MISS TEEN TURKS AND CAICOS 2015 CONTESTANTS UNVEILED
Six stunningly beautiful young ladies were revealed as contestants of the 2nd Annual Miss Teen Turks and Caicos at the official launch event on Friday, July 24, 2015. The mixer, held on the exclusive penthouse rooftop deck at the Blue Haven Resort, marked the beginning of a long list of events, preliminary competitions, and community service initiatives for this year’s contestants.
The six young ladies vying for the title of Miss Teen Turks and Caicos 2015 are: Sonise Laurent, 17, Miss Teen Grand Turk; Gessica Williams, 15, Miss Teen Middle Caicos; Arielle Neely, 16, Miss Teen North Caicos; Leanndra Pratt, 18, Miss Teen Parrot Cay; Amber Hall, 19, Miss Teen Providenciales; and Stephanie Michel, 17, Miss Teen South Caicos.
Hosted by Ms. Michalia Clare, the intimate event opened with a cocktail hour, where invited guests and supporters mixed and mingled in anticipation of the big reveal. Among those in attendance were Minister of Tourism, Environment, Heritage and Culture, Hon. Porsha Stubbs-Smith; and Director of Youth Affairs, Ms. Jasmine Parker, both bringing brief greetings. Other noted faces in the audience included Deputy Director of Youth Affairs, Mr. Nickson Dickenson; Mr. David Bowen; and Mr. Trevor Sadler, CEO of InterCaribbean Airways.
The audience marveled as the diverse selection of young ladies emerged with their personality, poise, and charm on full display. Special guest of honour Malique Ferrette, Miss Turks and Caicos 2014, officially sashed each contestant after their introductions. The evening’s surprise was an impromptu question and answer segment, where each contestant tackled a question that showcased her charisma and interview skills.
Within 3-hours of the unveiling, the official beauty headshots for each contestant were uploaded to the organization’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, encouraging followers to vote for their favorite contestant to win the “Miss Popularity” award and prizes.
During the next several weeks, the contestants will engage in a rigorous training program and schedule of events and appearances. All contestants will complete mandatory workshops on confidence, personal grooming, media preparedness and interviewing skills, government, culture, and self defense – to name but a few. The beauties will also receive runway coaching and training in etiquette, stage presence and deportment, speech and grammar.
“We are extremely proud to have created a program with a focus on the significance of personal development and community service. The level of training and coaching the contestants are put through ensures that our contestants and the eventual winner will meet the standards of international teen pageants around the world,” says Oehleo Higgs, President of MTTCO. “The training has proved fruitful so far as we’ve achieved award recognition in our first year of operation -- a feat we hope to maintain. Our contestants are extremely intelligent, creative and very much excited to showcase their creativity, skills and talent. We look forward to the public’s support and support from potential sponsor to make this program another success.”
To date, the 2nd Annual Miss Teen Turks and Caicos program is sponsored by Blue Haven Resort, InterCaribbean Airways, Wrightfully Fit Fitness Center, Gilley’s Enterprises, University College of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Community College, Grace Bay Pharmacy, Josh and Nina Green, Paradise Smiles, Grace Bay Club, West Bay Club, Windsong Resort, Seven Stars Resort, JerittJermell, and Konk Apparel. The Miss Teen Turks and Caicos Organization, and its contestants, would like to thank the public, sponsors, and host for the tremendous support at last weekend's event.
The 2nd Annual Miss Teen Turks and Caicos pageant is slated for September 26, 2015 in Providenciales, to coincide with activities planned for this year’s National Youth Day. The lucky teen queen will win a myriad of prizes and will also participate in the 2016 edition of Miss Teen Universe to be held in Costa Rica. Fundraising activities, charity drives and other appearances will precede coronation night.
PRESS_RELEASE_Miss_Teen_Turks_and_Caicos_2015_Contestants_Unveiled.zip
Honorable George Lightbourne and Gender Affairs Travels To Regional Conference on Women in Latin America
The Minister of Home Affairs, Transportation and Communication, Honorable George Lightbourne along with the Gender Affairs, Coordinator Mrs. Carolyn Dickenson will be leaving the Country to participate in the Fifty-second meeting of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean. The two day workshop is schedule to be held in Santo Domingo on July 30 – 31 2015.
The regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean is a subsidiary body of Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) that brings together Government representatives to monitor compliance with international and regional agreements on gender equality and promote the gender perspective in regional policies.
It is at this meeting that actions are taken in a number of areas and is therefore an important sphere of influence, the Minister will address activities, and progress made toward the advancement of women in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The two-member delegation is schedule to return to the Turks and Caicos Islands on August 1, 2015.
GOVERNOR DELIGHTED BY FIRST TCI CIVIL SERVANTS SECONDED TO FCO
Two Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) civil servants have been seconded to the UK's Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), it was announced today, yesterday, 29 July 2015.
Neville Missick and Carmelita Rolle have been appointed as Corporate Services Manager and Personal Assistant, respectively, in the TCI Governor's Office, Grand Turk. They are the first TCI government employees to be seconded to the FCO, having just taken up their two year appointments.
