DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL APPOINTED AS HIGH COURT JUDGE
TCI’s Attorney General Rhondalee Braithwaite-Knowles has offered words of congratulations to her deputy, who has been offered a position in the Caribbean.
Deputy Attorney General Mrs. Wynante (WIN-NANT) Mary Adrien-Roberts has been appointed as High Court Judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court and has been assigned to Grenada. She assumes office on September 1, 2015.
"I am delighted that Ms. Adrien Roberts' elevation to the High Court bench in the Eastern Caribbean has now been announced," said Attorney General Rhondalee Braithwaite-Knowles.
"She is a terrific example of a well-developed legal mind and in her short tenure in my Chambers, colleagues have benefitted tremendously from her many years of public sector legal experience. We are sorry to see her leave but also very pleased for her good news. I congratulate her on attaining the pinnacle of the legal profession and wish her well. She will be a very good judge," AG Knowles added.
When contacted Mrs. Adrien-Roberts said she is very thankful for the opportunity, albeit brief, to have served the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands in the capacity of Deputy Attorney General.
“I will always cherish the time that I spent here in TCI in particular at the Attorney General's Chambers. I was blessed to be part of the stellar team comprising of legal and administrative staff led by the Honourable Attorney General. I thank them for embracing and supporting me," said Ms. Roberts.
Mrs. Adrien-Roberts holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of the West Indies, a Master of Laws Degree from the George Washington University Law School and the Certificate of Legal Education (LEC) from Norman Manley and is a former President of the Dominica Bar Association.
“LIVE YOUR GOALS”
The Turks & Caicos Islands Football Association (“TCIFA”) is pleased to announce its launch of the FIFA football festival “Live Your Goals” campaign. The launch will take place on Saturday August 15th, 2015 at 9am at the TCIFA’s National Academy (located behind Graceway IGA).
The FIFA Live Your Goals is a four year campaign committed to:
• Increasing the popularity of women’s football locally, nationally and globally;
• Sparking, fostering and generating excitement about women’s football;
• Increasing participation of girls and women in football;
• Creating the best platforms for women’s football to thrive with more females becoming lifelong participants in the sport; and
• Ensuring that football is the number one sport for females across the globe in terms of participation and popularity.
Candace Hanchell, Executive Member responsible for Women’s Football, says with these efforts, TCIFA is committed to FIFA’s vision of increasing the number of girls and women participants from 30 million to 45 million by FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019.
The TCIFA’s ambassadors of the “Live Your Goals” campaign are:
• Olivia Gravely, TCIFA’s coaching development officer and current women’s national team player;
• Sarah Cenary, former TCIFA’s youth coach and current women’s national team player; and
• Christma Jean Louis, TCIFA’s assistant referee and current women’s national team player.
President of TCIFA, Sonia Bien-Aime is expected to declare the event open at 9:00am.
Gleaming with anticipation and excitement, Ms. Hanchell, said that “the TCIFA is happy to extend an open invitation to all 6 to 12 year old girls.
“No playing experience is necessary – simply come prepared to play football! Parents and spectators are also welcomed at the event to support our young girls as we contribute to their healthy lives and positive experiences,” Hanchell said.
The Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association - The Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association (TCIFA) is a non-for-profit organization in the business of football development throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands. The TCIFA has been in operation since 1996, and a member of FIFA, since 1998.
Ministry of Education CSEC 2015 Results
The Ministry of Education, Youth Sports and Library Services offers congratulations to all of the successful candidates who sat the May/June 2015 CSEC examinations. This year, a total of 2,112 candidates were entered. The total number of candidates comprised 764 males and 1,348 females. Out of that total, 1,902 (685 males & 1,217 females) sat exams in various disciplines such as Mathematics, English- A&B, Sciences, Food and Home Management, Technical Courses, as well as the Arts, Modern Languages, Business, and Information Technology.
"78.65% of the candidates obtained Grades I-III, which represents an increase of 2.26 percentage points, when compared to 2014 pass rate of 76.39. The pass rate in 14 of the 29 subjects is over 90% and students continue to perform well in the business and technical/vocational subjects," said Hon. Akierra Missick, Deputy Premier and Minister of Education.
"It is very important to my government that we continue to see year on year growth during our term, in order to set a standard that will continue upwards for years to come.
"The Ministry continues to improve standards in education by improving laboratories and specialists rooms at the four public high schools; the provision of teaching and learning resources; and funding to support teacher professional development and the introduction of additional subject options and choices in the high school curriculum," Hon. Missick added.
The following overall passing grades were obtained as a percentage of the number of persons who sat the examinations:
Grade I=16.40%, Grade II=30.81% Grade III=30.97%.
