West Performs At Pan Am Games
Kanye West is officially announced as one of the music acts to perform at the closing ceremony of Pan Am Games this year. The American hip-hop star is set to join Cuban-American rapper Pitbull and Canadian artist Serena Ryder at the televised event.
The announcement was made by TO2015 CEO Saad Rafi at a press conference held daily during the games. Asked why the officials chose American artists as headliners, he argued, "I wouldn't actually call Pitbull and Kanye West American artists. I think they're international artists."
This year's Pan Am Games is hosted by Canada. It was opened on July 10 and will be closed on July 26 at the Rogers Centre. It will pass the baton to Lima, Peru as the next host city for the 2019 games.
TCIG TEAMS VISITS TURKEY ON TRADE & INVESTMENT MIS
The Minister of Finance, Investment and Trade, Hon. C. Washington Misick recently returned from a three day trade and Investment mission to Istanbul, Turkey. He was accompanied by the CEO of Turks and Caicos Airport Authority (TCIAA) Mr. John Smith, and Mr. Justin Misick, Aftercare Executive in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Investment Unit.
This mission which spanned over three days from 29 June to 1 July 2015 was at the invitation of Mr. Umut Emirler of Up Capital Strategy - Business Development and Strategic Consultancy. Hon Misick presented the TCI as strategically positioned at the crossroads of the Caribbean, Central, North and South America emphasising the attraction of the islands legal framework, political stability and sophisticated professional cadre as a facilitator for international business.
"As a small island economy with a narrow economic base, we have to open ourselves to new possibilities and seek to attract capital and resources from friendly countries outside of our immediate region" stated Hon. Misick. "This is consistence with our objective of becoming the Monte Carlo of the Caribbean. Given Istanbul's (formerly Constantinople) strategic position between the east and west, and considering the regional conflicts, there is a real possibility of attracting investment from high net-worth individuals who may wish to diversify to a more stable environment.
"While in Turkey we were hosted by a number of important commercial entities and trade organisations, such as Turkish Airlines, the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, a leading Turkish International law firm, a leading development advisory group, the Foreign Economic Relations Board, and a leading Turkish News Paper. More notably, Turkish Airlines discussed the potential for an air service agreement between Turkey and the TCI; as well as interlining with flights out of Miami into the TCI starting as early as October 2015.
"This trip was an eye-opener to all the trading opportunities between our two countries, with some of the best recognized contractors are in the world, this new relationship may create an opportunity for some of our under-resourced contractors to partner with greater expertise, and resources.
"The Turkish hospitality was superb, and gave my team an opportunity to appreciate the historic importance of Istanbul as a commercial capital." While in Turkey, the Minister and his team call on the British Counsel General. The UK maintains a cadre of some 250 commercial attaches in Istanbul emphasizing the importance of Turkey as a trading partner.
TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS GOVERNMENT AWARDS 105 EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS
The Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Library Services has awarded 105 persons with educational scholarships, under the 2015 Scholarship Awards Program which is a government initiative aimed at the development needs of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
This year the Education Advisory Committee received and considered, one hundred and fifty nine (159) applications for studies at Local, International and Regional Universities at the Tertiary Level in the priority areas of Health, Education, Science, Engineering, Liberal Arts and Skills Development.
"This year, my Government continued its thrust toward the development and upgrade of teachers and senior leaders within schools, $200,000 was earmarked for this purpose and 28 teachers were awarded scholarships to upgrade to the Bachelor's level, at the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College (TCICC), Online and within the Region" said Hon. Akierra Missick, Deputy Premier and Minister of Education.
"The Ministry, Government & I would like to congratulate all the recipients and encourage them to continue working hard in order to take full advantage of the opportunity afforded to them."
The following is a breakdown of the awards
| Area of Study |
Number of Scholarships Awarded |
|
Health |
19 |
|
Education |
28 |
|
Sciences (Computer, Environmental & Biology ) |
9 |
| Engineering | 7 |
| Skill Areas | 8 |
| Liberal Arts (Law, Business, Social Work & Paralegal) | 34 |
| Total | 105 |
The awardees will commence tertiary level studies during the September – December terms at Universities in the United Kingdom (UK), Caribbean and TCICC. A number of grants were awarded to persons to complete studies that have already been started in the U.S. and Canada in priority areas only. Studies available for completion in the Turks and Caicos Islands, University of the West Indies or UK which offer the benefit of home fees (or reduced fees) awards were highly recommended.
The Education Advisory Committee will meet again in August to consider applications for local scholarship awards, for the TCICC (Associate level) or A-Level institutions. Award letters can be picked up at the Ministry of Education, Grand Turk or the Department of Education, Providenciales.
