International Firefighters Day 2011 observed
International Firefighters' Day is observed each year on 4th May. On this date we pause to pay tribute to firefighters worldwide, present and past, who brave the dangers in order to save lives and property and protect the environment.
It is also a day on which we highlight fire awareness and promote firefighting as a volunteering or career choice.
May 4th was celebrated for many centuries in European countries as Firefighters Day because of Saint Florian, who according to legend, was able to save an entire burning village in ancient Rome with just a single bucket of water. However, this observance did not spread worldwide until a tragic wildfire in Australia took the lives of five firefighters on January 4, 1999. Consequently, firefighter JJ Edmondson sent out an email proposing an International Firefighters Day to be recognized throughout the world.
Today, St. Florian is known as the defender of those who face the danger of fire and is the Patron Saint of Firefighters.
The Ministry of Home Affairs takes this opportunity to salute all volunteer and full time firefighters in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
We hope that this day will bring to the fore the recognition that firefighters so richly deserve and serve to highlight the sterling duties they perform to keep this country safe from fire and to keep international and interisland air transport operating.
As you go about your day today, please take a moment to stop and thank a firefighter or their family for the dedication and sacrifice that they continue to make to this county. If you're a firefighter take time to thank a fellow firefighter or one or more of your mentors.
Despite the challenges faced by the Turks and Caicos Fire and Rescue Service, it continues, through its team of full time and volunteer firefighters, to provide:
- Aerodrome fire coverage at the five airports
- Domestic Fire and Rescue services throughout the country and
- Fire Safety and Prevention Education
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Public Safety said:
“It is good that there is a day set aside internationally to recognise fighters. In addition to this, the Ministry has also recently instituted a process of recognition to highlight their bravery and performance under challenging circumstances. We hope that these events will serve to highlight the work of this noble profession.
Today, we in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Public Safety, on behalf of the people of the Turks and Caicos, wish all firefighters a happy International Firefighters Day.”
Mosley understands role against overwhelming favorite Pacquiao
Shane Mosley knew what was coming from the minute he signed to fight Manny Pacquiao. He's been in enough big fights to understand his role in this one.
What Mosley believes boxing fans don't understand is he's got a real shot to pull off an upset over the best boxer in the world.
"It's going to get very interesting, very quick," Mosley said.
Oddsmakers in this gambling town don't agree, making Pacquiao a 6-1 favorite to beat Mosley when they meet Saturday night at the MGM Grand Hotel. But Pacquiao himself says Mosley may prove to be his most difficult fight since he became a superstar by beating Oscar De La Hoya.
"He's not an easy opponent," Pacquiao said at Wednesday's final pre-fight press conference. "He's the kind of fighter you can't underestimate."
Pacquiao said he has not done that, training eight hard weeks to get into the kind of shape his adoring public has come to expect. He's expecting the Mosley of his prime, not the fighter who looked very ordinary in a loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. last year, followed by a draw with Sergio Mora.
"He moves like he's 31, 32 years old," Pacquiao said. "He has hand speed, and he has foot speed."
Many in boxing think otherwise. They see the 39-year-old Mosley as a shell of the fighter who beat De La Hoya twice and has held titles in three different weight classes.
Mosley rocked Mayweather early only to fade as the rounds went on. He looked old and tired against Mora.
But styles do make fights, and Mosley believes he has the speed and punching power to trade punches with a fighter who likes nothing better than a good brawl in the ring.
That could make for an interesting fight - even if it's not the fight against Mayweather most boxing fans want to see.
"It's an opportunity to show people I'm not washed up," Mosley said. "My legs are good, they're strong and ready to go. You don't lose your power. They say you lose your speed, but I haven't lost my speed either."
Mosley will earn a minimum $5 million to take on Pacquiao, the boxer-congressman-singer who has become a worldwide phenomenon. He may earn every penny of it if Pacquiao looks like he did in dismantling Antonio Margarito in his last fight in November.
