US aircraft carrier in drill zone: Iran
A US aircraft carrier entered a zone near the Strait of Hormuz that is now being used by the Iranian navy for military drills, an Iranian official said on Thursday amid rising tensions over the key oil-transit channel.
"A US aircraft carrier was spotted inside the manoeuvre zone ... by a navy reconnaissance aircraft," Commodore Mahmoud Mousavi, the spokesman for the Iranian exercises, told the official IRNA news agency.
Iranian aircraft recorded video and photos of the US vessel, he added.
Mousavi also said the Iranian navy's aircraft and helicopters continued surveillance and reconnaissance operations during the sixth day of major naval drills to monitor activities of all units in the area of the military exercises.
The US aircraft carrier was believed to be the USS John C. Stennis.
US officials announced on Wednesday that the ship and its accompanying battle group moved through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow stretch at the entrance to the Gulf that is the world's most important choke point for oil shipments.
War of words
Iran's navy chief Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said on Wednesday that closing the Strait of Hormuz, the passage at the mouth of the Gulf through which about 15 million barrels of oil pass daily, would be "easier than drinking a glass of water".
On Tuesday, Mohammad-Reza Rahimi, Iran's vice-president, said his country will close the Strait of Hormuz, if Western nations impose sanctions on its oil shipments.
The comment drew a quick response. The US Defense Department warned on Wednesday that such action "will not be tolerated".
Separately, Bahrain-based US Navy 5th Fleet spokeswoman Lieutenant Rebecca Rebarich said the navy is "always ready to counter malevolent actions to ensure freedom of navigation".
Iran has repeatedly said it could target the Strait of Hormuz if attacked or its economy is strangled.
China hopes stability can be maintained in the Strait of Hormuz, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Thursday during a news conference.
Ye Hailin, a researcher with the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, dismissed the prospect of imminent military conflict triggered by the Iranian exercise, saying the regional situation is not ready for such conflicts.
If the US attacks Iran, it would further complicate the regional situation, which is not what the US wants, he said.
"As for Iran, despite all the publicity and gestures, it is not the country's style to resort to military force, and Iran does not need to use military force directly to challenge the US," he added.
Ye said Iran does not need to block the shipping, the threat itself is a political gesture that can cause a havoc on the oil market, which would be effective enough. Some US analysts have doubted Iran's ability to block the strait, saying the country's navy is not large enough for a sustained physical blockade of the Strait, but it does have mine-laying and missile capabilities, according to Reuters.
Ye also said Iran can afford the economic consequences of blocking of the strait because it has already suffered sanctions for years.
But a possible war triggered by a blockade is a much bigger concern, which would prevent the country from turning to the last resort, he added.
AL observers visit Syria amid continuing violence
Syria still faces continuing violence despite the arrival of Arab League observers in the country. On Thursday, amateur video emerged purportedly showing Arab League observers running from gunfire.
The killings in Syria show no sign of abating.
In the restive city of Homs, amateur video emerged on Thursday that seemed to show the body of a dead child being placed on the bonnet of an Arab League vehicle.
The caption posted with the online footage alleged the child was killed by Syrian government forces in the city.
This amateur footage also showed observers amid gunfire.
Casualty figures and other information are hard to verify as most foreign media are barred from Syria.
The mission of the Arab League peace monitors is to check whether government forces have halted violence against protesters. Opposition activists say the city of Homs has seen the worst of the violence since the revolt began nine months ago, with army tanks in action and three dozen people killed the day before the monitors arrived.
The monitors headed to three more Syrian cities on Thursday. These cities included Deraa, Hama and Idlib.
The Arab mission is the first significant international involvement in Syria’s conflict.
Though President Bashar Assad’s regime has made concessions to the observers, the military seemed intent on pressing ahead with a campaign to put down mostly peaceful protests.
In the two days since the Arab monitors arrived, amateur video that continues to emerge seems to indicate the bloodshed has not stopped.
Russia Says Crew Inside Burning Submarine in No Danger
The Russian military says crew members still inside a burning nuclear submarine docked in a northern Russia shipyard are not in any danger.
An official said Friday the undisclosed number of crew members are monitoring temperatures and carbon dioxide levels inside theYekaterinburg nuclear submarine vessel to ensure its safety.
