Iggy Azalea Sets Record Straight About Near $400K Tax Debt, Blames Media
Iggy Azalea may have had a single with Jennifer Hudson titled "Trouble," but the Australian hip-pop artist has gotten in trouble with Uncle Sam. But she’s not fazed.
Earlier this week, TMZ reported the 25-year-old rapper has a tax lien after failing to pay $391,056.55 in income taxes from 2014. The Def Jam artist is blaming the media for blowing it all out of proportion.
"They exaggerate everything. the IRS gave the option to pay them monthly or lump sum. i picked monthly, who wouldn’t?" the "Fancy" rapper wrote on Twitter.
She then suggested the media is only reporting about her taxes because of her fiancé Nick Young's cheating scandal. Filmed by 20-year-old teammate D’Angelo Russell, a leaked video showing Young allegedly discussing being with other women went viral last week.
"But its funny to me because made the deal like 2 months ago but they are trying to make it into something now because...they were hoping some more nick mess would happen and now that it hasn't and its getting boring they need 2 create something else."
Source-TMZ/ABC
US Officials Uncover Fake University Visa Scam
U.S. law enforcement officials say 21 people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a conspiracy that allowed over 1,000 foreigners to stay in the country under the pretense of attending or working for a fake university.
The defendants were aware that the University of Northern New Jersey had no instructors, classes or degree programs, but they did not know it was created by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The fake university, complete with a convincing website and a promise of "an exceptional educational experience," was created in 2012 in an effort by Homeland Security to curb visa fraud in the U.S.
U.S. attorney for New Jersey Paul Fisherman told reporters that visa brokers and recruiters flocked to the fake university as word got out, one even admitting to Fisherman that this was a long-standing practice, "just another stop on the ‘pay-to-stay' tour."
The 21 defendants, who are mostly in the U.S. legally, have been charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud and conspiracy to harbor aliens for profit.
Most of the foreign nationals who benefited from the scam come from India and China and were already in the U.S. on non-immigrant visas but looking for ways to stay. They have been identified and will be dealt with by immigration authorities, but not prosecuted, Fisherman said.
Currently, the majority of the 1.2 million students on student visas in the U.S. are attending legitimate universities, government officials told the New York Times.
Several cases of student visa fraud have been reported across the country, creating security concerns for immigration officials under increasing pressure to screen visa applicants for potential terrorism ties.
Source-VOA
Sanders, Cruz Win Wisconsin Primaries
Republican Ted Cruz and Democrat Bernie Sanders trail in the overall race to be their party's nominee for president, but each scored an important primary victory Tuesday in the northern state of Wisconsin.
Cruz defeated Donald Trump by about 15 percentage points, according to early returns, and called the victory a "turning point" and a "rallying cry" to America. The Texas senator also turned his attention to former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, boasting that he will win not only the Republican nomination but the November general election as well.
"So let me just say, Hillary, get ready. Here we come," Cruz said.
Trump gave no public comments after polls closed Tuesday night, but his campaign issued a statement harshly attacking Cruz as being propelled by those who seek only to keep Trump from being nominated at the party convention in Cleveland in July.
"Ted Cruz is worse than a puppet -- he is a Trojan horse being used by the party bosses attempting to steal the nomination from Mr. Trump," read the statement.
Heading into Wisconsin, Trump had 737 delegates to Cruz's 475, with Ohio Governor John Kasich trailing with 143. Cruz won most of the 42 delegates at stake Tuesday, although the exact number will depend on final vote counts. His win increases the chances that Trump will be unable to secure enough delegates to clinch the nomination before the convention.
Sanders, a senator from Vermont, beat Clinton with about 55 percent of the vote in Wisconsin. He has now won six out of the last seven states and he told supporters in Wyoming, which holds its caucus on Saturday, that his campaign has momentum.
With your help on Saturday, we are going to win here in Wyoming. And then we are headed to New York," Sanders said. "Now please keep this a secret; do not tell Secretary Clinton, she's getting a little nervous and I don't want to get her more nervous. But I believe we have an excellent chance to win New York and a lot of delegates in that state."