"I am delighted that Neville and Carmelita have succeeded in securing these important positions, and confident they will live up to our expectations," said Governor Peter Beckingham. "It also marks an important trend in our office both to localise jobs, and reduce the number of UK staff. Since I came to TCI we have reduced the number of UK staff from 7 to 2 employees in our office.
"This provides greater efficiencies, savings and allows the FCO to better draw on local expertise and knowledge, as well as providing a professional and cultural learning experience for everyone involved," the Governor said.
"This is a tremendous development opportunity for these TCI government employees," added Deputy Governor Anya Williams. "They will be exposed to the FCO's ways of working and culture, which will provide many benefits to them, and to TCIG, when they return in 2017."
The corporate services manager manages the Governor's Office budgets and procurement; takes care of its buildings and infrastructure; manages the induction of new staff, leads on staff learning and development, health
and welfare. This position also plays an important role in disaster preparedness, especially during the Atlantic hurricane season, and supports the Head of the Governor's Office on the general day-to-day running of the office.
The Personal Assistant is responsible for managing the Governor's diary and schedule and for arranging his engagements, both in TCI and overseas. In addition, the Personal Assistant arranges visits and events, maintains expenditure records and provides secretarial and administrative in the Governor's office. She also tracks and follows up on requests from Ministers, senior officials and members of the public.
LIME Turks and Caicos becomes the next LIME market to launch Mobile 4G LTE service.
The largest telecommunications full-service provider in Turks and Caicos today announced its launch of the fastest and most advanced 4G network in the islands. The launch of mobile 4GLTE in the Turks Islands makes it only the third LIME market in the Caribbean region to offer this highly advanced technology to its customers.
LTE (Long Term Evolution) is a ‘fourth generation’ (4G) mobile service which will enable the company’s customers to access mobile data at far higher download speeds than previously available. Browsing the internet, downloading files and streaming videos will become almost instantaneous for 4G (LTE) customers.
The 4GLTE network, which was deployed by Ericsson, boasts close to 100% coverage across Provo, Grand Turk and South Caicos as well as higher capacity with enhanced mobile data services.
The upgrade to mobile 4G LTE is part of the ongoing US$10 million upgrade launched by LIME late last year under the umbrella capital investment programme, called Project Marlin which is valued at US$1.05 Billion.
LIME’s General Manager Delleriece Hall said “The launch of 4G LTE in Turks and Caicos will set our islands apart as some of the best connected and best served countries not just in the Caribbean but anywhere in the world. High Definition (HD) video will be available without buffering as soon as Customers click on a website. The freedom, speed and functionality that 4G LTE delivers is immense. We have invested significantly to meet our commitment to deliver a world class mobile data and voice experience to our customers”
LIME’s 4G LTE network will allow smartphone users to fully unleash the power of their smart devices such as Apple’s® iPhone® 5S, 5C, 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. LIME customers can now truly experience the amazing data processing power of these devices
The launch of LIME’s mobile 4G LTE services positions The Turks and Caicos Islands on a par with the gold standard for mobile data anywhere in the world. Hall says” Our Belongers will finally be able to experience Data speeds of up to 35Mbps on their handset and will be able to surf, stream and download as if they were using our Superfast broadband Service at home, but from the palm of their hands.” The company introduced the new service with a range of new data plans and special prices on LTE handsets for its customers and features local sprint sensation Delano Williams.
Minister of Home Affairs, Transportation and Communications, Honourable George Lightbourne said "This investment in 4G LTE by LIME will undoubtedly unlock further opportunities for new business development, self-entrepreneurship and employment growth. Moreover, it is an important step in continuing the journey towards creating a highly skilled knowledge based society"
Phylicia Hawkins, Acting Marketing and Communications Manager at LIME said “We value innovation and embrace excellence in the services we offer our customers; we have made a huge effort to deliver an unbeatable mobile data customer experience. This will revolutionise the opportunities available to both the consumer and businesses in Turks and Caicos."
TURKS AND CAICOS POST CABINET MEETING STATEMENT
His Excellency the Governor, Peter Beckingham, chaired the 20th meeting of the Cabinet at the Hon. N J S Francis Building on Grand Turk on Tuesday, 28 July 2015.
All Ministers were present except the Hon. Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Planning and the Hon. Minister of Home Affairs, Transportation and Communication.
At this meeting Cabinet:
·Considered proposals from CMK Sailrock Ltd related to the acquisition of property from the former High Point development on South Caicos;
·Agreed to mutate parcels of Crown Land on South Caicos and Providenciales which were vested in the Ports Authority under the Ports Authority Ordinance; and to amend the Ports Authority Ordinance to vest additional parcels of Crown Land on North Caicos to the Ports Authority which were acquired for the operations of the ports;
·Discussed and noted another strong financial performance by the Turks and Caicos Islands Government for the first quarter of the financial year 2015/16. Further information will be released shortly;
·Approved a request by North West Point Development to carry out maintenance on the public road to North West Point on Providenciales and agreed to donate 50 loads of quarry material from the airport stockpile necessary to maintain the road;
·Approved the inclusion of an Anti-Bribery Bill in the Government’s legislative agenda;
·Received an information paper prepared by the Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs on stakeholder feedback on the proposed changes to the Fisheries Protection Ordinance which will be discussed further at the next meeting of Cabinet;
·Considered proposed language for inclusion in a draft development agreement related to Ambergris Cay.