The military says at least seven people, including firefighters,have been taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation after the fire erupted Thursday.
Russia says the blaze aboard the submarine has been brought under control and there has been no radiation leak.
The fire happened while the vessel was docked for repairs in the northern Murmansk region.
The Russian Defense Ministry said all of the submarine's weapons had been unloaded before the repairs and its reactor had already been shut down. The Delta IV class vessel is able to carry 16 intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Video footage showed large clouds of smoke rising from the area. The blaze is believed to have started on the wooden scaffolding at the shipyard.
In August 2000, Russia's Kursk nuclear submarine sank at sea, killing all 118 crew members on board.
Deadly Cyclone Hits Southern India
Indian weather forecasters say a cyclone has hit the country's southeastern coast, killing at least six people.
Cyclone Thane made landfall near the former French colonial town of Pondicherry early Friday with winds up to 135 kilometers per hour, before gradually decreasing.
Heavy rain and high winds disrupted power supplies, communication networks, and uprooted trees.
Authorities say the deaths in the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu state were caused mostly by wall collapses and electrocution.
Authorities say coastal villages were evacuated to shelters before Thane landed. Fishermen were also warned from venturing out into the rough seas.
Heavy rain in southern India was expected to continue for 12 hours.
Samoa and Tokelau Cross International Date Line
The tiny Pacific island nation of Samoa and nearby atolls of New Zealand-administered Tokelau skipped Friday this year and moved from Thursday straight to Saturday to align themselves with their trading partners in the region.
At the stroke of midnight , the islands reversed a 120-year-old policy of being east of the International Date Line, and moved west of the line.
Officials say the jump forward in time corrects a calendar problem that kept Samoa on Sunday, while its trading partners were conducting business Monday. Likewise, when Samoans were working Friday, it was Saturday further west.
Samoan reporter Autagavaia Tipi tells VOA the change will help Samoan commerce.
“We have our closest trading partners: New Zealand and Australia, plus Japan and China in Asia. The government has made the decision for us to shift from the eastern side to the western side. It's for us to make it easier for doing trade with those countries.”
The current time zone was agreed in 1892, to work in line with American traders based in California. Tipi says the return to Samoa's original position on the International Date Line is also a good business move.
“The government felt that in the new millennium we're making a lot of business with New Zealand and Australia and also Japan and China. Very little business with the United States. So I think it's about the right time for us to move to the original side that we were of the International Date Line.”
Tipi says there is no controversy about the move because everything will return to normal in the New Year.
PNP's Portia Simpson delivers crushing 41-22 seat defeat to JLP
THE People’s National Party (PNP) sent the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) back into Opposition after scoring a crushing 41-22-seat victory in yesterday’s 16th general election that pollsters and analysts had said was mostly too close to call.
A sober but triumphant Simpson Miller told jubilant supporters at PNP headquarters last night that she was thankful to the Jamaican people and Prime Minister Andrew Holness who, she said, called and congratulated her earlier. “He was very gracious.”
She urged comrades to greet supporters of the losing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) with love in an obvious extension of the olive branch after what was a vigorous and often bitter campaign.
“We will be working to move this country forward to achieve growth and development and for job creation,” she said. “As we move to balance the books, we will be moving to balance people’s lives.”
Simpson Miller also asked public servants to ensure the protection of Government property, and added: “Today, the Jamaica people assisted us to rescue Jamaica and to restore the power. You will hear from us soon, as we move to put our team in place to take charge of the Government.”
The dramatic swing to the PNP, which emerged as early as 8:00 last night, returns the 66-year-old Simpson Miller to the prime minister’s chair, four years after she failed in her first bid to get her own mandate from the electorate after taking over from P J Patterson, who retired in March 2006.
It also resulted in Holness, the 39-year-old JLP leader, serving as prime minister for a mere two months, having been sworn in on October 23 after Bruce Golding stepped down.
But probably the hottest sting in the defeat for the JLP is that it made the party the first oneterm Government since Independence.
The election was marked by long waits at polling stations, glitches in the operation of the electronic voter identification system, and a low voter turnout.
But overall voting went smoothly islandwide.