Clinton also did not make a speech after Wisconsin's vote. She posted on Twitter congratulating Sanders on his win and told her supporters, "Forward!"
Source-VOA
Caicos Express takes over South Caicos route
There is a new partnership between the Turks and Caicos Islands Government and indigenous airline company, Caicos Express airways.
The airline is already bringing relief to a domestic route which was dropped five months ago by the other airline.
Magnetic Media informed RTC News that Co-Owner & Captain Richie Arthur of Caicos Express Airways stated that since Friday April 1, 2016 his company revived the commute between Grand Turk and South Caicos, and much to the delight of residents who had been forced to travel through Provo from South Caicos in order to get to Grand Turk, which takes more time and costs more money. "We've partnered in a subsidy initiative to provide nine flights weekly directly to South Caicos from Grand Turk and we think this is the right start."
Arthur further added, "It is our hope that it will be a long term arrangement, as we want to continue the route and we think the people who needed this to be returned, want us to continue as well." Caicos Express Airways is right now serving the GT to South Caicos commute with a Cessna 402 eight seater plane, but adds that if the demand is there, they can upgrade on size to the 19-seater. "We have re positioned scheduling and made the changes necessary and requested of us by a concerned government to accommodate the leg. We didn't have much time to meet the request but we recognized how taxing it had become for travelers to fly north and then back down south; taking passengers hours when the flight between the two islands is just 10 minutes."
Caicos Express says the nine flights per week includes two flights on Tuesdays and two flights on Thursdays.
Source-MagneticMedia
DIGICEL PLAY ANNOUNCES NEW CONTENT LICENCING AGREEMENT WITH CBS STUDIOS INTERNATIONAL
Digicel Play today announced a new content licensing agreement with CBS Studios International (CBS) to bring even more riveting content to Digicel Play subscribers across the region.
Digicel Play customers will enjoy an even more memorable viewing experience with content from the home of Emmy award-winning talk show “Dr. Phil”, the popular “The Late Show with Steven Colbert” and the most successful television broadcast in history, 60 Minutes.
Other daily programming available to Digicel Play subscribers will include “48 Hours”, “America’s Next Top Model”, “Hot Bench”, “The Doctors”, “Entertainment Tonight”, “CBS Face the Nation”, “The Late Late Show with James Corden”, “Judge Judy”, “Inside Edition”, “The Insider”, “Jeopardy”, “The Rachael Ray Show”, “Survivor”, “The Talk” and “Wheel of Fortune” – and for sports lovers, both the “SEC regular season basketball” and “NCAA regular season football” which had a viewership of over 120 million per week last season.
The agreement with CBS Studios International also provides captivating content exclusive to Digicel Play for all ages to enjoy. Drama-lovers will be hooked on “Blue Bloods”, “The Game”, “The Good Wife”, “Hawaii Five-0”, “Matlock”, “Survivor” and “Touched by an Angel”, while children will glued to the pizza-loving crime-fighting foursome “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”.
Digicel Play is a new frontier in home entertainment, giving customers the power to have their entertainment access and access to the internet the way they want it. Digicel Play is jam-packed with cool features, making it the most attractive home entertainment experience around as it turns homes into the ultimate entertainment zones and delivers TV, superfast broadband and telephony, coupled with the best channel and content line-up and the best viewing experience.
Digicel Play CEO Caribbean and Central America, John Suranyi, said; “CBS International Studios offers some of the most exciting content around with a wide range of different genres including kids, drama and exclusive rights to college sports. It truly is an exciting time for our customers and there’s more to come over the next few weeks and months.”
Barry Chamberlain, President of Sales, CBS Studios International, said; “We are thrilled to be working with Digicel Play to bring CBS’s world class content to the Caribbean region.”
Turks and Caicos Promotes Diversity of Attractions at World Travel Market
Brazil is becoming an increasingly important tourism source market for the Turks and Caicos Islands. For these reasons, a delegation from the Turks and Caicos attended the World Travel Market – Latin America (WTM-LA) with executives from the Tourism Board, including the Honorable Porsha Stubbs-Smith, Minister of Tourism, Environment, Culture and Heritage; Ralph Higgs, Director of the Tourism Board; Gardè Alleyne, Personal Assistant to the Minister; Don Gardiner, Chairman of the Tourism Board and Wayne Garland, Member of the Tourism Board.
