CABINET MEETING HELD IN PROVO
His Excellency the Governor, Peter Beckingham, chaired the 23rd meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday 30 October 2013 at the Hilly Ewing Building on Providenciales. All Ministers were present.
At this meeting Cabinet:
Received a presentation from Peter Hayes, Director of the Overseas Territories Directorate. Mr Hayes thanked Cabinet for receiving him, and reaffirmed the UK's continued commitment to assist TCI to develop its economy. He also gave an overview of what the Joint Ministerial Council to be held in London in November would focus on, and looked forward to the Premier's attendance.
Hayes was pleased with the better than anticipated financial position of TCIG for the period July to September 2013, as submitted in the Second Quarter Financial Report from the Accounting General.
For the second quarter of FY 2013-14 the Consolidated Fund recorded a deficit of $1.4m, which was better than anticipated, however it was noted that there will be additional challenges as the year progresses through unavoidable additional costs and implementation delays in some of the already-announced tax increases. It was agreed that the report would be passed to the House of Assembly for discussion and released to the public.
The Cabinet agreed on and discussed contracts for the construction of restroom blocks at Ianthe Pratt Primary School and Clement Howell High School, draft Young Adult Empowerment Policy, amending the Customs Ordinance and a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bankers’ Association was also discussed.
FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL STARTS IN PROVO
The third annual Food and Wine Festival started on November 1st and will feature products from top class wine-makers and chefs, three of which are Beckstoffer wines, St. Francis Winery & Vineyards and new comers House of Mandela wines; which is led by former South African President Nelson Mandela’s daughters.
The wines will be incorporated in each of the 3-day events, where foods served at each event will be paired with a brand of wine.
Wine Cellar’s CEO, Galmo Williams said there has been a 78% growth in wine sales over the past 10 years and despite the challenges in the economy and reports that wine production will be decreased, the Wine Cellar, which his home to nearly two million dollars in wine will continue to invest in the inventory.
Wine-makers explained that they are happy to be in the TCI for the festival.
Police seeks assistance in locating runaway teen
The Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Force are asking for the public's help to find a 14 year old child who ran away from home on Saturday October 26th, 2013.
Officers of the Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Force have now stepped up their investigation into the disappearance of a habitual runaway teen (Stantavia Tucker Domoah) who resides in the Five Cays area of Providenciales.
She is described as a female with short hair, a medium brown complexion, standing at about five feet tall and of a medium build weighing about 145 pounds.
No information could be given to police as to what the teen was wearing before running away from her home nor were family members able to produce any photographs of the teen.
Stantavia Tucker Domoah has an extensive history of running away from home and this is now the fourth time of a report being made of her running away.
In past incidents, the teen has ran away from home for several days to as much time as a week and then returned home. She is a second form student of the Clement Howell High School in Providenciales.
Police have now expanded the search for the runaway teen as they believe that there are persons in the community who are assisting the teen to avoid detection and the public is reminded that it is an offense to do so.
LIME announces reduced roaming rates
LIME, has announced today plans to dramatically cut data roaming costs for customers traveling to the USA, new rates will be as low as just $4.99 per MB.
Ms Lacal Palmer, Acting GM of LIME Turks & Caicos Islands said in her release to RTC News that “Customers have been telling me that they need better pricing for roaming to the US.., so from November 1, we will introduce our new data roaming rate which will bring the price down significantly and enable customers to roam without breaking the bank. The new rate provides incredible value and significant savings.
Palmer continued “Now, customers who travel can use all the services they need but without the worry of incurring unexpected fees.”
LIME’s lowered data roaming rate is designed to encourage customers to turn on their smartphones when they travel, instead of leaving them at home for fear of large roaming bills.
According to the company, the message is clear, LIME is determined to distinguish itself from competitors by offering customers the very latest technology and the absolute best value.
TSA agent killed in Los Angeles airport shooting
A federal security agent has been killed and several other people wounded in a shooting at Los Angeles International Airport, officials say.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said three of its staff had been injured, one fatally.
The suspect - named by the FBI as 23-year-old Los Angeles resident Paul Anthony Ciancia - was wounded by police and detained.
Hundreds of flights nationwide were affected by the incident.
LA Airport police chief Patrick Gannon told reporters a "lone shooter" came into Terminal 3 at 9:20 local time (16:20 GMT).
The suspect "pulled an assault rifle out of a bag and began to open fire in the terminal" inside the nation's third largest airport, he said.
He then allegedly went to a security screening area and continued shooting.
