Knicks' Stoudemire to start Friday night against Cavs
With a playoff spot secured, the New York Knicks are gearing up for the postseason as Carmelo Anthony continues to step up his game.
Amare Stoudemire's return may provide another boost.
Stoudemire is hoping to end a 13-game absence when New York visits the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.
New York, which clinched a spot in the postseason after Milwaukee lost at Indiana on Thursday night, has gone 9-4 while Stoudemire has been recovering from a bulging disk in his back. Anthony has been the main reason for the team's success during that stretch, averaging a league-high 32.2 points in April.
He scored 33 to lead the Knicks (33-29) past New Jersey 104-95 on Wednesday, had 35 on Tuesday in a win over Boston and scored 42 in a loss to Miami on Sunday.
"He's playing unbelievable right now," said center Tyson Chandler, who added 18 points and 10 rebounds Wednesday. "He's playing, if not the best, definitely in the tops right now, as far as individual basketball."
Anthony, though, refused to take all the credit, deferring accolades to his teammates. Steve Novak and J.R. Smith each hit three 3-pointers off the bench Wednesday for the Knicks, who are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, one game ahead of eighth-place Philadelphia.
New York will be making its second straight trip to the postseason following a six-year absence.
"Guys are feeling comfortable with their shot right now," Anthony said. "They get it and make something happen."
Some have wondered, though, if Stoudemire's impending return will take shots away from the red-hot Anthony. Anthony averaged 14.0 points while shooting 39.4 percent in his last seven games before Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin went down with injuries March 24, though New York went 6-1 in that stretch.
If he returns Friday, Stoudemire may have to shake off some rust, much like Kyrie Irving had to do in Cleveland's 103-87 loss to the 76ers on Wednesday.
Irving returned after missing nine straight games with a sprained shoulder and scored nine points while shooting 4 of 10 from the field.
"It felt good to be back out there," Irving said. "I really felt good finally getting my legs back under me. I'd rather be out there on one leg than sitting on the bench."
Coach Byron Scott and the organization mulled shutting down the rookie for the remainder of the season rather than risking further injury to the No. 1 overall pick, but Irving pleaded to play.
"Kyrie and I talked the other day a bunch via text and he kept telling me how much it was eating him up sitting on the bench," Scott said. "He's a competitor. He wants to play. He wants to be out there with his teammates."
Irving isn't sure how much he'll be on the court with the Cavaliers (20-41) finishing another disappointing season, though he said he'll play as much as he's allowed.
"Most likely I won't play in all five (remaining games) knowing coach Scott, but we'll see how it goes," Irving said. "I've been putting my case in and letting him know I'm 100 percent and ready to go."
Irving and Stoudemire missed the most recent meeting March 31, when Smith scored a game-high 20 points off the bench in New York's 91-75 win.
Irving and Anthony scored 22 points apiece in the Knicks' 120-103 win Feb. 29. The Cavs beat the Knicks at home 91-81 on Jan. 25 despite Irving being held to seven points.
Bahrain Crown Prince insists grand prix will not bow to extremists
Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa has insisted Sunday's grand prix in the Gulf kingdom will go ahead despite continued anti-government protests on the country's streets.
As the first practice session got underway at the Sakhir circuit, the Crown Prince and Formula One chief Bernie Eccelstone defended the decision to press ahead with the race, amid continuing demonstrations.
The Force India team decided not to take part in Friday's second practice session, opting to return to their hotel before night fell. On Thursday a petrol bomb exploded near a car carrying four of their staff back to the capital Manama.
The Bahrain Grand Prix was canceled twice in 2010 and several UK politicians, as well as human rights group Amnesty International, have called for this year's installment to be shelved.
General Electric profits hit by one-off charges
US industrial conglomerate General Electric (GE) has reported a fall in first-quarter profits.
The firm made $3.03bn (£1.88bn) in the three months to the end of March, down 10% on the £3.36bn made in the same period last year.
This year's results were hit by one-off charges, including a $200m charge related to an Irish mortgage business.
But the firm said that infrastructure orders were at a record high, boosted by emerging markets.
That included orders from South Africa's Transnet for 43 new trains, bringing the total number of GE trains that have been ordered to 143 since 2009.
GE also got engine orders from Kenya Airways and Qantas, as well as its oil and gas division receiving orders worth $1bn to supply equipment and services for a liquefied natural gas project in Australia.
Growth is accelerating in many emerging countries, fuelling demand for transport and energy grid projects across the word.
'Industrial growth'
Taking out its one-off costs, GE made $3.6bn in the first quarter up 1% and more than analysts expected.
GE chief executive, Jeff Immelt said: "Today's results demonstrate that we are achieving industrial growth and GE Capital continues to grow stronger.
