Sandals Resorts Win Big At World Travel Awards
Sandals Resorts International was the big winner for the Caribbean this year at the World Travel Awards held at the CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa on Anguilla last night.
Sandals won nine of the top awards including for the World’s Leading All-Inclusive Company; the Caribbean’s Leading Hotel Brand and the Caribbean’s Leading Conference Hotel for its Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort & Offshore Island in the Bahamas.
The company, founded by Jamaican Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, the 2014 Invest Caribbean Now Leadership Awardee, also took home the awards for the Caribbean’s Leading Honeymoon Resort and the Caribbean’s Most Romantic Resort for Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa.
Sandals also won the title of the Caribbean’s Leading New Hotel and the Caribbean’s Leading Hotel Suite for its Sky Pool Suites at Sandals LaSource Grenada Resort & Spa; the Caribbean’s Leading Luxury All-Inclusive Resort for Sandals Emerald Bay Golf Tennis & Spa Resort, Great Exuma, Bahamas and the Caribbean’s Leading Resort for its Sandals Grande Riviera Beach & Villa Golf Resort, Jamaica.
Here in the Turks and Caicos Islands, Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa copped the World's Leading All Inclusive Family Resort Brand 2014.
Other top awards and the winners Sunday included:
World's Leading Honeymoon Resort 2014 went to the Amanyara
World's Leading Hotel Spa 2014 - The Regent Palms, Turks & Caicos
The Regent Palms also copped the World's Leading Hotel Spa 2014
Caribbean’s Leading Adventure Tour Operator – Island Routes Caribbean Adventures
Caribbean’s Leading Adventure Tourist Attraction – Dolphin Cove, Jamaica
Caribbean’s Leading Airline – Caribbean Airlines
Caribbean’s Leading Airport – Sangster International Airport, Jamaica
Caribbean’s Leading Airport Lounge - Club Mobay -Sangster International Airport, Jamaica
Some 300 international hospitality industry leaders attended the 21st year which was hosted this year by award-winning actress Vivica Fox.
“It has been a privilege to welcome the leaders of international hospitality here to Cruisin-Art Golf Resort & Spa and to the island of Anguilla. Tonight has been nothing short of sensational and my heartfelt thanks go out to all those who have made our Grand Final 2014 such a success,” said World Travel Awards President Graham Cooke said. “Congratulations to all of our winners; this is the recognition you so richly deserve.”
InterCaribbean releases statement concerning flight incident
Shouts of happiness and relief as an Inter-Caribbean Airways flight safely made an emergency landing at the Providenciales International Airport Sunday.
The quick actions of crew members of an Inter-Caribbean Airways flight is being hailed as heroic, as many residents who had flocked to the Provo Airport after they had gotten word that the plane was in trouble, watched with bathed breath as the flight made its approach and came to rest on its nose.
The flight was in route to Grand Turk from Provo, had to turn back to Providenciales because the front landing gear would not deploy.
A statement from airline officials confirmed the aircraft, operated by Inter-Caribbean Airways was involved in an incident at Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands December 7, 2014 at about 1:45 pm. “The aircraft, a Beech 99, was operating JY 141 between Providenciales and Grand Turk. The aircraft’s nose gear would not deploy for landing. The aircraft safely landed on the main runway and met by Turks & Caicos Aircraft Fire Services.
The aircraft was carrying 2 passengers and 2 crew members on-board operating a flight that departed from Providenciales to Grand Turk. There were no injuries to passengers or crew. The Inter-Caribbean Emergency procedures were activated and the full resources of the company were mobilized to respond to the incident. Inter-Caribbean in cooperating with Turks & Caicos Civil Aviation and the Airport authority to secure the site and removed the aircraft from the runway in approximately 1 hr.
“The care of our customers, crew members, and their families is our highest priority” said Inter-Caribbean Airways CEO, Trevor Sadler.
No further details were given. Sadler said additional information is expected to be released.
Kanye West and Usher to receive 2015 BET honours
US rapper Kanye West will receive the visionary award at the Black Entertainment Television (BET) honours.
The 37-year-old is one of five acts to be honoured for their achievements in art, music, theatre, technology and business at the ceremony.
