FDCC receives donations to help Caribbean children
As the Sky’s the Limit Campaign – a joint effort between the Foundation for the Development of Caribbean Children (FDCC) and LIAT – continues raising funds and early childhood development awareness across Caribbean skies, one group has pledged their support to the cause.
Members of the Interact Club of the Antigua State College recently donated a cheque totalling $1653.46 EC to the FDCC.
Members of the Club, Christa-Joy Burton and Ki-jana Bowers presented the cheque on the Club’s behalf. Ms. Burton noted that “children are our future and we are proud to help them achieve their goals.” Mrs. Lucette James, FDCC Board Member, was on hand to receive the donation and remarked: “we are warmly appreciative of your efforts…we hope the work of the FDCC will result in opportunities for our region’s young people.”
Members of the diaspora community in Canada also donated to the FDCC’s work. The cheque for CA$1160 was hand-delivered by Mrs. Monica Woodley, FDCC Ambassador in Canada after a brief holiday in St. Vincent. The donations were received from Mrs. Frances Phipps and Mrs. Jodi Thomas. Mrs. Phipps, a Canadian national, visited St. Vincent and the Grenadines a few times and fell in love with the islands. Her love for the Caribbean prompted her interest to give back to the children of this region. Mrs. Thomas a Vincentian- Canadian, celebrated her three year old son’s birthday with a family fundraiser in aid of FDCC’s work with young children in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The FDCC salutes each of its donors no matter the size of the donation and will continue to engage the support of the Caribbean diaspora communities across the world in giving Caribbean Children the foundation they deserve.
Launched in January 2012, the FDCC is the first indigenous non-profit foundation in the Caribbean dedicated to advancing the cause of and providing avenues for early childhood development for poor, vulnerable or at-risk families. It builds on a 10-year platform of success created by the Caribbean Child Support Initiative, a programme that was introduced in 2002, dedicated to mainstream effective and high quality early childhood development and parenting support practices. FDCC aims to give children equal opportunities to reach their full potential.
TCI Cabinet Statement for 22nd October 2014
His Excellency the Governor, Peter Beckingham, chaired the meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday 22 October 2014 at the Hilly Ewing Building on Providenciales.
All Ministers were present.
At this meeting Cabinet:
· Agreed to extend the Development Agreement currently in place with Grand Caicos Holdings to allow for commencement of construction of a mixed-use hotel, marina, residential and commercial development on Middle Caicos. The extension will require the development to commencement construction by 1 March 2015;
· Considered and agreed the supplementary appropriation requests that will be forwarded to the UK Government for approval before being tabled at the next House of Assembly meeting;
· Confirmed the next meetings of the House of Assembly would be the 17-19 of November and the 15-17 of December;
· Approved amendments to the Domestic Financial Services Sales Tax Ordinance 2011 to limit the imposition of the tax to money transfers only, and to increase the rate to 12%;
· Agreed that the Turks and Caicos Islands Airport Authority excess revenues for financial years 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 should be used for the redevelopment of South Caicos Airport;
· Approved an amendment to the current Business License fee structure on 'Commercial Space Rental' to reduce the fee from $0.50 per square foot to $0.25 per square foot; the minimum amount payable will be $300, and the maximum $5,000;
· Agreed to submit to the House of Assembly a Validation Bill that will retrospectively regularise the payment of various benefits paid to beneficiaries since 2004;
· Agreed to amend the Hotel and Restaurant (Taxation) Ordinance 2014 to comply with the terms of Carnival's existing Development Agreement that relate to its operations on Grand Turk;
· Agreed to consider the approval of amendments to the Business Licensing Regulations, Section 30. Details will follow in due course;
· Agreed that where there had been an overpayment or underpayment of Business License fees as a result of early license renewal ahead of the implementation of the July 2014 structure revisions, refunds or collection of outstanding amounts should be made. Cabinet also noted and endorsed the establishment of the multi-agency Revenue Compliance Programme;
· Agreed the National Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2014, National Insurance (Benefit) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 and the National Insurance (Contributions) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 and for these amendments to be forwarded to the HOA for debate and passage and published in the Gazette respectively and then laid before the House of Assembly. These proposals mostly do the following –
o Increase the maximum earnings limit (wage ceiling) on which contributions are paid from $2,600 per month to $4,000 per month in three steps in April 2015, April 2016 and April 2017.
o For Retirement pension, use a five-year average of insurable wages instead of only three years of insurable wages and, if the ceiling is increased as recommended above, adjust downwards the average insurable wages for those with earnings in excess of the current $600 per week ceiling when calculating pensions.