Last night, Holness conceded defeat, telling journalists at JLP headquarters in Kingston that “the people have spoken and we are humble servants and we listen”.
Holness had campaigned on a platform of continuity and fiscal prudence, while Simpson Miller and the PNP had, on the hustings, highlighted unemployment and the harsh economic conditions as failings of the Government.
Some of the heavyweights who lost their seats yesterday included: Agriculture Minister Robert Montague; Energy Minister Clive Mullings; junior industry and commerce minister Michael Stern; Sharon Hay-Webster, who crossed the floor in a dramatic switch from the PNP; and National Security Minister Dwight Nelson.
Statistics from the Electoral Office of Jamaica confirmed that 48 per cent of the electorate turned out to vote at 6,629 polling stations in 2,200 locations islandwide in what electoral officials, observers and police said was possibly the most peaceful election in local political history.
Director of Elections Orette Fisher, who was presiding for the first time at the helm of a Jamaican election, admitted there were some of the usual election day headaches but for the most part polling went smoothly and without incident.
“I can say at this time that we are very satisfied that the process was efficiently executed and the elections were free and fair and free of fear,” Fisher told journalists after his office had announced the preliminary results.
Most of the glitches centred around the operation of the Electronic Voter Identification and Ballot Issuing System (EVIBIS) which was rolled out in Eastern St Catherine, West Central St Andrew, South East St Andrew, Eastern St Andrew, Central Kingston, and Western St Andrew, with partial implementation in North West St Andrew and North Central St Andrew.
The EVIBIS identifies the elector and issues his/her ballot electronically. The machines do not provide for voting electronically, but instead match the voter to fingerprints in a database. Persons whom the system rejected for whatever reason were quizzed by the presiding officer to ascertain whether they were who they claimed to be.
Some voters and the PNP complained that voting in EVIBIS centres was agonisingly slow, causing long lines and frustrating electors.
Fisher blamed the problems on a combination of “nervousness on the part of some election staff and impatience of some voters”, but said the problems were sorted out and voting continued.
“We have had reports from some supervisors who say things are going smoothly while there are others who say the machines are slow. But slow is relative because some persons just don’t want to wait,” he told the Observer.
The day’s minuses included reported shooting incidents in the Mountain View Avenue area and Southborough in Portmore, St Catherine, as well as reports that a man died in Portland after discovering that he had erroneously put his ‘X’ beside the wrong candidate.
But the election earned the thumbs up from international and local observers who certified it as largely incident-free.
Ambassador Lisa Shoman, the OAS chief of mission observing the election, said that preliminary reports suggested that polling went well.
According to Shoman, the 12 teams monitoring election activities across the island had not observed anything untoward thus far.
“Everything is going according to schedule and according to plan so far,” she said at mid-morning.
She said the most her team observed were long lines which were based on how the crowd was being handled by election workers.
Consistent with electoral history, some changes could come in the final count or after any possible challenge from losing candidates who may petition for a magisterial recount.
JAMAICA OBSERVER
Police protecting Tufton
Jamaica Labour Party Deputy Leader Dr Christopher Tufton says he is now under police protection at his home in his South Western St Elizabeth constituency.
According to Tufton, People’s National Party (PNP) supporters have refused to accept his 101-vote victory over Hugh Buchanan in yesterday’s general election and have said enough to him to leave him fearing for his and his family’s safety.
Tufton said that after his close win in the election he was verbally abused by comrades in the constituency who accused him of stealing the election. As a result, he reported the matter to the police who provided him with protection.
“The people have spoken and I have accepted their verdict,” Tufton said of his party’s loss in the election. “They (PNP supporters in his constituency) should also accept the people’s decision.”
JAMAICA OBSERVER
USVI to lay off nearly 500 amid budget crisis
The governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands says he will be forced to lay off nearly 500 employees in the coming months because of a fiscal crisis.
Gov. John de Jongh said Wednesday that 143 temporary and part-time workers will be dismissed on Dec. 30, and that another 350 workers will receive dismissal letters on Jan. 5.
The governor blamed legislators for the dismissals, saying they have rejected other proposals including wage cuts to offset a budget crisis.
De Jongh warned that additional layoffs might be needed.