A further break down of the key subjects is as follow:
Mathematics General Proficiency: Of the 204 candidates, 110 obtained passing grades of I-III.
English A General Proficiency: Of the 267 candidates, 167 or 62.55% obtained passing grades of I-III. Table 1, provides a breakdown of the other subjects.
Subjects (General Proficiency) No. of Students obtaining Grades I-III % Passes
Biology 40 74.07
Caribbean History 30 83.33
Chemistry 25 69.44
Clothing & Textiles 33 100
English B 43 87.76
Food and Nutrition 80 91.95
French 12 70.59
Geography 19 86.36
Home Economic Management 58 98.31
Information Technology 89 95.70
Integrated Science 95 94.06
Music 8 100
Office Administration 45 86.54
Physics 22 51.16
Principles of Accounts 43 91.49
Principles of Business 70 98.59
Religious Education 33 91.67
Social Studies 125 78.62
Spanish 25 89.29
Technical Drawing 29 67.44
Visual Arts 38 90.48
EDPM 109 92.37
Physical Education 31 96.88
Human and Social Biology 51 58.62
Building Technology (Construction): TVET 29 90.63
Building Technology (Woods)TVET 19 95.00
Electrical and Electronics TVET 9 36.00
The Ministry of Education will conduct a detailed analysis of the CSEC results for publishing at a later date which will be published on the government website.
The Ministry is cognizant of the contribution of each stakeholder to the education and development of the country's young people. We look forward to the new academic year and the promise it holds for new and exciting opportunities.
TCIG ADVERTISES OVER 30 NEW VACANCIES WITHIN CIVIL SERVICE
TCIG today announced its third recruitment drive for the financial year 2015/2016.
A government press release notes The Turks & Caicos Islands Government (TCIG) advertised 34 new wide ranging vacancies within the civil service on Friday, 31 July 2015.
These positions, some of which are very key, include the following Director positions: Culture, Gaming and Trade as well as the Deputy Director positions of Road Safety, Social Development and Crown Land Unit. Several teaching and other support positions are currently being advertised as well.
“During recruitment drives one and two, we were able to fill some 27 roles, while there is still another dozen roles still undergoing shortlisting and interviewing processes.
As a result of several vacancies and promotions being filled from within the existing civil service, this has also resulted in several other posts now being made available,” said Deputy Governor Anya Williams.
"TCIG is committed to strengthening its resource base through attracting the best talent available and the recent implementation of the Pay and Grading Review and also the creation of our new Jobs Webpage, which has greatly assisted in attracting more applicant to the civil service," added Deputy Governor Williams.
For more information on TCIG's current vacancies interested persons can visit www.gov.tc/government-vacancies, view the local newspapers or tune into the Jobs section of Radio Turks and Caicos.
New Bailout in Marathon Debate For Greece
The Greek parliament has backed a new bailout deal after an all-night debate, despite a rebellion by many MPs in the governing Syriza party. The deal requires tax rises and more tough spending cuts in return for an EU bailout of about €85bn (£61bn, $95bn) - Greece's third in five years.
Eurozone finance ministers are meeting to vote on the plan in Brussels.A deal is needed to keep Greece in the eurozone and avert bankruptcy. But it is risky for Greek PM Alexis Tsipras. More than 40 MPs from his left-wing Syriza party voted against him on Friday.
Reports in Greece suggest he will seek a vote of confidence in parliament next week, bringing the prospect of snap elections closer.
Black Died From Head Injury
Singer Cilla Black died from a traumatic head injury during a fall at her home in Spain, a coroner has ruled.
During a 15-minute hearing at Liverpool Coroner's Court, Andre Rebello recorded a verdict of accidental death. Black died at her villa in Estepona on the Costa del Sol on 1 August.
The 72-year-old entertainer's funeral will take place next Thursday at St Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Liverpool.Addressing the hearing, attended by Black's three sons, Mr Rebello referred to her by her real name Priscilla Maria Veronica Willis.
"She was a daughter of Liverpool and was celebrated and loved by all in Liverpool," he said.
Samsung Unveils Two New Large High-end Android Handsets
Samsung has announced two new large high-end Android handsets: the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and the Galaxy Note 5. Both phones have 5.7in (14.5cm) screens and are going on sale earlier in the year than their previous generations. The launches follow five successive falls in Samsung Electronics' quarterly profits.
Analysts say the popularity of mid-range phones from Chinese rivals, and Apple's shift to bigger iPhones, have dented demand for Samsung's devices. However, the firm remains the world leader in terms of overall smartphone shipmentsThe company also revealed that its smart wallet service, Samsung Pay - which allows the phones to trigger payment card transactions - would go live in South Korea on 20 August.