The only knock on Pacquiao - who is guaranteed $20 million - is that he spends too much time doing things that have nothing to do with boxing. That includes an Oval Office meeting with President Barack Obama when Pacquiao was in the United States in February to begin promoting the Mosley fight.
But he's proven he can manage them well, whether it's his duties as a congressman or recording his latest music CD.
Pacquiao combined some of those duties at the press conference, with an announcement that he will wear yellow gloves in the ring as a message of hope in fighting hunger in his native Philippines. He also called out songwriter Dan Hill in the audience, whom he teamed up with to recently record and release Hill's song "Sometimes When We Touch."
But boxing is his main job, and Pacquiao gave every indication he plans to put on a show in an arena that has been sold out for five weeks. It's the same arena where he made his U.S. debut 10 years ago as an undercard fighter who took a bout on two weeks' notice and still won.
"It's nice to be back here," said Pacquiao, whose last two fights were at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. "This is an important fight for me and millions of my fans."
Source:AP
Obama Will Not Release bin Laden Death Photo
President Barack Obama decided Wednesday not to release photographs of al-Qaida terror network leader Osama bin Laden after he was shot and killed. The president’s decision ended three days of debate on the issue within his administration.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said the president made the decision not to release the photos of Osama bin Laden’s body for several reasons.
Carney read excerpts from the transcript of an interview Mr. Obama gave to CBS television earlier Wednesday. According to Carney, the president said he is concerned that making the gruesome images public could damage U.S. national security. "It is important for us to make sure that very graphic photos of somebody who was shot in the head are not floating around as an incitement to additional violence or as a propaganda tool. That is not who we are. We do not trot out this stuff as trophies," he said.
Carney said the president told the interviewer that there is no doubt among al-Qaida members that bin Laden is dead. The White House spokesman quoted Mr. Obama as saying, "You will not see Osama bin Laden walking on this Earth again."
Carney told reporters that the president has held his position on the issue very firmly, and that Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed with his decision to not to disclose the pictures.
But CIA Director Leon Panetta, whom Mr. Obama has chosen to be the next defense secretary, said publicly, several times before the decision was announced, that the photographs should be released.
Whether the president should make the pictures public also caused some disagreement on Capitol Hill.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said that keeping the photographs from the public would be a mistake. Another Republican Senator, Kelly Ayotte, said that doing so will foster doubts that bin Laden is really dead. "We have seen that in many instances around the world, there can be conspiracy theories about these types of events. And so, I think it is important in terms of closure that, while nobody wants to see disturbing photos, the closure aspect of it, I think, is very important," he said.
But many other lawmakers, Republicans among them, support Mr. Obama’s decision.
Republican Mike Rogers is Chairman of the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. "If you are a sergeant in a town in Ghazni, Afghanistan and you are trying to get some local elder to cooperate about what is happening in your village, are you going to do it if this inflames? We have a trophy of Osama bin Laden? I worry about that," he said.
President Obama made a similar decision in May, 2009, when he reversed an earlier decision and decided against releasing photographs of the abuse of detainees at U.S. military prisons. In that case, he also based his decision on the potential for the images to incite violence.
Mr. Obama is scheduled go to New York on Thursday, to lay a wreath at the National September 11 Memorial, on the site of the World Trade Center. About 2,800 people were killed in 2001, when the 110-story twin towers were destroyed in an al-Qaida attack.
The president will not speak publicly at the event. He will meet with the families of the victims and emergency workers who died that day.
UN: Panel Links River to Haiti Cholera Outbreak
A United Nations panel of experts say the cholera outbreak in Haiti that killed almost 5,000 people was caused by contamination of the Artibonite River, which runs near a peacekeepers' base.
The panel's report released Wednesday found sanitation at the Nepalese peackeeper base was not sufficient enough to keep human waste from seeping into the tributaries of the river.
But the panel stopped short of directly blaming the peacekeepers, saying instead, the outbreak of the South Asian strain of cholera was caused by a “confluence of circumstances” and not the fault of, or deliberate action of, a group of individuals.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon says he will review the report's findings and ensure a timely response.
