Viktor Bout arms dealing trial begins in New York
A former Soviet military officer has appeared before a New York court to face charges of selling arms to anti-American rebels.
The prosecution says Viktor Bout, dubbed a "Merchant of Death", wanted to sell "staggering quantities" of weapons and explosives for millions of dollars.
His defence insists that Mr Bout wanted only to sell two transport planes for $5m (£3.2m).
Mr Bout was arrested in 2008 in a hotel in Bangkok, Thailand.
He is being tried for conspiracy to kill US citizens and conspiracy to provide help to a terrorist organisation.
If convicted, he could face up to 25 years behind bars.
Arms sale
In the opening statements of the trial the prosecution alleged Mr Bout had promised to deliver 100 surface-to-air missiles, 20,000 high-powered rifles and 10 million rounds of ammunition to rebels in Colombia in 2008.
"This man, Viktor Bout, agreed to provide all of it to a foreign terrorist organisation he believes was going to kill Americans," Assistant Attorney Brendan McGuire told the jury.
The court was told that Mr Bout had been caught in a sting operation by the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
Two US government informants were posing as weapons buyers for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as Farc, which Washington has classified as a terrorist organisation and says is involved with the cocaine trade.
Prosecutors told the jury of key meetings in Bangkok in which Viktor Bout was told the weapons would be used to kill US pilots working with Colombian officials.
According to prosecutors Mr Bout replied: "We have the same enemy."
But the defendant's lawyer countered, saying: "Viktor never walked into that meeting saying, 'Hey I want to kill Americans'.'"
The court will also hear hours of recorded conversations which purport to show Mr Bout talking about the weapons' sale.
His defence lawyer, Albert Dayan, argued that his client had only agreed with DEA operatives to secure the sale of two transport jets, for a total cost of $5m.
He told the jury Mr Bout had subsequently lost his transport business and was working in real estate when he became the target of the US government sting.
"Viktor was baiting them along with the promise of arms, hoping just to sell his planes," Mr Dayan said.
The charges relate only to the alleged arms sale in Thailand, but US officials say Viktor Bout sold weapons to dictators and guerrilla forces in Africa, South America and the Middle East.
Before the opening of the trial the jury was asked not to reveal their involvement with the case via social media.
A day earlier, the trial judge also asked the jury to sign a pledge not to undertake any research about the trial on the internet.
Republican hopefuls in TV debate
Republican presidential candidates discussed the economy during a televised debate in the state of New Hampshire.
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney defended Wall Street bailouts and attacked Mr Obama's healthcare law.
Many candidates focused their attacks on Mr Romney, who is a frontrunner in the race.
He received a high-profile endorsement from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie hours before the debate.
Mr Christie was flanked by Mr Romney in New Hampshire as he praised his experience as a businessman and elected leader.
Cain attacked
Correspondents say the donors who had been poised to help fund a Christie White House campaign will now funnel their money to Mr Romney.
Tuesday's debate was seen as a big test for Texas Governor Rick Perry, after criticism of his performance in previous debates and on the campaign trail.
Mr Perry argued the government should open up further domestic energy production.
He said the US must "pull back those regulations that are strangling American entrepreneurship".
Former pizza company executive Herman Cain repeatedly called for replacing the US tax code with a 9% national sales tax and a 9% levy on personal and corporate income.
Candidates at the roundtable criticised Mr Cain's signature "9-9-9" plan.
"I thought it was the price of a pizza when I first heard it," joked Jon Huntsman, the former governor of Utah.
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich spent his evening attacking Obama administration officials and members of Congress, who he said had botched the response to the 2008 financial crisis.
He blamed Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke for the recession and called for him to be fired.
While Mr Romney joined his rivals in attacking Mr Obama's healthcare law, he sounded a different note on the response to the financial crisis.
Mr Romney said the 2008 bailout of Wall Street banks had been essential to preserving the nation's currency and financial system from collapse.
"Action had to be taken," said Mr Romney. "Was it perfect? No."
The nation was on a precipice, Mr Romney said, "and we could have had a complete meltdown".
Perry's poll woe
The former Massachusetts governor was widely judged to have beaten Mr Perry in the last Republican television debate, in Orlando, Florida.
Mr Perry became the frontrunner in the Republican field after declaring his candidacy in August, but his lead has proved fragile.