DIGICEL GROUP JOINS MITEL GLOBAL NETWORK OF PARTNERS
Digicel Group today announced that it has become an authorised partner of Mitel, a leading provider of cloud and premise-based unified communications and collaboration software solutions. The partnership means that, as a total communications and entertainment provider, Digicel is now able to provide Mitel’s advanced unified communications solutions to customers across the Caribbean, Central America and South Pacific.
“Organisations today are looking for advanced communications solutions that address their business needs and deliver measurable cost benefits and improved business performance. Mitel’s ability to deliver this value to customers is based on our strong network of partners,” said Philip Keenan, Mitel’s vice-president, U.S. partner business. “We welcome Digicel Group, a leading communications provider in its regions, and look forward to working together to provide customers with the options they need to build their business.”
Mitel authorised partners must meet a series of stringent requirements in order to sell and support Mitel products in the marketplace. These include ongoing training for sales and technical services; processes and benchmarks to provide quality customer service; and a high degree of expertise in voice communications, data networking and applicable applications such as virtualisation, conferencing, collaboration, contact centres and mobility.
Martin Carroll, Chief Operating Officer for Business Solutions at Digicel Group, comments; “With the addition of Mitel’s world class portfolio of advanced cloud and premise-based communication solutions to our existing offerings, we are confident that we can provide customers of any size with solutions that are tailored to meet their specific needs and deliver exceptional business value. We continue to expand our portfolio of fixed mobile convergence (FMC) products and services in line with growing customer demand for mobility in the workplace. The Digicel Business portfolio of cloud hosted voice and data solutions is the widest available across the Caribbean enabling improved mobility and business efficiency in organisations both large and small.”
PDM DEPUTY LEADER RESPONDS TO DELAY IN LONG BAY HILLS HIGH SCHOOL SEPTEMBER OPENING
“No surprise there. The Minister should have been honest all along.” PDM’s Deputy Leader, Hon Sean Astwood and Member of Parliament for one of the six constituencies in Providenciales today responded to the Ministry of Education’s Press Release advising of the delay in the opening of the Long Bay Hills High School.
The Hon Sean Astwood stated that, “Like many other right thinking citizens, the PDM wants to see the overcrowding addressed at the CHHS. While we did not think and still do not think the PNP Government’s vision fully addresses the overcrowding at CHHS , we too looked forward to the ease at the CHHS. However with our naked eye we knew that the School could not be ready for a September 7th start. The PDM raised this issue over and over giving the Minister ample time to be forthright with the people of this country. Our Party Leader Hon Sharlene Cartwright Robinson posed a question in the House of Assembly, which was on the Agenda of the House of Assembly for July 22nd, 2015 sitting, which was not answered by Hon Akierra Missick until the Meeting of July 29th, 2015, a mere two weeks ago. The Minister told the people of these Islands, from the Halls of Parliament, that the Long Bay Hills High School would be opened as scheduled. Our Party Leader on that occasion stated that it would be a “miracle” and the Minister stood her ground. While neither of us are contractors, any observant person could see the glaring fact that the amount of work left to be done could not be finished and completed with furnishings in the remaining 6 weeks to the start of the new School Year.
No contractor’s report was necessary to confirm what was blatantly obvious to the naked and untrained eye. As a result of this eleventh hour admission of the Minister of Education, the 180 students will now be subjected to attending CHHS in another school’s uniform, which could potentially isolate them from the rest of the student body. A student body that still will have to deal with overcrowding conditions and buildings that needs serious modernization. Once again the actions and decision making process of this government when called into question has been justified. Unfortunately it is we the people who end up paying for these costly mistakes. When it comes to our children’s education, we the PDM, expected better from the Minister of Education and this Rufus Ewing led Administration.
Bolt headlines Jamaica's 53-member squad for World Champs
Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce headline a list of 53 athletes named to represent Jamaica at the 15th staging of the IAAF World Championship in Beijing, China, between August 22-30.
Both Bolt and Fraser-Pryce won the identical 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay gold medals and are expected to once again lead Jamaica’s charge in the Chinese capital.
The team comprises of 27 males and 26 females and will include for the first time in Jamaica’s history, three male discus throwers in Fredrick Dacres, Jason Morgan and Chad Wright. There will also be two female triple jumpers in Shanieka Thomas and Kimberley Williams.
Newcomer Aisha Praught will compete in the steeplechase, while Sal-cia Slack is down for the heptathlon.
Interestingly, Rasheed Dwyer who finished fifth at the Jamaican championship in the 200m was included, having recorded the second fastest time this year of 19.80 seconds after the championship.