Rio de Janeiro favela police operation leaves nine dead
At least nine people have died in gun battles with drug dealers in a favela (shanty town) in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, police say.
The clashes started on Monday evening after a demonstration in Bonsucesso, which reportedly ended in mass robberies near Rio's main access road.
Hundreds of police and National Guard officers, with the support of a tank, are being deployed to secure the area.
Police say at least six of the victims were suspects and one was a policeman.
At least nine others were arrested during the operation in the Favela da Mare area, and a number of guns and drugs were confiscated, police say.
The violence broke out on Monday evening, after a peaceful demonstration ended in mass robberies.
Shops, passers-by and demonstrators were robbed by a group of criminals, police say.
Avenida Brasil
The gang went on to shortly block one lane of Avenida Brasil, Rio's main access road, before running into Favela da Mare, police say.
The clashes took place as police followed the group into the favela.
A man who was returning home was shot in the head, according to local reports.
A police officer and another seven civilians also died in the clashes.
Local schools remained shut on Tuesday, affecting thousands of children.
The Mare area comprises a series of interlinked shanty towns which are home to more than 130,000 people.
Rio de Janeiro's pacification programme, which promotes occupation of shanty towns to push out drug trafficking gangs, has not yet reached the area.
Earlier this year, police occupied the neighbouring favelas of Complexo do Caju and Barreira do Vasco without trouble.
Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro visits Haiti
Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro is visiting Haiti in his first official trip to the Caribbean nation as president.
Maduro had to cancel a trip planned in April for a regional summit hosted by Haitian President Michel Martelly. The event brought together more than a dozen heads of state.
Venezuela is one of the biggest donors to help impoverished Haiti rebuild from the catastrophic 2010 earthquake.
Much of that support comes from Venezuela’s PetroCaribe fund. Haiti has used millions of dollars from the pact that was created in 2005 to pay for fuel, renovate power stations and develop a social program.
Haiti has showed its admiration for the late President Hugo Chavez by renaming an airport on his behalf.
Maduro arrived Tuesday.
US whistleblower Snowden 'still in Moscow airport'
Fugitive US whistleblower Edward Snowden is still in the transit area at Moscow airport, Russia's President Vladimir Putin has confirmed.
Mr Putin said the intelligence leaker remained a free man, and the sooner he chose a destination the better.
But a White House spokeswoman said Russia had a "clear legal basis" to expel Mr Snowden.
Because Mr Snowden is in the airport's pre-immigration area, he is technically not yet in Russian territory.
The Russians have rejected American charges that they have assisted Mr Snowden.
China has also rejected similar charges, saying accusations that it allowed him to leave Hong Kong despite a warrant for his arrest were "groundless and unacceptable".
Mr Snowden flew from Hong Kong to Moscow on Sunday. He was expected to board a flight to the Venezuelan capital Caracas on Monday but never appeared.
The US has revoked Mr Snowden's passport, and he has applied for asylum in Ecuador.
He is being supported by the whistleblowing website Wikileaks, and is being accompanied by some of its legal advisers.
Ecuador is already giving political asylum at its London embassy to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
Nelson Mandela's condition 'unchanged'
The South African government says former President Nelson Mandela's medical condition remains unchanged.
Mr Mandela, 94, has been in a Pretoria hospital since 8 June being treated for a recurring lung infection, and his condition became critical on Sunday.
"Doctors continue to do their best to ensure his recovery, well-being and comfort," the latest update said.
The statement came as Mr Mandela's family members were meeting at his home in the village of Qunu.
His eldest daughter, Makaziwe, and some grandchildren were said to be at the meeting in Eastern Cape province.
Little has emerged from the family meeting, which South African media say was called to discuss "sensitive family business".
In the latest statement President Zuma thanked the South African public for "ongoing support and understanding".
His spokesman said on Monday that South Africans should not hold out "false hopes".
Australia-Japan whaling case in international court
Australia and Japan take their fight over whaling to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague later, as public hearings get under way.
