Women’s Football: Bermuda Defeat Grenada 2-0
The Bermuda Women’s U17 National Football Team are taking on Grenada today [Sept 25] at the Sylvio Cator Stadium in Port au Prince, Haiti.
Bermuda is competing in the final round of the Caribbean Football Union U17 Women’s Regional World Cup Qualifying Tournament, and has been drawn in Group B alongside the Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago, and Grenada.
Today’s match is under way with Bermuda rotating the starting lineup. Aaliyah Nolan has been left off the team sheet for tonight to allow her to rest and eliminate any potential risk for an injury ahead of the semi final match up.
Bermuda’s starting lineup includes Micah Pond [GK], Taznae Fubler, K’Shaela Waldron–Burch, Sideya Dill, Deshae Darrell, Kali Lespere [captain], Zahra Gibbons, Leah Smith, Dazhja Greaves, Danielle Foote and Zahiyah Durham.
Bermuda defeated the Dominican Republic 3-1 in their opening group match and then last night defeated Trinidad & Tobago 1-0 in a close match.
Update 6.42pm:
After a first half that saw Bermuda produce nine shots at goal but still draw a blank, the team has come out in the second half attacking from the onset.
The pressure on Grenada is rewarded when Dazhja Greaves opens the scoring to put Bermuda ahead 1-0. Zahra Gibbons quickly doubles the lead when she scores to make it 2-0.
Update 6.54pm:
The game is over, with Bermuda winning 2-0.
Death Toll Rises to 327 in Pakistan Quake
The death toll continues to rise from Tuesday's strong earthquake in southwestern Pakistan.
Officials say at least 327 people were killed after thousands of mud homes collapsed in the mountainous Awaran district of Baluchistan province.
Hundreds of other people have been injured and displaced.
Earlier, talking to VOA, Chief of National Disaster Management Authority Maj. Gen. Saeed Aleem said the government is setting up relief camps in several cities to help those affected by the earthquake.
"We update the information as it comes to us from far flung areas. We would like to give you only the authentic information. Do not believe in hearsay. For the injured, the latest figure is 446. We are trying to set up bases to support these people. Quetta and Karachi will be central bases. Moreover, we are building a big hub in Khuzdar."
Rescue workers are trying to move them to hospitals, but their efforts have been hampered by the widespread destruction. A local official said survivors in the area -- which is near the border with Iran -- are in desperate need of tents, medicine and food.
Members of Pakistan's military have been airlifted to the area to deliver supplies and help with recovery efforts.
The powerful quake, measured by the U.S. Geological Survey at magnitude 7.7, also caused the seabed to rise and create a small island off Pakistan's southern coast.
It was the worst earthquake to hit Pakistan since 2005, when a quake near Kashmir killed at least 73,000 people.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake's epicenter was about 230 kilometers southwest of Dalbandin in Baluchistan. Reports say the quake was felt as far away as New Delhi.
Source-VOA
Syria Dominates UN General Assembly
Syria and its chemical weapons continue to dominate the United Nations General Assembly session in New York.
Speaker after speaker on the assembly's second day Tuesday condemned the use of poison gas against civilians. They demanded that Syria keep its promise to rid itself of such weapons.
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy spoke for 28 European Union members when he called the chemical weapons attack last month near Damascus an abhorrent crime against humanity. He pleaded with the Security Council to adopt a clear resolution spelling out what Syria must do to eliminate its arsenal.
Van Rompuy also said the EU hopes the expectations brought on by new leadership in Iran will mean concrete steps toward a negotiated solution to that country's nuclear crisis.
Also Tuesday, Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli said his country is anxiously waiting for what he calls "just recognition" from the U.N. for detaining a North Korean ship carrying banned war material. He told the General Assembly that Panama was acting on its wish to comply with U.N. rules and laws.
Panama stopped the North Korean-flagged ship going through the canal in July, after it was suspected of carrying drugs. Inspectors say they found missiles and fighter jet parts hidden under a shipment of raw sugar.
The ship remains in Panamanian custody.
