COMPLAINTS COMMISSION EDUCATES CITIZENS ABOUT THEIR RIGHTS
Turks and Caicos Islanders have a new champion to support their complaints about public authorities in the Territory, said Complaints Commissioner, Cynthia Astwood, who introduced herself to the media today, Tuesday, 24 September 2014.
Astwood’s Office of the Complaints Commission will take on the cases of disgruntled Islanders only after exhausting the complaints processes within any government department or statutory body concerned.
“We aim to play our part in improving public services by providing citizens with form of recourse when good service standards are not met,” said Cynthia Astwood.
The Complaints Commission can investigate any action taken by a public body, including: grievances and conflicts in the workplace; performance issues, discrimination; harassment; corruption; maladministration, such as delays, bias, negligence, abuse of power, failing to give reason for a decision, not following through on a commitment.
“My office is working to ensure that every government ministry and statutory body in the country has a named individual responsible for investigating complaints,” Astwood continued. "We will work with each of these public bodies to constantly seek ways of improving their systems and service provided to the Turks and Caicos Islands public. Only if that complaint is not handled in a professional manner, where no satisfactory resolution has been reached, can a complaint be submitted to the Commission.
“In making this announcement today, we hope to begin to educate the wider population about their rights and duties in a democratic society.”
In carrying out investigations the Complaints Commissioner has the same powers as a Magistrate, and is able to enter and inspect any premises of any public office and, where necessary, retain or copy documents.
The Commission cannot investigate complaints about the Governor, Cabinet, House of Assembly, Justices, Magistrates, the Police or Chief Auditors, where separate complaints arrangements are in place.
Border Control and Labour advises public of amendments to the Immigration Regulations
The Ministry of Border Control and Labour is advising the general public of a number of amendments to the Immigration Regulations, among them the:-
1- Provision of the following forms that are to be used during the application and processing and issuance of PRC’s - Investor Category
(i) Application Forms for Permanent Residence – Investor Category
(ii) Application Form for Certificate of Undertaking – Investor Category
(iii) Certificate of Undertaking to Grant a Permanent Residence
2- Amendment to the Visa List of Countries indicating the countries and territories whose nationals do not require a visa for entry into the Turks and Caicos Islands
3- Amendment to Schedule 8 which relate to the fees payable.
The objective of the revision is to provide clarity, and in so doing, significantly reduce subjectivity when work permit applications are submitted for occupations/positions that are not listed in the current fee structure. In this regard Schedule 8 is amended to reflect;
(i) an adaptation of a list of occupations identified by the ILO’s Organisation’s International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISOC) and the appropriate fee that is to be charged with respect to each work permit
(ii) a revised fee scale detailing the various occupations in each scale, including a miscellaneous category for occupations that are not listed in the new fee scale
(iii) fees payable by statutory bodies, registered charitable organisations, non-profit, civic and sporting bodies
(iv) a non-refundable repatriation fee and deposit that is payable when a new (first time) work permit is approved
(v) a non-refundable repatriation fee and deposit
CIBC FirstCaribbean Supports Soroptimist International for Women’s Day
To mark International Women’s Day, CIBC FirstCaribbean Bahamas has contributed to one of the nation’s leading programmes for women – the Providenciales chapter of the all women volunteer movement Soroptimist International.
As a part of the bank’s corporate philanthropy and in recognition of International Women’s Day, CIBC FirstCaribbean locations across the region donated to select organisations benefitting women and girls as a way to honour women in the communities where their banks operate.
Country Head Larry Lawrence stated that the bank chose Soroptimist International as its awardee because of the organisation’s focus on young women and it’s established postive impact.
“This year’s theme is ‘Make it Happen,’ so we decided we would partner with an organisation that is on the ground, making it happen for TCI women,” explained Mr. Lawrence. “Soroptimist International brings together a corps of professional women whose main focus is to empower, uplift and assist women and girls in the community. We are impressed with the organisation’s determination to prepare young women to succeed in their personal and academic lives.
At CIBC FirstCaribbean we value this brand of strong, positive female leadership; currently, 58% of our regional managerial staff are women, so we appreciate and salute Soroptimist International’s mission.”
Soroptimist International is a global volunteer movement with a network of 80,000 club members in 130 countries and territories.
