The Spurs leads Miami 3-1
Sports Watch predicted it, and here we go again, last year the NBA Championship slipped away from the San Antonio Spurs, but last night they made sure to seal the deal!
It would take something special -- historic, heart, maybe more help if the Miami Heat was, and note my words,”Was” to make the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history.
Kawhi Leonard had 20 points and 14 rebounds, and the Spurs routed the Heat again, winning 107-86 on Thursday night to open a commanding 3-1 series lead.
Tony Parker added 19 points, and Tim Duncan scored 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs, who shot 57 percent from the field and are hitting 54 percent in the series.
The Spurs can win their fifth NBA championship with a victory at home in Game 5 on Sunday and avenge their seven-game loss to Miami last year. They have three chances, and the way they're dominating the Heat, they might need just one.
LeBron James had 28 points and eight rebounds, but Dwyane Wade was just 1-of-10 through three quarters and finished with 10 points.
"They smashed us," James said. "Two straight home games got off to awful starts. They came in and were much better than us in these last two games. It's just that simple."
No team has overcome a 3-1 deficit in the Finals.
Crude Oil Spikes
The price of Brent crude spiked on Friday over concerns about the ongoing insurgency in Iraq.
Oil prices settled down, but at $4 per barrel higher than at the beginning of the week.
Reassurances about the flow of oil supplies went some way to calming market jitters.
Brent crude futures stabilised at $112.32 per barrel, while US crude levelled to $106.55, after the highest reading for both since September.
Insurgents have taken over two Iraqi cities, prompting the US to say it was considering "all options" to help Iraq.
Iraq is the second-largest oil producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) group.
Jamaica to decriminalize ganja use
The Jamaican government plans to decriminalise possession of small amounts of ganja under a more “enlightened approach” to drug laws, officials said Thursday.
Mark Golding, the country’s justice minister, said cabinet had approved a policy to decriminalise possession and use of the drug for religious, medicinal and scientific purposes.
Although people can still be fined via a ticketing infraction, it will no longer be a criminal offence to have up to two ounces or to smoke ganja in private.
Golding said legislation would be drafted to provide a path for people to get criminal records expunged if they have been convicted under the current laws.
South Africa could be downgraded by Fitch
Credit ratings agency Fitch has warned South Africa that its credit rating may be lowered following a five-month platinum strike in the country.
Fitch was followed by Standard & Poor who also downgraded their rating
Fitch changed the country's outlook from stable to negative, citing poor economic prospects and rising public debt.
Its economy contracted by 0.6% in the first quarter, in part because of a fall in platinum production.
However, unions said a platinum miners' wage deal was on the horizon.
A negative outlook can indicate that a country's credit rating could be downgraded. A downgrade can influence a country's borrowing costs, as some investors are restricted from lending to borrowers that do not have a high rating.
The economic contraction in South Africa in the first quarter "partly reflects the long strike in the platinum sector, but manufacturing output also fell sharply", Fitch said.
CARICOM FOREIGN MINISTERS OFF TO MEET WITH UK COUNTERPART IN LONDON
The Foreign Ministers of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom (UK) will participate in the Eighth UK-Caribbean Forum on 16-17 June in London.
The biennial Forum will aim to strengthen further the special relationship between the UK and the Caribbean and will provide a platform for the Ministers to discuss key foreign policy issues. It will also seek agreement on a joint action plan to help promote prosperity in priority sectors in the Region and bolster the partnership on security issues.
Energy, Education and Trade and Investment are among the priority areas down for discussion during the Forum. Prior to the Forum, the UK Prime Minister the Honourable David Cameron will receive the CARICOM Foreign Ministers at his official residence and later during their stay they will have sessions with the Caribbean All Party British Parliamentary Group and the Caribbean diaspora in the UK.
This engagement with the UK is in keeping with the Community’s strategy of maintaining strong links with traditional partners while forging new relationships as the Community seeks to strategically reposition itself as it develops its Strategic Plan which will be tabled before Heads of Government at their meeting in July in Antigua and Barbuda. Foreign Ministers sitting as the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) make an annual assessment of the evolving global situation and take steps to place the Community in an advantageous position in that context.
As the Chair of COFCOR, the Honourable Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guyana said at the opening of the Council’s recent meeting in Guyana, “we have sought to strengthen our relations with our traditional partners, and have equally pursued the cultivation of new alliances. It is in this context that we welcome our interaction during this meeting with the Foreign Ministers of Brazil, Ecuador, New Zealand and Spain with the aim of expanding our dialogue and cooperation.”
This was furthered elaborated by CARICOM Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque who stated that: “in view of the rapidly evolving international geopolitical situation, CARICOM has sought to re-orient its external relations to take account of the dynamics on the global and hemispheric stage. The Community has taken into account the narrowing of the interests of its traditional partners in their relations with us. We are therefore actively seeking to widen our own geopolitical space by establishing links with an array of non-traditional partners and forming strategic alliances where there is a convergence of interests.”