Deadly Violence in Sudan Following Fuel Subsidy Cut
Escalating protests in Sudan against the government's decision to cut fuel subsidies have left at least six people dead in the capital, Khartoum.
The protesters were killed on Wednesday during clashes with security forces. Police fired tear gas at stone-throwing demonstrators who blocked roads and set buildings on fire.
Some protesters called for the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, who has ruled Sudan since seizing power in 1989.
The protests began on Monday after the government announced it was suspending fuel subsidies in a bid to help the economy. On Sunday, President Bashir said the subsidies had reached a level that was "dangerous" for Sudan's economy.
The suspension caused a sharp rise in fuel prices. The move angered many citizens who took to the streets in protest. At least two people were killed in demonstrations earlier in the week.
Sudan's fuel crisis began after South Sudan became independent in 2011. The new nation took about three-quarters of Sudan's crude oil production.
The United States urged calm on Wednesday. The U.S. embassy in Khartoum called for all sides to avoid further violence and respect civil liberties.
US Senate Begins Votes on Temporary Government Funding
After a marathon speech led by one man that lasted 21 hours and 19 minutes, the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate is holding a series of votes on legislation to fund the U.S. government beyond a fast approaching deadline.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz led efforts by conservative Republicans seeking to end a controversial law that would expand health care coverage to millions of Americans.
He began talking Tuesday in support of a bill passed by the Republican-led House of Representatives last week that would fund the government past October 1, except for the health care program known as Obamacare.
The bill has no chance of being approved by the Senate, forcing a showdown between the two parties that could lead to a government shutdown.
Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other senior lawmakers have refused to support Cruz's approach, paving the way for Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to introduce a bill to temporarily fund the government, including the new health care law, until mid-November.
The bill will likely not be approved until Friday, which would give House lawmakers little time to consider the measure before next Monday's deadline.
Republican leaders fear that a partial shutdown of the federal government would hurt the party's standing heing into next year's congressional elections. A government shutdown in the mid-1990s, when Republicans controlled both houses of Congress, boosted then-President Bill Clinton's re-election chances.
Attorney General’s Chambers welcomes decisions on dolphinarium
Former Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Governor Ric Todd acted legally and reasonably when he changed a regulation that makes decision-making about a proposed dolphinarium clearer for the TCI Government, as the Attorney General’s Chambers welcomed the decision today, Wednesday, 25 September 2013.
On 17th September the TCI Supreme Court dismissed an application for judicial review brought against the Governor by a local consortium. Their suggestion that the then Governor had acted illegally in changing a regulation under the Fisheries Protection Ordinance was rejected. The Judge remarked that Todd’s actions had actually helped improve the law, which she regarded as vague.
The Court found that the Governor acted reasonably in the exercise of his discretion by making the amending regulation. This decision is further vindicated by the fact that the current TCI Government is supportive of building a dolphinarium in the Islands.
It was also made clear that the Governor's evidence showed extensive consultation within TCI Government and the reason for making the change when he did was based on improving the economy and also to ensure the Dolphin proposal would remain open for proper political and public consideration: any decision would be subject to the full extent of the TCI planning process.
Importantly too, in court attorney Peter McKnight withdrew his and his clients’ assertions that the Governor acted in any way improperly, making very clear that these claims were retracted by them.
A group of local organizations represented by Chuck Hesse (as Applicant), where the Turks and Caicos Society for the Prevention Cruelty to Animals Ltd., Pride Ltd, Turks and Caicos Reef Fund and the Providenciales Chamber of Commerce who brought this action.
The Court will provide the written reasons for the announced decision once the written reasons are delivered to the Parties.
TCIG has advised the Blue Ribbon Taxation Commission to defer implementation of the General Services Tax (GST)
The Cabinet of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government (TCIG) with advice from the recently established Blue Ribbon Taxation Commission has announced its decision to defer implementation of the General Services Tax (GST) and Temporary Drivers License Fee (TLF) pending the Commission’s recommendations on more suitable revenue structure for the Islands.
Consequently, Cabinet considered and approved temporary measures to bridge the shortfall resulting from this decision.
