heard the loads are very high right now and it’s daily service beginning soon.
“Oh it was beautiful, it was beautiful, a few clouds at 5,000 feet, below that clear and like I said we got a good look at the island. We take it right back. This is a turn as we call it, we’re here for an hour and then we’re right back to Newark.”
Provo airport closed down for emergency runway repairs
The Providenciales Airport, which is the international gateway for the Turks and Caicos Islands, was closed down unexpectedly at around 11:00 am on Tuesday, grounding three flights that were scheduled to depart.
According to John Smith, who heads the Airport Authority, the closing was a safety precaution when it was discovered that repairs to the runway surface were not bonding properly.
The repairs were being performed as a preliminary measure in anticipation of resurfacing, which is scheduled to occur soon. This resurfacing will coincide with the overlay pavement being applied to the new runway extension. The runway extension construction is reportedly running ahead of schedule.
Smith advised that the repairs were underway and he anticipated reopening the airport at 8 pm Tuesday evening.
“In all a total of six flights may be affected,” Smith said
An earlier report of a mechanical condition in relation to the earlier takeoff of an American Airlines flight, causing some runway damage, was found to be totally without basis.
CARICOM must address governance issues, says Jamaican PM
Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding, has emphasised the need for the Caribbean Community to address decisively the perception that CARICOM was not working out for its people.
Speaking at the 22nd interssessional meeting of CARICOM heads of government in Grenada on Friday morning, Golding said the major issue that needed to be addressed in CARICOM was the implementation deficit, which he said was a consequence of the governance challenge faced by the Community.
“We cannot escape addressing the issue of governance for it is a major cause of our implementation deficit – the Caribbean people’s benefit deficit,” he stated.
Golding pointed to the need for the Community to scale up the governance mechanism to better meet the mandate of Grand Anse – the establishment of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy.
According to Golding, the peoples of the Caribbean continued to lament the lack of benefits accruing from the CSME and the Community.
That concern, he said, could not be dispelled by sentimental pleadings and history-based rationalizations. “They want to see results, results that they can feel, count and enjoy.”
“The voices of the sceptics have never been stilled. They may be subdued from time to time but they are ever present. Our response must not be to dismiss them or denounce their reasoning but to remove the cause of their scepticism,” he added.
He outlined a number of critical issues that he stressed should be addressed decisively. Those included the operations of the CSME, the series of crises and challenges in Haiti after the earthquake, the severe impact that the global recession continues to have on our economies and finding a suitable successor to the former Secretary-General, Sir Edwin Carrington.
In addition he pointed to the several other issues that had to be addressed including the continuing negotiations in the DOHA Round, implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union, regional security, the rising food prices and the budget crisis currently facing the Community which he said could not be separated from the economic challenges faced by member states.
The Prime Minister of Jamaica cautioned his colleague heads that the peoples of the Caribbean region might look elsewhere if they did not see in CARICOM the fulfilment of their hopes and aspirations and the solution of some of their most persistent problems.
“They will look beyond CARICOM for their salvation. That has always been the burden of the CARICOM movement. That remains the challenge for the CARICOM movement,” he concluded.
St Lucia to maintain ties with Libya
St Lucia's prime minister, Stephenson King, says while he supports the march towards democracy in Libya, his government is not considering severing diplomatic relations with that country.
Pressure has been mounting on Libyan leader, Muammar Gadaffi to step down, as a popular uprising against his over 40-year rule continues abated.
The BBC Caribbean reported that the St Lucian leader said his government is continuing to monitor developments but was not in favour of breaking ties with Tripoli at this time.
The United States on Friday announced that it has suspended embassy operations in Libya and was moving forward with unilateral sanctions against the government of Colonel Gadaffi.
Britain and France had planned to present a draft proposal for sanctions against Libyan leaders at the UN Security Council on Friday. A vote is expected early next week.
Trinidad attorney general complains of threats to his life
Trinidad and Tobago's attorney general, Anand Ramlogan says he has had to request more security after threats to his life by former People's National Movement (PNM) councillor, Dansam Dhansook.
The Trinidad Guardian reported that Ramlogan made the statement during a post Cabinet news conference at the Prime Minister's Office.
Dhansook had filed an action in court several years ago, alleging that he had offered a bribe to then minister of Works and Transport Franklin Khan.
Khan was subsequently cleared of all charges and Dhansook issued an apology. But Ramlogan said Dhansook had nothing to do with the victory achieved by Khan, who is seeking to become chairman of the PNM in next month's party elections.
Ramlogan said that he received three letters from Dhansook that he interpreted as threats to himself and family. He said that he then called the commissioner of police and asked him to investigate.