U.S. warns Americans not to fly from Guyana
The U.S. Embassy in Guyana is warning American citizens against flying out of the country on Caribbean Airlines flights bound for the United States for the next two days.
The embassy said it received unconfirmed threat information about such Caribbean Airlines flights — but did not offer specifics.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the Embassy advises all U.S. Citizens in Guyana traveling on Caribbean Airlines (CAL) to the United States from Monday, February 10, through Wednesday, February 12, 2014, to make alternate travel arrangements,” the embassy said in a statement.
Late Sunday night, the government of Guyana announced that it had activated emergency security plans and raised the terror threat level at the country’s main international airport in wake of threats to Caribbean Airlines flights.
Caribbean Airlines has added additional security measures and is cooperating with authorities, the company said in a statement Monday. It said all flights are operating as scheduled.
By Gordon Moseley for CNN
Talks between Hispaniola governments to double poultry exports
The Agriculture Ministry’s Livestock Dept. on Sunday said it expects the first two or three farms to be certified to resume eggs and chicken exports to Haiti within 60 days, while producers eye doubled sales with formalized trade on Hispaniola.
Livestock director Bolivar Toribio also notes that although some 100 major farms can export to Haiti, they need to review their long term modification process. "That is a process that takes time, because if you go to a farm that has no bathrooms for employees, they have to build them, together with a septic and a drain field."
He said International organizations approve the standards which govern the certification process, which in his view will benefit the country’s poultry production that will have the quality needed to enter any global market.
Haiti, Dominican pact on trade
The pact Haitian and Dominican officials signed Thursday on compliance with sanitary protocol and subsequent certification means a boost for exporters, according to egg producers association (ASOHUEVO) president Manuel Escaño, who estimated that exports could already jump from 30 to 60 million units monthly
Before Port-au-Prince banned imports of Dominican poultry around 30 million eggs (RD$120 million) and some 700,000 chickens (RD$70 million) were exported per month.
FortisTCI Recounts All Island Power Failure
On Sunday, February 9, 2014 at approximately 12 noon, the FortisTCI power plant on Leeward Highway experienced technical difficulties following an explosion and electrical fire in one of the plants main switchgear rooms. It was the courageous efforts by staff working on the plant yesterday who rushed to the scene of the explosion in attempt to extinguish the fire, avoiding what could have been a disastrous situation.
Shortly thereafter, during the troubleshooting phase to determine the cause of the explosion, a major fault was located on one of the main cables leading to the plant’s 12Kv substation and electrical bus bar. The combination of both these incidents resulted in a complete shutdown at approximately 1:38 p.m. Engineers immediately began working to repair and restore power to customers. Given the magnitude of the damages, significant repair time was required. Work on all faults and damages that occurred earlier in the day were completed at approximately 9:00 p.m. Unfortunately, challenges occurred as the engineering team attempted to begin restoration efforts leading to further delays.
Power was restored at approximately 1:42 a.m. today (Monday) to the first group of customers, followed by another group of customers restored at 2:42 a.m. FortisTCI President and CEO Eddinton Powell said in an afternoon press briefing, “No power plant in the world is free and clear of technical problems. These are very complex systems. This is an incident that occurred in the oldest section of our plant for reasons at this time we are unaware of. Our focus right now is to fully restore power to all of our customers in Providenciales. We understand the importance of having electricity in your homes and businesses and I assure you that we are working around the clock to resolve this unfortunate series of events.”
As of 4:35 p.m. today crews are working to restore power to parts of Grace Bay, Leeward, Leeward Palms, and Blue Hills.
Updates will continue to be provided to customers as the restoration efforts progress. FortisTCI apologizes to customers for the inconvenience caused and thank you for your understanding and patience during this challenging time.
TCI Prison Service Extends Rehabilitation Initiatives with New Course
The Ministry of Environment and Home Affairs and Her Majesty’s Prison on Friday 7th February 2014 announced the completion of yet another phase of the Prison Rehabilitation Strategy when members of the staff completed victim empathy training.
Officers of Her Majesty’s Prison along with the Gender Affairs coordinator completed an eight day training course to qualify officers to deliver VEP ‘Victim Empathy Program’ Training to offenders. The course was delivered by UKHMPS Offending Behaviour Delivery Manager, Mr. Simon Drysdale and ran from 29th January 2014 to the 7th February 2014.
The VEP course is designed to structure offence analysis together with group work and covers the impact on victims of the offence while placing the offender in the position of empathy and understanding towards the victim’s position and the wider implications of such actions.
