South Africa's ANC sacks youth leader Julius Malema
South Africa's governing ANC has found youth leader Julius Malema guilty of bringing the party into disrepute.
He has been suspended from the party for five years and sacked as Youth League leader.
Once a close ally of President Jacob Zuma, Mr Malema has become one of his strongest critics, accusing him of ignoring poor South Africans who helped bring him to power in 2009.
The BBC's Milton Nkosi says the verdict boosts Mr Zuma's re-election bid.
Mr Malema wants Mr Zuma replaced as party leader ahead of the 2014 elections but our correspondent says it is now difficult to see how Mr Malema can affect the ANC leadership contest next year.
There is tight security outside the ANC headquarters in central Johannesburg but no sign of the large crowds of ANC Youth League members seen when the hearing opened in August.
Thousands of Mr Malema's supporters clashed with police and some were seen burning T-shirts bearing Mr Zuma's face.
Mr Malema is a hugely divisive figure in South Africa after making a series of controversial statements.
He has previously been found guilty of using hate speech by singing an anti-apartheid song Shoot the Boer [white farmer], which has since been banned.
He once vowed to "kill for Zuma" and was also disciplined for saying a woman who said she had been raped by Mr Zuma had had "a nice time". Mr Zuma was acquitted of the charges.
In May 2010, he was made to apologise publicly following a controversial trip to Zimbabwe where he declared the ANC's support for President Mugabe at a time when Mr Zuma was mediating between the country's coalition members.
His suspension is for calling for a change of government in neighbouring Botswana - a position which contravenes party and government policy.
Republican presidential candidates debate economy
The eight contenders for the Republican presidential nomination have faced off over the economy at a debate in the state of Michigan.
Front-runner Mitt Romney criticised the government bailout of US car makers in the state, while his rivals said banks should not become too big to fail.
The debate was the first since sexual harassment allegations emerged against Mr Romney's chief rival, Herman Cain.
He dismissed the accusations, calling them "character assassination."
To a chorus of boos from the audience - aimed at the CNBC interrogators and not at Mr Cain - the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza said his character was beyond reproach.
"The American people deserve better than someone being tried in a court of public opinion based on unfounded accusations."
The biggest drama of the evening came when Texas Governor Rick Perry stumbled over his lines, finding himself unable to name the three federal departments he would eliminate if he became president - a key policy and a regular part of his stump speeches.
"The third agency of government I would - I would do away with education, the... commerce... commerce and, let's see. I can't. The third one, I can't. Sorry. Oops," he said.
The answer he was looking for, he told moderators later, was the Department of Energy.
No Europe 'bailouts'
The Michigan debate, staged by the cable business channel CNBC, was held at Oakland University in Rochester.
In a series of questions focused on pressing economic issues, candidates discussed a range of topics from the eurozone debt crisis to the domestic housing market to bailouts for the domestic auto industry.
They generally agreed that the US should not "bail out" Europe, but warned that budget deficits in the US could create a similar crisis to the one faced by eurozone nations.
Candidates also used the time to reprise their calls for flat tax plans, social security reform and the repeal of President Barack Obama's healthcare law.
Each candidate was asked specifically what they would do about healthcare costs immediately after repealing the law.
Mr Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, called for individual state decisions on health care laws, while former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman argued for better access to medical records as a way of improving care.
The debate came nearly two months before the first votes are cast in the Iowa caucuses to nominate a Republican nominee.
BBC
NATO Chief Says Georgia Needs Further Reforms Before Membership
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says Georgia has made a lot of progress but still needs further reforms before being admitted to the alliance.
He spoke Wednesday in the capital, Tblisi, after meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Nika Gilauri and other officials.
Rasmussen said upcoming elections in Georgia will be a key test of its democratic reforms, and that work still needs to be done in a number of areas.
NATO urged the country to continue strengthening the rule of law and working to ensure free and fair elections.
Rasmussen also praised Georgia for its contributions to the NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan. Georgia has more than 900 troops in Afghanistan, the second largest force of any non-NATO member.
NATO said in 2008 that Georgia would eventually gain membership. Russia strongly opposes Georgian membership in NATO. Russia and Georgia fought a brief war in 2008.
China: Sanctions Cannot Resolve Iran Nuclear Concerns
China says sanctions will not “fundamentally” resolve international concerns about Iran's nuclear program.