"As you can imagine, a large amount of chaos took place in this entire incident," Mr Gannon said.
It was the first time a TSA officer was killed in the line of duty, according to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.
The TSA named the killed officer as 39-year-old Gerardo Hernandez.
Mayor Garcetti said it was fortunate that the authorities had tackled the suspect because he had been armed with more than 100 rounds of ammunition.
A law enforcement official told the Associated Press that Mr Ciancia was shot in the mouth and leg by two airport police officers.
According to US media, the alleged gunman approached potential victims asking if they worked for the TSA, and spared them if they said no.
He pushed through screening gates and walked more than 100 yards (90m) into the secure area of the terminal, Mr Gannon said, where law enforcement officers caught up with him in a food court.
As he began firing in the terminal, "everybody pancaked down on the ground", passenger Lauren Stephens, who was checking in at the time, told Reuters news agency.
A number of people were reportedly injured while fleeing the scene.
Various outlets reported the suspect was carrying a note that expressed anti-government views.
Little is known about him.
Mr Ciancia's family in New Jersey told police on Friday they had received a text message from him saying he planned suicide, report US media.
"Their younger child got a text message from Paul [Ciancia] stating that there were some comments in there about his wellbeing and he wanted to possibly take his own life," a New Jersey police chief, Allen Cummings, said.
Mr Cummings said he called Los Angeles police, who sent officers to Mr Ciancia's apartment in the city.
Two roommates of Mr Ciancia told Los Angeles police on Friday they had seen him the day before and he had appeared fine, according to Mr Cummings.
A local hospital official told reporters that one of the injured was listed in a critical condition, while two other victims were in fair condition.
Some 746 flights nationwide were affected and 46 were diverted because of the incident, said airport officials.
Terminal 3 remains closed as the investigation continues.
President Barack Obama expressed concern about the shooting, but said he would leave law enforcement to talk about it.
Obama Urges Quick Progress on Budget
U.S. President Barack Obama is calling on lawmakers to end what he called Washington's cycle of "manufactured crises and self-inflicted wounds" and pass a budget that will help grow the economy.
In his weekly address Saturday, President Obama laid out his priorities for the budget that Congress began debating this week. Mr. Obama said he favors cutting "wasteful tax loopholes" to make room for programs that help build infrastructure and improve education.
The president also highlighted his efforts at fiscal discipline, noting that recent Treasury Department figures show the U.S. government cut its deficit in half in fiscal 2013, to its lowest level since 2008.
Congressional Democrats and Republicans have less than three months to reach a deal on a new budget. The deadline to raise the U.S. borrowing limit comes just a few weeks after that.
The deadlines were set under last month's deal that ended a 16-day partial government shutdown caused by Republican objections to the president's signature health care law.
Obamacare, as the law is known, was the topic of the weekly Republican address. Senator Dan Coats slammed the health care website, which has experienced a number of problems since it was unveiled last month.
Coats said the troubled rollout of Obamacare is "just the tip of the iceberg," and warned if the problem is not solved, "Americans will be stuck on board this Titanic." The senator has proposed a one-year delay in the parts of Obamacare that require all uninsured Americans to sign up for health insurance or face a financial penalty.
Republican lawmakers have continued to express opposition to the healthcare plan, but have signaled they will work to prevent another shutdown. Mr. Obama on Saturday welcomed those statements, saying "we shouldn't be injuring ourselves every few months."
Mr. Obama - a Democrat in the fifth year of his presidency - often has sparred with Republican opponents in Congress over government spending, tax rates and the country's long-term debt.
Pakistan Criticizes US Killing of Pakistani Taliban Leader
The Pakistan government has criticized the United States for the drone-strike death of Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud, saying his killing jeopardizes peace talks with the militant group.
Pakistan’s interior minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, said the CIA-drone strike that killed militant leader Hakimullah Mehsud Friday night has sabotaged government attempts to negotiate a peaceful end to the decade-long Taliban insurgency.
Speaking to official media, Minister Khan said a three-person government delegation had been on its way to talk to the Taliban commander when the drone missiles smashed into the house where Mehsud was staying.
Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said Saturday he hoped Mehsud's death would not halt the peace efforts.
Author and analyst Ahmed Rashid said U.S. missile strike follows a pattern by the U.S. authorities.
"In a way the Americans have had this habit of stopping any kind of dialogue between the either the Pakistani army or the Pakistani government, with the Pakistani Taliban by using drones to knock out some important figure. And that is exactly what they have done this time,” he said.