R&B star Usher, whose hits include Yeah and Confessions, will receive the music award for his two-decade career.
Phylicia Rashad, best known in the UK as The Cosby Show's Clair Huxtable, is to receive the theatrical arts award.
Her credits on Broadway and in regional theatre include August: Osage County, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Medea and Raisin in the Sun, for which she won a Tony Award.
Director of the National Museum of African Art, Dr Johnnetta Betsch Cole, will pick up the education award.
John W Thompson, who replaced Bill Gates as chairman of Microsoft earlier this year, will be honoured with the technology and business award.
West, who among the acts being rumoured as a headliner for next year's Glastonbury Festival, is one of the most successful rappers of his generation.
His sonically adventurous, genre-defying albums have generated hits like Gold Digger, Stronger and Black Skinhead, while his innovative live performances have incorporated ballet, Margiela masks and striking production design from Britain's Es Devlin.
The performer's notoriously spiky interviews and awards show interventions have also made headlines around the world.
The BET Awards were established in 2001 to honour African Americans and other minorities working in multiple disciplines.
Past honourees include Dr Maya Angelou, who received the literary arts award in 2012 and Whitney Houston, who received the entertainers award in 2010.
The 2015 Honours, presented by Wayne Brady, will take place at the Warner Theatre in Washington on 24 January and will be shown on the BET channel on 23 February.
Palestinian minister dies at West Bank protest
A Palestinian minister has died after a confrontation with Israeli troops at a protest in the West Bank.
Palestinian medics told the BBC Ziad Abu Ein had died from complications related to tear gas exposure.
But several witnesses said the minister had been hit and shoved by soldiers. One said he had been hit in the chest by a tear-gas canister fired by them.
Israel's Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon expressed regret for the minister's death in a statement.The Israeli military (IDF) said it was investigating the incidents surrounding Mr Ein's death.
Israeli and Jordanian experts would attend a post-mortem examination, the IDF said. It has also proposed setting up a joint team with the Palestinians to investigate Mr Abu Ein's death.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for an investigation into the death and urged "all sides to exercise maximum restraint and avoid escalation".
Following the incident dozens of Palestinians reportedly gathered at the scene, near the village of Turmusaya, setting fire to tyres and throwing stones at security forces.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held a Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) meeting in Ramallah following news of the death of the minister, whom he called a "martyr".
Source-BBC
World Anti-Doping Agency to investigate TV allegations
The World Anti-Doping Agency is to investigate allegations made in a series of German TV documentaries.
Wada said they had reached the decision after "careful review" of the footage.
It was claimed a top British athlete escaped investigation after athletics' governing body, the IAAF, chose not to look at 150 suspicious blood samples.
"The allegations require close scrutiny," said Wada president Sir Craig Reedie.
German broadcaster ARD reported claims from an anonymous member of the IAAF's medical commission that there was no targeted testing of athletes who had returned abnormal blood samples between 2006 and 2008.
As well as three unnamed British athletes, including one well-known figure, it is alleged that many of the samples involved were from Russian competitors with athletes from Kenya, Germany, Spain and Morocco also implicated.
The Russian Athletics Federation has threatened legal action against ARD, rejecting its allegations as "lies".
Source-BBC
Your Money or Your Data
“Your money or your data” seems to be the favored mantra these days as cybercriminals look for safer, more effective ways to fool victims into parting with their money.
It’s called ransomware. And it is on the rise, according to security experts interviewed by TECHtonics.
In some scenarios, victims are locked out of their cellphone or computer files. A message warns them that they need to pay ransom before their files are unlocked.
“It’s easier to kind of kidnap and hold hostage files than a person,” said Kevin Haley, Director of Product Management for Symantec Security Response. “You’re a lot less likely to be caught. You’ve got a lot better way to pay the ransom, a lot safer way and you don’t have to get somebody to stuff bills into a suitcase and throw it off a bridge or … leave it in a locker. So it’s got a lot of appeal to the bad guys.”
Part of the appeal is the prevalence of important data online. Australia-based cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt said as more important data become available online, there are “more and more attack vectors for online criminals to take advantage of.”
That happens in cases where people or even IT departments who have not implemented backup procedures correctly are reluctant to report the attack, said Kaspersky Lab’s Argentina-based security researcher Santiago Pontiroli. “So … some people [decide] to pay the cybercriminals.”