The group in the Turks & Caicos plays a vital role in the lives of young women. They periodically visit the schools to provide hygienic supplies to those in need. They also donate food and goods to single families and each member is a mentor to a young girl in need of a stable environment. Additionally, the group makes an impact by seeking out needy women in society to help them by providing basic necessities and counselling.
Germanwings plane 4U 9525 crashes in French Alps - no survivors
A Germanwings plane carrying 150 people has crashed in the French Alps on its way from Barcelona to Duesseldorf.
The Airbus A320 - flight 4U 9525 - went down between Digne and Barcelonnette. There are no survivors, officials say.
The "black box" flight recorder has been found, France's interior minister says. The cause of the crash is not known and the plane sent no distress signal during an eight-minute descent.
Among the passengers were 16 German pupils returning from an exchange trip.
Germanwings, a low-cost airline owned by Germany's main carrier Lufthansa, has an excellent safety record. French, Spanish and German leaders have expressed shock.
"This is the hour in which we all feel deep sorrow," German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters, adding that she was planning to travel to the crash site.
A recovery team reached the site, in a remote mountain ravine, earlier on Tuesday. Their work was called off in the evening and will resume at first light on Wednesday, the French interior ministry said.
Bruce Robin, a prosecutor from Marseille, told the Reuters news agency that he had seen the wreckage of the aircraft from a helicopter.
"The body of the plane is in a state of destruction, there is not one intact piece of wing or fuselage," he said.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was also flown over the crash site and described it as "a picture of horror", the Associated Press news agency says.
Officials believe 67 of those aboard the plane were German citizens. Forty-five of the passengers had Spanish names, Spain's deputy prime minister said. The passengers included a German school class on its way back from an exchange trip as well as two opera singers, Maria Radner and Oleg Bryjak.
Ms Radner was travelling with her husband and baby.
The plane began descending one minute after it reached its cruising height and continued to lose altitude for eight minutes, Germanwings managing director Thomas Winkelmann told reporters.
He said the aircraft lost contact with French air traffic controllers at 10:53 at an altitude of about 6,000 feet.
The plane did not send out a distress signal, officials said. Earlier reports of a distress call, quoting the French interior ministry, referred to a message from controllers on the ground.
The White House has said there is no evidence so far of a terror attack. A Lufthansa official said they were assuming for the time being that the crash had been caused by an accident.
The Airbus A320 is a single-aisle passenger jet popular for short- and medium-haul flights.
Source-BBC
Suge Knight Collapses in Courtroom After Judge Sets Bail at $25M
Suge Knight collapsed yet again while in jail for murder charges. The Death Row Records founder passed out in the courtroom on Friday, March 20 after a judge set his bail at $25 million. Two officers quickly rushed to him as he was facedown in his chair.
He was taken away on a stretcher and transported to hospital by an ambulance. His condition was not immediately known, but attorney Matthew Fletcher told CNN affiliate KABC that his client hit his head on the chair and knocked himself out. Meanwhile, Deputy Dist. Atty. Cynthia J. Barnes told LA Times she believed the former rapper just "did it in front of the cameras."
It's the fourth time Suge Knight was hospitalized while in custody. He was arrested after turning himself over to authorities following a hit-and-run incident that killed one person and injured the other. His bail was initially set at $2 million but it was revoked due to his possible flight risk and his history with "witness intimidation issues."
Fletcher argued Knight was not a flight risk because he was recognizable. He also told judge that his client received inadequate medical care for his illness while in jail.
However, nearly 300 pages of written arguments that explained Knight's criminal past seemed to work against him. Additionally, prosecutors said he was on bail in a robbery case when he was arrested. "Not only did he disregard the constraints of bail, he escalated his criminal behavior to murder and attempted murder," the prosecutors said.
A preliminary hearing was scheduled for April 13.
Source-Ace.Showbiz
Bruce Willis Celebrates Milestone Birthday With Wife
Bruce Willis threw a birthday party for himself at Harlow in New York City on Saturday night, March 21 featuring an impressive guests list including Tony Bennett and Keith Richards. Bruce also celebrated it with his loving wife Emma Heming who looked stunning in a clinging black maxi dress.