A poll released on Monday gave Mr Romney 38% of support among Republicans in New Hampshire, one of the first states to vote for the party's White House nominee.
Businessman Herman Cain was second on 20%, while Mr Perry trailed in sixth place with only 4%, according to the survey by Harvard and St Anselm's College.
Mr Perry has been attacked by conservative Republicans over his 2007 order mandating vaccinations for Texas schoolgirls against a sexually transmitted infection that causes cervical cancer.
He has also come under fire for backing in-state tuition for the children of immigrants who entered Texas illegally.
Source:BBC
UK unemployment total reaches 17-year high
UK unemployment rose by 114,000 between June and August to 2.57 million, a 17-year high, according to official figures.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the unemployment rate also increased to 8.1%.
The unemployment total for 16-24 year olds hit a record high of 991,000 in the quarter, a jobless rate of 21.3%.
The number of people out of work and claiming benefits rose 17,500 to 1.6 million in September.
Other figures showed a record cut in the number of part-time workers, down by 175,000, and there was also a record reduction of 74,000 in the number of over-65s in employment.
The Employment Secretary, Chris Grayling, said that what the UK was now seeing was "the impact of the international financial crisis".
He said although the UK was not in the euro, it was "not immune" to the problems currently being experienced in the eurozone and in countries such as Greece.
There have been criticisms of the government's deficit reduction programmes, with some analysts saying it was hampering economic growth.
The shadow work and pensions secretary, Liam Byrne, said the news marked "a day of judgment for the government".
"Today's figures are the clearest proof yet that the government's decision to cut too far and too fast is hurting and just not working. Unemployment is soaring, and more young people are out of work than ever before."
Confidence
The Bank of England recently said it would pump another £75bn into the economy through more quantitative easing (QE) to try to improve the business climate.
The Bank's chief economist, Spencer Dale, has warned the UK is suffering one of its worst ever periods of financial turmoil.
He told the Reuters news agency the economy was likely to get steadily weaker throughout the rest of this year.
But Mr Grayling said the "important reason why we are pursuing deficit reduction" was to retain the confidence of commercial markets, and to encourage businesses to set up in the UK.
He also said that the latest available figures showed that over the past year, more jobs had been created in the private sector than had been lost in the public sector.
The TUC's general secretary Brendan Barber said: "These are terrible figures. The government's austerity measures have turned unemployment into a full-blown crisis - with job losses not seen since the darkest days of the recession.
"Worryingly, this is not simply the result of eurozone troubles. This unemployment crisis is state-sponsored and areas like the North East are paying a heavy price, with over one in 10 people out of work."
Ross Walker, from RBS Financial Markets, said the picture was not altogether gloomy.
"The drop in total employment is bigger than people thought. But it is worth noting that it is almost entirely part-time," he said.
"So in the latest quarter, full-time employment - which to me is always the single most important indicator - was down just 2,000 and it's still up over the past year by about 124,000."
But Alan Clarke, of Scotia Capital, said the figures were a "disaster".
He added: "That (the data) shouldn't come as a surprise because the economy is growing at half the pace it needs to keep unemployment stable. That's not going to change anytime soon, so we should get used to numbers like this."
The chief economist at the Institute of Directors, Graeme Leach, said: "These are grim figures and are likely to get worse before they get better. But abandoning the deficit reduction plan will do the unemployed no favours.
"The hope is that QE2 will lift the money supply and economic activity, but the ongoing eurocrisis is pushing the UK towards a double-dip with increasing speed. All this is before the threat of contagion has actually materialised. We are sailing in stormy seas."
'Underwear bomber' Abdulmutallab on trial in Detroit
A Nigerian accused of trying to bomb a Detroit-bound flight on Christmas Day 2009 was on a mission for al-Qaeda and seeking martyrdom, a court has heard.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 24, caught fire when a bomb sewn into his underwear failed to detonate fully, prosecutors said as his trial opened.
Mr Abdulmutallab faces a series of charges, including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction.
If convicted, he could face a lifelong prison sentence.
During the opening statements, a federal prosecutor told the court Mr Abdulmutallab was on a terrorist mission to kill almost 300 people aboard.
The bomb did not work, though, and the defendant was badly burned instead.
As the trial began the court heard a dramatic retelling of events, correspondents say, with clips of audio recordings from the flight played out to the jury.
