AG Huw Shepheard reaches out
Turks and Caicos Islands Attorney General Huw Shepheard marked his return to the Territory by reaching out to those who have called for his removal, last night, Sunday, 29 September 2013.
“As Attorney General, I have always worked tirelessly in the public interest of the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands,” said Shepheard. “My appointment was legal, in line with the Constitution, as part of UK Ministers’ commitment to deliver good governance and the rule of law for everyone in the islands.
“I have a tremendous respect for the wide range of responsibilities attached to this esteemed office, and look forward to continuing to work with the Hon Premier, his Ministers, Cabinet and the other key Constitutional institutions and bodies in support of democracy here.
“Of course I know about the criticism of me while I have been away. This has been a difficult experience, but it is also potentially enriching for anyone in public office to be given a clear picture of what is thought of them every now and again,” he added.
“Despite the headlines, I hold no grudges,” he emphasised. “The position of Attorney General in the Turks and Caicos Islands is not a popularity contest; it is far more important than that. It is designed to support the rule of law and the good governance of the Territory, regardless of political office or wealth.
“In light of this, it seems only reasonable to ask, that the Premier and his Ministers continue to work with me for the greater good of the people of this country, even if they do not much like me personally. What they think of me as a person is not at issue.
“As the appointed Attorney General to the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands, I commit to working in their interests for the next three years, and look forward to getting on with business in the first Cabinet meeting since my return on Wednesday, 2 October,” Shepheard pledged.
World Mental Health Day
The Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence (DMHSD) in the Ministry of Health and Human Services joins the World Federation of Mental Health to commemorate World Mental Health Day on Thursday October 10th. The DMHSD supports this initiative through raising awareness on mental health issues.
The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day is “Mental health and older adults”.
The Department will be conducting activities including:
• Mental Health Educational lectures/sessions.
Thursday October 10th from 9:00 am to 12:30pm at the Dillon Hall in Grand Turk and Friday October 11th from 9:00am to 12:30pm at the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) in Providenciales
• Appearances on outreach media, RTC, Breakfast program and others.
• A community information drive including information stands at Cockburn Town Medical Center and Cheshire Hall Medical Center.
• A Walk to End Alzheimer’s Saturday October 12th Check-in and registration is slated to start at 6:00am and walk will begin at 6:30am from the Library Tennis Court in Grand Turk.
Mental disorders affect nearly 12 percent of the world’s population. That means about 450 million or one out of every four people around the world will experience a mental illness that would benefit from diagnosis and treatment. Here in the Turks and Caicos, 75 to 80 percent of persons referred to the DMHSD have a diagnosable mental health disorder. According to the World Health Organization, mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which people realize their own potential, can cope with normal life stresses, can work productively, and can contribute to their community.
As in many countries, mental health services in the TCI have minimal human and financial resources and more funding is needed to promote mental health to increase people’s awareness of the issue.
For further information on World Mental Health Day, kindly contact the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Department within the Ministry of Health and Human Services at: 649-946-2801 Ext 50504 Grand Turk or Providenciales 82500.
PM Letta wins vote after Berlusconi U-turn
Italian Premier Enrico Letta has won a confidence vote after a last-minute U-turn by former PM Silvio Berlusconi.
Berlusconi had initially promised to topple the government by withdrawing his party's support - a move which prompted the Senate vote.
But he backed down when it became clear that several of his senators would back the government.
Mr Letta had earlier said that if he were defeated in the vote, it might prove a "fatal risk" for Italy.
In the event he won easily: the Senate voted 235 to 70 in favour of the government.
About a dozen of Berlusconi's most hardline followers left the chamber and did not vote at all.
Over the weekend, Berlusconi demanded that five ministers from his centre-right People of Freedom party (PDL) leave the government and bring it down.
But some of his closest colleagues said they would defy him, and the BBC's Alan Johnston in Rome says it gradually became clear that Berlusconi had badly overreached himself.
Our correspondent says the three-time prime-minister has been forced into a humiliating climb-down and will emerge a weakened figure with his capacity to influence Italian politics diminished.
When he finally rose to speak in the Senate, Berlusconi said: "Italy needs a government that can produce structural and institutional reforms. We have decided, not without internal strife, to back the confidence vote."
In his address to the Senate, Mr Letta had defended his government's performance and said Italy "runs a risk, a fatal risk" if it were to fall.
He said: "Give us your confidence to realise [our] objectives. Give us your confidence for all that has been accomplished... a confidence vote for Italy and Italians.''
Berlusconi had accused Mr Letta of allowing his "political assassination through judicial means" - a reference to Berlusconi's criminal conviction for tax fraud in August.
A Senate committee will vote on whether to expel Berlusconi because of his conviction later this week.
Berlusconi ordered his ministers to leave the government, ostensibly not because of the attempts to throw him out of the Senate but because he opposed an impending rise in VAT.
But the prime minister accused Berlusconi of using the VAT issue as an "alibi" for his own personal concerns.
