Miss Universe 2013 is Miss Venezuela
Miss Venezuela Gabriela Isler has been crowned this year's Miss Universe.
Judges, including rock star Steven Tyler from Aerosmith, picked the winner from a total of 86 contestants at the show, watched by millions of viewers around the world.
Last year's winner Olivia Culpo of the United States placed a diamond crown on the head of Isler, who wore a silver rhine-stone studded evening dress.
The 25 year old model and television presenter told reporters that she was shocked, but blessed and happy to represent her country.
The big night began with 87 contestants looking for the title, but quickly only 16 were chosen to move forward: Costa Rica, Ukraine, China, Ecuador, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Spain, the United States, Nicaragua, Switzerland, India, Brazil and the Philippines.
Best national costume went to Miss Nicaragua, Nastassja Bolívar, who is known as the 2011 winner of Univision’s “Nuestra Belleza Latina” beauty contest.
Only Spain, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, India, Brazil, the United States, Ukraine, Ecuador, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic made it to the top 10.
From there only Ecuador, Brazil, Spain, Venezuela and the Philippines remained in the running for the crown.
Steven Tyler asked the top five contestants questions which ranged from "What would happen to the world if we could no longer use the Internet?" to the one posed to Miss Venezuela: "What is your biggest fear and how do you plan to overcome it?”
The evening’s soon-to-be winner responded: "We should overcome all our fears and this in turn would make us stronger. As soon as we overcome our fears, we can face any challenge."
The night came to close with Brazil as the fourth runner-up, Philippines taking third runner-up, Ecuador as second runner-up, and Spain being named first runner-up.
With that, Gabriela Isler won Venezuela’s seventh Miss Universe crown and the first since Stefanía Fernández took the title in 2009.
The contest, whose slogan is "confidently beautiful," was first held in 1952 in Palm Beach in the United States. It still requires the women not to be married or pregnant.
Andrew Holness is still JLP Leader in Jamaica
Andrew Holness has retained the leadership of the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) after defeating Audley Shaw.
It was just announced moments ago at the special delegates conference summoned to choose the leader of the JLP at the National Arena in Kingston.
Holness’ victory comes after a bitter campaign with Shaw during which accusations and counter claims were thrown by the two camps of supporters.
Both Holness and Shaw are now expected to address the large assembly of delegates.
Trinidad and Tobago has highest cancer mortality rate in the Caribbean
Trinidad and Tobago is among three countries with the highest cancer mortality rates in the Americas, according to a new report released by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO).
The report released earlier this week at the 5th International Cancer Control Congress in Peru, showed that while deaths from cancer were decreasing in some countries of the Americas for certain kinds of cancers, deaths from other cancers were on the rise.
Overall, cancer is holding steady as the second-leading cause of death in the Americas, claiming an estimated 1.3 million lives each year, according to Cancer in the report titled “Americas: Country Profiles, 2013”.
The PAHO/WHO report shows that Latin America and the Caribbean account for approximately 50 per cent of cancer deaths in the Americas, although they account for 63 per cent of the hemisphere’s population.
The highest cancer mortality rates in the region are found in Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba and Argentina, based on data provided to PAHO/WHO by its member countries. Mexico, Nicaragua and El Salvador have the lowest cancer mortality rates. Cancer deaths overall are declining in nine countries namely, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Venezuela and the United States.
Cancer mortality rates vary for men and women as well as across countries. In Latin American and Caribbean men, the majority of cancer deaths are due to prostate cancer, followed by lung, stomach and colorectal cancers; and in women, breast cancer, followed by stomach, lung, cervical and colorectal cancers.
“The large number of deaths from breast and cervical cancer in Latin America and the Caribbean is very disconcerting, since cervical cancer is largely preventable, and breast cancer can be detected early and treated successfully,’’ said Silvana Luciani, PAHO/WHO advisor on cancer prevention and control.
“This points to the need to improve screening and treatment, especially for women in rural and remote areas, where access to health services is especially limited,” she added.
The report notes that while breast cancer is the leading cancer cause of death for women in the Americas in most of the region’s countries, prostate cancer is the leading cancer cause of death for men.
The report found that obesity, another important cancer risk factor, is highest in English-speaking Caribbean countries, notably Bahamas, Belize, St. Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago.
The report is based on recent data compiled by PAHO/WHO about cancer mortality, risk factors, and cancer policies and services in the countries of North, South and Central America and the Caribbean.
For each country, data are presented for leading cancer types (ranked by mortality); trends in cancer deaths from 2000 to 2010; main cancer risk factors (tobacco, alcohol, diet, physical inactivity, obesity); key socio-demographic factors; and health sector plans, policies and services for cancer.
