Few details on Premier's trip to Davos

Premier Jennifer Smith completed her second day at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland yesterday.

But Government's department of Communication and Information is yet to communicate any information regarding her participation at the prestigious international summit.

At the meeting's opening session Thursday, civic and national leaders warned that trust in US leadership has eroded as a result of America's handling of the crisis over Iraq.

Panellists called for a compromise solution to the crisis that would avoid a war which, they argued, would lead to retaliation and revenge.

"People do not tie bombs to their bodies or crash planes into buildings for the fun of it," said Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad at a session on Trust and Governance for a New Era. "Out-terrorising the terrorists will not work. We need a paradigm shift, we need a new mindset."

The meeting's overall theme this year is "building trust" and revolves around the core themes of corporate challenges, global economy, global governance, security and geopolitics and trust and values.

The meeting ends Monday.

Teachers, Government meet with arbitration panel

Submissions to the arbitration panel which is hammering out a pay deal between teachers and Government concluded on Wednesday.

But neither side could say when a final decision would be made. The panel is chaired by lawyer Shirley Simmons with former Postmaster General Clevelyn Critchlow representing the Government while American professor Arthur Matthews from the Cornell University School of Industrial Relations is putting the teachers' case.

The decision of the arbitration panel will be binding.

Bermuda Union of Teachers (BUT) General Secretary Michael Charles said Professor Cornell had been to Bermuda before and had worked for both the Government and the BUT.

The teachers' went on week-long strike last year in a bid to get parity with other civil servants.

Housing Minister David Burch yesterday reminded the public, through a Government press statement, to use a 24 hour customer service care telephone line to lodge their complaints and concerns about housing instead of calling him directly.

Housing inquiries with the Bermuda Housing Corporation (BHC) can be lodged by calling 295 4663.

"Some weeks ago this became a necessary step, because people have been calling me to find accommodations with houses and apartments and even inquiring about payments of rents," the Minister is quoted as saying.

"This line was set up because we want this to be the centre point of all inquiries relating to our clients' needs or anyone else seeking housing.

"We also want this Customer Care Line to be an alternate line for our clients who may be having maintenance problems. Sometimes these calls get lost in the pipeline, so we decided that this line could also be used to deal with such issues."

During normal business hours, the line will be monitored by at least one person, the statement continued.

And after hours a messaging system will be in place. A form outlining the clients' issues will be filled in for each call and passed on to the relevant BHC agent.

Appointed Housing Minister last October, Senator Burch has vowed to restore confidence in the quango and take legal action against contractors alleged to have been overpaid.

A Police investigation into allegations of corruption at the quango is continuing. The Mid-Ocean News reported yesterday that Raymonde Dill, the former BHC manager was arrested last week and released on bail, though has not been charged with any crime.

Thief returns booty to SPCA

A thief has had a sudden change of heart, anonymously returning some of the expensive goods stolen in a recent SPCA robbery.

The crime took place several weeks ago, when essential animal care equipment borrowed from the SPCA was stolen from a Bermuda Feline Assistance Bureau (BFAB) centre in Southampton.

A horrified volunteer discovered the theft of feeding bowls, a basket, bedding, carriers, other accessories and two large pens on Monday.

"There was a sick cat inside that pen," a worried Lyn Vaughan of BFAB told The Royal Gazette at the time. "We are concerned the equipment doesn't get misused, as we don't want other animals to get sick."

A week after the thefts were discovered, however, one of the pens and two carriers were mysteriously returned to BFAB.

"We had put a notice up in Traditions restaurant, talked to the newspaper, told everyone we knew, everyone at the SPCA and the vets knew," said Ms Vaughan on Thursday.

"Between them the word got out that hey, we're not happy."

BFAB is thrilled with the return of the carrier and pen, however the other expensive items are still at large. "We are still hopeful for the rest to turn up," said Ms Vaughan.