GOVERNOR MAKES FINAL VISIT TO NORTH AND MIDDLE CAICOS
Turks and Caicos Islands’ (TCI) Governor Ric Todd will make his final visit to the islands of North and Middle Caicos on Thursday, 29 August 2013 ahead of his departure in September.
Although TCI has more than 40 islands or Cays, there are six populated family islands. Todd made it a key aim of his tenure to move beyond the capital on Grand Turk and the most populous island, Providenciales, to see for himself what are known in TCI as the family islands of North and Middle Caicos, South Caicos and Salt Cay. He does so to ensure that he better understands the needs of people living on the more outlying islands.
He will be accompanied on his visit by TCI Government District Commissioner Ms. Donna Gardiner and Senior Administrative Officer, Mr. Tueton Williams.
His visit will include:
· Inspecting of the works to repair the Middle Caicos Causeway with Roger Harvey of Public Works
· Visiting Middle Caicos Clinic
· Holding a public Town Hall Meeting at Conch Bar Community Centre at 11.30am-12.30pm
· Visiting the historic Wades Green Plantation site for the first time
Governor Todd leaves TCI to take up a new diplomatic posting in September, with Peter Beckingham being sworn in as the new Governor of TCI in October.
PET (DOG &CAT) FOOD RECALL
The Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment and Home Affairs is alerting the public to a pet food recall issued in the United States of America by Procter & Gamble Company (P&G).
As the Turks and Caicos Islands purchases most of its pet foods from the United States, the Department of Agriculture is convinced that trade in these products is a likely pathway for pets and pet owners in the TCI to become infected.
Consequently, pet owners and businesses, in particular, are being urged to pay attention to this important alert and take urgent steps to remove any of the items identified from sale and distribution. All commercial enterprises must check pet food in stock for Trade Name, Lot Code, and UPC Code.
The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) has voluntarily recalled specific lots of dry pet food because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. No Salmonella-related illnesses have been reported to date in association with these product lots.
Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.
Signs/symptoms of Salmonella: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should seek medical attention.
Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will only have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your local veterinarian or the Turks and Caicos Islands Government Veterinary Services (Animal Health Services Division).
A list of the foods and the relevant codes will be published on the government website www.gov.tc for perusal.
Retailers seeking compensation from their suppliers can contact P&G toll-free at 800-208-0172 (Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM EST), or via website at www.iams.com1 or www.eukanuba.com2
SIPT'S TOP LAWYER SPEARHEADING MAJOR LAWSUIT AGAINST TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS INTEGRITY COMMISSION CHAIRMAN
Mitchell, a British lawyer, is the lead lawyer for Austin "Jack" Warner, Trinidad's former Acting Prime Minister and Minister of National Security and a sitting MP, who has been accused of corruption and committing massive fraud following a Commission of Inquiry that was headed by Sir David earlier this year.
In a letter dated August 12, 2013, Scotland confirmed that Mitchell is the lead lawyer in the case against Sir David.
TCIG Warns Of Cyclospora Outbreak Affecting Fruits and Vegetables From The US
As a result of warnings issued by the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC), the Ministry of Environment, Home Affairs and Agriculture is alerting residents and visitors to the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) to possibility of infection with the parasite Cyclospora from the consumption of fruits and vegetables originating from the United States.
Cyclospora are single-celled parasites that mostly live in tropical environments which, when ingested can result in gastrointestinal symptoms resulting in diarrhea, fever, flu-like symptoms, weight loss, bloating, fatigue, vomiting and loss of appetite. Hospitalisations may occur from dehydration associated with prolonged diarrhea.
As of August 15, 2013, the CDC was notified that at least 576 persons in 19 states were affected, with 29 of those cases in Florida. Unconfirmed reports suggest that the organism originated from produce imported into the US from Taylor Farms in Mexico.
TCIG’s Plant Health Services Division (PHSD) is warning that this outbreak has the potential to impact the Turks and Caicos Islands due to its close proximity to Florida and the huge trade in fruits and vegetables from the USA to the TCI.
Importers of fresh produce are therefore reminded to exercise due diligence by ensuring that fruits, vegetables and plant products for import into these islands are safe. All such products originating from the US or imported into the US and re-exported MUST be approved and duly inspected by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspectors prior to export to the TCI.
