Floyd Mayweather v Conor McGregor set for Saturday
UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor wants to continue both a mixed martial arts and boxing career after Saturday's super bout with Floyd Mayweather.
Wednesday's final news conference at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas proved far calmer than any media event in the build-up to what could be the most lucrative fight in boxing history.
McGregor, 29, will earn a reported $100m in his boxing debut at the T-Mobile Arena event, prompting speculation future UFC pay days might not keep him with the organisation.
He said: "When this one is done I will have 20 seconds where I relish in victory and then I will be thinking who is next? I will be looking to compete all over the place.
"After I get victory I will certainly be looking to compete in both sports. Since I'm the king of the boxing ring and king of the MMA maybe I will make my own hybrid. Then if anyone wants to challenge me they can do it in my octagon."
Mayweather cut a refined figure at the MGM event, which was closed to the public. He was seemingly uninterested in exchanging insults, while McGregor had no such qualms, pointing to social media posts his rival has shared of betting slips and stating he thinks Mayweather "may have a gambling problem".
The undefeated boxer's father - Floyd Sr - told reporters "a lot" had been taken away from his son's ability in his two years out of the sport but stressed he still had enough to overcome McGregor.
But Mayweather was defiant when telling BBC Sport he was "going to look good" as he bids for a 50th win from 50 fights.
"I don't miss the hype and this at all. I'd rather be at home watching TV but this is my job," said the 40-year-old.
"McGregor can say whatever he wants to say, when it comes down to it I can fight. "Mentally, no athlete in the world is stronger than me.
"To be here 21 years I had to take it extremely seriously. You guys think I am not taking it seriously? I am."
It was announced the winner of a bout many in boxing have rubbished will receive a one-off belt from the World Boxing Council called 'The Money Belt'.
It contains 3,360 diamonds, 600 sapphires, 300 emeralds and 1.5kg of solid gold, mounted on alligator leather.
It is the latest opulent addition to a fight which could earn $600m (£469m) and which will challenge the record of 4.6 million pay-per-view buys set when Mayweather defeated Manny Pacquiao in 2015.
Donald Trump softens tone to urge 'a new unity'
US President Donald Trump has called for a "new unity", a day after a campaign-style rally in which he attacked political foes and media.
Speaking in Reno, Nevada, Mr Trump said "we are one people with one home and one great flag".
"In America, we never lose faith, we never forget who we are, and we never stop striving for a better future," he told the American Legion.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the convention centre as he spoke.
In a 22-minute address to the veterans' group, Mr Trump read from a teleprompter as he said: "It is time to heal the wounds that have divided us, and to seek a new unity based on the common values that unite us."
He told his audience of more than 5,000 that in the US, "we are not defined by the colour of our skin, the figure on our pay cheque, or the party of our politics.
"We are defined by our shared humanity - by our citizenship in this magnificent nation, and by the love that fills our hearts."
At a raucous rally in Arizona the night before he railed against that state's two senators, both fellow members of his Republican party, and Democrats.
In his 80-minute speech, Mr Trump threatened to shut down the government unless funding was approved for his proposed wall on the US-Mexico border.
He also excoriated media coverage of his statements about violence at a white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month.
Mr Trump selectively quoted his initial response, omitting his much-criticised remark that "many sides" were to blame for clashes that ended with a counter-demonstrator killed.
He also accused the "damn dishonest media" of "trying to take away our culture".
"They're trying to take away our history," he added. As he spoke, protesters clashed with police outside the venue in central Phoenix.
After Mr Trump's speech on Wednesday in Nevada, Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell denied a New York Times report that he was angry with the president and doubtful of his ability to lead the party.
Source-BBC
CARICOM countries urged to treat fleeing Venezuelan nationals with compassion
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries are being urged to re-consider treating Venezuelan nationals fleeing the political situation in their country as illegal immigrants and instead recognise the scale of the humanitarian crisis in that South American country.
In a statement released by the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) on behalf of several religious and civil society groups, have urged CARICOM countries to provide for those fleeing Venezuela, where opposition forces are seeking to topple the government of President Nicolas Maduro, with legal protection and register them on arrival.
“A collaborative approach to governance encompassing relevant civic, business and Government agencies might begin by ensuring registration of Venezuelan refugees arriving at our borders, thereby both providing them with legal protection and discouraging illegal entry through porous borders and beaches,” said the group.
They said that the registration of Venezuelan refugees, “would also strengthen the possibility of more orderly reintegration of the refugees into their own country when circumstances permit a safe and minimally decent life”.
CARICOM leaders, at their last summit, held in Grenada last month, issued a statement reaffirming their guiding principles of adherence to the rule of law, respect for human rights and democracy, as well as for the fundamental principles of non-intervention and non-interference in the internal affairs of states.