A foreign ministry spokesman made the comments Thursday, a day after several Western powers said Tehran could face additional penalties if it refuses to cooperate with U.N. nuclear inspectors.
Britain, France and Germany raised the possibility of additional U.N. sanctions after the International Atomic Energy Agency released a report saying it has “credible” evidence of Iranian efforts to design a nuclear weapon.
In its report, released Tuesday, the IAEA expressed “serious concern” about Iran's nuclear program, saying that although some of its components can have civilian applications, others are linked to nuclear weapons.
Western powers say they want to prevent Iran from becoming nuclear-armed, but Tehran insists its nuclear program is peaceful.
The U.N. Security Council has already passed four sets of sanctions on Iran. Two permanent members of the council, China and Russia, have so far shown little willingness to impose more.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told the Interfax news agency on Wednesday that Moscow believes new sanctions will be seen in the international community as a pretext to try to pursue “regime change” in Iran.
Fortis TCI installs the weatheshawk in Providenciales
A significant step towards ensuring the Turks and Caicos Islands are well monitored and prepared for any type of bad weather, especially during the hurricane season was taken with the latest installation of two state-of-the-art WeatherHawk Automatic Weather Stations.
The stations were obtained by the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) with the assistance of Turks and Caicos Utilities (TCU) as part of their efforts to assist the TCI in areas such as: Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change adaptation.
The two new weather stations which are located in Providenciales and Grand Turk have the ability to look out and predict bad weather heading in the direction of the TCI; thereby, providing the Turks and Caicos Islands government with more time to prepare.
The achievement of these weather stations is essential to the TCI as they are capable of logging data 24/7, 365 days a year at a logging frequency as close as 15 minutes (or depending on the setting desired) and transmitting the data to a secured storage devise (computer at the National Environment Centre) using a wireless technology.
The operation of the DECR’s WeatherHawk is powered by a solar panel which means that it does not require electrical supply to maintain its operation.
The WeatherHawks complement the existing weather stations in TCI such as those installed and operated by the Providenciales International Airport, Turtle Cove Marina, and Regent Grant in Grace Bay.
The WeatherHawk provides the TCI with much needed meteorological information whilst looking ahead, as it can simultaneously record the atmospheric temperature, amount of rainfall, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, solar radiation, evapo-transpiration, wind direction, and wind speed.
Director of the DECR, Mr. Wesley Clerveaux, expressed appreciation to FORTIS TCI and TCU for their full support to the projects and activities of the DECR. He noted that:
“FORTIS also supported the Native Plant Biodiversity Nursery and the Bight Park in Providenciales. What the DECR and its partners, FORTIS and TCU are doing with the weather station project is a classical example of public-private partnership where the ultimate winner is the people/public and the environment. I am keen to cooperate with other corporate entities in TCI to work towards environmental sustainability for the enjoyment and satisfaction of everybody. Caring for the environment is everybody’s responsibility, so please join the DECR in its campaign to make a clean and green TCI.”
NIB Court News for November 2011
RTC News understands that the following matters were called in the Providenciales Magistrate’s Court on November 7th & 8th, 2011.
On November 7th 2011, Attorney Aswood Forbes appeared in the Providenciales Magistrate’s Court to answer to complaints for failing to pay national insurance contributions and additional charges as a self employed person in the amount of $2,598.96. The matter was adjourned for Monday March 19th 2012.
On November 7th 2011, Jacynth Laporte appeared in the Providenciales Magistrate’s Court to answer to complaints for failing to pay national insurance additional charges as an employer in the amount of $4,268.80. The matter was adjourned for Monday March 19th 2012.
On November 7th 2011, the National Insurance Board made application in the Providenciales Magistrate’s Court for Distress Warrant to be issued against restaurant owner Ms. Felicitia Feliz Miesen. A Distress Warrant was issued by the court for the levying of $36,664.86.
On November 7th 2011, owner of Sky Juice Dion Pratt was scheduled to appear in the Providenciales Magistrate’s Court to answer to complaints for failing to pay national insurance additional charges as an employer in the amount of $1,999.92. The matter was adjourned for Monday March 19th 2012.
On November 8th 2011, Defendant Mr. Lofton Morley of Direct Transport appeared in the Providenciales Magistrate’s Court to answer to an application for a Writ of Execution filed by the National Insurance Board. The Writ was issued by the Court for the levying of US $37,788.04.