At its meeting on 21 July 2015, Cabinet considered a proposal from the Crown Land Advisory Panel for a residential development on parcels 6113/180-191, 312-340 and 343-376 situated at Long Bay Hills, Providenciales.
Further information on these matters will be provided by Ministers in due course.
InterCaribbean Airways and British Airways Announce Interline Ticket Agreement for more connections to the Caribbean
InterCaribbean Airways the airline carrier of the Western Caribbean offers more flights in the region than any other airline, now makes travel even more convenient for travellers to the Caribbean.
Today launches an interline agreement between interCaribbean and British Airways giving customers traveling to the Caribbean a convenient new option. Travelers from Europe can now plan their business or leisure trip and via British Airways and its appointed agents and issue a single ticket purchase for their journey combining their British Airways and InterCaribbean Airways flights.
InterCaribbean currently serves 12 cities in 6 countries in the Caribbean with several new cities set to launch before the end of the year. British Airways and interCaribbean currently serve the cities of Providenciales, Kingston, Nassau. Punta Cana is served also by British Airways and in time for the winter will also be served by interCaribbean Airways. British Airways is set to add an additional service to Providenciales with the winter 2015 schedule.
"InterCaribbean Airways new interline ticketing agreement with British Airways increases the travel choices of travellers coming to the Caribbean, whether a two or three island trip, travellers can pick their choices. Over the last 18 months interCaribbean retimed its schedule to create convenient “to and through connections” giving many travellers in the region choices never before available. With this new agreement we are proud to be able to partner with British Airways said Trevor Sadler, CEO of InterCaribbean Airways.
Debris in Indian Ocean checked for MH370 ties
Apparent airplane debris found off the coast of Reunion island, a French department in the western Indian Ocean, is being examined to see if it is connected to the 2014 disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, a member of the French Air Force in Reunion said today.
The debris was found off the coast of St. Andre, a community on the island, according to Adjutant Christian Retournat. "It is way too soon to say whether or not it is MH370. We just found the debris this morning," Retournat said.
He said the debris -- what appears to be a wing flap -- has been taken to the island, located about 380 nautical miles off the coast of Madagascar.
MH370 disappeared after taking off from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on March 8, 2014, bound for Beijing with 239 people aboard.
Source:CNN
Drake Diss Meek Mill "Back to Back"
Drake sticks to his word. When Drizzy rapped, "You going to make me buy bottles for Charlamagne," he meant it. Charlamagne posted on Instagram some bottles of Dom Pérignon with a note that said, "Let's be friends."
Drake is salivating at the thought of cooked beef with Meek Mill. As the world waits on a response record from his Philly foe, Drake turns up the heat with a second diss track.
The song is titled "Back 2 Back (Freestyle)." It hit Drizzy's Soundcloud during Wednesday's wee hours, shortly after Meek performed in Toronto via Nicki Minaj's The Pinkprint Tour. And this one has bite, making "Charged Up" sound like a warning shot by comparison.
"Is that a world tour or your girl's tour?" Drake asks, cheekily. "I know that you gotta be a thug for her/This ain't what she meant when she told you to open up more/Yeah, trigger fingers turn to Twitter fingers/You getting bodied by a singing n***a."
It's been a tough week for Omeeka following Meek's reckless Twitter rampage that kicked off the rivalry. Since, Meek has been verbally attacked by Drake, Nicki's ex Safaree and even a Toronto politician. His scheduled response to "Charged Up" is way past deadline, and now he has even more jabs to counter. Oh, and OVO Fest is right around the corner. On a brighter note for the power couple, the lovey-dovey video for "All Eyes on You" finally dropped on Monday.
As for "Back 2 Back (Freestyle)," the track has more barbs than Nicki's fan club.
Source: BET
Dad ‘numb’ after daughter’s death
ATLANTA, USA (AP) -- R&B singer Bobby Brown said Monday that his daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, was "an angel" and that the family must find a way to honour her memory.
Bobbi Kristina, the daughter of singer Whitney Houston, died Sunday in hospice care, six months after she was found face-down in a bathtub in her suburban Atlanta town home. Authorities are investigating her death.
Source: Jamaican Observer
World economy fragile, faces downside risks
International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde says the world economy is recovering but fragile and "faces some downside risks." In an online press conference, Lagarde describes the United States "a strong performer" and China "resilient" despite a recent drop in Chinese stock prices. She is also optimistic over the 19 countries that use the euro. "The euro area is beginning to turn the corner ... We have a more upbeat forecast than we have in a long time," she said. Lagarde called again for Greece's creditors to reduce its debt burden and said the IMF could work with Greece's left-wing government, which has criticized IMF policies. "There are lots of things that you say (in politics)," she said. "What matters at the end of the day is what you do."
Source: Jamaican Observer