He refused to accept the resignation of the five PDL ministers and called the vote of confidence.
Source-BBC
Chemical Experts Begin Mission on Syria Disarmament
International experts in Damascus have begun an unprecedented U.N.-backed mission to oversee the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons.
Experts from the Netherlands-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) boarded several U.N. vehicles at their Damascus hotel and drove off Wednesday for their first working assignment since arriving in the country a day earlier. There was no immediate word on where they were headed.
The international team includes 19 OPCW experts and 14 U.N. personnel.
Syria has promised to cooperate with the mission, which the U.N. Security Council approved last month. It is the first time the OPCW is faced with the challenge of eliminating a large chemical weapons stockpile under a tight deadline in the midst of a civil war.
The U.N. Security Council set an initial target for the inspectors to verify Syria's declaration of chemical weapons sites and destroy its ability to manufacture chemical agents by November. Syria must then allow all of its chemical warfare stockpiles to be eliminated by the middle of next year.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad agreed to give up his chemical weapons under international pressure after an August 21 chemical attack near Damascus that killed hundreds of civilians. The United States and its allies blamed the attack on pro- Assad forces, while the Syrian president and his key ally, Russia, blamed Syria's rebels.
The United States responded to the August 21 incident by threatening military action against the Syrian government. Russia reacted to the U.S. threat by persuading Mr. Assad to eliminate his previously-undeclared chemical arsenal and reaching a deal with Washington to avoid military action.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters
Obama Shortens Asia Trip Because of Shutdown
The U.S. government shutdown is forcing President Barack Obama to cancel two stops on his upcoming trip to Asia.
On the second day of the shutdown, the White House said Mr. Obama is cutting his planned visits to Malaysia and the Philippines, but expects to make his first two stops, in Indonesia and Brunei, to attend the APEC and East Asia Summits.
The shutdown went into effect early Tuesday after lawmakers missed a deadline to extend federal funding.
Republicans in the House of Representatives wanted to tie funding to a delay or defunding of President Obama's signature health care law, the Affordable Care Act.
Each attempt was turned back by the Democratic-controlled Senate, which must also agree to budget legislation.
Nearly one-million U.S. federal workers have been laid off and the shutdown is keeping national parks and many federal agencies shuttered.
A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday indicates 72 percent of American voters oppose the shutdown.
Implementation of the Affordable Care Act, nicknamed "Obamacare," went ahead as scheduled Tuesday. It is intended to provide health insurance coverage to millions of Americans who otherwise cannot afford or qualify for coverage.
Republican opponents of Obamacare say it forces people, including small businesses, to buy expensive insurance policies against their will, hurting the economy.
The current government shutdown is not affecting Voice of America broadcasts, but it has closed Smithsonian museums, as well as services such as federal tax offices, help for veterans, and some food aid for the poor.
Most civilian employees at the Pentagon must stay home, although the U.S. military remains on duty. The U.S. space agency, NASA, is almost entirely shut down, and U.S. military cemeteries overseas are closed.
Other federal workers are staying on the job with no guarantee when they will be paid.
Russia Charges 7 Greenpeace Activists With Piracy
Russian authorities have formally charged seven Greenpeace activists with piracy after they were seized during a protest against Arctic drilling.
The seven include a Russian, a Ukrainian, a Finn, two Britons, a Brazilian and a Swedish-American. Piracy charges can carry up to 15 years in jail in Russia.
The seven are among 30 Greenpeace activists arrested September 18 in the Russian Arctic and held in the city of Murmansk, after they approached and tried to scale an oil drilling platform owned by Russian state-controlled oil company Gazprom.
Greenpeace has spoken out against the charges, saying they are "an outrage." Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo male said the charges are meant to intimidate and silence the activists, but he vowed Greenpeace "will not be cowed."
Russian President Vladimir Putin last week said it is "obvious" the Greenpeace activists are not pirates, but defended the seizure of their ship, saying the activists had tried to capture the Russian oil platform.
The activists were detained in the Pechora Sea, near Russia’s only offshore oil production platform in the Arctic.
Russian Border Police seized the activists and towed their boat, the Arctic Sunrise, to Murmansk.
This news drew a protest petition, signed by more than 40 international environmental groups, asking President Putin to release the boat and its crew.
Last year, Greenpeace activists boarded the same rig and hoisted a protest banner.
US: Burma Must Do More to Stop Anti-Muslim Violence
The United States is condemning a fresh round of deadly attacks against minority Muslims in western Burma and urging authorities to do more to address the long-standing sectarian tension there.
The U.S. Embassy in Rangoon's statement on Wednesday followed several days of violence that has killed at least five Muslims, including a 94-year-old woman, in Rakhine State.
Residents said several Buddhist mobs armed with sticks and knives went on a rampage in the town of Thandwe earlier this week, burning down homes and attacking Muslim-owned establishments.
President Thein Sein toured strife-torn areas of Rakhine and met with local leaders for a second day Wednesday. It was his first trip to the troubled state since a wave of anti-Muslim violence broke out in June 2012, killing dozens and displacing tens of thousands.