The U.S. had a $5 million bounty on Mehsud. He is accused of involvement in a deadly suicide attack on a CIA compound in Afghanistan in 2009, and a failed bombing in New York's Times Square in 2010.
The 34-year-old leader had taken over the militant group in 2009 when its previous head was killed, also by a drone strike.
There were mixed reactions in Pakistan to the news of Mehsud's death. Some welcomed the killing of the militant commander, seen as responsible for the death of thousands of civilians and security forces in Pakistan. But others said Washington had destroyed the chance for peace talks.
Analyst Raza Rumi, a senior fellow at the Jinnah Institute, dismissed that argument. He says that acting against Mehsud would have robbed political leaders of badly needed right-wing Islamist political support, so they had preferred to publicly pursue the idea of negotiations, even though there was little substance to the policy.
Rumi suggested the drone strike had Pakistan’s tacit support.
"Obviously such precise intelligence and information must have come from local sources, and there are views in Pakistani media as well which are saying that you know there must be some level of cooperation going on in getting these targets eliminated," said Rumi.
Some Taliban commanders said Saturday they had named Khan Said Sajna to take Mehsud’s place. Sajna, said to come from the same tribe and area as the killed commander, is believed to have support within the Pakistani Taliban, but not the backing of their allies in the Afghan Taliban.
But Pakistani media quoted a Taliban spokesman Maulana Tariq Azam as saying that a new leader has not yet been chosen. He said a gathering of Taliban leaders would decide within the next few days.
Although separate organizations, factions within the two Taliban groups often support each other. The uncertainty over Sajna's appointment reflects the further fragmentation of what is already a divided Pakistani Taliban, making any kind of effective negotiated settlement even harder to achieve.
Analyst Rumi says if confirmed, Sajna will likely follow Mehsud’s lead.
"This new guy he's of the same ideological bent so I don’t see that his policies and tactics would change any, would be any different, I mean some say he's more given to a peace settlement, but I mean that remains to be seen," said Rumi.
Many fear that fighters belonging to the Pakistani Taliban, an umbrella organization for a number of militant groups sharing an extremist Islamist ideology, will take revenge for Mehsud’s death.
Tiananmen Square Incident Planned Since September
Chinese state media are releasing more details about what they call a "terrorist attack" Monday in Tiananmen Square, while dozens of arrests were reported in a subsequent crackdown on a mainly Muslim ethnic group.
Chinese Central Television says eight suspected Islamist separatists from the troubled northwest region of Xinjiang had been planning the attack since September and had accumulated more than $6,500 to help carry it out.
The broadcaster says three of the suspects drove a Mercedes SUV packed with "Tibetan knives" and 400 liters of petrol into the square on Monday, killing themselves, two tourists, and wounding dozens of others. The five others have been arrested.
China's domestic security chief Meng Jianzhu on Friday blamed the attack on a Xinjiang-based Muslim Uighur separatist group, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement. The U.S. and U.N. both classified ETIM as a terrorist organization in 2002.
It is unclear how Meng's accusation fits with the claims made in the CCTV report, which said the suspects decided to form a terrorist group only last month.
Meanwhile, the World Uyghur Congress said Saturday that Chinese police have arrested 53 people in Xinjiang over the past two days in what it called a crackdown on the Uighur minority group.
The exile group fears that Beijing could use the incident to justify further restrictions on the Uighur community, which already complains of religious and cultural persecution.
China denies mistreating Uighurs, saying it is waging a campaign against separatists who are trying to form a separate nation called East Turkestan. It says Uighurs are are guaranteed wide-ranging religious and cultural freedoms and are benefiting from urban development.
Clashes in Xinjiang are not uncommon between Uighurs and the Han Chinese majority or members of the government security forces. Beijing says over 200 people have been killed in such attacks in recent years. But this is the first time Chinese authorities have blamed Uighurs for a major incident in Beijing.
Pakistani Taliban Leader Dead in US Drone Strike
Members of the Pakistani Taliban are meeting to consider naming a replacement for the group's leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, hours after he was killed in a U.S. drone strike in a northwest Pakistan tribal area.
Pakistani and U.S. officials say Mehsud and three others were killed Friday when four missiles from a CIA-operated drone struck his compound in North Waziristan.
Saturday drones still hovered over the area, where Mehsud's funeral was to take place. Witnesses said some of his supporters fired light weapons in anger at the remote-controlled planes.
The 34-year-old leader had taken over the group in 2009 when its previous head was killed, also by a drone strike.
