EU sending Haiti 10 million Euro
The European Union is preparing a second humanitarian funding package of Euro 10 million (US$13.3 million) to fight the cholera epidemic in Haiti, a senior European official said earlier today.
But the EU is insisting that that "unimpeded access to all those in need and respect for basic humanitarian principles is an absolute prerequisite for more funds being made available”.
European humanitarian aid commissioner Kristalina Georgieva said the anti-cholera efforts undertaken before of the post-electoral riots have reduced the daily rate of cholera deaths from 50 on November 23 to 22 on December.
"We are working to continue with this positive trend, but to be successful, humanitarian workers and victims of cholera need peace. Insecurity is killing more people by preventing treatment than by violence in the streets," she said.
"If turmoil persists, the cholera epidemic can go out of control. It is essential to allow patients to be treated, clean water to be provided and good sanitation to be ensured. If we fail to do so, the consequences could be devastating," Georgieva said.
The initial Euro 12 million (US$15.9 million) in funding made available by the EU had been exhausted and the second Euro 10 million package was now being put together, the EU said in a statement.
The cholera epidemic has been ravaging the country in waves for nearly two months, affecting more than 93, 000 people and killing more than 2,100.
"These figures are likely to rise dramatically the longer the current unrest goes on. The situation is particularly worrying in areas where the cholera attack and lethality rates are currently very high," the EC said.
Bumble Bee recalled in the TCI
The United States Department of Agriculture has announced a recall of canned Chicken Salad Products that may contain foreign materials.
Based on this information the Turks and Caicos Environmental Health Department is recommending that consumers avoid purchasing and eating the following canned chicken salad products until further information is available regarding the safety of the products;
- 8.2-ounce packages of "BUMBLE BEE LUNCH ON THE RUN CHICKEN SALAD COMPLETE LUNCH KIT." The package contains a 2.9-ounce can of Bumble Bee Chicken Salad along with crackers, mixed fruit, a cookie and a spoon. The package label indicates the product is "Mixed and Ready to Eat." The product package indicates a "Best-by" date of 07/11.
- 3.5-ounce packages of "BUMBLE BEE CHICKEN SALAD WITH CRACKERS." The package contains a 2.9-can of Bumble Bee Chicken Salad and crackers. The package label indicates the product is "Ready to Eat." The product package indicates a "Best-by" date of 01/12 or 02/12.
The cans of chicken salad bear the establishment number "P-169" inside the USDA mark of inspection and the lot code "0225XXQBC" printed on the package.
The Environmental Health Department would also like to notify food distributors throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands that with immediate effect, none of the products implicated in the recall should be dispensed for sale or be used in any way for human consumption.
RTC News understands that to date, there has been no case of illness linked to the implicated food in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Ministry of Health is however asking anyone who has consumed canned Chicken Salad products and is suffering from any signs or symptoms of an illness that may be related to the consumption of the recalled products, to report to the Turks and Caicos Medical Department or anyone any medical officer acting on behalf of the Turks and Caicos Government.
Clement Howell takes 2010 Provo High Basketball tournament
PROVO HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
2010 Basketball Championship
Saturday 11th December, 2010
Game 10 Championship Game
Marjorie Basden Vs Clement Howell
Clement Howell won 73 to 71
Top Scorers for Clement Howell
Melvin Else 13 Points, 5 Steal, 7 Assist, 1Block
Carlon Bassett 33 Points, 10 Steal, 3 Assist, 1 Block, 5 Rebounds
Andy Florvill 14 Point, 4 Rebounds, 3 Assist, 1 Block
Shyon Parker 5 Points, 1 Rebounds
Reo Stubbs 6 Points, 4 Rebounds, 1 Assist
Top scores for Marjorie Basden
Kivarno Handfield 20 Points, 8 Rebounds, 2 Blocks, 2 Steals
Javardo Smith 23 Points, 1 Rebound, 1 Steal
Geoquile Penn 9 Points, 7 Rebounds, 5 Steal,
Corelle Cox 2 Points, 3 Rebounds, 2 steals, 1 Assist
Jason Nelson 7 Rebounds, 9 Points
Most Rebounds
#1 Marvin Cox – New Age with 29 Rebounds
Most Steals
#4 Carlon Basstee – Clement Howell with 15 steals
Most Assist
#11 Melvin Elsie – Clement Howell with 10 Assist
Most Blocks
#4 Emileo Ariza – Raymond Gardiner with 6 Blocks
MVP
#4 Carlon Basstee – Clement Howell with 33 Points, 10 Steal, 3 Assist, 1 Block, 5 Rebounds
3rd Place – Raymond Gardiner High
2nd Place – Marjorie Basden High
2010 Winners - Clement Howell High
Jamaican-made cars exported to Turks and Caicos
Three motor cars made by Excel Motors Island Cruisers in Jamaica were escorted to the Montego Bay Cruise Ship Terminal ahead of the official export ceremony on Friday, for export to the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Jamaica’s Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Karl Samuda, has praised Patrick Marzouca, the chief executive officer (CEO) of local firm Excel Motors Island Cruisers, for his firm's success in manufacturing and exporting motorcars to the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Speaking at the export ceremony at the Montego Bay Cruise Ship Terminal on Friday, Samuda congratulated Marzouca and endorsed his resilience and determination, which made the project a success.