Passengers on board the Northwest flight travelling from Amsterdam to Detroit had to put the fire out after the failed bombing, the court heard.
Earlier, Mr Abdulmutallab's standby lawyer Anthony Chambers requested a ban on the word "bomb" until the final arguments.
Federal Judge Nancy Edmunds denied the request, saying "it makes no sense whatsoever".
Mr Abdulmutallab is representing himself in this trial. He has been appointed a standby lawyer, Anthony Chambers, but Mr Chambers said his client was "driving the bus" in the trial.
He also conceded self-representation made the case "more difficult strategically".
But David Steingold, a Detroit defence lawyer said a standby counsel would ensure "no one down the road can claim [Mr Abdulmutallab] was railroaded."
Lloyd Meyer, a former terrorism prosecutor at the US justice department, said the move to appoint standby counsel was prudent.
Had Mr Abdulmutallab delivered the opening statements himself "he would have stood up in front of a jury and said, 'I wanted to murder my fellow passengers and here's why'."
The 24-year-old fired four lawyers appointed to him by the Detroit Federal Defender last year.
The former student has had a number of outbursts in the courtroom.
He shouted "Anwar is alive" during jury selection, an apparent reference to Anwar al-Awlaki, a US-born al-Qaeda recruiter killed in a drone strike in September.
During a pre-trial hearing, Mr Abdulmutallab made similar statements about Osama Bin Laden after his publicised death.
Mr Abdulmutallab was denied a request to ban statements he made while being treated for burns at a hospital, as well as other material, from appearing at trial.
Mr Abdulmutallab said he was not read his rights - including his right to remain silent - before the FBI questioned him.
Mr Chambers said he was unhappy that the jury, which has only two African-Americans out of a total of 12 jurors, "does not represent the community".
Mr Abdulmutallab's father, Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, an influential banker who is well connected in Nigerian politics, said he had approached the US embassy officials and Nigerian authorities to warn them about his son in 2009.
Burma frees dozens of political prisoners
The Burmese government has freed more than 180 political prisoners as part of a general amnesty, activists say.
A popular comedian and dissident, Zarganar, was among the first to be freed. Some monks and journalists were also released.
Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi welcomed the amnesty.
The country's continued detention of about 2,000 political prisoners is a crucial reason why Western nations maintain sanctions on Burma.
The detainees include journalists, pro-democracy activists, government critics, monks involved in anti-government protests and members of Burma's ethnic groups fighting for greater autonomy.
Zarganar was arrested in 2008 after publicly criticising the government response to Cyclone Nargis, which killed more than 140,000 people.
Speaking to the BBC shortly after his release, Zarganar was wary of his new-found freedom, describing it as conditional.
"If I do something wrong they will send me back. I'm not happy today because there are so many of my friends still in prison," he said.
Leaders of a failed uprising in 1988 are reportedly still in jail.
A Burmese prison official told the BBC that 300 dissidents had been freed, but this figure has not been confirmed.
Bold step?
The human rights group Amnesty International said Burma's government - a nominally civilian administration dominated by leaders of the former military regime - must free more political detainees if it is seriously committed to reform.
"This release of political prisoners is welcome, but is not consistent with the authorities' recent promises of political reform in Burma," said Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International's Burma researcher, who is based in Bangkok.
"Unless the figure rises substantially, it will constitute a relaxation of reform efforts rather than a bold step forward."
Britain described the releases as an encouraging first step, and the European Union gave them a cautious welcome, saying it would judge the move on how many were eventually freed.
The government said on Tuesday that more than 6,000 prisoners would be freed but it was unclear how many would be political detainees.
Ms Suu Kyi, herself freed from 15 years of house arrest last year, said: "We hope many more will be released. I'm really thankful for the release of political prisoners."
Early reports that one of the monks' leaders, Shin Gambira, had been released, have now been denied.
He led street protests in 2007 in what became known as the Saffron Revolution, an uprising that was crushed by the previous military government.
Burma announced an amnesty of 15,000 prisoners in May 2011 and freed more than 7,000 in 2009 - but those moves were criticised by rights groups for failing to include political prisoners.
Burma held its first elections in two decades almost a year ago - polls which saw military rule replaced with a military-backed civilian-led government.
Since then the government has freed Aung San Suu Kyi and held a dialogue with her.
But Nyan Win of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) told the BBC that a prisoner release was not all that was needed.