“The idea is to provide key information that can help countries monitor progress in cancer control and assess areas of need, “said Luciani, adding “this report contributes significantly to the evidence base for cancer policymaking and health care.”
The report is part of PAHO/WHO’s efforts to support member countries as they address the growing epidemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Source-Caribbean Media Corporation
Gonsalves ‘absolutely fed up’ of LIAT’s constant woes
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves says he is ‘absolutely fed up” at the constant industrial action plaguing the regional airline, LIAT.
Gonsalves, who is the chairman of the shareholder governments of the financially troubled airline, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that he was “fed up” with the “self inflicted wounds” on the Antigua-based airline.
LIAT pilots walked off their jobs on Monday and their union, the Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association (LIALPA) blamed “misguided and ill-informed decisions” taken by the airline’s management for the action.
The union claimed that they were forced into an emergency meeting to discuss the management’s decision resulting in the widespread disruption to the airline’s daily schedule.
The union and airline representatives met on Wednesday to discuss the matter and while the talks are are expected to continue on Thursday Gonsalves told CMC that “these self inflicted wounds between management and the pilots just have to stop.
“Maybe everybody simply needs to take a breather and read the Psalms or Proverbs,” he said, adding that the airline, whose major shareholder governments are Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica and St, Vincent and the Grenadines can ill afford these problems particularly as shareholder governments continue to seek invest to invest in the airline.
“The amount of money that we are putting in this airline, the shareholders, and more people are getting interested. I just talked to the President of the Regional Council of Martinique and he’s interested in getting on board as an equity partner in LIAT, but this kinda foolishness must stop.”
Source- Caribbean Media Corporation
First female DDP appointed in Dominica
Former chief magistrate Evelina Baptiste became the first female to assume the position of director of public prosecutions (DPP) in Dominica as of November 1.
Baptiste replaced former DPP Gene Pestaina who retired earlier this year and Guyanese attorney Kurt De Freitas.
De Freitas, who was expected to take up the position in October, withdrew his earlier acceptance as a result of his concern over negative remarks made about him in the local media and via internet blogs.
Legal Affairs Minister Ian Douglas told Dominica Vibes on Friday, November 8, that the appointment of a new chief magistrate could soon be announced.
Meanwhile, he confirmed that Grenadian attorney, Arley Gill was also been appointed as a magistrate in Dominica.
Gill took up the position on 1st November 2013.
His appointment as a sitting magistrate in Dominica was delayed in July this year, following an objection by a radio talk show host now political leader of the United Workers Party Lennox Linton.
France's credit rating cut by S&P to AA
Standard and Poor's (S&P) has cut France's credit rating to AA from AA+.
The moves comes almost two years after the country lost its top-rated AAA status.
S&P said it downgraded France because high unemployment in the country was making it hard for the government to make important reforms which would boost growth,
The French government responded by saying that its debt rating was one of the safest in the eurozone.
S&P said it expected government debt to hit 86% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2015 and unemployment to remain above 10% until 2016.
The country's Finance Minister, Pierre Moscovici, said S&P had made "critical and inexact judgements".
He said in a statement: "During the last 18 months the government has implemented major reforms aimed at improving the French economic situation, restoring its public finances, and its competitiveness."
In theory, a lower credit rating makes borrowing more expensive.
The return for investors buying French debt indeed did rise after the announcement.
The yield on French government 10-year bonds rose more than 20 basis points to 2.389% from 2.158%.
S&P said in its statement: "We believe the French government's reforms to taxation, as well as to product, services and labour markets, will not substantially raise France's medium-term growth prospects and that ongoing high unemployment is weakening support for further significant fiscal and structural policy measures."
The French Prime Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, said France's ratings remained among the best in the world and that the agency did not take into account all the reforms made by the government.
US job creation stronger in October
The US economy added a better-than-expected 204,000 jobs in October, according to the latest figures from the Labor Department.
There had been fears that the 16-day shutdown of government services last month could have hit jobs growth.
The monthly non-farm payroll figure is taken as a key indicator of the health of the world's biggest economy.
However, the latest figures also showed that the unemployment rate edged up to 7.3% from 7.2% in September.
The Labor Department said that this was likely to be because many federal workers were counted as unemployed during the shutdown.
The report also said that employers added 60,000 more jobs in September and August than earlier estimates had suggested.
The latest figures add to a positive week for US economic data.
On Thursday, it was announced that the US economy grew at a better-than-expected annual pace of 2.8% in the third quarter.
Investors are watching closely the health of the US economy, with signs of growing strength likely to raise expectations that the US Federal Reserve will begin to scale back its massive economic stimulus programme.
Chris Williamson, chief economist at the researchers Markit, said that the jobs figure had "defied" expectations of a slump in jobs creation due to the shutdown.