According to Pontiroli, ransomware attacks spiked in 2013 as cybercriminals adopted Bitcoin and other types of electronic payments to cover their tracks as they carry out criminal extortion.
Cryptocurrencies allow “a high degree of anonymity,” said Hunt, which “makes it easier for cybercriminals to receive money without compromising their identity.”
And they have perfected their payoff methods, said Haley.
“That was always the hang-up before,” he explained. “They could get on your machine and they could encrypt your files, but they didn’t have a good way for you to pay the ransom. So that’s changed and so we’re seeing this explosion.”
What hasn’t changed is that ransomware is ultimately a type of malicious software. “They usually disguise it as a Trojan,” said Pontiroli. “And when it gets to your system, it encrypts everything.”
So when some Apple iOS users got locked out of their files earlier this year in a ransomware attack, victims who had no sensitive data to worry about simply reset their phones or formatted their computer hard drives.
In that instance, Haley said attackers used the FindMyiPhone app to put up a screen on the device, saying they had encrypted it.
“They had simply phished the Apple ID and password from users and then used the Apple FindMyiPhone app to put a pin number on and then pop up the little message,” he said.
Not all ransomware attacks use this method. Others exploit websites with poor security practices to plant their malware, waiting to prey on visitors.
“First they have to find a website that they can break into to plant the malware,” said Haley. “And then they wait for people to visit and then try to make them vulnerable, try to exploit then when they get there.”
Together, website insecurity and unpatched vulnerabilities on users’ PCs, are an open invitation for trouble.
“In other words,” says Haley, “you just visit the site and only by visiting the site, the bad guys are able to load or download malware onto your computer. And that is taking advantage of a vulnerability that you haven’t patched on your computer.”
Haley says attack patterns are varied and random, sometimes using spam, email attachments or by offering links to trick individuals into installing malware. With corporations, he said attackers often look for ways to break in, either using spam or specific knowledge about their target.
Also, cybercriminals often resort to manipulation and social engineering to target victims, as with Koler, an Android ransomware that targets pornography sites. Koler flashes a message and images from police to tell victims that they did something illegal that will be reported to authorities unless they pay a certain amount of money.
“They try to scare you in order for you to pay quickly,” said Pontiroli. “And because … it’s kind of shameful, not many people report it.”
He says cybercriminals know that people respond if they scare them or offer them good deals or even prey on the kindness of those willing to lend a hand to a stranger in need.
Companies like Sony Pictures, which is struggling to recover from a recent attack, frequently are successfully attacked because of shortcomings within their organizations, says Hunt. He said there are a lot of things that should happen before an attacker is successful.
“If they have been infected by malware inside their internal organization, the question I’ll be asking is, ‘What was their position on things like anti-virus?’” he said. “Did they have a good process there? Did they have good processes in terms of checking their inbound email for phishing attacks or malicious attachments?”
Some companies have paid hefty sums of money for ransom. In 2007, Nokia paid ransomers millions of euros to stop the distribution of a stolen encryption key only to lose track of the money and the criminals.The case remains open today.
Hunt said victims who pay the ransom might get their kidnapped data back, but nothing is for certain.
“There is absolutely no guarantee that you will get anything back,” says Haley. “In some cases, you do because the ransomers want to have a good reputation so that other people will pay them as well. And in others, they just don’t care. They’re just ripping you off. And in fact in some cases, you may pay the ransom and they’ll try to extort even more money from you.”
Paying the ransom is not an option, said Pontiroli, because it means that you have to “trust the word of someone that is holding your files ransom.”
It also keeps the extortion business going.
Haley predicts that ransomware attacks will continue as long as there are people who are fooled, scared or cajoled into paying ransom.
“This is a scheme that is working well for cybercriminals,” added Pontiroli. “You learn about ransomware when you are a victim of it.”
Prevention is the best cure, he advised, both in terms of having the necessary security measures and the knowledge that this type of threat exists.
Source-VOA
Boko Haram Turns to Female Bombers
In its five-year campaign to establish a caliphate in Nigeria, extremist group Boko Haram has repeatedly used suicide bombers against civilians and the military. But analysts say its recent use of female suicide bombers in strikes across the country show its growing ambition.