These temporary measures will be implemented on 1 October 2013 as follows:
i) Increase the rate of the following revenue streams from 10% to 12%:
a) Stamp Duty of Vehicle Hire
b) Telecommunication Tax
ii) Increase the rate of fuel tax by 10 cents from 75 cents to 85 cents
iii) Expansion of the Telecommunication Taxation Base to include Internet services.
For further information, please contact the Revenue Department at telephone numbers 941-8649 or 946-2686.
Their offices are open from 8 AM to 4:30 PM Mondays to Thursdays and 8AM to 4PM on Fridays.
Blackberry agrees preliminary deal to be sold to Fairfax
Struggling smartphone maker Blackberry has agreed in principle to be bought by a consortium led by Fairfax Financial for $4.7bn (£3bn).
Blackberry said in statement that Fairfax, its largest shareholder, had offered $9 a share in cash to buy the company.
Trading in Blackberry shares was temporarily halted in New York pending the announcement.
On Friday, Blackberry announced 4,500 jobs cuts in a bid to stem losses.
In August, the Canadian company said it was evaluating a possible sale.
The company said it has "signed a letter of intent agreement under which a consortium to be led by Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited has offered to acquire the company subject to due diligence".
The statement continued: "Diligence is expected to be complete by November 4, 2013. The parties' intention is to negotiate and execute a definitive transaction agreement by such date."
However, Blackberry said it was not in exclusive talks with Fairfax and would continue to "actively solicit, receive, evaluate and potentially enter into negotiations" with other potential buyers.
Brian Colello, analyst at Morningstar, said that taking Blackberry private would allow the company to reorganise without being under the glare of Wall Street investors and was therefore probably a good option.
He said: "Based on the company's disastrous earnings warning on Friday, I think a deal had to happen and the sooner the better. This is probably the only out for investors and the most likely outcome.
"The benefit to this sort of takeover is the ability for Blackberry and the consortium to reinvent the company without public scrutiny. It appears that the end game is going to be whether Blackberry can emerge as a niche supplier of highly-secured phones to enterprise customers and governments."
Blackberry's financial problems came to a head this year following disappointing sales of its new Z10 model smartphone.
Released in January - after many delays - the phone has failed to enthuse consumers.
Over the summer, word trickled out the company had hired a series of advisors to help it explore options.
Apple sells 9 million of its new iPhone models
The company said that sales of the iPhone 5S and 5C had beaten previous launches of new phones.
Apple said demand for the 5S had outstripped supply and Apple shares rose almost 6% on the news before falling back to trade 4% higher.
The 5S has a fingerprint sensor built into the phone's main button. The cheaper 5C comes with a plastic back in a choice of colours.
In a statement Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive said: "The demand for the new iPhones has been incredible, and while we've sold out of our initial supply of iPhone 5S, stores continue to receive new iPhone shipments regularly.
"We appreciate everyone's patience and are working hard to build enough new iPhones for everyone."
Analysts said that while the sales were strong, Apple had made an effort to ensure that the opening weekend was a success.
"Apple was concerned about the public relations angle of a soft first weekend, so they took some steps to strengthen the numbers," telecom analyst Jeff Kagan said in an email.
"Traditionally users could pre-order devices. Not this year.
"This year anyone who wanted a new iPhone must get into line. That bolstered the lines and strengthened [the] opening weekend from a PR perspective. This upset users, but made for great numbers," he said.
In a notification to market regulators Apple said it expected sales in its fourth quarter to be at the higher end of its previous announced range of between $34bn and $37bn.
It also forecast that its gross profit margin would be near the high end of the previously provided range of 36-37%.
"Despite the pessimism from many commentators over the last few days this is a ringing endorsement of the ongoing appeal of the iPhone to consumers on the street.
However, there is definitely no room for complacency and Apple most definitely can't stand still when it comes to future product releases."
NATIONAL YOUTH WEEK ADDRESS 2013 BY THE OFFICE OF THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION
Yesterday and today we mark the beginning of Youth Week 2013 with Church Services and I commend the organisers for commencing this week long celebration in this manner.