Heming, 36, posted photos from the event with the label "Bee Dub's 60th" on Instagram, and wrote in the caption, "It's fair to say the birthday boy had a great time. #BWBirthdayBash." She also posted a photo of them dancing together. "At least someone was taking pics," she wrote, thanking a partygoer for capturing the moment. From the photos, the couple looked carefree throughout the party.
Bruce looked neat and dashing for the celebration as he wore a black three-piece suit and unbuttoned smart white shirt.
Bruce also seemed grateful that the two legendary musicians, Tony and Keith, came out to the celebration as he made sure to spend time with both of them throughout the night. He later was spotted sitting in a booth next to the 71-year-old The Rolling Stones member in booths next to each other.
Tony and Keith were not the only famous guests at the party. Bruce's daughters with Demi Moore, Tallulah Willis and Scout Willis, also partied with their father. His eldest daughter Rumer Willis is currently in Los Angeles, rehearsing for "Dancing with the Stars". Last week, the family, including Moore, sat in the audience to support Rumer, 26, in the show's premiere. Rumer performed the foxtrot with her partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy. Scout, 23, and Tallulah, 21, were also there to cheer her on.
Source-Ace.Showbiz
PM says Barbados moving towards Republic
Prime Minister Freundel Stuart says Barbados will be moving towards a republican form of government “in the very near future” ending its centuries old relationship with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth as its head of state.
“We cannot pat ourselves on the shoulder at having gone into independence; having de-colonised our politics; we cannot pat ourselves on the shoulders at having decolonized our jurisprudence by delinking from the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and explain to anybody why we continue to have a monarchical system.
“Therefore, the Right Excellent Errol Barrow decolonized the politics; Owen Arthur decolonized the jurisprudence and Freundel Stuart is going to complete the process,” Stuart told supporters of the ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) here on Sunday night.
While he gave no indication as to when the political move would be made, Prime Minister Stuart nonetheless indicated it would be done soon.
“We respect (the Queen) very highly as head of the Commonwealth and accept that she and all of her successors will continue to be at the apex of our political understanding. But in terms of Barbados’ constitutional status we have to move from a monarchical system to a republican form of government in the very near future,” Prime Minister Stuart said, noting that the island is already functioning as a republic.
“A republican form of government stipulates that those who run the people’s affairs should be chosen directly or indirectly by the people themselves. We already do that. We have been doing that continuously since 1951 when we got universal adult suffrage.
“Under republicanism, the persons who administer your affairs can serve during your pleasure. In other words, they should only be able to stay as long as you want them to stay. That’s what the people of St Philip South said to me in 1999. So Barbados satisfies that requirement as well,” he said.
“The third requirement Barbados has to satisfy is that there are people in the administrative structure of the Government, and in this case we are talking about the members of the judiciary, . . . continue to discharge the functions of their office as long as nobody can point a finger at them and accuse them of misconduct, and that misconduct turns out to be true.
“So once you are appointed or elected directly or indirectly, the people have a right to recall you,” he added.
Should Barbados adopt a republican form of government it will join Dominica, Guyana and Suriname as the only Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries with a president as the head of state.
Source-CMC
TT Security Minister orders investigation into road blocks
National Security Minister Carl Alfonso has called on the senior management of the police service to provide a report on who ordered nation-wide police road blocks that virtually crippled Trinidad and Tobago on Monday.
The police have denied that their action was linked to the ongoing industrial dispute with the government over increased salaries, insisting that their action was aimed at maintain law and order in the twin-island republic.
“If I hear there is a road block in some part of Trinidad and Tobago, it doesn’t worry me too much. If you have extensive road blocks all over the country that is cause for concern,’ said Alfonso, adding “it looked like a massive operation and that would concern most people including myself”.
He said he had sought answers from the top management of the police because late Sunday night he had held talks with Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams at a function and there was no mention of planned road blocks.
“This talk of a road block taking place today was not discussed at all, so I assume he did not know that all these road blocks were going to take place,” said Alfonso, adding that he had ordered the Deputy Police Commissioner Ann Marie Alleyne to investigate the situation.
“I have asked for a report on who authorize all these road blocks all over the place,” he said, adding that he would also be meeting with the senior police officer “to get a full report as to what has happened, who authorized a nationwide road block that has disrupted the traffic to the extent that it has”.