Australia is to argue that Tokyo's scientific research programme - under which it kills whales - is commercial whaling in disguise.
Japan - which aims to catch up to 1,000 whales each year - says it is ready to defend its right to conduct research.
There has been a ban on commercial whaling since 1986.
Australia initiated the legal action at the top UN court in 2010.
Japan's whaling fleet leaves for the Southern Ocean in November or December each year, with a quota of of minke whales and fin whales whales to catch for what it says are scientific research purposes. Meat from the whales is sold commercially.
In recent years, catches have fallen substantially, mainly because of disruption techniques employed by anti-whaling activists.
Canberra alleges that the research programme breaches international laws and has no relevance to marine conservation. It says more than 10,000 whales have been killed under the programme.
"Australia's views on whaling are well established. We strongly oppose all commercial whaling, including so-called 'scientific' whale hunting by Japan," said Attorney-General Markus Dreyfus, who will represent Australia in court.
"We want to see the practice halted once and for all."
Tokyo says there are cultural reasons behind the annual hunt and that its whaling is sustainable. It also argues that its research provides information on whale stocks with a view to re-examining the ban on commercial whaling in the future.
"Japan will fully engage with the case so that the country's position and thinking will be understood," Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said.
New Zealand will be supporting Australia at the ICJ and the court's decision is considered legally binding.
The hearings will last for several days but a judgement is not expected for several months.
Central African Republic Mourns Mine Collapse Deaths
The Central African Republic is observing three days of national mourning after nearly 40 people were killed in a gold mine collapse.
The accident occurred Sunday, at a mine in Ndassima in the middle of the country, after very heavy rains.
In a statement read on state radio, presidential spokesman Prosper Ndouba said at least 37 people were killed and that the death toll could rise further.
Ndouba said CAR President Michel Djotodia extends his condolences to the victims' families.
The gold and diamond mining sectors are major sources of revenue for the CAR economy.
Premier, Finance Minister Met with CCRIF Board
Hon. Dr. Rufus Washington Ewing, Premier and Minister of Tourism and Hon. Charles Washington Misick, Minister of Finance met with the CEO and Board of the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) on June 19, 2013 in Providenciales to discuss the Facility and how it helps The Turks and Caicos Islands and other countries in the region to enhance their disaster risk management programmes.
CCRIF provides hurricane earthquake insurance to Caribbean governments. As one of CCRIF’s 16 member countries, The Turks and Caicos Islands received one of the first payouts from the Facility; in 2008, CCRIF made a payout of over $6.3 million after the passage of Hurricane Ike.
CCRIF conducts its quarterly board meetings in different member countries, which provides additional opportunities to interact with key stakeholders in the finance, disaster management and meteorology communities on a periodic basis.
CCRIF is a not-for-profit risk pooling facility, owned, operated and registered in the Caribbean for Caribbean governments. It is designed to limit the financial impact of catastrophic hurricanes and earthquakes to Caribbean governments by quickly providing short-term liquidity when a policy is triggered. It is the world’s first regional fund utilising parametric insurance, giving Caribbean governments the unique opportunity to purchase earthquake and hurricane catastrophe coverage with lowest-possible pricing. CCRIF represents a paradigm shift in the way governments treat risk, with Caribbean governments leading the way in pre-disaster planning.
CCRIF was developed through funding from the Japanese Government, and was capitalised through contributions to a multi-donor Trust Fund by the Government of Canada, the European Union, the World Bank, the governments of the UK and France, the Caribbean Development Bank and the governments of Ireland and Bermuda, as well as through membership fees paid by participating governments.
Since the inception of CCRIF in 2007, the Facility has made eight pay-outs totalling US$32,179,470 to seven member governments. All pay-outs were transferred to the respective governments within 14 days after each event.
UK Overseas Territories Warship arrives in Turks and Caicos
The ‘Queen’s frigate’ HMS Lancaster arrived in Grand Turk today Tuesday 25 June 2013.
Lancaster is on standby to provide humanitarian support to the six UK Overseas Territories (OTs) in the Caribbean throughout the 2013 Atlantic Hurricane season.