For about more than a year, Net Hospitality has been representing the destination in the Brazilian market. Since then, the destination has had an increase in the volume of Brazilian tourists and Brazil went from being the ninth to the fourth largest tourism source market for the Turks and Caicos, just behind the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
In meeting tour operators and media professionals at WTM-LA, the Honorable Porsha Stubbs-Smith stressed that Brazil is a major source of business for the destination. "Brazil became the fourth most important source market for Turks and Caicos. We hope that with our presence and networking at WTM-LA we will foster new relationships and continue to see growth not only from Brazil but also from other Latin American countries," said Smith.
According to Ralph Higgs, Director of the Tourism Board, the biggest challenge at the moment is to show that the destination is much more than honeymoons and weddings. "We are a very plural destination. We have one of the largest coral reefs in the world and a strong emphasis on water sports and diving. Another important attraction is the observation of whales and dolphins, which takes place between January and March." Higgs also mentioned that the destination has several food festivals during the month of November.
"Our beaches, the main attraction sought by Brazilians, are gaining more popularity with Grace Bay Beach recent recognition as the best beach in the world by TripAdvisor," said Higgs. "Exclusivity is another advantage. We have 40 islands and cays, of which only 20% are inhabited," he concludes.
In order to promote the attractions, the Turks and Caicos tourism team envisions actions with the largest tour operators and trainings for major travel agencies of São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, Brasilia and Porto Alegre. "We will hold more than 40 trainings, including online sessions via Skype. In 2015 we made over 30 big trainings at the capitals cities around the country," concluded Mauricio Vianna of Net Hospitality.
11th TURKS AND CAICOS POST CABINET MEETING STATEMENT
Her Excellency the Acting Governor, Anya Williams, chaired the 11th meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday, 30 March 2016, at the Hon. Hilly Ewing Building on Providenciales.
All Ministers were present except the Hon. Minister of Tourism, Environment, Heritage and Culture and the Hon. Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Planning.
At this meeting Cabinet:
· Noted the recommendations of the Procurement Board on the award of contracts for the following projects in line with the provisions of Section 38 of the Public Procurement Ordinance:
Development Fund Project No. 5238 – Equipment for the police;
Development Fund Project No. 5116 – Purchase of software for information management at all schools;
Development Fund Project No. 5046 – ICT upgrade for all schools;
Development Fund Project No. 5235 – Antennae for Radio Turks and Caicos;
Development Fund Project No. 5236 – Shore Club/Long Bay Subdivision Water Project;
· Noted the recommendations of the Procurement Board to award contracts in line with the Public Procurement Ordinance 2012 as follows – TR15/14 Replacement vehicle for the Deputy Governor’s Office; TR15/24 Medical supplies and equipment for the National Stepwise Health Survey; TR15/42 Furniture and equipment for the Wellness Centre, Grand Turk; TR15/48 Packing centre, Agriculture Centre (North Caicos); TR15/50 Furniture and equipment for the Juvenile Centre, Grand Turk; TR15/58 Road Development Programme, Bellfield Landing Road, North Caicos; TR15/61 Additional works, Community Clinic, Salt Cay; TR15/62 Furniture and equipment for the Sammy Been Building, Providenciales; TR15/67 Upgrading air-conditioning at the NJS Francis Building, Grand Turk; TR15/69 Furniture and equipment for the Ministry of Tourism, Environment, Culture and Heritage; TR15/72 Renovation works to the Police Station, Grand Turk; TR15/73 Fencing project, North Caicos Port; TR15/76 Rapid assessment of informal settlements in TCI; TR15/77 IT equipment and network installation for the RTCIPF; TR15/78 Furniture and equipment for the Ministry of Finance, Investment and Trade; TR15/83 Consultancy review of the Providenciales Airport Master Plan; TR15/74 Construction of the Early Childhood Centre, Ona Glinton Primary School, Grand Turk;