"The release of political prisoners is just one of the barometers of the government's seriousness about a change to democracy," he said.
"There should be other developments like media freedom, and the relaxation of censorship among other things.
Iraq bombs: Police targeted in capital Baghdad
Five car bombs in Baghdad have killed at least 17 people, including police officers, officials say.
Two suicide bombers detonated explosives-laden vehicles minutes apart in north-western Hurriya district and central al-Wiya district, reports said.
They killed 11 and at least another six died in other car bombs, police said.
The resurgence of suicide attacks inside the capital is a worrying development even by Iraqi standards, says the BBC's Rami Ruhayem in Baghdad.
It comes as the last US troops prepare to withdraw by the end of the year.
Police targeted
In Wednesday morning's attacks, one of the suicide bombers struck at al-Wiya police station, located at one of Baghdad's main road junctions.
Another drove his car into the police checkpoint in the Hurriya neighbourhood, a busy residential area - and reportedly a stronghold of Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr - which is surrounded by blast walls.
At least 42 people were injured in those two attacks.
In other attacks in the Iraqi capital on Wednesday officials said:
- A car bomb targeted a police patrol in the south of the city, killing three
- Two police died in a roadside bomb attack in the west of the city
- Another roadside bomb, also in a western district, targeted an Iraqi army patrol but killed one civilian
- There were further violent incidents which caused injuries, AFP news agency reported - a silenced pistol attack on a checkpoint and a magnetic "sticky bomb" attached to a car
- A further two car bombs were detected and dismantled, according to al-Iraqiya TV in Baghdad
The military spokesman for Baghdad, Qassim al-Moussawi, blamed al-Qaeda for the attacks, saying they were an attempt to show people that the militants were still active.
"Every three months or so, al-Qaeda mobilises all its resources to launch such attacks in one day to say that al-Qaeda is still able to attack and threaten security posts," he said, according to the Associated Press news agency.
Wednesday's attacks will intensify concerns about the security situation in the capital as the last US forces prepare to leave - though reports suggest Washington and Baghdad are discussing whether to leave some US forces behind as trainers.
At least nine people died in three blasts in Baghdad on Monday.
Correspondents say police are especially vulnerable to such attacks as they do not boast the heavy equipment or weapons of the Iraqi army. The army has also received the bulk of US training assistance.
Source: BBC
Bahrain dropped by European Tour
The European Tour has dropped Bahrain from its 2012 schedule.
The second Volvo Golf Champions tournament was due to be played at the Royal Golf Club, a course designed by British golfer Colin Montgomerie, in January next year.
But following a crackdown on anti-government protestors that left at least 32 people dead the European Tour has decided to drop Bahrain from the schedule, for now at least.
"With work still ongoing to resolve issues in Bahrain and the need to confirm the venue by the end of July 2011, the difficult decision to postpone the event for 2012 was taken," the Tour said in a statement.
But Bahrain would, it confirmed, remain on its roster.
We know that Bahrain is working hard to address the issues it has faced in recent months, as well as to reach out to the international community," said George O'Grady from the European Tour.
"We, together with the European Tour players, look forward to returning and building on that first, very successful, event in the future."
The postponement of next January's tournament will be seen as another blow to a Bahrain government keen to show the world that stability has returned to the island following months of anti-government unrest. In June motor sport's governing body, the FIA, cancelled Bahrain's 2011 F1 Grand Prix amid security fears.
Red Bull's Australian driver Mark Webber raised ethical concerns about hosting a major sporting event in the Kingdom.
"In my personal opinion, the sport should have taken a much firmer stance earlier this year rather than constantly delaying its decision in the hope of being able to reschedule it in 2011," Webber wrote on his personal web site in June.
"It would have sent a very clear message about F1's position on something as fundamental as human rights and how it deals with moral issues."
FIFA has also asked the Bahraini authorities to explain the jailing of several national football team players. Alaa Hubail, a striker who played 52 times for his country, was sentenced to two years in prison for his involvement in "illegal protests".
A spokesperson for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the sentences being handed down to protestors.
"There are serious concerns that the due process rights of the defendants, many of whom are well-known human rights defenders, were not respected and the trials appear to bear the marks of political persecution," said Ravina Shamdasani.
When asked by CNN about the arrest of the footballers the Bahraini FA confirmed several had been arrested, but claimed they had been treated fairly according to the law.