"Analysts were expecting a mere 125,000 rise," he said.
"The data will add to the view that the Federal Reserve is gearing towards a tapering of its asset purchases, but policymakers will most likely wait for clearer signs that the economy is capable of growing at a faster rate than seen in recent months, hoping to see a pace of economic growth that will eat into unemployment."
In Thursday's GDP figure, the Commerce Department said that growth had been lifted by rising exports and a pick-up in construction of homes.
However, it also said that the pace of growth in consumer spending - which accounts for about two-thirds of US economic activity - had slowed from the previous quarter.
Mr Williamson said: "The jobs report follows yesterday's GDP numbers, and together the data suggest that the US economy continues to expand at a reasonable pace, but that the underlying rate of expansion has cooled since earlier in the year, when policymakers began talking in earnest about scaling back monetary stimulus."
US seeks $864m from Bank of America in mortgage trial
The US government has said it is seeking $864m (£540m) in compensation from Bank of America for losses over home loans sold to it by the bank's Countrywide Financial unit.
US attorney Preet Bharara made the request in documents filed late Friday in New York.
The bank was found liable for defrauding two US state-backed mortgage companies by a federal jury last month.
Countrywide was acquired by Bank of America in 2008.
The ruling was a major win for the US government, which launched the case in the wake of the financial crisis.
Reports last month suggested that US banking giant JP Morgan is set for a record $13bn fine to settle investigations into its mortgage-backed securities.
And Wells Fargo agreed to pay $335m to settle claims it misled investors over mortgage-backed bonds.
The US Department of Justice is investigating at least nine banks over their sales of mortgage-backed securities.
Countrywide was found liable for selling thousands of defective loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The month-long trial focused on a Countrywide programme that was internally called "Hustle" or "high-speed swim lane" which allowed loans to be processed quickly without checking their quality.
The wrongdoing, which mostly took place before Countrywide was acquired, was discovered after a whistleblower filed a lawsuit against the firm.
The US economy witnessed a big boom in its housing market in the lead-up to the 2007-08 global financial crisis.
As house prices continued to rise, many banks looked to cash in on the boom by creating complex financial products that grouped together home loans.
However, a collapse in the housing market saw the value of those investments plummet as the underlying mortgage holders became unable to repay their debts.
This snowballed into the subprime crisis, which hurt investors globally and caused billions of dollars in losses.
Vietnam, China Brace for Typhoon Haiyan
Vietnam and China have rushed to prepare coastal communities for the arrival of a typhoon that devastated parts of the central Philippines.
Weather agencies predicted Typhoon Haiyan would make landfall near northern Vietnam's border with China early Monday, local time.
The U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center said the storm had maximum sustained winds of 139 kilometers an hour near its center late Sunday.
It was expected to weaken as it moved northwest over the Gulf of Tonkin, possibly losing its typhoon status and being downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it reaches land.
Vietnamese authorities evacuated more than 600,000 people from coastal areas to shelters and urged the public to prepare enough food and supplies to last for three days. They also ordered vessels to return to port.
Vietnamese media said the typhoon already had killed at least six people as it brushed past the country's central provinces.
The storm was expected to bring heavy rain to the capital, Hanoi, located in the country's north. All schools in the region were instructed to remain closed on Monday.
Digicel invests in Haiti's leading micro lender
Digicel has invested US$2million in Haiti's largest microfinance institution, Sèvis Finansye Fonkoze, which states that it will use the funds to expand its microcredit and other financial service offerings through its network of 46 full-service branches which cover all 10 departments of Haiti.
Sèvis Finansye Fonkoze announced that it had closed the US$2-million equity investment on Tuesday.
The microfinancier's products and services provide an economic lifeline for hundreds of thousands of Haitians. Digicel's investment will allow for the expansion and creation of products and services that meet the growing and diverse financial services needs of Haitian individuals and small businesses, the company said.
"We deeply admire what Fonkoze has accomplished over almost 20 years in Haiti," said Damian Blackburn, Digicel Group business development director.
"With our knowledge of the Haitian market, strong business experience, and the most advanced mobile network in Haiti, we believe Digicel is in a unique position to support Fonkoze in achieving its poverty-reduction goals," continued Blackburn.
"With this collaboration, we are building on our existing partnership between TchoTcho Mobile and Fonkoze which enables customers to withdraw and deposit funds on their TchoTcho accounts at Fonkoze branches. This latest investment cements our commitment to further developing our partnership and we look forward to the next 20 years as we work together to deliver on Fonkoze's social and commercial objectives," he added.
Matthew Brown, CEO of Sèvis Finansye Fonkoze, said the investment by Digicel is a significant step in the company's effort to increase its capital and expand its much-needed services in Haiti.
Source-Jamaica Observer