Turks & Caicos under 19 National Rugby Team Places Second
The Turks & Caicos under 19 National Rugby Team has returned to the islands after participating in the NACRA Tournament hosted in Orlando Florida.
The team did extremely well placing second in the finals against Cayman with the score 23-26.
Cayman emerged victorious with a penalty kick worth 3 points. continue to support our young people making our country proud.
Former Caribbean football official used wife’s ring to help make bail
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. July 21, 2015: Jeffrey Webb once sat pretty as President of CONCACAF and FIFA vice president; so much so that his personal assets included 11 luxury watches, a Mercedes-Benz and ten properties. On Saturday, the Cayman-Islands-born Webb had to shell those assets out along with a diamond ring of his wife to secure the $10 million bond needed to release him from jail.
According to Bloomberg News, Webb also secured bond with five Rolex watches plus a Cartier Roadster, Hublot, Breitling, Panerai, Royal Oak Offshore and Luminor Marina.
That, plus 10 properties located from New York to Florida; his wife’s diamond wedding ring, her diamond bracelet, her diamond and pearl necklace, one pair of pearl earrings, one pair of long-hanging diamond earrings, and her Rolex and Hublot watches helped bail him out, along with her 2015 Ferrari and 2014 Range Rover and a 401k account.
Webb on Saturday entered a not guilty plea in Brooklyn federal court to all 17 felony charges he faces including racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.
He is one of 14 defendants in a U.S. multinational investigation into international soccer corruption. Webb is accused of absconding with millions of dollars from kickbacks and bribes arising from marketing deals and rights fees.
Webb must now wear an electric monitoring device and cannot leave his residence without approval from the FBI except for medical emergencies. He must also employ a private security firm, which will monitor his movements for authorities and will protect him from possible danger.
Webb also had to surrender his passports, two from the United Kingdom and one from the Cayman Islands, and is barred from associating with any co-defendants or anyone involved in FIFA, CONCACAF or CONMEBOL, the South American Football Federation.
Webb became president of CONCACAF in 2012. He is reportedly working out a plea agreement with federal authorities.
Sterling scores on his Manchester City debut
New Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling scored three minutes into his debut in a friendly against Roma at the MCG in Melbourne on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old, who joined City for £49m from Liverpool on 14 July, ran through on goal before finishing.
Sterling started on the left side of a front three that included David Silva and teenage forward Kelechi Iheanacho before being substituted at half-time.
Iheanacho also scored in a game City won 5-4 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
The game was City's first in the International Champions Cup tournament in which they face Real Madrid on Friday.
Sterling, who became the most expensive English player ever when he made the move from Liverpool to City, slipped on the ball after 49 seconds of the game and later had a strong call for a penalty turned down.
Source:BBC
Man charged over 'terror plan' and attempting to join IS
A 24-year-old man has been charged over an alleged plan to attack US military personnel in the UK. Junead Ahmed Khan has also been charged, along with his uncle Shazib Ahmed Khan, 22, both from Luton, over attempting to join Islamic State militants in Syria. Prosecutors said the men were charged with the intention of committing acts of terrorism.Both men will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court later on today.
Deborah Walsh, deputy head of counter-terrorism at the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "It is alleged that Junead Khan and Shazib Khan had been planning on travelling to Syria to join the proscribed organisation Islamic State in Levant (Isil). "It is further alleged that Junead Khan was planning a terrorist attack on US military personnel in the UK and he has been charged with an additional terrorism offence to reflect this."
The men have been charged with one offence contrary to the Terrorism Act 2006, dating between 1 August 2014 and 10 May 2015. The additional count faced by Junead Khan dates between 10 May 2015 and 14 July 2015. The two men were arrested a week ago in an operation involving officers from the national counter-terrorism network. Another man, in his 30s, was also detained. He was released without charge on Monday night. Searches were carried out at two addresses in the Luton area.
Source: BBC
Unity Festival Activities
Checkmate Inc. is pleased to announce that the run-off to select the members of the Turks & Caicos Islands National Team to participate in the Premier's Cup Domino Tournament has been completed. The team will comprise of ten members, six players advanced in the run-offs at the local domino clubs in Providenciales, two players will come from Grand Turk and The Big South and the team captain from Three Queens Bar Providenciales
The members advancing to the tournament are:
• Anthony Garland and Wayne Garland -Brother Will Bar
• Al Grey and Garvey Missick -Club Pillows
• Charlse Forbes and Darron Bain- Elite Sports Bar
• Adrain Williams and Donavan Robinson- Provo Taxi Association
• Deanza Wilson and Terence Bain- Grand Turk | South Caicos
• Team Captain- Algernon Dean
We encourage all of you to come out to the Unity Festival activities to should your solidarity in promoting an atmosphere of together. We will kick start our activities with a Unity Concert featuring Crystal Charles, DJ Shakes, DJ Private Ryan and Skinny Fabulous on Friday night 24 July at the Zanzi Lounge. On Saturday 25 July will be a day of fun at the Kids Park where the Premier's Cup will be hosted beginning at 2p.m. Later in the evening groove to the sounds of the live performances of New York's popular reggae band, Mighty Mystic and the dazzling sounds of Nassau's top band, Sky Juice Band.