The panel recommends peacekeepers heading to cholera affected areas be screened for the disease and immunized.
It also recommends that fecal materials be treated with chemicals to prevent the spread of cholera.
Haiti's cholera epidemic broke out in October of last year.
Haiti is still struggling to recover from last January's earthquake that left more than 200,000 people dead and 1 million homeless.
Australian Police Makes “Record” Drug Bust
Police in Australia say they have seized a record 239 kilograms of methamphetamine, a drug commonly known as “ice.”
Officials said Thursday that the drugs were seized in several raids in Sydney an Perth. They said the estimated value of the drug sold on the streets would have been more than $50 million. Officers also found a semi-automatic pistol and cash during the raids.
Four men have been detained in connection with the bust. The four suspects — two Australian, one Belgian and one Dutch — have been charged with drug trafficking and drug possession.
Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Kevin Zuccato said that the drug haul and the investigation represent a significant blow to criminal groups operating in Australia.
It is believed that the drugs arrived to Australia through its ports and were sent by organized crime groups in Europe.
In the past year, Australian police have seized more than 1.8 tons of drugs.
The previous largest seizure of methamphetamine in Australia was 219 kilograms made in Melbourne in 2008.
Zuccato said the strong Australian dollar makes the country increasingly attractive to international dug syndicates.
Palestinians Sign Unity Pact in Cairo
Rival Palestinian leaders from the Fatah and Hamas groups formally ended a bitter, four-year rift Wednesday, but Israel's prime minister denounced their reconciliation as a “tremendous blow to peace” and a “victory for terrorism.”
Fatah's leader, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, told a ceremony in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, that Palestinians have forever turned the “black page of division.” He promised to soon visit the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal said the two groups seek a common goal – a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and no Israeli settlers. He said Palestinians should not give up “a single inch of land” or the right of return for Palestinian refugees.
The accord calls for the formation of an interim Palestinian government followed by presidential and legislative elections within a year.
The two Palestinian factions split in 2007 amid fighting over Fatah officials being removed from power in Gaza. Israel responded by placing the territory under an economic blockade.
Israeli leaders say the new agreement could derail peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with his British counterpart in London Wednesday. He urged David Cameron not to recognize the Fatah-Hamas government. Mr. Netanyahu will meet Thursday with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
U.S. President Barack Obama will host Mr. Netanyahu May 20 at the White House.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Wednesday that Washington continues to believe Hamas must recognize Israel's right to exist, reject violence and abide by interim peace agreements if it wants to play a meaningful role in the political process.
He said the United States will look at the formation of any new Palestinian government before taking steps on future aid. The presence of Hamas politicians in the new governing structures could mean a cutoff in U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority.
The U.S., Israel and the European Union all consider Hamas a terrorist group.
In an early sign of change on the ground, Hamas' al-Aqsa television was permitted to broadcast for the first time since 2007 in the West Bank and the Fatah-controlled Palestine television into Gaza.
In Gaza City, thousands turned out to celebrate the deal. Some waved yellow Fatah flags, which had been banned for the past four years.
The outgoing head of Israel's Shin Bet internal security service, Yuval Diskin, predicted the unity deal will not last long. He also said Israel is prepared to maintain its cooperation with Mr. Abbas' security service.
For now, while a committee negotiates the future of security cooperation and prisoners, Fatah and Hamas will police their own areas independently.
Last WWI combat veteran Claude Choules dies aged 110
The world's last known combat veteran of World War I, Claude Stanley Choules, has died in Australia aged 110.
Known to his comrades as Chuckles, British-born Mr Choules joined the Royal Navy at 15 and went on to serve on HMS Revenge.
He moved to Australia in the 1920s and served in the military until 1956.
Mr Choules, who had been married to his wife Enid for 80 years, was reported to have died in his sleep at a nursing home in his adopted city of Perth.
He is survived by three children and 11 grandchildren. Enid, his wife of eight decades, died three years ago.