The U.S. Caribbean territory faces a $17.4 million deficit this year and an estimated $90 million deficit next year.
Haiti to reap US$1.5 million from the Clinton Bush Fund
Hospitality workers, entrepreneurs, students, and teachers in Haiti are set to become empowered with much needed training when the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund disburses nearly US$1.5 million in new grants to organizations.
The Washington-based fund announced the three new grants recently for the Oasis Foundation, the Quisqueya University and EducaTech.
The Oasis Foundation is to benefit from a US$264,000 grant to revive l’École Hôtelière Haitienne (the Haiti Hotel School) destroyed by the massive 2010 earthquake. The school, an institution under Haiti’s Ministry of Tourism, was the only comprehensive hospitality training school of its kind in the country. With this funding, the school can now welcome hospitality students back to complete their training, and matriculate future hospitality students.
Earlier this year, the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund made a US$2 million equity investment in the Oasis Hotel, a business-class hotel in Port-au-Prince whose construction was halted after the earthquake. The Oasis Foundation, a non-profit established by the hotel, is partnering with the Haitian Hotel School and Haiti’s Ministry of Tourism, with additional support from Occidental Hotels and the USAID/Haiti Recovery Initiative, to make the training program possible.
The Fund new grant also includes a US$914,000 grant to Quisqueya University to help enhance the recently established Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation to develop both current and future business leaders of Haiti. The Centre will provide a range of business development services. It will offer training for local consultants and analysts, facilitate businesses transitioning from the informal to the formal economy, and provide advanced managerial training. From classroom training to hands-on case studies, the Center will give entrepreneurs the skills necessary for their businesses to succeed.
The Fund’s US$285,646 grant to the Haitian for-profit enterprise EducaTech will provide computer equipment, educational resources, and technology training for students and faculty at Haiti’s state university.
EducaTech will establish a digital library at Haiti’s Institute of Management and International Studies (INAGHEI), with computers and programs, digital boards, and electronic databases. Students, faculty, and staff will go through EducaTech’s training program on the use of this software and hardware, and then will go on to train even more students.
The vision of EducaTech is to give all Haitian young people access to books and electronics, and use it to create a competitive and productive workforce that will grow Haiti’s economy. “In Haiti,” EducaTech, co-founder Kesner Pharel explained, “we can live much better through technology.”
The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund is a non-profit organization founded after Haiti’s January 12, 2010 earthquake, when President Barack Obama asked former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to lead a major fundraising effort to assist the Haitian people to “build back better.” The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund initially responded to the catastrophe with millions in humanitarian relief. By the time the Fund was officially formed in May 2010, it transitioned to primarily serving its longer-term mission of sustainable reconstruction efforts designed to promote jobs and economic opportunity, empowering Haiti to chart its own successful future.
Caribbean 360 News
Scores accepted by Department of Immigration
The Cayman Islands Department of Immigration is accepting scores from Educational Testing Service’s (ETS) TOEIC(R) tests to measure the English-language proficiency of persons from around the world wishing to work or settle in the Cayman Islands.
The Cayman Islands Department of Immigration expects to receive approximately 1,000 applicants annually who will take the TOEIC(R) Listening and Reading test and the TOEIC(R) Speaking and Writing tests to demonstrate their English-language skills. Scores will apply to workers from all sectors and are not based on a tier system or type of work.
“We are encouraged by the Cayman Islands’ use of fair and valid assessments to advance quality and equity in education,” Mohammad Kousha, ETS Executive Director-Global said. “TOEIC assessments offer job seekers a competitive advantage and an internationally recognized credential to distinguish them from other candidates.”
The Cayman Islands acceptance of TOEIC follows the U.K. Border Agency’s announcement earlier this year that persons from around the world wishing to work or settle in the United Kingdom may use the TOEIC test to demonstrate their English proficiency for all visas under the United Kingdom’s points-based system.
The TOEIC tests are the most widely accepted English-language assessments in the workplace environment. With more than six million tests administered last year, the TOEIC tests are the global standard for assessing workplace English-language communication skills for companies, institutions and government agencies around the world. The TOEIC tests currently are used by more than 10,000 organizations in 120 countries worldwide.