· Agreed a temporary moratorium of up to four weeks on the receipt of new applications for the processing of work permits (excluding temporary work permits), residence permits, permanent residency and Turks and Caicos Islander status to enable Ministry of Border Control and Employment staff to be trained on and the general public to familiarise themselves with the new forms, processes and procedures which are necessary to implement the requirements of the new Immigration Ordinance and the new Turks and Caicos Islander Status Ordinance, both of which come into force on 1 April 2016, so as to provide an improved and more efficient service to customers;
· Advised Her Excellency the Acting Governor to approve a proposal to amend Section 68 of the Customs Ordinance 2009 (Duties, Drawback, Prohibitions and Restrictions) (the Ordinance) to allow reassessments of customs duty to be conducted as part of the post customs clearance process;
· Received a progress report on the work of the TCI Multi-Agency Compliance Task Force in the areas of prevention and clearance of litter; ensuring that all businesses have the required business licences; ensuring that food handlers are licensed and comply with conditions; ensuring that derelict vehicles are removed from both roadside and residential properties and preventing reoccurrences; prevention of squatting on Crown Land; and stopping and preventing unlicensed street vending. Cabinet agreed that the Task Force should henceforth operate under the auspices of the Joint Law Enforcement Committee (JLEC);
· Advised Her Excellency the Acting Governor to agree to the following appointments:
Prison Categorisation Board: George Blenman (Chair); Steve Barrett, Superintendent of Prison (Member); Lorna James (Member); Pamela Joseph (Member) to be appointed for the period 1 April 2016 – 31 March 2017.
Parole Board: Pastor Frederick Braithwaite (Chair); Steve Barrett, Superintendent of Prison; Elva Williams (Member); Carolyn Ingham (Member); Marie Carter Glasgow (Member) to be appointed for the period 1 April 2016 – 31 March 2017.
Prison Visiting Committee: Leo Missick (Chair); Jennifer Forbes (Member); Michael Robinson (Member); Belinda Lightbourne (Member); Mark Kendall (Member); Leo Selver (Member); Permanent Secretary; Director of Social Development; Superintendent of Prison; Karen Higgs (Member) to be appointed for the period 1 April 2016 – 31 March 2017.
Telecommunications Commission: Ejay Saunders (Chair); Arthur Hamilton (Member); Leron Ingham (Member); Pedro Ariza (Member); Marvin Simmons (Member); Diedra Been (Member); Permanent Secretary (Ex-Officio); Director General (Ex-Officio – Secretary) to be appointed for the period 1 April 2016 – 31 March 2018.
Radio Turks and Caicos Board of Governors: Ryan Williams (Chair); Stanley Astwood (Member); Jermaine Fulford (Member); Audley Astwood (Member); Allison Ingham (Member); Permanent Secretary; Bridgette Newman (Secretary) to be appointed for the period 1 April 2016 – 31 March 2017.
· Reviewed and discussed proposed changes to the draft Development Agreement between TCIG and the developers of the proposed Toscana development site at Grace Bay on Providenciales for further discussion with the developers.
Chinese Steel Tariffs Effect On UK Companies
The Government has played down the effect of the latest Chinese steel tariffs on UK firms amid growing fear of a damaging trade war with Beijing.
Ministers have been under pressure to act after the Chinese ministry of commerce announced on Friday that it was imposing levies of up to 46% on some types of specialist steels imported from the European Union, South Korea, and Japan.
The move deepened anger among trade unions and MPs following news that Tata Steel was to sell off its loss-making UK assets - largely due to the “dumping” of cheap Chinese steel on world markets - threatening the loss of up to 40,000 British jobs.
In a bid to cool the situation, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills insisted that Britain actually exported “very little” of grain-oriented flat-rolled steel covered by the new Chinese tariffs, the Press Association reports.
“Tata themselves have confirmed that they have not exported this type of steel to China in recent times from their UK operations,” a spokesman said.
However Gareth Stace, the director of the industry body UK Steel, warned that the knock-on effects of imposing the new levy on South Korea and Japan could still cause problems for British producers.
“That means that Japan and Korea don’t have that export market now so where will they ship their grain-oriented electrical steel?” he told Sky News.
