Iraq Militants Threaten Move on Baghdad
Islamist Sunni militants are threatening to advance on Iraq's capital, pushing to within 100 kilometers to the north, after seizing several other key cities in a blow to the country's Shi'ite-led government.
A spokesman for the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), an al-Qaida offshoot, said in a message posted Thursday that the militants also want to take the city of Karbala, home to one of the holiest sites for Shi'ite Muslims.
Al-Jazeera reported the ISIL was also marching toward Sammara, home to one of the most venerated Shi'ite places of worship in Iraq.
In another development, officials said Kurdish forces have taken control of the disputed northern city of Kirkuk. The city is in an area that Kurds want to incorporate into their autonomous region, against the wishes of the central government.
"The whole of Kirkuk has fallen into the hands of peshmerga," said Jabbar Yawar, a spokesman, referring to the Kurdish forces. "No Iraqi army remains in Kirkuk now."
Yawar told Iraqi satellite channels that government soldiers had abandoned 300,000 to 400,000 weapons and a number of planes when they withdrew from Iraq's Mosul, which the militants seized Tuesday.
Brazil defeats Croatia 3-1
Neymar stole the show as Brazil came from behind to open the World Cup with a victory over Croatia in Sao Paulo, but the match turned on a controversial penalty.
The poster boy of this World Cup came into the tournament with the responsibility of delivering Brazil the trophy they prize above all else.
At the Arena de Sao Paulo, he stepped up to the mark, finding the net either side of half-time to bring Brazil back from the brink after Marcelo had scored an early own goal.
Oscar cemented the result with a wonderful individual goal late on but the adulation went to the man with the No 10 on his back.
Neymar's first goal was a low, sweeping effort that crept into the net from 25 yards. His second, 19 minutes before the end, was altogether more controversial.
This was the 10th consecutive win for Luiz Felipe Scolari's side but Brazil did not play with the fluency or flamboyance that saw them swat aside Spain to win the Confederations Cup so emphatically last year.
Their performance demonstrated flaws and fragilities but they will become harder and harder to beat.
Source-BBC
Rafael Nadal loses grass-court opener
Top seed Rafael Nadal suffered a shock straight-sets defeat to Dustin Brown in his first match on grass this year at the Gerry Weber Open in Germany.
The Spaniard, who won his ninth French Open title on Sunday, lost his serve three times as he lost 6-4 6-1 in under an hour in the Halle second round.
World number 85 Brown will play Philipp Kohlschreiber in the quarter-finals.
Michel Platini withdraws Sepp Blatter Fifa presidency support
Uefa president Michel Platini say he will not support his Fifa counterpart Sepp Blatter at next year's election.
Blatter, 78, who has been under pressure over the 2022 Qatar World Cup, recently indicated he was to seek re-election for a fifth term.
"I do not support him, I am not in favour of him having a new term," said Platini, 58. "I told him. I think Fifa needs a new breath of fresh air."
Platini is yet to decide whether to contest the Fifa presidency himself.
The Frenchman said he agreed with his fellow Uefa members that it was time for Blatter, who has been in power since 1998, to call it a day when his mandate ends next year.
House of Assembly to meet on June 11th & 12th,2014
The first (1ST) sitting of the eight meeting of the second session of the tenth (10TH LEGISLATURE) of the House Of Assebmly will be held on Thursday 5TH June 2014 at Hon. N.J.S. Francis Building, in Grand Turk.
The meeting of the house is expected to last for two days and will have a total of 4 motions including Incremental increase in Minimum wages to be moved by Hon. Edwin Astwood; the second members motion to be president by Hon. Sean Astwood will look at Business Licences, the 3rd private members motion to be president will be moved by Hon. Goldray Ewing on Lobsters & Conch Reproduction program & the final members motions on Drafting of Biometrics & Surveillance laws will be presented by Hon. Goldray Ewing.
Before private motions can be presented, the Governments business will be discussed & will cover the Companies Amended bill 2014, the Financial Intelligence Agency bill, the Prevention of Terrorism Bill 2014 & the proceeds of crime amendment bill.
The opposition will seek clarification in question time to some 28 questions with some deferred from previous meeting held on April 28th 2014.
RTC will have live coverage of all sittings commencing at 10am.
Usain Bolt 'not ready' to race yet after foot injury
Six-time Olympic champion sprinter Usain Bolt has delayed his return to competition after falling behind in training because of a foot injury.