"The idea of a car manufacturing project was not a pipe-dream, but a reality and now to see that he has persevered against all the odds; with all these trials and tribulations, he has been able to obtain an order for the production of these vehicles. I want to commend you for your effort, Patrick, and I want to congratulate you for your sense of resilience and your determination to succeed," Samuda said.
He indicated that the government was totally committed to the manufacturing sector, recognizing that only through expansion of productive activity that the country is going to get out of its economic difficulties.
"Here before us today is an example of someone that has not only had the tenacity and the stick-to-itiveness to pursue against the odds and the difficulty of finding the capital necessary to keep the entire business running, but one who has triumphed," Samuda said.
He added that, having driven one of the vehicles, it appeared that the integrity of the equipment is without doubt. He, however, encouraged Marzouca to reconsider the branding of the product, and consider using the Jamaica brand which, he said, was critical for a new product.
"I believe that Jamaica has the kind of name and reputation that will assist the product and drive its quality," Samuda advised.
He assured Marzouca that funding to move his business to a higher level was available through the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) and the ExIm Bank, and made a commitment to assist him to increase profitability.
A former Minister of Development, Dr Paul Robertson, in congratulating Marzouca, said that the vehicles demonstrated 'some real Jamaican engineering', and great export potential and prospects for developing and expanding a niche product for Jamaica.
Excel Motors Limited, the only car manufacturing company in Jamaica, was officially launched in 2003, with vehicles boasting fiberglass chassis and 1.5 litre Japanese-made engines.
Canadian cops to descend on TCI
(TCI Weekly News)
Royal Turks and Caicos Police Force expressed thanks to their officers
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The senior members of the Royal Turks and Caicos Police Force today expressed thanks to their fellow officers and the effectiveness of Operation Alpha 2 for the decrease in crime in the Turks and Caicos Islands over the last six weeks..
Commissioner Edward Hall at a press briefing released the figures for November and allowed fellow officers to report to the media.
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Also in attendance was ASP Dave Ryder who gave an outline of Operation Alpha 2 and ASP Rodney Adams who also attended the press briefing and gave tips for the holidays in preventing crime.
RTC News will have more on Monday.