The U.S. had a $5 million bounty on Mehsud. He is accused of involvement in a deadly suicide attack on a CIA compound in Afghanistan in 2009 and a failed bombing of New York's Times Square in 2010.
Mehsud's cousin, uncle and a bodyguard, were also reported killed in the CIA attack on the compound, which sources confirmed to VOA was used by the Taliban leader.
Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for the U.S. National Security Council, said the White House cannot confirm Mehsud's death, but said it would be a "serious loss" for the Pakistani Taliban.
While the strike could weaken the Taliban, it could also complicate the Islamabad government's peace talks with the militant group, which is blamed for the deaths of thousands of Pakistanis in recent years.
Just hours before the strike, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced his government had begun negotiations with the Taliban, though he offered few other details.
It is unclear whether those efforts will be affected, but Taliban officials have promised revenge attacks for Mehsud's death.
The news received a mixed response elsewhere in Pakistan, where U.S. drone strikes are deeply unpopular. Islamabad's foreign ministry condemned the attack, though this was before reports emerged of Mehsud's death.
Pakistani leaders say they strongly oppose the drone strikes, but some critics believe the operations aimed at suspected al-Qaida and Taliban operatives are part of a secret agreement under which Pakistan tacitly approves the U.S. strikes.
This was the second drone strike following Prime Minister Sharif's visit to the U.S. last month, when he pushed for an end to the attacks. Most Pakistanis consider the drone strikes to be a violation of the country's sovereignty.
Though U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan have slowed in recent months, the White House has shown few signs it is willing to stop the attacks, which have killed several high-ranking militants in recent years.
Source-VOA
Unemployment in Eurozone reaches new record high
The number of unemployed in the 17-nation eurozone reached a record high in September as the bloc’s nascent recovery failed to generate jobs, official data showed. The ranks of the jobless swelled by 60,000 to a record 19.45 million, according to Eurostat, the European Union’s statistics agency. Though the unemployment rate remained steady at 12.2 per cent, the previous month was revised up from 12 per cent.
“The latest figures put a dent in hopes that the labour market may have reached a turning point,” said analyst Ben May of Capital Economics. A sharp and unexpected drop in inflation also cast doubts over the recovery of the eurozone, which just emerged from recession, and put pressure on the European Central Bank to act. The euro dropped sharply, from above US$1.3700 before the news to about US$1.3615 in afternoon trading.
By contrast, the Federal Reserve in the US this week hinted it might start tightening its monetary policy in coming months as growth proves robust and the labour market improves. Ernst & Young analyst Marie Diron said economic activity in the eurozone will remain slow and unemployment high until the bloc finishes cleaning up its banking sector to restore confidence and boost lending.
“A stable unemployment rate is as good as it gets for the eurozone in the current environment,” she said. “Businesses are not yet confident enough about the growth outlook to switch to creating jobs.” The ECB has already cut its key interest rate to a record low to spur lending. But banks, companies and households are still too afraid to lend or borrow money.
The ECB may be pushed into action eventually if the inflation rate keeps dropping. Eurostat said the annual inflation rate fell to 0.7 per cent in October from 1.1 per cent a month earlier, marking its lowest level in about four years. The ECB is tasked with keeping inflation close to, but below two per cent.
“Latest developments reinforce our view that the ECB will end up cutting interest rates from 0.5 per cent to 0.25 per cent sooner or later,” said IHS Global Insight’s analyst Howard Archer, adding the ECB might take such action as early as in December. While other analysts think a rate decrease is unlikely in coming months—not least because of resistance from powerful ECB players such as Germany’s central bank—the ECB still has other means at its disposal.
It can, among other things, provide more cheap loans to banks to improve their finances and encourage them to lend. It already issued such loans three times, helping stabilise the financial system, and ECB President Mario Draghi hinted several times in recent months that the central bank might consider issuing another round. A particularly gloomy stat was on youth unemployment—it rose to 24.1 per cent from 24 per cent in August.
It was lowest in Germany and Austria, with 7.7 per cent and 8.7 per cent, and highest in Europe’s southern economies, which have been hit hard by the debt crisis and government austerity measures. They were around 57 per cent in Greece and 56 per cent in Spain. The overall unemployment rate showed similar disparities. Germany and Austria had low rates of five per cent. By contrast, joblessness was 26.6 per cent in Spain. In Greece, where the latest figures available were for July—it stood at 27.6 per cent.
The unemployment rate for the wider 28-nation European Union remained unchanged in September at 11 per cent.
Source-AP