The training enables officers to deliver Empathy Courses alongside the current Offending behavior programs Anger Management and the Cognitive skills course, ‘Just Think’.
Prison Superintendent Mr. Ian Sargent commented: “The introduction of this course to run as part of the sentence management planning is a clear sign of the support from the Ministry in developing accredited programs for Offenders. For TCI to gain Staff accreditation in VEP is a major step in the rehabilitation strategy and cannot be underestimated in terms of offender interventions.
Certificates were presented by Permanent Secretary of Environment and Home Affairs, Mrs. Susan Malcolm.
Ministry of Health Holds Awareness Session on Chikungunya Virus
The Ministry of Health and Human Services will facilitate two one-day workshops for health professionals on the Chikungunya virus on 11th and 12th February, 2014. The Ministry is taking a proactive approach to increase education and awareness about Chikungunya in light of the outbreak that occurred 12th December, 2013 on the island of Saint Martin and subsequently spread to neighboring Caribbean islands. The workshops are scheduled as follows:
Providenciales: Tuesday, 11 February, 2014
Venue: Occasions Conference Facility, Airport Road
Time: 9:00am – 1:15pm
Grand Turk: Wednesday, 12 February, 2014
Venue: LIFE Centre
Time: 9:00am – 1:15pm
Workshop objectives are:
1. To raise awareness and improve health care capacity for early detection, adequate management, and monitoring of suspected cases of Chikungunya.
2. To strengthen the surveillance systems for the Chikungunya Virus.
Chikungunya, similar to dengue, is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. This is a common mosquito in the Caribbean region including the TCI. Symptoms include a sudden high fever, severe pain in the wrists, ankles or knuckles, muscle pain, headache, nausea, and rash. Joint pain and stiffness are more common with Chikungunya than with dengue. The symptoms appear between four to seven days after the bite of an infected mosquito. The majority of clinical signs and symptoms last three to ten days, but joint pain may persist longer. Severe cases requiring hospitalisation are rare. There is no vaccine or treatment for Chikungunya.
These workshops are a part of a series of public health measures implemented by the Ministry of Health and Human Services to heighten awareness and increase surveillance at all health care facilities. The public is also encouraged take measures to prevent mosquito breeding in and around their homes and protect themselves from mosquito bites.
TCI Officers get Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) Training
Director of the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies Dr. Virginia Clerveaux and Hazard Mitigation Officer Ms. Rikardia Pardo are participating in an Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) Assessor Training Course at offices of the British-Consulate General in Miami, Florida.
At the end of the course which runs from February 10th to 12th 2014, they will also participate in an Overseas Territories Disaster Managers Work Group meeting which is scheduled for Thursday, February13th, 2014.
The purpose of the training is to provide Emergency Management, Preparedness, and Homeland Security personnel with information that will assist them in assessing their jurisdiction’s system as well as other applicant programmes systems for Disaster Preparedness and Response using the Emergency Management Standard by (EMAP).
The main objectives of the course are to:
· Obtain a basic understanding of EMAP.
· Explore the need and application of standards, examine the Emergency Management Standard by EMAP.
· Gain an understanding of the accreditation process and explore the roles and responsibilities of an Accreditation Manager, Assessor and Assessor Team Lead.
On completion of the training course all participants will complete an open book paper exam. On passing the exam, participants will become eligible to serve as an Accreditation Manager if appointed to do so by their programme for the accreditation process. Participants who pass the exam will also have the option of becoming voluntary assessors for EMAP.
Harbor Boys defeated the Steelers in PABA
The PABA continued last weekend in Providenciales.
On Friday night the Harbor Boys defeated the Steelers 51-43. Jonathan Paul of HB Boys scored 23 points, 6 rebounds & 5 steals.
Steelers Wesley Cherry had 13 points on the boards and 5 Rebounds at the end of that game.
The Flyers defeated the Knights 82-61 in the second game. Chad Campbell of the Flyers had 13 points & 11 rebounds. The Knights Alvarado Hall scored 25 points; he caught 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals.
In the final game on Friday night, the Stallions defeated the Spartans 85-40. Stallions Ray Harris dunked 18 points, grabbed 8 rebounds had 4 assist and 2 steals.
Spartans Dondre Taylor could have only responded with 13 points and 2 rebounds.
On Saturday night the Predators defeated the Steelers 57-42.
Elliot Johnson had 15 points & 13 rebounds for the Predators while teammate Randy Rigby scored 12 points, 5 rebounds & had 4 steals.