"The players have been arrested, investigated and detained for having opposed the general laws and bylaws of the country," the vice-president of the Bahraini Football Association, Sheikh Ali bin Khalifa al Khalifa, told CNN back in June before Hubail's sentence was handed down.
"The fact that they happen to be footballers and national team players is highly irrelevant."
ALERT 12 ON EMILY
ALERT #12 ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY WEDNESDAY 3RD AUGUST, 2011 AT 9 PM EDT.
EMILY STALLS…STILL PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN OVER HISPANIOLA…
TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS ARE NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, WHICH INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, CROOKED ISLAND, ACKLINS, RAGGED ISLAND, CAT ISLAND, GREAT EXUMA AND ITS CAYS, LONG ISLAND, RUM CAY AND SAN SALVADOR.
A WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 36 HOURS.
A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS, WHICH INCLUDES THE ISLANDS OF GRAND BAHAMA, BIMINI, ABACO, THE BERRY ISLANDS, ANDROS, NEW PROVIDENCE AND ELEUTHERA.
A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE MENTIONED ISLANDS WITHIN 48 HOURS.
AT 8:00 PM EDT THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM EMILY WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 16.9 DEGREES NORTH AND LONGITUDE 70.6 DEGREES WEST OR ABOUT 75 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ISLA BEATA DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, 300 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MATTHEW TOWN, GREAT INAGUA AND 306 MILES SOUTH OF PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
EMILY HAS MOVED LITTLE OVER THE PAST FEW HOURS BUT SHE IS EXPECTED TO RESUME A WESTWARD MOTION OF ABOUT 14 MILES PER HOUR IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS. A GRADUAL TURN TO THE WEST-NORTHWEST AND NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT DAY OR SO. ON THIS FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF EMILY WILL MOVE ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN PENINSULA OF HAITI EARLY THURSDAY AND MOVE OVER EXTREME EASTERN CUBA AND PARTS OF THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS THURSDAY ACROSS SOUTHERN HAITI EARLY THURSDAY AND OVER THE EXTREME EASTERN CUBA THURSDAY NIGHT.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAINS NEAR 50 MILES PER HOUR WITH HIGHER GUSTS SOME WEAKENING IS POSSIBLE AS EMILY INTERACTS WITH THE HIGH TERRAIN OF HAITI AND EASTERN CUBA. SOME RE-STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE WHEN THE CYCLONE MOVES OVER THE BAHAMAS.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD 115 MILES MAINLY TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF THE CENTER.
RESIDENTS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD COMPLETE FINAL PREPARATIONS TODAY AND CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF EMILY.
RESIDENTS IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THE STORM AND ENSURE THAT ALL PRE-SEASON PRECAUTIONS HAVE BEEN TAKEN AND BEGIN FINAL PREPARATIONS TOMORROW.
SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT AND SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS SHOULD NOT VENTURE FAR FROM PORT.
EMANCIPATION DAY SUCCESSFUL
The Nation’s Capital, Grand Turk came alive with pump and pageantry for the 1st of August Emancipation Day Celebrations.
Citizens in Grand Turk were awakened on 1st of August, 2011 by the melodious music of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police band deck down in their band uniforms as they marched into the sanctuary, led by Band Leader Asst. Superintendent Kenny Grant followed by the Girl Guides and Brownies set the tune for the Ecumenical service which began at 10:00.
The event was graciously hosted by Pastor Marilyn Forbes and congregation of The Revival Faith Center Potter’s House the service lasted until 12:30 pm and there were many highlights marking this day.
The Seventh Day Adventist Path Finders Club made up of some 50 persons in their beautiful attire were in attendance and there is no way to describe their entry into the church as they did their Flag Drills and Christian Pledges. This group also led the church into the singing of the National Anthem, which was followed by the singing of the National Song which was led by Minister Huntley Forbes. The Moderator for the service was Pastor Barbara Parker, who did a splendid job of officiating and the exhortation for the day was brought by the dynamic, Youth Pastor Termard Handfield who spoke on the topic “Divine Emancipation” he encouraged the congregation not to worry about what is going on around them at present in the Turks and Caicos Islands but rather to seek the freedom that can only found in Jesus Christ.