Of course not to be out-done will be performances by our very own V-6 and Prime DJays. Other treats for your enjoyments will be special dishes from a number of countries in the Caribbean and the various islands of the Turks & Caicos. We wish to thank you for your anticipated support and do look forward to seeing you there.
CDB invites vulnerable communities to apply for grants from Community Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (CDRRF)
The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has joined forces with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development of Canada and the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom to strengthen the sustainable development agenda of CARICOM states. Through the USD24 million (Community Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (CDRRF), CDB has for the third time announced the availability of grants to build community-level capacity for disaster risk management.
Financing is available in the priority areas of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in 18 eligible CDB Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs).
“This is a critical Call for the CDRRF as we attempt to get as many potentially fundable sub-projects as possible. To be fundable projects must address disaster issues in crucial areas that strengthen the ability of residents to respond to and reduce the risk or exposure to natural hazards such as flooding, land movement and impacts from high winds during hurricanes,” stated McDonald Thomas, Interim Project Manager of CDRRF.
The CDRRF is open to a range of institutions and the application deadline is August 7.
“Qualified, not-for-profit entities such as community-based organisations, non-government organisations, Government and quasi-government bodies as well as research institutions working with interest groups such as farmers can apply. Importantly, the initiatives must be community-based and community driven. Currently applicants may access between USD400,000 and USD650,000 for the implementation of projects for up to 24 months,” Mr. Thomas added.
It is expected that in the medium-term, projects will enable populations to become safer and more resilient as they reduce the risk to environmental and socio-economic vulnerabilities caused by climate variability. Moreso, projects are set to improve the knowledge capacity of the Region as lessons learned in risk management from each project will be collected and shared.
“In addition to projects in the priority areas, related projects that can demonstrate sustenance or enhancement in livelihoods and build awareness about these hazards and how to reduce vulnerabilities can benefit from funding,” Mr. Thomas emphasised.
Advancing the inclusive approach of the Fund, a key enabling activity was highlighted.
“We understand that this may be a large size of funding for many communities. We are looking for innovative ideas with potential for developing into projects so we encourage pooling of resources for a substantive proposal. After reviewing Concept Notes, further assistance to develop the idea may be provided in the form of project development assistance. Groups should, therefore, not be discouraged from submitting a proposal even if they feel that they have not fully satisfied the criteria,” Thomas said.
The CDRRF is a six year medium-size grant opportunity that is strengthening the capacity of CDB BMCs to mainstream climate change into the sustainable development agenda. Since inception, approximately USD1.3 mn in grants have been awarded to community-based organisations. Interested groups are encouraged to visit the CDRRF’s website to download the required documents and apply by August 7, 2015 to access the Fund.
Thicke And Williams Have Lost Their Bid
Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams have lost their bid to get new trial in "Blurred Lines" case. In May, their lawyers appealed the initial ruling after they were found guilty of copying parts of their 2013 hit from Marvin Gaye's 1977 hit "Got to Give It Up", but now a California judge has denied their bid for retrial.
On the good side, Judge John A. Kronstadt reduced the verdict from $7.4 million to $5.3 million, but to balance out the reduced payout, Gaye's family will now receive half of the song's future royalties.
The new ruling also stated that T.I. should be held liable to pay damages although the jury found that he did not commit copyright
infringement. Accordingly, the rapper's profits from the original ruling have been cut from $1.6 million to $357,630.
Howard King, an attorney for Robin and Pharrell, said he was still reviewing the ruling and had no immediate comment on the new ruling. Previously, the pair's legal team argued that there were errors in jury instructions, improper testimony from a musicologist and insufficient evidence in the original trial. They also added that the jury's verdict was inconsistent since T.I. was not found guilty in the case.
Meanwhile, the Gaye family's attorney, Richard Busch, said in a statement, "Mr. Thicke and Williams, and their legal team, among others, went on a public relations campaign after the jury's verdict criticizing the verdict and saying the evidence did not support the finding of copyright infringement, and did not believe the decision on liability would therefore stand. The judge who actually heard all of the evidence disagreed. I am thrilled for the Gaye family, and the thoughtful members of the jury, who had to listen to all of that while remaining silent."