The world record holder has withdrawn from this month's Ostrava Golden Spike and Paris Diamond League meetings.
Bolt, 27, said he was "100% healthy" and back in full training after missing sessions in late March and early April.
But added: "Unfortunately due to the training that I missed I'm behind where I normally am at this time of year."
The 100m in the Czech Republic town of Ostrava on 17 June would have been the Jamaican's first race of the year. He had also received top billing for the 100m in Paris on 5 July.
"I hope to be back in competition soon, but how soon will depend on my training in the next few weeks," said the double world and Olympic champion.
"It is important for me to take my time this year as I have three tough years ahead in 2015, 2016 and 2017 as I attempt to defend my world and Olympic titles.
"I definitely plan to compete this season and will continue to work hard with my coach who I have the utmost confidence in to get me fit and ready to compete."
Bolt has yet to confirm whether he will compete in this summer's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Moscow and Kiev seek 'end to bloodshed'
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President-elect Petro Poroshenko have called for a quick end to the bloodshed in eastern Ukraine, Russian officials have said.
The two leaders were meeting for the first time since Mr Poroshenko's election, at a D-Day event in France.
Mr Putin also spoke briefly to the US president, the White House said.
Fighting continues, with government forces reportedly launching a tank attack near rebel-held Sloviansk.
The Ukrainian authorities have announced an "active phase" of what they call an anti-terrorist operation in and around Sloviansk, which was seized by pro-Russian militants several weeks ago.
Separately, Ukrainian media reported that one member of the security forces had been killed and several wounded in a mortar attack outside the city.
IMF warns Osborne over housing bubble risk
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned George Osborne that accelerating house prices and low productivity pose the greatest threat to the UK's economic recovery.
It said rising property values could leave households more vulnerable to income and interest rate shocks.
It also called on the Bank of England to enact policy measures "early and gradually" to avoid a housing bubble.
In April, the IMF said the UK economy would grow by 2.9% in 2014.
The Fund's annual health check of the UK economy found it has "rebounded strongly and growth is becoming more balanced" adding economic growth would "remain strong this year."
It is a significant turnaround from last year when the IMF's chief economist Oliver Blanchard appeared to have a public falling out with the chancellor after he criticised the government's austerity policies.
This year IMF managing director Christine Lagarde admitted the Fund "got it wrong" in its assessment adding that while the UK's economic recovery began with consumer spending, it was now rebalancing towards an "investment-led recovery".
The Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee (FPC) is due to meet later in June and could announce measures to control mortgage lending.
In May, 25% taxpayer-backed Lloyds Banking Group said it would limit its mortgage lending to four times a borrower's income on loans above £500,000.
On Tuesday, Royal Bank of Scotland - which remains 80% taxpayer-owned - said it would also restrict the amount it advanced to mortgage borrowers.
'Full mobile penetration by 2016' says Lime
Telecommunications provider LIME aims to get the entire population using Internet on their mobile phone within two years.
That would require well over a million new users and a similar number of web-enabled phones to be sold into the market by 2016.
Mobile data subscribers totalled 780,000 towards the end of 2013, according to the Planning Institute of Jamaica.
LIME's target is much loftier than a more conservative projection made last month by rival Digicel, which expects half the population to get online by year-end.
Still that would put the total number of mobile data subscribers at 1.4 million. In other words, the larger of the two telecoms expects data subscription growth 80 per cent this year.
Higher penetration would allow both providers to earn greater income from data in a market characterised by an over 66 per cent slash in voice call rates in 12 months.
Telecommunications players have committed investments at over $14 billion in mobile infrastructure in anticipation of increased demand from consumers.
Thousands march in Haiti protest
Thousands have marched in the streets of Haiti’s capital demanding President Michel Martelly step down.
Police fired tear gas and broke up the crowd in Port-au-Prince. There were no reports of serious injuries.
Haiti has seen several anti-government protests in recent months amid growing anger over the cost of living and claims of high levels of corruption.
Mr Martelly won elections in 2011, pledging to help Haiti recover from the devastating 2010 earthquake.
One report estimated that 5,000 demonstrators took part in Thursday’s march, some setting fire to tyres and barricading streets.
They demanded Mr Martelly resign and new elections be held. Some held signs demanding Canada, France and the US “help Haitians get rid of the leaders in power”.
“We want elections but we are asking that President Martelly and Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe first step down,” former senator Turneb Delpe said in quotes carried by the AFP news agency.
“The people do not trust these leaders to organise honest elections.”
Source-BBC