Consumers of fresh produce are being reminded to carefully and thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables with potable water and dry before consumption. Cyclospora is said to be difficult to remove and the CDC reports that the organism may be resistant to chemicals such as bleach and chemicals.
Farmers who import fruits, vegetables with roots, seedlings and other materials for propagation MUST also ensure that they are obtained from areas not known to be contaminated with Cyclospora or any other disease causing organism that can impact our people, plants, animals or environment.
To mitigate the possible impact of the outbreak on the TCI, the Department of Agriculture has introduced strict a Sanitary and Phytosanitary System. This requires that that every importer of plant, fruits and vegetable (Regulated Articles) MUST apply for an Import Permit prior to importing these products. Incoming travellers who transport such items in their carry-on or checked luggage, MUST declare them to the Agriculture Services and/ or Customs Authority for inspection
An Import Permit is issued after Plant Services is satisfied that the items for import pose no risk to the Turks and Caicos Islands and through scientific investigation.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CYCLOSPORA
1. Cyclospora has two life stages: One is an active organism, and the other is a dormant stage called an oocyst. When people swallow the oocyst, they become active in the body, causing uncomfortable gastrointestinal symptoms.
2. How does it get into food?
The dormant oocyst is excreted through human stool into the environment, where it can contaminate fruits, vegetables, or water.
Humans are the only hosts for this organism. Farm-workers can get ill in the fields near fruits and vegetables, or if they do not follow proper hygiene measures.
3. What kinds of foods are usually affected?
Outbreaks in the United States are typically associated with fresh fruits and vegetables, according to the Center for Disease Control. Fresh raspberries imported into the US from Guatemala sickened more than 1,000 people in 20 states in 1996.
Other outbreaks have been associated with fresh basil, lettuce, and snow peas.
4. Does cooking or freezing eliminate the risk?
Yes. Commercially canned and frozen fruits and vegetables have never been implicated in an outbreak.
5. What about washing fruits or vegetables?
Washing all fresh fruits and vegetables, including fresh herbs and fruit that you plan to peel is highly recommended. Drying all kinds of fresh produce with a paper towel to wipe away any residue that might still be clinging after a rinse is also recommended.
Cyclospora can be really sticky and hard to wash off fruits and vegetables. The CDC says organism also seems to be resistant to bleach and other chemicals like iodine.
TCIG’s Department of Agriculture is actively working with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to obtain all relevant information on the Cyclospora outbreak, including the geographic distribution, incidence rate, and pathogenesis.
MTV VMAs 2013: Lady GaGa, Katy Perry, Rita Ora Rock Red Carpet
Big celebrities stepped out glittering the red carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards Sunday, August 25 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Some of the female guests walking down the red carpet were the likes of Lady GaGa, Katy Perry, Rita Ora, Miley Cyrus, Ciara, Ariana Grande and Ellie Goulding.
The Mother Monster traded her usual outlandish appearance with a more demure look for the VMAs. Set to perform her new song at the event, the "Applause" singer donned a Prabal Gurung leather fishtail dress with a ribbon-styled belt and plunging neckline. She toned down her makeup to minimum and finished off her look with chunky heels and vintage glasses.
Ready to "roar," Katy rocked bejeweled grill. She wore an Emanuel Ungaro Fall 2013 long-sleeved leopard print dress with a sexy side slit and gold embellishments around the neckline and shoulders. She put her long hair in a sleek high ponytail and finished off her appearance for the night with black-and-gold Celine sandals.
Also opting for a long gown was Rita Ora who sported a short bob hairdo. She stole attention with her Alex Vauthier Fall 2013 turquoise dress that had a deep-plunging top with crystal embellishments, a daring slit up her waist and a long flapper train. Her black-and-gold strap-ankle Louboutin sandals matched her belt.
Miley showed off some skin in a vintage Dolce&Gabbana outfit consisting of an off-shoulder cropped top with long bejeweled sleeves and tight long pants with matching stone details around the waist and left thigh. Giuseppe Zanotti shoes, Lorraine Schwartz jewels, sherry red lips and two little hair knots on top of her head completed her look.
Ciara donned a Givenchy sheer long dress with strategically placed crystal embroidery and feathers at the hemline. Ariana kept her youthful look as she opted for a Kenley Collins baby-blue short dress with flower print and finished it off with white pumps. British beauty Ellie Goulding went with a nude spiked dress with a high neck and a sexy slit.