But they noted that they were concerned about the “difficult political, economic and social situation in Venezuela, in particular, the increase in violence and polarisation between the Government and the Opposition, and its effect on the people of Venezuela”.
As a result, the regional leaders “called for all parties to commit to engage in renewed dialogue and negotiation, leading to a comprehensive political agreement, with established time tables, concrete actions and guarantees to ensure its implementation for the well-being of the nation”.
“In this regard, CARICOM Heads of Government offered their good offices to facilitate this dialogue,” the communiqué said, noting that they had also mandated Mitchell “to communicate with the parties concerned in Venezuela about this offer”.
On July 30, Venezuela staged an election to choose a 545-member constituent assembly, with the power to rewrite the constitution and dissolve state institutions.
The polls were boycotted by the opposition and criticised by many western countries, but Maduro said the assembly would help bring peace to the country, where more than 100 people have been killed and more than 2,000 wounded since the street protest began in April.
In their statement, the groups here said that a “principled and rights-oriented humanitarian response” would be in keeping with the CARICOM desire to “avoid becoming embroiled in Venezuelan domestic politics.”
They said that if their recommendation is not accepted, Venezuelan refugees would continue to be “vulnerable to the kind of treatment experienced by the isolated cases of Angolan, Haitian, Cuban and other refugees who have found their way to our shores.
“The default response has been to treat them as illegal immigrants often detained for months on end,” they said noting that “CARICOM countries are already beginning to feel the effects of the tens of thousands of refugees seeking asylum in neighbouring Latin American countries as a result of the severe economic disintegration and political instability fuelling that crisis”.
Earlier this month, former St Kitts-Nevis prime minister Dr Denzil Douglas urged CARICOM not to support a statement by United States President Donald Trump of a possible military solution to the crisis in Venezuela.
Despite the security issues and the fact that CARICOM's capacity for delivering health and welfare services are limited, the organisations said those factors do not absolve regional countries from the responsibility of developing just and fraternal reception policies and of respecting the fundamental rights of individual refugees.
“As civil and faith-based organisations our responsibility to engage with the humanitarian dimensions of the Venezuelan crisis is no less real than that of Governments. For this reason in a spirit of solidarity and social justice and in collaboration with relevant international agencies, we commit to engaging with the challenge of promoting the protection of the fundamental rights of Venezuelan refugees,” they said.
Source-CMC
Samsung eyes reset with new Galaxy Note
Samsung on Wednesday August 23rd unveiled a new model of its Galaxy Note as it seeks to leave behind the debacle over exploding batteries in the previous generation of the device, and mount a renewed challenge to Apple and its soon-to-come iPhone 8.
Introducing the Note 8 "phablet" at an event in New York City, executives repeatedly thanked fans who had remained loyal to the device.
"None of us will ever forget what happened last year," said Samsung president of mobile communications business DJ Koh.
"But, I will never forget how millions of dedicated Note loyalists stayed with us; so let me express my deepest gratitude."
The South Korean giant laid claim to being the first smartphone maker to field a "phablet" device -- combining features of smartphones and tablets -- when it introduced the first Note five years ago.
Samsung did not disclose the price of the Note 8, which will hit shops on September 15 but will be available for pre-orders starting Thursday.
The website for major US retail chain Best Buy offered the Note 8 for $930 without any carrier subsidies.
Apple is expected to put a similarly high price a hotly-anticipated 10th anniversary iPhone believed to be on the horizon.
Note 8 features include dual cameras on the back, with improved image capabilities, and asignature "S Pen" for drawing or writing on touch screens.
"All in all, it was a good day for Samsung," Moore Insights and Strategy analyst Patrick Moorhead said at the event.
"The Note 7 is clearly behind them and now it's onto the future with the Note 8."
The analyst depicted the Note 8 as Samsung's best opportunity in years to gain market share in the fiercely competitive premium smartphone market.
Source-AFP
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION PROVIDES CSEC/CVQ RESULTS
The anxiously awaited results for the May/June 2017 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Examinations (CSEC) and the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) were released on August 18; when students from schools throughout the country joined counterparts around the Caribbean in viewing their grades by logging into CXC's Online Registration System.
This year, four hundred and eighty-four (484) students registered two thousand, three hundred and seventy-one (2,371) entries in twenty-nine (29) subject areas; an increase of 3.62%. The country's pass rate increased by 1%, from 72.59% to 73.59% this year. Government Secondary Schools recorded pass rates between 70-94%. There was improvement in the number of Grade I's and II's achieved; with the number of passes at Grade I increasing from 237, representing 11.43%, to 303, representing 13.85% and the number of passes at Grade II increasing from 589 or 28.41% to 636 or 29.07%; a difference of 2.42% and 0.66% respectively.