"This quarter we witnessed broad-based strength in orders across all our infrastructure businesses and in both equipment and services," he said.
GE is the world's biggest maker of jet engines, but is strong in other industrial areas, including equipment for power stations and transport infrastructure.
"If you look into the details, that beat [performance above analyst expectations] came at the expense of human capital, and we're still not seeing the growth we had experienced in previous quarters," said Todd Schoenberger, managing director at Landcolt Trading.
"In addition, there's a curbing of enthusiasm for the upcoming quarters because of the potential slowdown in Europe and possibly China."
France Wraps Up Last Day of Campaigning Ahead of Sunday Vote
The 10 candidates seeking the French presidency have held their last day of campaigning ahead of Sunday's first round of voting that President Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to lose.
Several new polls out Friday indicate that President Sarkozy is trailing his main rival, Socialist Francois Hollande, by several points. Polls also show that Mr. Sarkozy will lose in an expected runoff May 6, which would make him the country's first one-term president in over 30 years. Another concern for both candidates is the widespread expectation of low voter turnout.
On Friday, Mr. Sarkozy apologized for his actions in the early days of his five-year term. He said his mistake was “not understanding the symbolic dimension of the president's role.” He told a radio interviewer it was a mistake he would not make again, saying, “Now I know the job.”
The conservative Mr. Sarkozy, however, defended his role in curbing French spending to help resolve the European governmental debt crisis. He said France would face more difficulties like debt-ridden Spain if it changes course.
“The minute we relax pressure on spending cuts, on deficit cuts and cuts in indebtedness, France will suffer the same fate as Spain.''
Mr. Sarkozy also headed to the southern city of Nice for a final rally.
Hollande blamed Mr. Sarkozy for France's unemployment rate of nearly 10 percent and called for sweeping changes to improve France's public finances.
“I want to profoundly reform my country: engage in a tax reform for justice, a reform of the banks to dominate the finance world, a territorial reform to create a new decentralization policy, a reform of justice to make it independent.”
As cheering crowds greeted him at one campaign stop, Hollande called for an “irreversible” vote against Mr. Sarkozy.
“What is at stake this Sunday, is to give me the necessary strength to challenge the 'departing candidate' in the second round. What is at stake this Sunday, is to make this victory an irresistible and irreversible one starting on April 22nd. So we don't have to wait 15 more days; no, we have to create this motion, this dynamic right away.”
If Hollande ultimately wins the elections, he would become France's first Socialist president in 17 years.
Under French law, the media are barred from announcing early or partial results before the polling stations close Sunday evening . President Sarkozy has said in interviews that the rule is outdated. The law does not affect foreign-based media and the information is expected to be widely available on Twitter and Facebook well before the official results are announced at about 8 p.m. local time.
Pakistan plane crash victims mourned
Pakistan has begun mourning the victims of a plane crash in a residential area near Islamabad international airport.
All 127 people on board the Bhoja Air jet, flight BHO-213 from Karachi to Islamabad, are believed to have died.
Rescue workers have suspended their search of the wreckage in the village of Hussain Abad until Saturday morning. No casualties have been found.
Officials say the Boeing 737's cockpit flight recorder has been recovered and would be handed to investigators.
The plane, believed to be carrying 121 passengers and six crew, was making its final approach to the airport when the crash happened. There are reports of thunderstorms at the time.
The grieving relatives of those on board have been gathering at Karachi and Islamabad airports awaiting news.
A Bhoja Air official in Karachi said it was making arrangements to fly one member from each family to the capital.
At Islamabad airport, one man yelled "my two daughters are dead", before slumping to the floor in a state of shock.
The uncle of the sisters, aged 18 and 20, said: "We don't even know when or where we will get to see their bodies."
Another woman at the airport was desperately trying to find out if her husband was on the flight.
Zarina Bibi said: "He called me before leaving Karachi but I don't know if he was on this flight or not."
Hafeez Chachar, of the BBC Urdu service, who has been near the site of the crash, says seats from the plane are strewn over a wide area.
Reporters say conditions on the ground have been difficult because of heavy mud following rain.
Witness Samab Ahmad told the BBC: "I saw the plane crash land and then suddenly catch fire. It crashed on top of some sort of building, which could be residential."
Saifur Rehman, from a police rescue team, told Pakistan's Geo TV: "The wreckage is on fire. The plane is completely destroyed."
A police official at the crash site, Fazle Akbar, told AFP news agency it would be a miracle if there were any survivors.
The jet left Karachi at around 17:00 local time (12:00 GMT) and had been due to arrive at 18:50 (13:50 GMT).
There have conflicting reports about the exact numbers of passengers and crew on board.
Bhoja Air is a small new commercial airline which was started about 10 years ago but closed because of financial difficulties. It recently re-opened.