In remarks carried in state media Wednesday, the president said "such instability based on religion and race harms and delays" Burma's recent democratic reforms and "tarnishes the national image."
Rights groups have accused Burmese police and military personnel of not doing enough to stop the violence. In some cases, witnesses have reported that authorities have joined in the attacks.
The U.S. Embassy statement strongly urged the Burmese government to "respond quickly and decisively" in protecting residents and holding accountable those responsible for the violence.
It also said Burma must "do more to ensure progress in security, rule of law, justice, humanitarian access, and reconciliation in Rakhine State.
Sectarian clashes have killed at least 240 people since they erupted in Rakhine in June 2012 and later spread to other parts of Burma. Most of the killings have happened in Rakhine, home to several Muslim minorities, including stateless Rohingyas.
T&T police investigate shooting death of two foreigners
Police are investigating the death of two foreigners whose bullet riddled bodies were found in the forest in Central Trinidad on Tuesday.
Police have identified the couple as Gladys Otiz and Vasquez Marcano, whose bodies were found lying on the roadway near an agricultural estate off Flanagin Road in Brasso, by an estate worker.
They said a vehicle was found abandoned less than a quarter mile away, with a suitcase in the trunk and investigators suspect the couple had been taken to the area by their killers for execution.
The police said the woman was shot three times and the man received six bullets and the authorities believe that they may have entered the country from Margarita on September 29.
Source-CMC
Mother of St Lucia Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony has died
The 93-year-old mother of St Lucia Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony has died after ailing for a short period.
Press Secretary Jadia Jn Pierre-Emmanuel confirmed that Andrazine Anthony passed away at the Tapion Hospital, on the outskirts of the capital on Tuesday.
The ruling St Lucia Labour Party (SLP) said “Andraz”, as she was affectionately known, had “always been a tower of strength for her children.
“No one can grieve as a child can; no one other than a child can know the hurt of losing a mother, but the prime minister can derive some tiny grain of comfort in knowing that his friends and colleagues within the Saint Labour Party share his sorrow and that of his family. He can also take comfort in knowing that his mother is in a better place. That after her long 93-year earthly journey, she is now free from pain and worry,” the party said in a statement.
Former Prime mMinister Stephenson Kin, whose mother died four months ago, said in a condolence message that while it is a difficult time for Prime Minister Anthony “I am confident, if you call on the Lord, He will provide you with strength and guide you through this most painful period.
“Having lost my own beloved mother, only a few months ago, I can truly understand your pain and grief at this time.”
Leader of the main opposition United Workers Party (UWP), Allen Chastanet said “as much as we would like to avoid loss and the unpleasantness in our lives, sometimes it is inescapable.
“Although no words can really help to ease the loss you bear, just know that you are in our thoughts and prayers,” he said, while the minority opposition Lucian Peoples Movement (LPM) said “while we do not fully understand death, and may never in this life time, our supportive role as members of the St. Lucian family remains very clear.
“It is therefore in the spirit of national unity that we comfort our prime minister and offer him the reassurance that he will not grieve alone. The LPM is united with you in your personal loss and in this moment of anguish.”
Eight alleged lottery scammers for court
The eight alleged lotto scammers held in simultaneous operations by the Major Organised Crime and Anti-corruption taskforce (MOCA) and US law enforcement agencies in western Jamaica last week are to appear in court to answer charges against them later this month.
Investigations also led detectives to arrest another alleged scammer in Trelawny following the operations on Wednesday, but that person is yet to be charged.
The eight arrested have been charged with breaches of the Law Reform (Fraudulent Transactions) (Special Provision) Act. They are:
• 21-year-old Tawayne Foster, otherwise called Street Man, of an Irwin address in St James;
• 27-year-old Simone Motta of Paradise in Norwood St James;
• 28-year-old Troy Jones, otherwise called Shaun, of Grange Pen district, Lilliput in St James;
• 23-year-old Shawnavon Wray, otherwise called Shawn Wray, of Duncans, Trelawny and Runaway Bay, St Ann;
• 53-year-old Carl Gooden, otherwise called Stamma;
• 25-year-old Carrick Gooden;
• 22-year-old Calvin Donaldson, otherwise called Mesh; and
• 18-year-old Oshane Tyrell, otherwise called Mice, all of Carey Park district, Duncans in Trelawny.
Gooden, Foster and Motta have been charged with breaches of the Dangerous Drugs Act, while Foster and Motta face additional charges for breaches of the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Several electronic devices which are believed to contain paraphernalia of the lottery scam, three Toyota Corolla motor cars and a quantity of marijuana were also seized in the operation.
All eight were granted bail. Gooden is to appear in the Duncans Resident Magistrate’s Court on Friday, October 11; Gooden, Wray, Donaldson and Tyrell will appear before the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, October 22 while Foster, Motta and Jones will appear on Thursday, October 31.
Source-JA.Observer