The bombing of a market in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri last month bore all the hallmarks of an attack by Boko Haram. The group has struck Maiduguri repeatedly. But this bombing, which killed more than 30 people, was different: the two bombers were women.
Boko Haram has recently been sending women to carry out suicide bombings across Nigeria, particularly in the northeast, but also as far away as the country’s largest city Lagos.
No one is quite sure why they have started using women.
But a member of the Nigeria Security Network, Elizabeth Pearson, who is a doctoral student at Kings College London, said the bombings were a sign of the group’s strength.
“So this has been a very ambitious year for Boko Haram, and I think that the use of the female suicide bombers if anything points to this ambition. Because the reason that Boko Haram needs more recruits is not because they are necessarily beleaguered by the strength of the government opposition to them. It is because they are ramping up the ambition in the northeast ahead of the elections, with this attempt to establish a caliphate,” she said.
Pearson said Boko Haram deploying female bombers was a shift away from the more traditional role of women in their campaign.
“Mainly are seen to have a supporting role. They should be encouraging jihad, they should be encouraging men, they can be propagandists, they can really sell the narrative. But they should not really be involved in fighting. And Boko Haram has adhered to that to some degree. But I think where it has become strategically useful, they are obviously willing to subvert that,” she said.
There has been speculation some bombers might be drawn from the ranks of more than 200 schoolgirls the group kidnapped earlier this year from the northeastern town of Chibok. But Pearson said there has been no proof of that.
Jamestown Foundation African affairs analyst Jacob Zenn said the group has likely drawn on women as a matter of convenience and as a psychological tactic. Now anyone could be a potential bomber.
“It heightens the fear of their capabilities, and you also have to understand that there are widows of Boko Haram members. And this allows Boko Haram to utilize these leftover women into the network that otherwise might not be able to serve a purpose,” said Zenn.
Zenn said Boko Haram used a range of methods to convince suicide bombers. Women may have their children threatened, be brainwashed, or be strapped with remotely detonated bombs.
“They are engaged in a war against their enemies, defined as Christians or Muslims who do not follow them, who do not subscribe to their belief. And they will use any means possible without regard to conventional morality to achieve their aims. So whether it is a six-year-old girl or an eight-year-old girl or a man that is disabled, they will use any of those means to carry out their attacks. This is, in my view, completely consistent with their operational style," said Zenn.
Regardless of who the bombers are, the continued ability to strike across Nigeria shows Boko Haram’s determination to make their goal of creating a caliphate in northeastern Nigeria a reality.
Belize further prepares key agencies to facilitate greater access to the CARICOM Single Market
The Belizean government is this week continuing specially tailored educational sessions on the benefits, roles and responsibilities of key Government agencies and private sector groups in helping Belizeans secure their right to work, travel and do business in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy.
Dubbed AccessCSME – The Workplace Edition, the initiative is being coordinated by the Ministry of Trade, Investment, Promotion, Private Sector Development and Consumer Protection in partnership with the CARICOM Secretariat. It is funded by the Government of Canada under the CARICOM Trade and Competitiveness Project (CTCP) Component 300.
A worksite meeting for the Ministry of Social Security which takes place on 10 December 2014, is a follow on from the 10 government ministries and departments plus private sector groups that were visited last week, during the period 1-5 December and addressed by a team from the Trade Directorate.
Presentations to these meetings focused on identifying the legally defensible rights of Belizeans to access the five regimes in the CSME, access points for application and registration in Belize, the roles of the various groups in facilitating access and grievance procedures if those rights are violated. All Belizeans, just like CARICOM nationals from other countries that participate in the CSME, have the right to free movement of skills, free movement of services, free movement of goods, free movement of capital and the right of establishment – across 12 other participating CARICOM nations. In turn, Belize also grants the same level of access to other CARICOM nationals.
Some attention was paid to recent Community decisions which have impacted access to the CSME by CARICOM nationals, including the Shanique Myrie Judgment which established legal precedent for the treatment of nationals at ports of entry into CARICOM Member States. Participants were told that the Caribbean Court of Justice emphasized that a minimum of six months entry must be given to CARICOM nationals traveling within participating Member States.