In July 2010, an Airbus A321 crashed as it was about to land in Islamabad, killing all 152 people on board - Pakistan's worst-ever air disaster.
Although Pakistan's air industry has been booming, critics say standards have not always kept pace with the increase in services.
--BBC
Mexico Volcano Erupts, Spews Ash
Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano erupted Friday morning, sending a cloud of ash towering into the sky southeast of the nation's capital.
Mexico's National Disaster Prevention Center posted images on its website of the plume rising from the 5,450-meter volcano.
Authorities raised the alert level for the volcano earlier this week due to increased activity. But so far, no evacuations have been ordered.
The Popocatepetl volcano, known by locals as “El Popo,” is located about 60 kilometers southeast of the Mexican capital, Mexico City. It has been emitting smoke and volcanic ash since 1994, with a violent eruption in 2000 that forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people living along the base.
South Sudan Withdrawing From Heglig; Sudan Claims Victory
Tension between Sudan and South Sudan appeared to ease a bit Friday, with word that southern forces no longer occupy the Heglig oil fields, claimed by both sides.
The countries gave different accounts of the withdrawal. South Sudan said it was commencing an orderly and voluntary pullout from Heglig immediately.
However, Sudan's ambassador to the United Nations, Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman, said Sudanese forces had retaken Heglig by force.
“It's a pleasure and great honor for me and with great jubilation I convey to you that our heroic Sudanese Armed Forces have chased out the aggressors from Heglig.”
Ali Osman said Sudan is ready to resume talks with South Sudan if, in his words, the south's leaders “come to their senses” and negotiate without conditions.
Washington welcomed the announcement from South Sudan. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the United States is urging South Sudan to “completely and fully” withdraw all forces from Heglig, and is calling on Sudan to immediately end any reprisal attacks.
“In parallel, we are also calling on the government of Sudan as we have regularly to halt their own cross-border attacks, particularly the provocative Arial bombardments, so that we can get back to a place where these two sides are working together and using mechanisms like the joint-border verification and monitoring mechanism to work through their issues.”
South Sudan seized the Heglig oil fields on April 10, sparking fears of all-out war between the two countries. In a speech Wednesday, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir threatened to crush South Sudan's government like an “insect.”
The South's information minister said Friday that Juba still considers Heglig to be part of its territory and wants the status of that area and other contested regions to be determined by international arbitration.
The two Sudans have been unable to resolve disputes over borders, oil, and citizenship stemming from the south's independence last July.
Chief disputes include the future of the oil-producing Abyei region and the sharing of oil revenue. The south took over three-fourths of Sudan's oil fields when it separated, but uses northern pipelines for export.
The countries have been fighting along their disputed border but the U.S. special envoy to Sudan, Princeton Lyman, said Thursday that both sides want to avoid a larger conflict.
“In the discussions I have had in both Khartoum and Juba, I can say with confidence that virtually everyone I have talked to has said, 'Look we don't want to go to all-out war with the other. We need to find a way out.”
Before their separation, north and south Sudan fought a 21-year civil war that eventually led to southern autonomy and independence.
100 Jamaicans to join Beaches Turks & Caicos
The Gordon 'Butch' Stewart-owned Beaches resorts in the Turks and Caicos Islands is ramping up its Jamaican staff in the British dependency by an immediate 100 persons, with plans for another 50 to be added in the near future.
When the additional 50 are recruited later, it will bring the number of Jamaicans working at Beaches Turks and Caicos Resorts to 503, Human Resources Director Monique McClean-Vaughn told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.
News of the decision has set off a buzz among Sandals and Beaches staff across Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Negril and Whitehouse, Westmoreland from which the 100 persons will be recruited.
McClean-Vaughn said a team of eight recruiters from the TCI will arrive in Jamaica this April 29 to begin four days of interviews which they hope will culminate in the first batch of 100 persons arriving at Beaches Turks and Caicos within the next six to eight weeks.
The Jamaicans will fill vacancies as room technicians in the engineering department; kitchen line cooks; concierge agent; butlers; security officers; bartenders in the pool and beach areas; waiters and waitresses in the buffet and A-La-Carte restaurants; room attendants and housemen. Among the 353 Jamaicans already in the TCI are several senior executives who have been serving at the resort for several years. Stewart said he was especially pleased that as a spinoff, his resorts in Jamaica would have to recruit more staff to replace those who were successful in their application for Beaches TCI.
"I am at my happiest when we are in a position to provide jobs for Jamaicans who deserve to have employment so that they can take care of themselves and their families," Stewart said, while expressing satisfaction with the quality of work done by Jamaicans who work in his resorts across the Caribbean.
McClean said the Jamaicans were eagerly awaited at Beaches TCI which has been running a room occupancy rate upwards of 95 per cent for the past nine months. Guest capacity is 2,300.