o Introduce reduction factors that will be applied to Retirement pensions awarded prior to age 65 thus making pensions selected prior to age 65 actuarially equivalent with those awarded at normal retirement age.
o Legislative provision for the NIB to make all of its investments in accordance with the Investment Policy Statement.
o Make provision for the Permanent Secretary Finance to be ex officio a member of the Board and for his/her representative to deputize in his/her absence.
o Make provision for self-employment to be continuous unless notification of discontinuance of the employment is given to the NIB by the self-employed person.
o Increase the maximum period for payment of maternity allowance from 12 weeks to 14 weeks to bring it in line with the Employment Ordinance;
o Introduce a disqualification provision for persons in receipt of invalidity pension who perform remunerative work whilst receiving the pension.
o Reduce the amount of hours from 10 to 5 for the purpose of determining liability to pay contributions as a self employed person.
o Introduce a provision to protect contributions in cases where warrants or distress is executed against the property of delinquent contributors;
o Amend the Ordinance to state that corporate bodies and the officers of those bodies can be proceeded against at the same time in cases where offences against the Ordinance have been committed and widen the provision to include other unincorporated bodies of persons.
o Require all employers to submit monthly to NIB a statement of contributions.
o Make provision for the Minister to consult the Board prior to appointing the Director/CEO and to ensure that the Director has the necessary qualifications and experience.
o Make the Investment Committee and the Audit Committee statutory committees.
o Make provision for surplus funds in the short term branch of the Fund to be transferred to the long term branch in accordance with the Actuarial reviews.
o Amend the provision requiring the NIB to pay medical reimbursement to TCIG to make the amounts payable to NHIB based on actuarial assessments to bring the law in line with the NHIP Ordinance.
o Amend the Ordinance to expressly state that investments and loans can be paid or met out of the Fund.
o Consistent with legislation governing other statutory bodies, introduce sanctions for Board members who are present and fail to disclose their personal or pecuniary interest in a matter being discussed and determined by the Board.
o Consistent with legislation governing other statutory bodies, introduce a confidentiality provision where officers, employees or agents of the Board acquire information in their official duties.
o Make provision for the Minister to act in circumstances where the operation of the Board is not being conducted in the best interest of the subscribers.
o Make provision for contributions to be paid by means other than by cash or cheque and at designated places other than NIB offices.
Ministers will provide further details on these matters in due course.
TCIG Attends International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) in Canada
Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Border Control and Labour, Mrs. Clara Gardiner, and Registrar General, Ms. Sigrid Lightbourne returned to the islands recently after attending the 10th Symposium and Exhibition of the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) Machine Readable Travel Documents (MRTDs), Biometrics and Border Security in Montreal, Canada during the period October 6-9, 2014.
Among its other mandates, ICAO is the United Nations lead organization that is charged with establishing standards and specifications on travel and identification documents.
Mrs. Gardiner stated: “The conference focused on the importance of the Traveler Identification Programme (ICAO TRIP) Strategy which was adopted in 38th Session of Assembly in order to establish the goals and objectives of traveler identification management.
“The objective of this effort is to lead and reinforce a global approach, and to provide direction for action to ICAO, States and the many international, regional and industry partners in identification management.
“ICAO’s leadership in pursuing these Strategic Objectives is a signal event from which all other travel documents and border management activities will more effectively flow, to bring together all elements of identity management, and to acknowledge the singular importance of partnerships.”
She continued: “Attendance at this conference was timely; fraud remains a live issue in the Registration and Citizenship and Border Enforcement departments. To enable the department to identify abuse and illegal activity there are several trained officers, sophisticated forgery and detection equipment and regional contacts with UK and USA Intelligence Agencies to assist them with their work.
"The Turks and Caicos Islands is compliant with the mandate Chicago Convention -the main international law instrument regulating civil aviation matters globally- which speaks to the deadline for the introduction of machine readable passports by November 24, 2015.
“The TCI commenced issuance of machine readable passports in 2004. The new Turks and Caicos passports that will be issued after the repatriation of printing to the UK next year will, in addition to being machine readable, be an ePassport, however, the eligibility of many residents to acquire full British passports means that many citizens are currently in possession of an ePassport.”
The Ministry of Border Control and Labour is presently exploring opportunities to transform its visa and civil registration system and so it is noteworthy that this conference provided an opportunity to network with potential providers as well as many experts and industry leaders.
TCIG Reminds Public of Amendment to Hotel and Tourism Ordinance
The Revenue Department in the Ministry of Finance reminds the public that the House of Assembly has approved an amendment to the Hotel and Restaurant (Taxation) Ordinance to provide for the imposition of a tax on Tourism Services.