The Police continued their dominance on the boards when they defeated the Knights 82-52.
Saundro Germain scored 18 points, had 8 rebounds and 2 steals for the Police while Alvarado Hall scored 11 points and could only steal 7 rebounds for the Knights.
The talk of the town was the Flyers & Harbor Boys game. The Flyers fought long and hard and eventually defeated Harbour boys 59-57. Alvardo Parker scored 10 points had 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and created 2 steals for HB.
Cameron Henry scored 14 points and 6 rebounds for the Flyers at the end of the buzzer.
Games will continue this weekend at the Gus Lightbourne Sports Complex in Providenciales.
DEMA SECURES GOVERNOR’S OFFICE GRANT TO PROVIDE TRAINING FOR OFFICERS
The Department for the Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) has been successful in its application to the Governor’s Office for $10,000 of funding for two projects that will help build the technical capacity of DEMA officers it was confirmed today, Wednesday, 29 January 2014.
The first of the two projects will see a DEMA officer attend a week-long Port State Control training conference in Southampton, UK. The conference is offered annually by The International Chamber of Commerce Crime Services and presents the latest developments to the major conventions, regulations and codes related to shipping and maritime affairs. Such training is essential to officers working within maritime law enforcement.
The second project will see the Governor’s Office pay for the equipment and certification necessary for ten DEMA officers to receive a full-day’s open-water training on lionfish control. Lionfish (Pterois spp.) are native to the Pacific Ocean but have recently been introduced into the Caribbean region, and have had a severe impact on the marine environment. The training, which is also being subsidised by the course providers Aqua Scene TCI and the Turks and Caicos Reef Fund (TCRF), is an important step towards the development of a strategy to control lionfish numbers in TCI waters.
“These two projects will provide DEMA with additional technical capacity as it seeks to continue to safeguard TCI’s natural resources,” commented Director of DEMA, Kathleen Wood. “It has become increasingly clear that lionfish are causing real environmental problems in the region given their high rate of reproduction and aggressive consumption of marine resources. We are pleased to be able to equip our officers with the expertise necessary to address this issue. In addition, the Port State Control course will help keep us abreast of the latest advances and developments in maritime law enforcement. We are grateful to the Governor’s Office for funding the work, and for Aqua Scene TCI and TCRF for providing their time and expertise.”
Commenting on the grant of the funding, Governor Peter Beckingham said: “I am delighted that we have been able to assist DEMA by funding these two important projects as they continue their valuable work protecting and enhancing TCI’s natural environment.”
TCI TOP MODEL PRESENTS OFFICIAL LINE-UP OF EVENTS FOR 2014
The 2014 TCI Top Model Contest & Fashion Extravaganza (TCITM) is proud to release our line up of events for this year’s Extravaganza – The Dollhouse. Mark your calendars now, as this year’s events will be an Extravaganza of phenomenal proportions!
The TCI Top Model Contest & Fashion Extravaganza is the Turks & Caicos Islands preeminent event for Fashion, Beauty, Arts and Entertainment. It is an event that is designed to give those persons residing in the Turks and Caicos Islands interested in careers in the fashion, arts and creative industry an opportunity and the platform to debut, by showcasing their talent with the hope of launching an international career.
In the run up to the event, All aspiring models (and Contestants) attend workshops on: the fashion industry and modeling, interview & networking skills, personality & self esteem, fitness & healthy eating, branding, being a spokesperson & ambassador, public speaking & presentation, and life in the media from local industry experts. What is more, they undergo professional photo shoots and portfolios complied of their best photographs. TCITM’s intention is to groom talent with the view of shaping a well-rounded individual who is desirous about being apart of the creative industry.
Owing to the TCI Top Model Contest & Fashion Extravaganza, the event has launched the fashion careers of Top Model winners Davia Chambers (2009 who signed a modeling contract with New York’s Ikon Model Management); Ashley Smith (2010 – who modeled for the Russell Simmons's Diamond Empowerment charity events among others in Florida); Raynelis Howell, TCI Fashion Designer of the Year (2010) who has showcased at Islands of the World Fashion Week; Washanda Registre (2012 – who signed a modeling contract with the internationally acclaimed Wilhelmina Model Management) and Samentha Etienne (2013) who graces the cover of the American publication UPTOWN Weddings & Travel 2014 edition along with making history by being featured in a two-cover edition of Times of the Islands Summer 2013 issue.
The Dollhouse, the fifth installment of the 2014 TCI Top Model Contest has planned three (3) spectacular events that will see contestants, models, sponsors and patrons decked out to the nines for what is expected to be grand social affairs.