"We are basically looking for persons with at least two years of experience who will be able to deliver the luxury-included experience that Beaches proudly offers," she added.
McClean said the resort had always had a diverse staff and in the near future would be introducing an exchange programme in TCI, to be linked to the Sandals Corporate University launched recently.
The resort currently has 1,274 employees, representing 30 nationalities, with a ratio of 2:1 per room. The hotel's international staff is drawn from the Turks and Caicos Islands, Caricom and Central and South America, Canada, USA and Europe.
RADIO TURKS & CAICOS PARTNERS WITH TCI TOP MODEL CONTEST
The nation’ station, Radio Turks and Caicos (RTC) – once again partners with the TCI Top Model Contest and Fashion Extravaganza - providing an online voters poll.
The poll, which starts today – is available on http://www.rtc107fm.com. The site www.rtc107fm.com, allows visitors to cast a vote for their favorite 2012 TCI Top Model contestant. In real time, each visitor will see how many votes that that contestant has received, along with her percentage points. What is more, the contestant will receive the RTC Viewers Choice Award and a gift certificate.
Chris Jarrett, RTC Director said that: “We continually see some of the hottest models coming out of the Caribbean, US & Europe - strutting down the runways of the most prolific designers, being represented by some of the biggest agencies, and we in the Turks and Caicos should not be left behind. Being a model is not just an ambassador for yourself, but for your country, and so in these times while we have an ambassador on the track we need one on the catwalk, to some of the world’s largest shows.”
Mr Jarrett went on to say he that sees: “The TCI Top Model is presenting young talented ladies a grand opportunity to shine, and our aim is to help foster that talent from here to the rest of the worlds stage and eventually screen.”
TCI Top Model Contest’s Executive Producer, Courtney Robinson said: “Each year the RTC team come up with great ideas on how to showcase the contestants along with giving them an opportunity to not only be heard, but also seen. Countries the world over promotes every aspect of their destination, and we in the TCI should do the same - as fashion and beauty speaks the same language in Paris, New York and the Caribbean. And we are honoured that RTC will continue to play its part in the promotion and development of local talent in the Turks & Caicos, by sharing the ladies not only with the TCI, but the world too."
The RTC viewers’ poll will not form part of the scores going towards choosing the 2012 TCI Top Model Contest winner. For the competition itself, the contestants are being judged on eight categories, with the highest score attainable being ten (10) points.
There will be pre-show and at the even judging. The pre-show judging will be on Personality, Professionalism, Models Portfolio Folder and Industry Readiness. The event judging will be on Impact Appeal (initial presence on the catwalk), Rock That Look (Runway Walk), Swimwear Carnivale (physical fitness in the swimsuit segment) and Fashion Forward (how best they showcased the finale garment). These eight categories will go towards naming the Turks and Caicos their 2012 TCI Top Model winner.
The 2012 TCI Top Model Contest will be held at the Williams Auditorium in Providenciales on Saturday, May 12th - seeing to the catwalk competition, guest appearances by Ashley Smith, 2010 TCI Top Model and Davia Chambers, 2009 TCI Supermodel, along with the Bowen Dance Academy, Leeward Heights, Mike Dizzo, Ryesha Higgs and other noted entertainers. Tickets are already available for sale: General admission is $50, VIP $75 and TopModelSkyLounge is $200.00 each.
For more information call 649.347.7261, 649.232.6796 or email: tcitopmodelcontest@gmail.com. Find us on the web – www.tcitopmodel.com, Facebook: www.facebook.com/tcitopmodel or follow us on Twitter - @tcistopmodel
CIBC FirstCaribbean appoints new Chief Risk Officer
The Board of Directors of CIBC FirstCaribbean has appointed Geoff Scott to the post of Chief Risk Officer, subject to regulatory approvals. He replaces Hugh Boyle, who recently left the bank.
Geoff is a seasoned Banker, possessing some 20 years experience in capital markets, corporate credit and risk management.
Geoff is a CIBC executive who is adept at team building, with deep banking and credit risk experience. His varied knowledge and his reputation as a results-oriented individual, is expected to serve CIBC FirstCaribbean well during the current economic climate.
Moreover, his range of expertise in originating, structuring, negotiating and syndicating debt transactions, among others has been well honed in increasingly challenging and senior roles he has performed over the years with reputable financial institutions, including National Bank of Canada, Royal Bank of Canada and Deutsche Bank.
He is currently Vice President, Commercial Banking for the Greater Toronto Area.
Geoff’s experience includes client facing roles in corporate and commercial banking, as well as operational support roles in risk management. His previous experience as a member of the Global Risk Committee for National Bank will be particularly relevant in this role.
CIBC FirstCaribbean welcomes Geoff Scott to his new role.