Rapper Iggy Azalea rocked an Emilio Pucci Spring 2013 creation. It's a long column dress with gold-leaf embroidery on sheer nude veiling. Actress Paula Patton donned a Lever Couture strapless black sequined dress with a high slit while her husband, "Blurred Lines" hitmaker Robin Thicke, was in a suit with no tie.
MTV's "Jersey Shore" stars Snooki and JWoww were also spotted among the A-list crowd. Newly-reunited Danity Kane and "Divergent" actress Shailene Woodley attended the prestigious event as well, along with rappers Drake, Wiz Khalifa & A$ap Rocky and rising star Austin Mahone.
Source-AceShow
Broadway star Julie Harris dies aged 87
US actress Julie Harris, a star of stage and screen who won five Tony Awards, has died at the age of 87.
Harris was best known for her roles on Broadway, where she jointly holds the record for the most Tony Award wins.
Her breakthrough came in the hit 1950 play The Member of the Wedding, which led to an Oscar nomination for a big screen adaptation three years later.
Other films included 1955's East of Eden with James Dean, while on TV she was known for the soap Knot's Landing.
Harris died at her home in Massachusetts of congestive heart failure, actress and family friend Francesca James told the Associated Press (AP) news agency.
Born in Michigan, Harris made her Broadway debut in 1945 and made her name five years later in The Member of the Wedding.
Aged 24, she played the lonely 12-year-old Frankie in Carson McCullers' stage version of her novel.
Harris won her first Tony Award in 1952 for playing Sally Bowles in I Am a Camera, adapted from Christopher Isherwood's book Berlin Stories, which was later the basis of the stage and screen musical Cabaret.
Other Tony wins came for playing Joan of Arc in The Lark in 1956, for Forty Carats, a hit comedy about an older woman and a younger man in 1969, and for her role as Abraham Lincoln's wife Mary Todd Lincoln in 1973's The Last of Mrs Lincoln.
Her final competitive Tony win came for portraying poet Emily Dickinson in her one-woman show The Belle of Amherst in 1977. That performance also won a Grammy Award for best spoken word recording.
Angela Lansbury and Audra McDonald are the only other performers to have won five competitive Tonys.
Harris had five other nominations, making her the most nominated performer in the awards' history, and she received a special lifetime achievement Tony in 2002.
On the big screen, Harris appeared in more than 30 films including playing James Dean's love interest in East of Eden.
On television, she won three Emmy Awards between 1959 and 2000 as well as playing country music singer Lilimae Clements in Knot's Landing in the 1980s.
Harris had a stroke in 2001 followed by another in 2010, Francesca James told the AP.
Queen Ifrica removed from Canadian concert
Queen Ifrica's management has denied that the entertainer's Canadian work permit has been withdrawn.
However, a statement from the management team made no mention of a Toronto concert where she was scheduled to perform.
The Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) reported on Friday that the Jamaican entertainer had been pulled from the Rastafest concert following complaints from the Canada-based Jamaica Association of Gays and Lesbians Abroad (JAGLA), which alleged that the dancehall performer was "notorious" for her homophobic lyrics.
Coordinator of the Rastafest concert, Masani Montague, confirmed that the singer would not be performing, which he said was "due to circumstances beyond our control".
JAGLA spokesman, Kerron Orlando, said that the "decision has sent a clear message that persons who make comments that jeopardise the well-being of members of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community in Jamaica will not be welcomed in Canada".
He said he hoped that other homophobic persons will remember that performers will be condemned and called on the Jamaican Government to immediately put in place measures to protect members of the LGBT community.
On Thursday, the Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, which had given the festival Can$4,200, said it was "disappointed to hear that an artiste using homophobic language was being featured at this event.
"While it is Rastafest, not the federal government who is responsible for programming decisions, we will ensure that future funding requests from them are very carefully reviewed," the group said.
Rastafest is sponsored in part by the Toronto Public Library and Service Canada.
Earlier this month, the Jamaican Government expressed "regret" at the statements made by Queen Ifrica during the Grand Gala, the main event to mark the nation's 51st Independence.
In a statement, the Ministry of Youth and Culture said the event was used by the singer "as a platform to express her personal opinions and views on matters that may be considered controversial, rather than to perform in the agreed scripted and rehearsed manner consistent with the thematic production.