Police spokeswoman Ellen Lewis, speaking on radio here, said that the road blocks had been planned well before Monday and were not part of any industrial action being planned by police officers to protest the slow pace of negotiations for salary increases.
She said that while some of the road blocks were due to end early on Monday morning, motorists were calling radio and television stations complaining that they had been stuck in traffic for more than two hours.
“Those exercises were planned and scheduled…but all our exercises are intended to ensure we maintain law and order and therefore the public ought to be a bit understanding and considerate in this regard,” Lewis said.
But motorists and others have called the media to say that the road blocks appear to be fake as police officers ask a number of questions not related to the traffic situation.
The action of the police also forced a number of workers to either report late for duty or stay away, disrupting also courts, schools and the state-owned Caribbean Airlines (CAL) said that the departures of several of its domestic and international flights were experiencing delays due to a nationwide traffic gridlock in Trinidad and Tobago.
“The airline will waive date change penalties for any passengers who may be affected,” it said, urging passengers to check with agents or its website for further updates.
Last week, the Secretary of the Police and Social Welfare Association Michael Seales said that members have been complaining that since 2011 there has been no progress in the negotiations with the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO).
Seales said the basic salary of a junior police officer was TT$5,123 (One TT dollar =US$0.16 cents) and just about TT$1,000 more in benefits.
The minority opposition Independent Liberal Party (ILP) condemned the “action being taken by police officers to shut down the country for the second consecutive work day by using a series of road blocks”.
IPL leader Austin “Jack” Warner said the innocent public should not be made to pay the price for the dispute between the police and the government.
Warner also called on the government to sit down with the police “and work out their differences swiftly and to spare the population of the frustration of having this situation being continued for an inordinate length of time. Let good sense prevail; the public must not be held to ransom any more”.
Source-CMC
Greek and German leaders meet amid cash shortage fears
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel amid mounting concern that Athens is running out of money.
The two countries have been at odds over Greece's efforts to renegotiate the terms of its international bailout.
It follows a pledge from the European Union (EU) to provide €2bn (£1.45bn) to Greece to ease what it called the country's "humanitarian crisis".
But Mrs Merkel said on Friday there would be no new money without reforms.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the €2bn fund would be spent on growth and "social cohesion" in Greece.
"Humanitarian crisis, it has been called, and it is indeed a humanitarian crisis," he said.
He said the EU would provide Greece with €2bn worth of development funds to boost economic growth, cut youth unemployment and help the poor.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras welcomed the move, stressing a common need to tackle the humanitarian crisis.
EU leaders say Greece is due to produce a fresh reform plan to fend off bankruptcy.
Mr Tsipras has pledged to end austerity - but so far, his plans have met resistance from Greece's EU creditors.
The new crisis comes less than a month after the German parliament approved a four-month extension of rescue finance for Greece while the new government attempts to enact economic reforms.
But relations between Germany and Greece have since deteriorated, with Greece threatening to seize German property as compensation for a Nazi atrocities in World War Two.
Earlier this month, Mr Tsipras also accused Spain and Portugal of conspiring against his country during February's bailout negotiations.
Mr Juncker's announcement came after marathon talks between Mr Tsipras, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other European leaders in Brussels, on the sidelines of an EU summit.
Source-BBC
Singapore mourns founding father Lee Kuan Yew
Singapore has begun seven days of national mourning following the death of its founding father, Lee Kuan Yew.
Mr Lee, who was 91, led Singapore's transformation from a small port city to one of the wealthiest nations in the world.
World leaders have paid tribute to Mr Lee, who served as the city-state's prime minister for 31 years.
US President Barack Obama described him as a "giant of history" whose advice had been sought by other world leaders.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Mr Lee was a widely respected strategist and statesman, and Russian President Vladimir Putin described him as one of the "patriarchs" of world politics.
The period of national mourning will culminate in a state funeral next Sunday and Mr Lee's body is to lie in state at parliament from Wednesday to Saturday.
A private family wake is taking place on Monday and Tuesday.
News of Mr Lee's death came in a government statement that said he had "passed away peacefully" in the early hours of Monday at Singapore General Hospital. Mr Lee had been in hospital for several weeks with pneumonia and was on life support.
State television broke away from its normal schedules and broadcast rolling tributes.
Source-BBC