The commencement date of the amendments to the Hotel and Restaurant (Taxation) Ordinance which will now be cited as the Hotel and Tourism (Taxation) Ordinance (“hereinafter referred to as the Ordinance”) is 1st November, 2014.
Schedule 3 of the Hotel and Tourism (Taxation) Ordinance details what will be considered Tourism Services for the purposes of the Ordinance. They are as follows:
Tour Operator Services
Tourist Guide Services
Camping and Caravanning Site Services
Camping Equipment Leasing or Rental Services
Water Sports
Water Sports/Beach Equipment Leasing or Rental Services
Sports Fishing
Sightseeing Excursion Services
Sightseeing Services, Aircraft or Helicopter
Non-motorized Land Transport Equipment Leasing or Rental Services – e.g. bicycles
Non-motorized Air Transport Equipment Leasing or Rental Services
Parasailing, Parachuting, Zip Lining
Horse-back Riding and Related Services
Photography and Photographic Camera Rental Services
Museum Services Except for Historical Sites and Buildings
Golf Course Services
Spa Services
Destination Wedding and Planning Services
Concierge Services.
• All businesses providing the aforementioned services are required under section 26A of the Hotel and Tourism (Taxation) Ordinance to register with the Revenue Department.
• Prescribed forms for registration as a Tourism Service Provider are available at the Revenue Department.
• A Tourism Service Provider whose annual turnover does not exceed $50,000 or $4,000 in three consecutive months, may at the time of lodging an application for registration or at any other time, apply to be exempt from the requirement to charge and collect tax.
• The rate of tax to be charged by a Designated Tourism Service Provider under section 26B (1) of the Ordinance is twelve percent (12%) of the charge paid or payable for that service.
For more information, please visit the Revenue Department in Grand Turk & Providenciales or the District Commissioner’s Offices in the family Islands.
TCIG Officials to Attend Overseas Territories Border Security Conference
Senior Turks & Caicos Islands Government officials from various departments are to attend an inaugural Border Security conference in Miami, Tuesday, 21 to Thursday, 23 October 2014.
Director of Immigration, Mr Larry Mills, will be joined by Intelligence Officer, Ms Latoya Mitchell, Collector of Customs, Mrs Chawa Williams and Police Commissioner, Mr Colin Farquhar and Head of Governor’s Office, Mr Patrick Boyle at the three day event arranged by UK Home and Foreign Office officials and the Overseas Territories (OT) Law Enforcement Adviser, Mr Larry Covington.
They will be joined by senior officials from the British Overseas Territories of Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, St. Helena, and Montserrat, where a variety of common themes and issues will be discussed including, passport and visa issuing, citizenship processes, integrated border management, and border security threats.
Hon. R.D. Gardiner, Minister of Border Control and Labour stated; “Like other OT, border security is a major concern for TCIG. It is high priority for us to continue to strengthen this area by exhausting all resources available to us.
“That includes this particular exercise and continued strengthening of our Immigration Legislation which includes our new Immigration Bill that is currently being put forward.”
The objectives of the conference are to discuss common OT border security issues and identify potential solutions that may be addressed in a more coordinated manner going forward, with appropriate UK support. Actions and conclusions will be presented to OT Governors and senior UK officials at the next Joint Ministerial Council in December.
Designer Oscar de la Renta dies aged 82
Fashion designer Oscar de la Renta, who dressed former first ladies Jackie Kennedy and Hillary Clinton, has died aged 82, his family has confirmed.
De La Renta, who most recently designed Amal Clooney's wedding dress, was diagnosed with cancer in 2006.
Born in the Dominican Republic in 1932, he left home at 18 to study painting in Madrid, Spain.
He soon developed a love of fashion design and began an apprenticeship with Spain's designer Cristobal Balenciaga.
De la Renta made his name in the early 1960s when the then first lady, Jackie Kennedy, frequently wore his designs. He launched his own label several years later.
Over the following decades he dressed nearly every first lady up to and including Michelle Obama, who he once chided for not wearing American designers.
Source-BBC
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel settle Heat magazine legal action
Singer Justin Timberlake and his wife Jessica Biel have settled legal action against Heat magazine after it published a "false and unfounded story" questioning their two-year marriage.
The celebrity magazine has now apologised and retracted the story, which featured pictures of Timberlake at a party in a Paris nightclub.
It was accompanied by quotes wrongly attributed to actress Biel.
The couple lodged the defamation claim at the High Court in Dublin, Ireland.