The team comprising Senior Trade Economist in the Trade Ministry, Mr. Richard Reid (team leader), Trade Economists Denise Swan and Adrianie Mende; and Ms Milagro Matus, underscored that the Department of Immigration is the agency to which Belizean nationals must apply for Skills certificates that qualify them to work in other CARICOM States. The team noted that while CARICOM nationals can apply for the skills certificate through any designated competent authority in any CARICOM country, it is better to apply within the country of origin because of easier access to educational and employment records.
The team also outlined the complaints procedures for CARICOM nationals who believe that they have been unfairly untreated or denied their basic rights under the revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, which governs the CARICOM Single Market and Economy.
At the workplace session for a combined Belize Chamber of Commerce and Coalition of Service Providers Group on Friday, December 5, Mr. Victor Recinos, Deputy Comptroller of the Customs and Excise department provided comprehensive information to Belizean exporters seeking to export goods into other CARICOM markets including simple tips on accessing the C23 – a form that confirms a good is of CARICOM origin and therefore qualifies for Customs Duty free status.
AccessCSME – The Workplace Edition series is being coordinated by the Belize CSME Focal Point, Ms Tricia Gideon and will be expanded to include select representatives of key public service agencies which serve as the competent authorities for accessing the various provisions in the CSME.
The following organizations participated in last week’s meetings: The Investment Unit and Directorate for Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Trade, Investment Promotion, Private Sector Development and Consumer Protection; Beltraide; Labour Department; Belize Bureau of Standards; ITVET/Ministry of Education; Ministry of Transport; Immigration Department; Customs and Excise Department; Belize Coalition of Service Providers and the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Community Strategic Plan (2015-2019 identifies, among other areas for priority focus , the accelerated implementation of the CSME, building competitiveness and unleashing key economic drivers to transition to growth and to generate employment and the development of human capital.
PABA returns on Wednesday
Action resumed in the PABA on Wednesday night 7pm downtown, Providenciales.
The Coca Cola Classics will take on The Top Shottas and the debut of the Knights will challenge HAB Sonics.
The Shottas big man Kino Lewis will match up against Coca Cola's Ezra Taylor. It will be a battle for the boards and the guards Sugar Ray Smith vs Lathario Harvey to determine who is the floor general. Elvis 'Big Country' Smith makes his debut in the PABA coming off his big 42 points game against Haiti. He will have to contend with the the big man from New Zealand, Blair Mason who will make his entry to the league for HAB Sonics.
The new Dominican sensation Linaris will match up against one of the best shooters in the league Andujar Gardiner!
It will be a very exciting night for basketball in the PABA. Don't miss the action. Only 5.00 entry fee. Tip off time is 7 pm.
CARICOM ENERGY WEEK SCHOOL EXHIBITIONS SUCCESS
Exhibitions held at the Clement Howell and the Helena J. Robinson High Schools as part of the local activities to observes CARICOM Energy Week in November, were quite successful.
The exhibits and interaction with students and staff of the two secondary schools raised the level of awareness of smart energy use, as well as the promotion of renewable energy technologies in achieving a more sustainable economy.
The event organized by the Government’s Energy and Utilities Department, was well supported by local electricity service provider, FortisTCI, a well as local green energy companies, Urban Green Environment, and Green Energy Trail.
The exhibition showcased real as well as demonstration models powered by renewable energy, interactive animations as well as flyers and brochures featuring an abundance of information on simple steps that can be employed to conserve energy, as well as the benefits of energy efficiency appliances and renewable energy technologies, such as solar photovoltaic, wind and solar water heating systems.
Malike Cummings, Energy & Utilities Manager Commissioner stated; “We were impressed by the level of interest, attentiveness and engagement of the students as well as teachers, who all seemed quite fascinated by the wealth of information available on sustainable energy initiatives, as well as the simple behavioral changes that can be taken to minimize energy wastage.
“The intention is to continue to target the youth through collaborative efforts between the Department and the local partners, by reaching out to the schools throughout the TCI to increase the level of awareness and to create a passion in the youth population to bring about behavioral changes that will ensure smarter energy use now and into the future.”