Of the candidates who sat, two hundred and twenty-one (221) received passes in 1-4 subjects, one hundred and seventy (170) received passes in 5-9 subjects while five (5) received passes in ten or more subjects.
Although the pass rate for English A remained at 69%, the quality of passes improved with 14.96% receiving Grade I versus 14.10% last year and 27.27% receiving Grade II when compared with 20.66% in 2016. There was also a decline in the number of Grade III passes.
While Mathematics again recorded a pass rate of 42%, there was a slight increase in the number of passes at Grade III.
Please note that the results for English A and Mathematics are not a true reflection of performance in these areas, as a number of students would have passed these subjects at earlier sittings.
It is worth noting that eleven (11) students sat Additional Mathematics this year with nine (9) or 81.82% achieving a passing grade; one (1) student received a Grade I and two (2) received Grade II.
The 2017 results also revealed that there was improvement in the pass rate for fifteen (15) of the twenty-nine (29) subjects sat, namely: Chemistry, Physics, Integrated Science, Information Technology, Office Administration, Principles of Business, Electronic Document Preparation and Management, English B, Geography, French, Spanish, Visual Arts, Textiles Clothing and Fashion, Food Nutrition and Health and Technical Drawing.
For the first year of registering for CVQ, fifteen (15) students pursued certification in four areas; Carpentry - Level 2, Commercial Food Preparation - Level 1, Data Operations - Level 1 and General Office Administration - Level 1. Two students received unit certification for Carpentry, two for Commercial Food Preparation, three for Data Operations and two for General Office Administration.
Commenting on this year's performance, Minister of Education the Honourable Karen Malcolm said, "It is with a sense of pride, that I congratulate the students who successfully obtained passes in the CSEC examinations. I am delighted with the overall improved academic results in 15 of the subject areas and awards for the first ever CVQ entrants. I also wish to congratulate the dedicated teachers who gave of themselves diligently to ensure that our students have a solid foundation to begin their adult lives. I must commend and congratulate the parents and guardians who provided strong support to their children and encouraged them to do their best. I wish all students much success in their future endeavors. May God bless you. Congratulations once again."
The Ministry of Education will continue to facilitate professional development opportunities for high school teachers. Early in the 2017/18 academic year training will be facilitated for teachers in the Caribbean Vocational Qualifications (CVQ) programme. Our teachers will participate in the regional subject specific workshops and seminars facilitated by the Caribbean Examinations Council during the year. In addition to professional development the Ministry will continue the upgrading of laboratories, expansion and refurbishment of classrooms and outfitting of schools with the technological and other learning resources that are required to improve the quality of teaching and learning.
NEWS ITEM ON TROPICAL DEPRESSION HARVEY 6PM WED 23 AUG 2017
THIS IS A NEWS ITEM ON TROPICAL DEPRESSION HARVEY ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY FORECAST OFFICE SECTION, AT 6PM WEDNESDAY, 23RD AUGUST, 2017.
… HARVEY EXPECTED TO STRENGTHEN AS IT HEADS FOR TEXAS...
AT 5PM EDT, THE CENTER OF TROPICAL DEPRESSION HARVEY WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 21.6° NORTH AND LONGITUDE 92.6° WEST OR ABOUT 460 MILES SOUTHEAST OF PORT MANSFIELD, TEXAS.
THE DEPRESSION IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 2 MILES PER HOUR (MPH). A TRACK TOWARD THE NORTHWEST OR NORTH-NORTHWEST AT A FASTER FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT 48 HOURS. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, HARVEY SHOULD BE APPROACHING THE TEXAS COAST LATE FRIDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 35 MILES PER HOUR (MPH) WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS, AND HARVEY COULD BECOME A HURRICANE ON FRIDAY.
THE NEXT NEWS ITEM WILL BE ISSUED ON THURSDAY.
Mark Wahlberg earned $42m more than the best paid actress last year
The size of the gender pay gap in the movie industry has been laid bare in new estimates of stars' pay packets.
The world's 10 best-paid actors earned a total of $488.5m (£380.5m) in the past year, Forbes magazine calculated.
That's almost three times more than their female counterparts, who took home $172.5m (£134m) between them.
Transformers star Mark Wahlberg tops the male list with $68m (£53m) - compared with $26m (£20m) for the best-paid woman, La La Land's Emma Stone.
Another 13 men earned more than Stone between June 2016 and June 2017, according to Forbes - including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Jackie Chan and her La La Land co-star Ryan Gosling.
Stone recently said some of her male co-stars have taken pay cuts so she can "have parity with them".