The court heard the story, which featured in the 6-12 September edition of Heat, was based on an "unfounded report" regarding Timberlake's alleged behaviour at a birthday party in the club after one of his shows.
Lawyers for the couple confirmed a settlement had been reached after the brief hearing before the president of the High Court, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns.
Paul Tweed of Johnsons Solicitors read a statement outside, although he did not disclose any financial details.
"Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel are very satisfied with this categoric retraction of what was a false and unfounded story, together with the comprehensive apology from Bauer Consumer Media, the publishers of Heat magazine," he said.
Source-BBC
Microsoft boss Satya Nadella gets $84m pay package
Microsoft boss Satya Nadella has been given a pay package worth $84.3m (£52m), making him one of the top earners in the tech industry.
The total pay package is largely made up of share awards, and most of the payments will be made over several years.
News of the package comes less than a month after Mr Nadella advised women not to ask for a pay rise but to have "faith in the system".
He later apologised for the remark.
In a regulatory filing, Microsoft said the promotion of Mr Nadella had meant it had a chief executive without a major equity stake in the firm for the first time.
Its previous chief executives, Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, both had multi-billion dollar holdings in the company.
"In approving the initial annual total compensation opportunity for Mr Nadella, our board was mindful of both the fierce competition for talented executives in the technology sector and the demands on and responsibilities of the leader of a global organization with the scope and stature of Microsoft," it said in the filing.
Excluding the long-term share awards, Mr Nadella's pay package for this year totals $11.6m.
Mr Nadella was named as chief executive in February, and is only the third chief executive in the firm's history.
Oscar Pistorius begins jail sentence for Reeva Steenkamp death
South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has begun serving time in jail for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
He was driven to Pretoria's Kgosi Mampuru prison where he is expected to be housed in the hospital wing.
Judge Thokozile Masipa gave Pistorius a five-year jail sentence for culpable homicide, but cleared him of murder.
His defence said it expected him to serve about 10 months, with the remainder under house arrest. His family say he will not appeal.
The parents of Reeva Steenkamp told the BBC they were happy with the sentence and relieved the case was over.
Prosecutors had called for a minimum 10-year term, and the defence had argued for community service and house arrest.
Pistorius, 27, an amputee sprinter who became the first athlete to compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, killed Ms Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year.
He says he shot her by mistake, fearing there was an intruder in his house in Pretoria.
Ms Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, reality TV star and law graduate, was hit three times by bullets fired by Pistorius through a toilet door.
Source-BBC
PUBLIC FORECAST FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT MONDAY 20TH OCTOBER, 2014
GENERAL SITUATION: A FRONTAL BOUNDARY OVER THE BAHAMAS WILL SLOWLY DISSIPATE AS IT LIFTS NORTHWARDS
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BEACH GOERS AND MARINERS ESPECIALLY ALONG THE EXPOSED ATLANTIC SHORELINES OF THE BAHAMAS SHOULD EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION FOR MODERATE TO HIGH SURF AND THE STRONG POSSIBILITY OF RIP CURRENTS GENERATED BY POST-TROPICAL CYCLONE GONZALO.
FOR THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS
WEATHER: A FEW SHOWERS NEAR INAGUA BUT A SLIGHT CHANCE OF A PASSING SHOWER OR TWO ELSEWHERE
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS FOR THE ATLANTIC EXPOSED AREAS
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS OVER OPEN WATERS
SEAS: 3 TO 5 FEET BUT UP TO 11 FEET IN NORTHEASTERLY SWELLS OVER THE OCEAN
FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS
WEATHER: PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY AND HOT WITH A FEW SHOWERS BECOMING PARTLY CLOUDY TONIGHT
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONTINUES FOR THE ATLANTIC EXPOSED AREAS
WINDS: NORTHEAST TO EAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS OVER OPEN WATERS
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET BUT UP TO 11 FEET IN NORTHEASTERLY SWELLS OVER THE OCEAN
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE: 89°F 32°C
OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE: 70°F 21°C
SUNSET: 06:38 PM MOONSET: 04:43 PM LOW TIDE: 12:16 PM
SUNRISE: 07:11AM MOONSET: 05:07 AM TUE. HIGH TIDE: 06:16 PM
LOW TIDE: 12:31 AM TUE.
HIGH TIDE: 06:42 AM TUE
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK: AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE LOCATED OVER THE EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN OF CAMPECHE ALONG WITH A LARGE NON-TROPICAL LOW LOCATED A FEW HUNDRED MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE AZORES ARE BEING MONITORED FOR TROPICAL CYCLONE