"Furthermore, the comments by the artiste were inappropriate in the setting of a national, State-funded event with more than 20,000 persons, including children, who were in the National Stadium and thousands more watching on television and online".
During her performance, statements glorifying male straightness, heterosexual marriage and the legalisation of marijuana were among those made on stage.
Yesterday, Queen Ifrica expressed shock and disappointment at what she called the "ensuing brouhaha" arising from certain aspects of her performance at the Grand Gala celebrations on August 6, 2013.
Source— CMC and Observer reports
Ben Affleck to play Batman in 2015 Superman sequel
Ben Affleck has been cast as Batman in a forthcoming Superman sequel, bringing together the two superheroes in one film for the first time.
The 41-year-old will star opposite British actor Henry Cavill, who will reprise his role as Superman from the most recent film, Man of Steel.
Director Zack Snyder revealed the big screen superhero mash-up at a comic convention in San Diego last month.
Production is expected to begin next year for release in the summer of 2015.
"We knew we needed an extraordinary actor to take on one of DC Comics' most enduringly popular super heroes, and Ben Affleck certainly fits that bill and then some," Warner Bros President Greg Silverman said in a statement.
Mr Snyder, who also directed Man of Steel, said in a statement that Mr Affleck will provide an "interesting counter-balance" to 31-year old Cavill's Clark Kent.
"(Affleck) has the acting chops to create a layered portrayal of a man who is older and wiser than Clark Kent and bears the scars of a seasoned crime fighter, but retain the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne," said Snyder. "I can't wait to work with him."
The sequel - which has yet to be given a title - will reunite Man of Steel stars Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Laurence Fishburne (Perry White) and Diane Lane (Martha Kent).
Christian Bale most recently played Batman in director Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy.
Michael Keaton and George Clooney have also donned the black mask and cape in previous Batman films.
Ben Affleck's film Argo, which he starred in and directed, won an Academy Award for best picture earlier this year.
The superhero genre is not new to Mr Affleck, who previously starred as the blind hero in the 2003 Daredevil film based on the Marvel Comics.
Batman and Superman are part of DC Comics universe, which is part of the Warner Bros Entertainment division.
Revenues from the latest films featuring Superman and Batman have exceeded $1bn (£655m) in recent years.
Linda Ronstadt has Parkinson's disease
Singer Linda Ronstadt says she has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
Ronstadt, 67, was a regular in the US charts in the 1970s and '80s, winning 10 Grammy Awards.
She was diagnosed eight months ago, she told AARP magazine, and now "can't sing a note". "No one can sing with Parkinson's disease," she said. "No matter how hard you try."
Parkinson's is a progressive brain condition that can cause shaking, slow movement and stiff muscles.
She initially put her inability to sing and the shaking in her hands down to a tick bite and shoulder surgery, she said.
"I couldn't sing and I couldn't figure out why," she said. "I knew it was mechanical. I knew it had to do with the muscles, but I thought it might have also had something to do with the tick disease that I had.
"It didn't occur to me to go to a neurologist. I think I've had it for seven or eight years already, because of the symptoms that I've had. Then I had a shoulder operation, so I thought that's why my hands were trembling.
"Parkinson's is very hard to diagnose, so when I finally went to a neurologist and he said, 'Oh, you have Parkinson's disease,' I was completely shocked. I wouldn't have suspected that in a million, billion years."
Ronstadt scored 10 hits in the US top 10 including When Will I Be Loved, Somewhere Out There and the 1975 number one You're No Good.
In the UK, her biggest success came when Don't Know Much, her duet with Aaron Neville, reached number two in 1989.
Five dead from 'La Bestia' accident in Mexico train crash
At least five people are dead after a cargo train notorious for transporting Central American migrants hoping to reach the US derailed in southern Mexico, authorities have said.
Officials said at least 35 people were injured, 16 gravely. It is feared the death toll could rise.
An unknown number of people were also trapped, the Red Cross said.
Soldiers, marines and emergency workers were trying to access the remote crash site, which ambulances could not reach.
Officials were working to establish air or water access to the site.
Cesar Burelo Burelo, the head of civil protection for Mexico's Tabasco state, said the derailment occurred early on Sunday in a remote area with no mobile phone coverage.
Mr Burelo said dozens of people had been on the train, which was moving north from the border of Guatemala.
The train, sometimes called "the beast", often carries hundreds of people on the roof as they undertake the risky journey to the US.