Turks and Caicos political leaders weigh in on British 'milestones'
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Last week, Henry Bellingham, British Under-secretary of State and Foreign and Commonwealth Office minister with responsibility for the 14 British Overseas Territories, issued a three-page statement setting out eight milestones that must be achieved before elected internal self-government can return to the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The leaders of both political parties have weighed in on their view of the milestones and how it will affect future elections as well as the prospects for return to healthy public finances. Douglas Parnell, the leader of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), appeared on both local television stations and indicated disappointment that elections would not occur until 2012, saying he had hoped the return to elections could occur by December 2011. However, he said he “celebrated” the announcement that a financial package would be forthcoming from Britain. “We need to put a floor on our economic recession here in the TCI,” Parnell said. Part of the struggle the British-run Interim Government has faced is the enormous debt run up by the last administration of now resigned Premier Michael Misick. Parnell went on to say, “This (the financial package) is what I and my party have been calling for for some time.” It is not known what the nature and size of the package will be. The interim government has three major areas of financial concern: old debts and loans left over from the Misick administration; the size of the civil service, which Governor Gordon Wetherell says is itself consuming 60 percent of the government’s monthly revenue; and the contracted healthcare program, which includes the pay down of the two hospitals (total 30 beds) and health care by the contractor, Interhealth Canada. The health program and civil service costs together are estimated to consume $8 million more per year than the entire government income. Parnell went on to say he also felt that several of the eight milestones were nearly completed, including formation of the Integrity Commission and constitutional reform, which is expected to be completed in early 2011. The PDM leader was also pleased that Bellingham had indicated inclusion of the political parties in the process of reaching the milestones. Clayton Greene Leader of the Progressive National Party (PNP), the last internal government, also felt elections ought to be held no later than December 2011. The milestone Greene spoke at length about was that which requires the Helen Garlick-led special investigation and prosecution team to achieve progress and be assured in some formal fashion of being able to continue their work without any restraints. All the witnesses that testified before the 2009 Commission of Inquiry were associated with Greene's PNP party. It was the Inquiry’s findings that resulted in the imposition of direct rule by Britain, with an interim government replacing the PNP internal government, which ruled for exactly six years (two incomplete terms). The PNP leader took issue with prosecutions being necessary before elections can be held. In his interview Greene also called for a “National Action Plan”. The PNP leader did not describe this programme, how it would work and who would participate. |
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Dancehall King Beenie Man and Barbadian popstar Rihanna has made his way onto the Xbox Kinect popular game Dance Central.Janet Jackson Announces 2011 World Tour
Janet Jackson will embark on a world tour next year that will feature performances of her No. 1 singles — and nothing else.
The artist, who released her retrospective LP “Number Ones” earlier this year, will play 35 dates across the globe where she will perform each of her 35 chart toppers.
In a blog on her official website, she said: “During the past several months I’ve had such wonderful experiences. I’ve released my Number Ones CD…and throughout this time I’ve heard from you – my fans – whom I cherish dearly.
“Many have asked when I will tour again – well today I’m really excited to answer that question, and I announce my largest ever world tour, celebrating 35 number ones.
“This tour will be different from those of the past in the way that I will exclusively perform songs from my number ones. You’ll hear all the hits in 35 cities, which I want you to help me select.”
She added: “Wherever possible I will perform in venues that will allow me to be up close so that I can be with you in a much more intimate setting.”
After fans submitted their suggestion to the star’s official website, the first city announced for the jaunt is Hong Kong, where she will perform next year on Feb. 14. Further dates are expected to follow shortly.
Saxophonist James Moody Dies of Cancer
Celebrated jazz saxophonist and flutist James Moody, who achieved fame as an associate of Dizzy Gillespie and was the co-composer of “Moody’s Mood for Love,” died Thursday (Dec. 9) of pancreatic cancer at a hospice in San Diego, The New York Times reported. He was 85.
Moody revealed last month he had cancer and decided against receiving chemotherapy or radiation treatment, the Times said.
The musician started his career with trumpeter Gillespie shortly after World War I and continued performing well into the 21st century. He was known for his distinctive sounds and was equally fluent on both tenor and alto saxophone, a relatively rare accomplishment in Jazz.
Moody was also known for his self-effacing humor.“I’m not a flute player,” he told an interviewer. “I’m a flute holder.”
His peers and critics found his talent exceptional. In a 1980 review, Village Voice critic Gary Giddins praised Moody’s “unqualified directness of expression” and said his improvisations were “mini-epics in which impassioned oracles, comic relief, suspense and song vie for chorus time.”
Moody was born in Savannah, Ga., March 26, 1925, and raised in Newark, N.J. He started playing saxophone in school and played with an all-black Army Air Force band during World War II. After his military discharge, he auditioned for Gillespie.
A fire at a Philadelphia nightclub destroyed the band’s equipment, uniforms and sheet music in 1958 and Moody said he started drinking. He checked himself into Overbrook, a psychiatric hospital in Cedar Grove, N.J., for several months. He celebrated his recovery by writing and recording “Last Train From Overbrook,” an up-tempo blues tune that became one of his best-known compositions.
Moody said he saw his musical education as a work in progress.
“I’ve always wanted to be around people who know more than me,” he said in a 2006 interview. “Because that way I keep learning.”
Moody, divorced twice, is survived by his wife of 21 years, Linda, and three sons, Patrick, Regan and Danny, all California residents.