Brief remarks were given by Ms. Angela Freites on behalf of the Cultural and Arts Commission who in her remarks expressed the need for more appreciation of the occasion for it is not just some holiday but is based on triumph over oppression.
Representing the Dominicans Brethren were Pastor Elizabeth Hanchell and her members who sang a song about freedom in Spanish.
Among the congregation was His Excellency Governor Wetherell who sang along and expressed in his remarks of how delighted he was to be present and to share in such an occasion.
Also present were members from the Consultative Forum, Mr. Bradley Coalbrooke the newest member. Dr. Linda Williams who prayed a soul touching opening prayer for the people and this nation and The Chair Mrs. Lillian Missick, who in her remarks said “ that she expected more of our uniformed groups to be at the service and also the need for citizens to appreciate this day more
than they are doing at present.
The service ended about 12:30 after which the uniformed groups march out of the church down Mission Folly and up Front Street to the Odd fellows Lodge.
It was a beautiful sight to behold. The Police Band led the march followed by the Girls Guides and Brownies and then the Seventh Day Adventists Pathfinders Club with their beautiful display of flags flying in the wind, as many other citizens marched and danced along including His Excellency who was so delighted to join in the march.
At the Odd Fellows Lodge the crowd was blessed by renditions from the Police Band, performances by the Path Finders Club and an inspiring poem entitled “Slave Blood” written and performed by Former Chief Minister of the Turks and Caicos Islands the Hon. Oswald Skippings. The keynote speaker was the Rev. Richard Taylor who gave a very inspiring and informative address.
He spoke on the topic of Slavery and Emancipation and even the concept of mental slavery, he was introduced by his brother the Former Chief Minister, Hon Derek Taylor.
The celebration climax at abut 2:00pm with additional performances staged by the Seventh Day Adventist Pathfinders Club made mostly up of our Haitian Brethren living among us, they did a splendid job as they took their final salute and marched off, bringing the ceromony to a close.
The celebrations this year were the biggest and the best ever. Some 200 plus people supported the events as well as a number of by standers who followed the parade to the Odd Fellows Lodge.
Everyone commented about how wonderful the celebrations were this year including His Excellency Governor Wetherell who thanked Ms. Valerie Jennings and Ms. Freites for a job well done.
The Cultural and Arts Commission extend thanks to all who came out to make this event a success through their support and participation.
For those of you who missed it, photos of the event taken by business woman Ms Cody Fulford can be seen on Grand Turk Events.com
The Cultural and Arts Commission urges the community to give this day the tribute it deserves and ensure that such and important day in our history continues to be celebrated.
Tropical Storm Emily nears Dominican coast, Haiti
Tropical Storm Emily brushed past Puerto Rico and headed Wednesday toward the Dominican Republic and Haiti, where more than 630,000 people are still without shelter after last year's earthquake.
A "steady shield of rain" should reach the island of Hispaniola shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti around noon Wednesday and the rainfall should worsen by late afternoon, said John Dlu-goen-ski, senior meteorologist with Accuweather.com.
"The biggest threat to lives is probably the flooding," Dlu-goen-ski said.
But it appears the worst of the storm will largely spare Haitian capital, where most of the quake victims are sheltered.
Michel Davison of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said parts of the Dominican Republic could see up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain over the next 36 hours. Up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) is expected in rural Haiti and up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) in the capital.
Civil defense officials and the military in the Dominican Republic have already begun moving people out of high-risk zones ahead of the storm. Haitian authorities urged people to conserve food and safeguard their belongings.
In Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince, Jislaine Jean-Julien, a 37-year-old street merchant displaced by the January 2010 earthquake, said she was praying the storm would pass her flimsy tent without knocking it over.
"For now, God is the only savior for me," Jean-Julien said at the edge of a crowded encampment facing the quake-destroyed National Palace. "I would go some place else if I could but I have no place else to go."
Haitian emergency authorities set aside a fleet of 22 large white buses in the event they needed to evacuate people from flooded areas. Emergency workers would then bus the people to dozens of schools, churches and other buildings that will serve as shelters.
"We're working day and night to be able to respond quickly in case we have any disasters," said Marie Alta Jean-Baptiste, director of Haiti's Civil Protection Agency.
Emergency workers, both Haitian and foreign, also sent out text messages to cell phone users, alerting them to the approaching storm and to take precautions such as staying with friends or relatives if that were an option.