Mr Choules' 84-year-old daughter, Daphne Edinger, told the Associated Press news agency: "We all loved him. It's going to be sad to think of him not being here any longer, but that's the way things go."
Holyfield eyes world title fight
Former heavyweight champion, Evander Holyfield, is hoping to line up a world championship fight if he can beat Brian Nielsen in a non-title bout on Saturday.
The 48-year-old Holyfield (43-10-2), who held the world heavyweight title four times, arrived in Denmark on Sunday for the bout at Copenhagen's concert hall and said he wouldn't be fighting if he wasn't ready.
Holyfield's latest bout in January against Sherman Williams was ruled a no-contest. Before that, he knocked out Francois Botha, after losses to Nikolay Valuev and Sultan Ibragimov.
"If I win, I am moving to the next level," Holyfield said on Monday. "I am hoping to get a championship bout with other guys with other belts.
"Back then when I was young, I made a lot mistakes but I had the stamina and all that to overcome. Today, you have less stamina but more focus. Either way you go, if you play with what you have, you win."
Nielsen (64-2, 43 KOs) acknowledged that Holyfield is the favourite, but promises the fight won't be a walkover.
"I know that he will be really tough to beat, but he won't meet someone who will throw himself on to the floor before him," Nielsen said after a training session. "I will fight until I cannot stand up any longer.
"I have fought 200 fights and I have never been knocked out, so why should that happen now?"
Nielsen, who lost to Mike Tyson in 2001, last fought in 2002 and retired soon after because of a knee injury.
Barcelona advance to final
Barcelona advanced to the Champions League final by dominating Real Madrid in a 1-1 tie yesterday, winning the semi-final on 3-1 aggregate as Pedro Rodriguez scored off a perfect through pass from Andres Iniesta in the 54th minute.
In the fourth match between the rivals in 18 days, Rodriguez gave Barcelona a three-goal lead in the home-and-home, total-goals series.
Marcelo scored for Real Madrid in the 64th minute off a pass from Angel Di Maria, whose initial shot bounced back off a post.
Marcelo's was the only shot on goal by the visitors in the entire match.
"Another (setback), like always," Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas said as Barcelona players celebrated. "We're not going to get upset because it will just be used against us."
Mavs rally to stun Lakers
When Kobe Bryant drained a three-pointer to put the Los Angeles Lakers up by 16 points in the second half, nobody would have been surprised if the Dallas Mavericks packed it in. After all, these perennial underachievers are not exactly known for their play-off tenacity.
Nowitzki scored 28 points and hit two go-ahead free throws with 19.5 seconds left, Jason Kidd forced a crucial turnover moments later and the Mavericks escaped with a 96-94 victory in Game One on Monday night, when Bryant missed two late chances to steal it back for the Lakers.
Jason Terry scored 15 points and Nowitzki had 14 rebounds for the Mavericks, who erased that huge third-quarter deficit before the dramatic finish to the perennial play-off teams' first post-season meeting in 23 years. The Mavericks trailed 92-87 with 3:32 to play, but finished on a 9-2 run.
"I thought we did a great job hanging in there," Nowitzki said. "It wasn't looking good, but we talked about it in the huddle. Just stick with it, try to get some stops, don't turn the ball over and get a shot up every time. Just at least give ourselves a chance to make it."
They made it all right - but only when Bryant, who scored 21 of his 36 points in the second half, couldn't provide his usual late-game heroics.
"I think they always had hope," Bryant said of the Mavs. "They're in the second round. They're here to play. I don't really see it as a big deal. We've got to improve."
Game Two is tonight at Staples Center.
Hawks 103, Bulls 95
IN CHICAGO: Joe Johnson scored 34 points and Atlanta beat top-seeded Chicago in Game One of the Eastern Conference semi-finals. The Bulls got a scare when Derrick Rose came up limping at the end of the game. He stepped on Jamal Crawford's foot as he dribbled out the final seconds and was helped off by teammates and a trainer.
Game Two is tonight at the United Center.