Our news team will keep you informed of the developments.
Usain Bolt honoured with 'Honorary Degree of Doctor of Law
Olympian Usain Bolt was conferred on Friday with an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws by the University of West Indies, at the institution's graduation ceremony.
Bolt will now be referred to as to as Dr The Honorable Ambassador Usain St Leo Bolt OJ.
Why is Bolt deserving of this title? well according the University of the West Indies, "he has won three gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m events and set new world records at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and at the 2009 World Championships. Among his many accolades is his induction into the society of the Order of Jamaica (OJ) (2009), by the Government of Jamaica, for outstanding distinction in the field of Sports; and in 2008, he also received the National Honour, the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander for outstanding service to Jamaica. In 2009, Bolt was also conferred with the diplomatic title ‘Ambassador-at-Large’.
After the ceremony Bolt, , tweeted "thanks to the University of The West Indies for conferring on me the Honorary Degree of Doctor Of Laws."
Rapper Heavy D dies at age 44
Rapper Heavy D collapsed in his Beverly Hills home Tuesday morning and died a short time later at a Los Angeles hospital, according to police and the coroner. He was 44.
Heavy D, whose real name is Dwight Arrington Myers, was found conscious with difficulty breathing at his home after police were called there at 11:25 a.m., the Beverly Hills police said in a news release.
He was pronounced dead in the emergency room at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Tuesday afternoon, according to Los Angeles County coroner's operations chief Craig Harvey. The cause of death has not been determined, Harvey said.
His hip-hop recording career began in 1987 with his group Heavy D & the Boyz and on his first album he released the hit single "The Overweight Lover's in the House." Another one of his breakthrough hits came in 1991 with a remake of the O'Jays' "Now That We Found Love."
Heavy D's rapping was featured on Janet Jackson's 1990 hit "Alright."
He rapped on Michael Jackson's 1991 hit "Jam," which he performed at last month's Michael Jackson tribute show in Cardiff, Wales.
He also composed and performed the theme songs several television shows, including "In Living Color," "MADtv" and "The Tracy Morgan Show."
His last CD, "Love Opus," was released this year.
Heavy D also pursued an acting career, which included mostly roles on TV shows and movies.
He played a courthouse guard in the Eddie Murphy film "Tower Heist," released last weekend.
He used his Twitter account Monday night to express sadness about the death of boxer Joe Frazier:
"SMOKIN JOE FRAZIER..RIP.. truly one of the best heavyweight champs that ever lived.. GODS SPEED,MR FRAZIER!"
Heavy D's last Twitter message, posted late Monday, was: "BE INSPIRED!"
Adele has minor throat surgery at hospital in America
Adele has had throat surgery to stop an ongoing condition that caused her to cancel tour dates for the rest of the year.
A spokesman for Massachusetts General Hospital in the US says she had vocal cord microsurgery to stop bleeding from a benign polyp.
The condition is usually the result of unstable blood vessels in the vocal cord that can rupture.
Columbia Records announced last month that she would be having surgery.
The hospital says the 23-year-old Grammy winner went to Boston to undergo the surgery with Dr Steven Zeitels, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Voice Centre.
Adele is expected to make a full recovery from the laser microsurgery.
She was forced to cancel tour dates in America in October, as well as six gigs in the UK.
Doctors the 23-year-old to rest her voice and scrap all her promotional appearances for the rest of the year.
Adele, whose second album 21 is the biggest selling of the year so far in the UK and US, has struggled with illness since the summer.
In July the singer told Radio 1 she had the "all-clear" from a problem which saw her cancel a US tour in June.
In September the beginning of her UK tour was delayed due to a "severe chest infection".
Last month the singer was forced to deny rumours on microblogging site Twitter that she had throat cancer.
Aretha Franklin honoured with tribute at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin has been honoured with a star-studded tribute at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
The Plain Dealer reported that Lauryn Hill, Dennis Edwards of the Temptations and Chaka Khan were among those who entertained. The 69-year-old soul singer was not scheduled to perform, but towards the end of the three-hour event she took a seat at a piano and traded verses with Edwards in a rendition of A Song for You.
Franklin received a key to the city from Cleveland mayor Frank Jackson during the Saturday event and an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Case Western Reserve University.
The show ended a week-long American Music Masters tribute to her.