She arrived in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) direct from Cayman where she visited over the weekend, and has already visited Bermuda and Florida too.
During her visit the 189 crew will meet senior TCI government figures and train with their disaster management and recovery personnel.
During her six month long tour of duty HMS Lancaster will also work jointly with other navies and coastguards on counter narcotics operations in the region.
She is referred to as the Queen’s frigate as the Sovereign has the honorary title of the Duke of Lancaster.
During her visit to TCI Lancaster’s Captain, Commander Steve Moorhouse and his 185 crew will:
· Be berthed at the cruise centre in Grand Turk for three days before spending time in Grace Bay on Friday
· In Grand Turk, HMS Lancaster will meet with His Excellency the Governor, the Deputy Premier, Deputy Governor, the Premier’s Permanent Secretary, the acting Permanent Secretary in the ministry of Government Support services, the deputy director of the Department of Disaster Management and the Commissioner of Police among others
· The ship’s crew will assist in the temporary relocation and installation of the TCI Emergency Operations Centre radio equipment to simulate how this would be done if their current centre ever went out of action during an emergency
· A team of three ship’s engineers will provide assistance to the Police Marine Unit for one day
· The ship will provide an aerial reconnaissance of TCI for the Acting Governor and senior disaster management staff
· The Governor’s Office staff and members of the DDME will receive refresher training in the use of VHF radios during an emergency
· The crew are also hoping to host a visit by Grand Turk school children, support a community in action project and perhaps even take on a local team at soccer on the parade ground!
The 4,000 tonne UK warship began her six month deployment to the Caribbean on 28 May.
Opposition Leader, Deputy Clerk attends PAC Workshop in London
Leader of the Opposition Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson and the Deputy Clerk to the House of Assembly Mrs. Lydia Butterfield are in London for a four-day workshop on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) June 24 to 27, 2013.
The 3rd Westminster Workshop hosted by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (UK) is in its second year and will explore the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) as an institution that central to the effective undertaking of Parliament’s duty of financial scrutiny of the executive. This year’s programme is designed to build on last year’s.
The Leader of the Opposition and Deputy Clerk will be among the 90 chairs, members and clerks of Commonwealth Legislatures’ PACs and representatives of overseas Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) at the workshop. The programme will consist of a number of detailed and practical sessions designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Public Accounts Committees of participating territories.
The workshop is also expected to focus primarily on the PAC in small legislatures in an effort to enhance the capacity and effectiveness of the delegates. Participants will also observe the UKPAC is session.
Mrs. Cartwright-Robinson and Mrs. Butterfield will return to the TCI on Saturday June 29.
Premier Ewing off to Caribbean Week in Toronto
Premier and Minister for Tourism Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing will travel to Canada tomorrow June 25, 2013 for participation in the Caribbean Week in Toronto and annual event that promotes the best of regional tourism. The event will run from June 26 to 28.
As part of his programme, Premier Ewing will address leading industry officials, including top travel agents from the Greater Toronto Area, at an industry luncheon on 26 June. His presentation is expected to highlight current developments within the tourism sector in the Turks & Caicos Islands, as well as immediate and long term plans for further development of the industry. He will also get to speak with travel agents at the Travel Agents Exhibition and Educational Programme on Thursday evening, 27 June.
Dr. Ewing is scheduled to meet with Ontario’s Premier Hon. Kathleen Wynne and the Province’s Finance Minister Hon. Charles Sousa. He is also scheduled to co-host, along with CTO’s Director-General Mr. Hugh Riley the CTO media briefing on Thursday 27 June, and will meet leading Canadian journalists at Media Marketplace immediately following the news briefing.
Caribbean Week is organised by the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) and is one vehicle by which the countries of the region promotes investment opportunities in individual territories.
“Caribbean Week in Toronto is another important avenue through which we continue to remind potential travellers and industry practitioners of the quality and unforgettable experience that awaits them in the Turks & Caicos Islands,” the Premier said. “I thank the CTO for continuing to provide these opportunities to tell our story to the world.”