EVENT ONE:
Date: Saturday, March 22nd 2014
A DOLL’S WORLD @ REGENT SPA – THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH EVENT FOR TCI TOP MODEL 2014
The Regent Palms Resort,
Grace Bay, Providenciales
Time: 4PM
Admission: $25.00
ABOUT the event: The ‘Reflecting Pool’ at the Spa at the Regent Palms Resort will come alive with fashion, music and all things fabulous as the Contestants for the 2014 TCI Top Model Contest make their official debut to The Media, Proud Sponsors and Guests! The event will also see a parade of fashions offered at Regent Palms Resort, a surprise guest fashion designer, along with vocal performances by Donessia Gardiner and Jermell Williams.
What to expect: A Doll’s World @ Regent Spa promises to be ‘a day where Beauty is Personified’ - one, not likely to be lost on all in attendance!
EVENT TWO:
Date: Saturday, April 19th, 2014
A DOLL’S LIFE, AN AFTERNOON ON REGENT STREET
Location: Regent Street,
Grace Bay, Providenciales
Time: 4PM
Admission: OPEN to the Public (FREE!!!)
ABOUT the event: Regent Village is proud to be known as the quintessential destination for high-end shopping, fine wine and dining – where that level of sophistication cannot be found elsewhere on Provo, let alone the Turks & Caicos. With that in mind, where else would you expect TCI’s equivalent to ‘Fashion’s Night Out’ in the late afternoon, but on Regent Street – the uber sexy address on world famous Grace Bay!
What to expect: Appearances by the 2014 TCI Top Model Contestants, a fashion show featuring area retailers, the second annual Salvation Army TCI Challenge, fabulous cuisine, live entertainment, amazing music, prizes, surprises and the most magnificent afternoon party of your lives!
EVENT THREE:
Date: Friday, May 2nd 2014
THE DOLLHOUSE: 2014 TCI TOP MODEL CONTEST & FASHION EXTRAVAGANZA
The Williams Auditorium
Downtown, Providenciales
Time: 7:30pm (Doors Open)
8:00pm (Show Time)
Admission: $100 VIP
$50 Gen Admin
$10 More @ The Door
Sky Lounger (Two Boxes. Each seats 10 - 12. Call for pricing information)
ABOUT the event: The TCI Top Model Contest & Fashion Extravaganza is an event where beauty, fashion and drama collide to create an evening of true opulence and glamour. This hotly anticipated event is expected be more extravagant than before, with a bevy of prizes, stand out performances and guest appearances.
What to expect: The 2014 TCI Top Model Contestants compete to become the Face of the Turks & Caicos Islands, TCI Top Model 2014; fashion models parade, a Top Designer and Boutique showcase, and Top Talent perform. Come out in all your finery, as elegance is a must. Ladies pour on the glamour. Gents put on the suit. Take your seat, relax and get ready to be entertained and enthralled.
The Organising Committee of the 2014 TCI Top Model Contest & Fashion Extravaganza looks forward to greeting each and everyone for what is expect to be a grand time had at all of our official events!
Thailand Elections End Amid Protests
Opposition protesters in Thailand forced the closure of hundreds of polling stations across the country on Sunday in an attempt to disrupt the vote.
The main opposition Democrat Party boycotted the elections, and protesters obstructed voting by blocking the distribution of ballots and preventing voters from entering polling stations in several constituencies.
Results from the vote are not expected for weeks, with the winning party unable to form a new government until polls are held in the disrupted districts.
Despite the uncertainty of the poll, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said holding the vote was the right way to resolve the political unrest in the country.
"At least I think at this election it is very important that people come out to vote for their right to democracy. So I think it is important that people would still like to see the election because the election is the right way under the democratic process."
Protests and violence erupted three months ago, when the prime minister sought to grant amnesty to her brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Bangkok's urban middle class and royalist elite are opposed to the amnesty and have responded to its proposal with calls to oust the government.
Mr. Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup, remains very influential in Thailand, even though he was convicted of corruption. He lives in self-imposed exile in Dubai.
Protesters say the vote should not have been held before widespread reforms took place, while Prime Minister Yingluck insisted the election was the only legitimate way to end the political stalemate.
The election commission had called for the vote to be delayed, citing fears of violence that has killed at least 10 people since November.
The Thai army increased its presence in the capital to prevent further unrest during the elections and a state of emergency has already been declared.
The military, which has staged 18 coups in the past 81 years, has said it will not interfere in the political situation unless absolutely necessary.