“They might ship it here to the UK, to Europe, so therefore we might see the indirect effect being much more significant than the direct effect of this tit-for-tat trade war that we’re seeing from China.”
He called on the Government to step in with direct financial support for the industry in order to show potential buyers of Tata’s UK plants - including Port Talbot in South Wales - that the sector had a long-term future.
“We need reassurance that the Government is prepared to temporarily step in to support our sector financially, directly, and even push the boundaries of the very narrow and tight European state aid rules that the steel industry is governed by,” he said.
“The Government is looking for a buyer for Tata Steel. It needs to give the confidence to any of those buyers that the UK steel sector has a future.”
The calls for Government intervention were backed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who said workers at the threatened plants were facing an “appalling” situation.
Source-Huff Post
'WINDIES' ARE WORLD T20 CHAMPIONS
Proud Sponsors of West Indies cricket, Digicel, congratulates the men and women West Indies T20 cricket teams on becoming ICC Twenty20 World Cup Champions after defeating Australia and England by eight wickets and four wickets respectively.
The West Indies teams faced formidable opponents in the finals – England having an impressive win/loss rate for the tournament and Australia entering the competition as the defending champions. The players were determined to put on a good show for the fans and that they did as the teams rose to the occasion and posted fantastic scores and fielded well to bring home their tournament trophies. The partnership of women's captain, Stephanie Taylor and 18 year old, Hayley Matthews, saw them both making half centuries to reach a record 120-run and ending Australia's T20 world dominance by winning the tournament for the first time. After a less than stellar start to their chase of 155 runs set by England, Marlon Samuels and Carlos Brathwaite dug deep and found the win in the final overs with Samuels posting 85 runs while Brathwaite sent England home with a fantastic display of skill by smashing four sixes in a row – all in the final over.
Commenting on the teams' successes, Digicel Group Marketing Director, Peter Lloyd said; "Digicel and fans of West Indies cricket are delighted to see the teams continue to achieve success on the global stage as part of the ICC World Cricket T20 tournament. The 'Windies' teams fought hard and were rewarded with a well-deserved win against England and Australia – both formidable opponents. We wish all the West Indies teams continued success as we look to continue supporting them through our partnership with the West Indies Cricket Board."
Digicel brand Ambassadors from across the region gave their full support to both teams through videos which were posted on all of Digicel's Facebook pages. These included the World's fastest man, Usain Bolt, Olympic Gold medallist, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Trinidadian soca music superstars, Kes and Machel Montano.
West Indies cricket has been experiencing a run of success as the U19 team also were victorious in their World Cup clash against India earlier this year. Digicel has been a sponsor of West Indies Cricket since 2004 which is part of the company's overall strategy to help develop sporting talent across the region. Some of the members of the World Cup winning Under-19 team will celebrate their victory with revelers who will take part in Jamaica's Carnival road march.
WATER AND SEWERAGE CONSULTATION PLANNED
The Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Planning, commenced work leading to the drafting of a National Water and Sewerage Policy for the Turks and Caicos Islands and the modernization of the legislative and regulatory framework governing the sector.
A second round of consultation meetings has been scheduled, giving stakeholders the opportunity to contribute to this important undertaking.
The Energy and Utilities Department would like to invite the management of water and sewerage services and other stakeholders across the island of Providenciales, to a consultation meeting on Friday 8th of April, 2016 at 10:00 AM at the Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs, located on lower Bight Road, Providenciales.
The main objectives are to:
1. Ensure the long term availability and sustainability of water supply and the provision of safe water and sewerage services across the islands;
2. Implementation of measures that contribute to the preservation and sustainability of watercourses and coastal waters;
3. Improve the quality of life and the protection of public health and the environment through effective management , accountability and oversight of service providers;
4. Modernize the regulatory regime governing the water and sewerage sector across the TCI to improve compliance to established standards.
Stakeholders will be updated on the progress made thus far and will be allowed to make further contributions to the process, to ensure all of the concerns and issues are addressed before project finalization. The management of hotels and resorts with water processing and waste water processing facilities; as well as operators of water trucking services are strongly encouraged to have a representative attend this meeting.