He further stated: “already, we are transforming our relationship with Latin America as we have come together bilaterally, collectively and institutionally. The Community’s relations with individual Latin American states such as Brazil, Chile and Mexico have been strengthened. In late April the Community held its Third Summit meeting with Mexico and looks forward to the proposed Summit with Brazil. On my recent visit to Chile, Her Excellency President Bachelet assured me of her country’s desire to strengthen its co-operation with the Community.”
The traditional Retreat during COFCOR took place on the theme “CARICOM Foreign Policy in the Changing Global Environment”. Their deliberations benefitted from the perspectives of three Caribbean experts in foreign policy, academia and economics - Professor Vaughn Lewis, Professor Mark Kirton and Dr. Justin Ram respectively as well as from the CARICOM Secretariat. The experts shared with the Ministers their views and insights based on this theme. The respective presentations touched on the present nature of the global political and economic environment as it moved from “two worlds to many political worlds and one world economy”, on the challenges and opportunities for Caribbean Latin-American relations in the changing 21st century environment, and on an analysis of the economic and social challenges facing the Caribbean and impeding its development.
They collectively painted a picture of the environment in which the Community operates, the link between economic interests and foreign policy and made a number of geopolitical and geo-economic policy recommendations to address the many challenges identified. Ministers agreed that arising from the presentations and their ensuing deliberations they would pursue the formulation of a strategy paper for the attention of Heads of Government at their meeting in Antigua and Barbuda.
Antigua Labour Party Crushes Governing UPP In General Election
Prime Minister designate, Gaston Browne led his Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ALP) to a crushing victory in the general elections on Thursday.
Browne, 47, said from all indications, it appears that the ALP will win 15 of the 17 seats in the general election and welcomed the offer of outgoing prime minister Baldwin Spencer to work with his administration for the good of Antigua and Barbuda.
The Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission has not yet given the full results of the polls, more than 12 hours after the 164 polling stations closed.
It has only said of the six seats declared, the ALP has won five and the outgoing United Progressive Party (UPP), the other.
The outgoing Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer has conceded defeat as the main opposition ALP appears headed for a landslide victory a decade after it was booted out of office in 2004.
The election result has left Browne elated.
Saltans do Battle with the Stingers, series tied at 1
The GTBA will continue tonight in the Nations Capital ahead of the Queens Birthday holiday weekend.
Coach Jamal Williams & his Stingers team took game 1, with a win of 82-72, to lead the series 1-0. Terrell Garland scored a whopping 32 points while Elvis Smith through down 26 points as the lead scorers. Enrico Smith of the Saltans responded with 24 points and Williams added 15 points.
But in Game 2, Howard Dickenson’s team, the SALTONS responded with a win of 88-83, to tie the series 1 apiece.
Game 3 will be played on Friday evening at 8:30pm at the Palm Groove Basketball court. It promises to be maleficient!!
Sistani 'issues' Shia call to arms
Iraq's most senior Shia cleric has issued a call to arms while Sunni-led insurgents seize more towns.
The call by a representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani came during Friday prayers, as the militants widened their grip in the north and east, and threatened to march south.
The UN says hundreds have been killed - with militants carrying out summary executions of civilians in Mosul.
Both the US and Iran have promised to help the fight against the insurgency.
Earlier on Friday, U.S. President Barack Obama said Americans "will do our part" to help Iraq confront the Islamic insurgents rampaging through that country.
"We will not be sending U.S. troops back into combat in Iraq," Obama said, but he and his national security advisers "will be reviewing other options."
The president, speaking from the White House grounds, said he and his team have been meeting since yesterday to address how to help Iraq turn back the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which he said threatens not only Iraq and the Middle East but possibly American interests as well.
Kiev forces win back Mariupol
Government troops in eastern Ukraine have won back the port city of Mariupol from pro-Russian separatist rebels after heavy fighting.
Interior Minister Arseny Avakov said the security forces had successfully brought separatist strongholds in the city "under control".
Five pro-Russian rebels were reported killed and at least four government soldiers injured in the city.
Rebels elsewhere in the region have confirmed they now have three tanks.
The appearance of the tanks, filmed in various towns in the Donetsk region, sparked a row between Kiev and Moscow, with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko protesting to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
Russia denied Ukrainian allegations that the tanks had entered Ukraine from its territory.
Hundreds of combatants and civilians have been killed since pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk and neighbouring Luhansk regions declared independence after holding referendums last month, which were deemed illegal by the government in Kiev.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO HOST MEETINGS ON CHIKUNGUNYA VIRUS
The residents of Turks and Caicos Islands are invited to town hall meetings on “Chikungunya Virus” hosted by the Environmental Health Department in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Human Services on the following dates:
• Blue Hills and Wheeland Communities: Tuesday June 17, 2014 at 6:30p.m at the Clement Howell High School Auditorium
• Bottle Creek, North Caicos: Wednesday June 18, 2014 at 6:30p.m at the Adelaide Oemler Primary School
• Middle Caicos: Thursday June 19, 2014 at 11:30a.m at the Conch Bar Community Center
RTC News will have the rest of island wide schedule on Monday.
This will be an opportunity to gain awareness and take with you tips on how we as a community can work together to prevent the spread of Chikunguna Virus.