Natalie Portman and Jennifer Lawrence are among the other stars who have spoken out about the issue.
Bets-paid male stars
1. Mark Wahlberg - $68m
2. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson - $65m
3. Vin Diesel - $54.5m
4. Adam Sandler - $50.5m
5. Jackie Chan - $49m
6. Robert Downey Jr - $48m
7. Tom Cruise - $43m
8. Shah Rukh Khan - $38m
9. Salman Khan - $37m
10. Akshay Kumar - $35.5m
Best-paid female stars
1. Emma Stone - $26m
2. Jennifer Aniston - $25.5m
3. Jennifer Lawrence (pictured) - $24m
4. Melissa McCarthy - $18m
5. Mila Kunis - $15.5m
6=. Emma Watson - $14m
6=. Charlize Theron - $14m
8=. Cate Blanchett - $12m
8=. Julia Roberts - $12m
10. Amy Adams - $10.5m
Forbes writer Natalie Robehmed said the pay disparity was down to the types of roles on offer.
She wrote: "In release schedules dominated by superhero movies and brawny blockbusters, there are simply fewer parts for women that pay the sizeable backend profits that result in leading men's large paydays, or the franchise sequels that permit aggressive negotiation for favourable deals."
Source-Forbes
Former cricketer sorry for 'unacceptable' comment
Former England cricketer and BBC commentator Geoffrey Boycott has apologised for an "unacceptable" comment about West Indian cricketers.
Boycott is reported to have said it would be more likely he would be knighted if he was to 'black his face'.
It is also claimed he said some knighthoods were handed out like "confetti" to West Indies greats.
The 76-year-old has now described his comments at a Q&A in Birmingham on Saturday as "clearly wrong".
The Yorkshireman added he loves West Indian cricket and has "the utmost respect for its players".
The Q&A event, hosted by Sky Sports presenter Gary Newbon, was held during a break in play and was attended by about 200 people.
Waheed Saleem, who was in the audience, told our affiliate & partner, BBC Sports: "I was completely disgusted. I don't think anyone saw it as a light-hearted joke. I was absolutely gobsmacked."
Boycott was part of the BBC's Test Match Special commentary team for England's day-night Test against West Indies at Edgbaston last week.
A BBC spokesperson said: "He has rightly apologised unreservedly for these clearly unacceptable comments.
"We use a number of different contributors in our cricket coverage. He remains part of our team."
A spokesperson for Warwickshire County Cricket Club said: "We were very disappointed by Geoffrey's comments and are pleased to see that he has apologised and recognised that it was unacceptable."
Source-BBC
Panama to require visa for Venezuelans amid crisis
Panama's president says his country will begin requiring an entry visa for Venezuelans beginning in October as their homeland slips deeper into crisis.
President Juan Carlos Varela said Tuesday that recent events in Venezuela forced him to act to preserve Panama's security, economy and job sources.
Varela also said Panama will regularise the status of the approximately 25,000 Venezuelans already in the country for humanitarian reasons.
He had earlier hinted that Panama would take action. The move also comes after a visit by US Vice President Mike Pence, who has tried to rally allies in the region to increase pressure on Venezuela's government.
Varela says it was a difficult move, but things in Venezuela have gotten worse. He cites the power grab by Venezuela's new constitutional assembly.
Source-AP
US hits Chinese and Russian firms over North Korea
The US has imposed sanctions on a dozen Russian and Chinese companies and individuals it accuses of helping North Korea's nuclear weapons programme. It comes after the UN Security Council, including Russia and China, voted for further sanctions against Pyongyang.
The US Treasury said its actions would "increase pressure" on North Korea, but the move has angered China.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, meanwhile, praised North Korea for "a level of restraint" in recent days.
"We have had no missile launches or provocative acts on the part of North Korea since the unanimous adoption of the UN Security Council resolution," he said.
This, he said, could pave the way for talks between the two sides "sometime in the near future".
The Treasury will continue to increase pressure on North Korea by targeting those who support the advancement of nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, and isolating them from the American financial system," said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
The action means American individuals and companies are no longer permitted to do business with these firms.
China responded swiftly, calling on the US to "immediately correct its mistake" of punishing its firms.
A series of missile tests by North Korea in recent months - along with its repeated threats to carry out a sixth test of a nuclear device - have increased tensions between Pyongyang and the US.
North Korea has been angered, as it is every year, by scheduled US-South Korea military drills, and threatened to launch missiles near the US island of Guam in the South Pacific.
US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, threatened the isolated regime with "fire and fury like the world has never seen".
However, speaking at UN-backed disarmament conference in Geneva on Tuesday, a North Korean diplomat insisted that the weapons programme was "justifiable and a legitimate option for self-defence".
Source-BBC