As I reflect on the beginning of this journey. It was in 1995, the Derek Taylor led Administration deemed it important enough to set aside a day to celebrate our youth. From that day to this, much has been accomplished but there is much to do. However I remain grateful that there remains a commitment to ensure that greater focus is placed on our youth during this week.
At the outset, we wish to thank Mrs Angela Musgrove for her work and commitment over the years and we are sad to see her go but we are certain that she will continue in her avid support for positive youth development. We also wish to congratulate her on her recent recognition and Award from the British Empire.
Youth in this country continue to play pivotal roles and they continue to make contributions, be it positive and negative. It is up to us to ensure that their contributions are more positive than negative and we must recommit ourselves to their positive personal development. We often say that youth are the future leaders and I beg to differ to a certain extent because they are leaders today as well. They may take on more senior leadership roles as we move on but there is a need for a shift in thinking and we are called to recognize that they are already leaders in one respect or another and we must equally embrace them as co leaders today.
I pause to encourage and celebrate our youth who have taken on international, regional and national roles: our Youth Ambassadors, our Youth Parliamentarians, various Student Government Councillors and Prefects. These youth already have great leadership roles and need to be celebrated and encouraged. It is now time to reinforce a comprehensive Youth Policy that will aid the leaders of today and prepare the leaders of tomorrow. This Policy must embrace and plan for all the challenges that our youth face: imprisonment, juvenile delinquency, special needs, gang violence and bullying. They have immediate needs such as technical and vocational training, scholarships and funding for further educational pursuits and employment. These are but a few of the challenges that remain constant. As a member once of the National Youth Council, I was a part of drafting the first National Youth Policy and I am happy to hear that the Government has since revisited the need for this Policy and I look forward to seeing the master plan for youth development in these Islands but I caution that whilst we give to the development of our youth, we must demand more of them and we must establish a National Volunteer Service and Cadet Program, both of which I am convinced will help us as a people in shaping the best adult citizens possible.
In 2000 I spearheaded a Private Member’s Motion in the then Legislative Council that saw the establishment of the Culture Desk now Culture Department and assisted the first Director with a Cultural Policy. A part of that Motion was to feature TCI culture strongly in the week leading up to National Youth Day and the week was named Culture Awareness Week, the week now embraced as Youth Week. I wish to encourage us all to ensure that our children remain exposed to true TCI culture and that we make every effort during every opportunity that presents itself to instilling in our youth what truly makes or ought to make us proud to be Turks and Caicos Islanders. For there to be a shift in the attitudes of our youth as we desire, there must be a true sense of a national pride and a strong sense of ownership and belongership. It is important for them to know who we are as a people so as to give them a true sense of identity.
We are all responsible for the leaders among us – current and future and it is my hope that we use this week to reflect on how are we contributing to the development of our country’s future. Youth are bound to be the future leaders and how we mold them today will determine what type of leaders they will be tomorrow because they will lead this country. May we reflect on the decisions that we make that will impact them today and tomorrow and may we realize that we are all accountable to them and for the future we hand to them.
Youth I ask that you require more of yourself, aim high and make wise decisions. Embrace the opportunities that are made available to you and allow God to lead you on the best path for your life.
As Director of Youth for the TCI Baptist Union and President of the Caribbean Baptist Fellowship Youth Department, I am blessed with the God given role of working with our youth in this country and around the Caribbean. I remain committed to developing our youth for the betterment of nations around this region and at home. I challenge us all to do more as our youth are achieving more: more academically, in sports and other initiatives and they are equally facing more and more challenges.
It calls for a greater investment of our resources and not just financial but also our time. I am calling on the Government to do its part and I am calling on individual citizens to donate to a worthy cause, to give of your time and talents by joining a civic organization today or by lending your support to those organisations that focus on our children Sunday and Sabbath Schools, Youth Ministries, the Kiwanis Club, Soroptimist, Rotary, Path Finders, Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, Brownies, Rainbows and other affiliate Clubs.
It is time we invest in our youth as they are the key. I wholehearted embrace and welcome this year’s theme “Invest in me: I'm the key”.
Youth, enjoy your week!
Sharlene L Cartwright Robinson LLB CLE JP