DPP?s office seeks new lawyers

The Department of Public Prosecutions is advertising for three senior lawyers, including two new ones to help clear the backlog of Supreme Court work.

The department is advertising for a new Principal Crown counsel to replace Vinette Graham-Allen who was recently appointed Director of Public Prosecutions.

The post is the second in command in the department and carries a salary of up to $115,000 while successful applicants need eight years? prosecuting experience.

She said the other two posts of Crown counsel, which come with salaries of up to $105,000 a year, were additions to the department, won by previous Acting DPP Kulandra Ratneser.

?We didn?t have sufficient Crown counsel to do the work in the Supreme Court,? Ms Graham-Allen said.

She said the posts had only been advertised locally. Five years prosecuting experience is needed.

Airport to improve landing system

The Bermuda International Airport will improve its landing system later this year.

The Ministry of Transport has signed a contract with a Kansas-based technology company for equipment that will allow airlines to safely land in bad weather and poor visibility.

Airport general manager James Howes explained that the hi-tech equipment will provide the approaching aircraft with the necessary information for a safe landing, such as the proper altitude and descent rate it should use.

It will also transmit a radio beam that will allow the aircraft to align itself with the runway.

The equipment is expected to arrive in Bermuda in October.

This equipment and the recently installed runway lighting will provide the Airport with a modern and fully equipped runway.

Health warning on Man o? war stings

Don?t urinate on your Portuguese man o? war war sting.

The Ministry of Heath dispelled a popular myth yesterday when it said urine was not a good remedy for this creature?s sting and could actually cause infection. They also said not to use baking soda or tenderised meat on a sting.

This caution comes after an abnormally high number of these creatures have been seen in Bermuda?s waters and beaches.

The Portuguese man o? war is easy to recognise because of its bright blue inflated bladder, which floats on top of the water. If you are stung by its tentacles the Department of Health recommends that you scrape off the tentacles with sand ? not a towel ? and apply one percent hydrocortisone cream to the area and take one anti-histamine tablet. If the person with the sting has a serious allergic reaction or goes into shock the department recommends taking them to the hospital.

Burglar nabs computer equipment

A burglar stole a black Dell computer, keyboard, printer, computer desk and chair from a North Shore Road, Hamilton Parish, home on Friday afternoon.

New radar equipment for Weather Service

The Bermuda Weather Service will be better able to predict the course of hurricanes with a new radar system in 2005.

The Ministry of Transport announced that it has signed a contract with a German-based meteorology company and will receive the new equipment in May next year.

The new radar has been under consideration for several years because the current equipment is outdated and slow.

Bermuda International Airport general manager James Howes said: ?We look forward to providing the community, including mariners, with this state-of-the-art technology which will give Bermuda far more accurate storm information than ever before possible.?

The new radar will be located on the north side of the Airport on top of a 60-foot tower. Mr. Howes said the radar will improve BWS?s ability to track weather systems, in particular tropical storms and hurricanes.

It will also provide Bermuda and the Airport with an early warning of wind conditions that are potentially dangerous to aircraft.

The information the radar collects will be provided to the public, free of charge, on the BWS website and its TV weather channel.

Hospital denies problems with air conditioning

Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) said yesterday that the air conditioning system at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital was operating normally, despite comments to the contrary on a talk radio programme.

CEO Joan Dillas-Wright did admit that there was a scheduled shutdown of the system last Wednesday.

?Whenever there is a scheduled shutdown, we do our best to arrange it for a cooler time of day and after visiting hours to minimise inconvenience,? Ms Dillas-Wright said. ?Our maintenance staff works with nurses and unit coordinators to supply standing fans or portable air conditioners for those patients who require them and always makes it a priority to accommodate patient needs,? she said.