Pentagon laying off 46,000 staff
The US defence department says it has begun laying off most of its 46,000 temporary employees, as automatic defence budget cuts loom in March.
Deputy Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said the Pentagon was acting "because we're running out of time" to absorb potential changes to their budget.
$50bn (£32bn) in cuts are due this year under the so-called fiscal cliff.
Lawmakers made a last-minute deal on 1 January to put them off for two months, but the ultimate outcome is undecided.
Mr Carter said he was directing each military service to produce detailed plans by 1 February on reducing short-term spending.
He also said the Pentagon could force its 800,000 civilian employees to lose one day of work per week without pay from April, in a move that would save $5bn.
The Pentagon and other parts of the US government face across-the-board cuts on 1 March, with an estimated $500bn decrease in the defence budget over 10 years.
The US defence department unveiled a strategy in early 2012 designed to accommodate at least $450bn in Pentagon cuts over the next decade, as the country winds down the Afghanistan war.
The automatic reductions due in March would be in addition to these savings.
North Korea warning follows nuclear threat
North Korea has warned of "substantial and high-profile important state measures", days after announcing plans for a third nuclear test.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made the statement during a meeting with top security officials, state media said.
The reports did not give details of what the measures might entail.
North Korea has issued a series of warnings since the UN tightened sanctions against the country this week over a recent rocket test.
On Thursday, the North said it would proceed with a "high-level" nuclear test in a move aimed at the US, its "arch-enemy".
A day later, it promised "physical counter-measures" against South Korea if it participated in the UN sanctions regime.
North Korean state media reported on Sunday that Mr Kim had "advanced specific tasks to the officials concerned".
The latest warning came after Rodong Sinmun, a state newspaper, carried an essay on Saturday saying that a nuclear test was "the demand of the people".
"It is the people's demand that we should do something, not just a nuclear test, but something even greater. The UN Security Council has left us no room for choice."
North Korea has conducted two nuclear tests in the past, in 2006 and 2009. It has given no time-frame for its third test.
The UN resolution, passed on Tuesday, was proposed by the US and backed by China, North Korea's closest ally and biggest trading partner.
It was a response to a rocket launch in December that the US, Japan and South Korea say was a test of banned long-range missile technology.
The three-stage rocket put a satellite into space in what was Pyongyang's first successful test of such technology.
The UN resolution pledged "significant action" if North Korea carried out a third nuclear test.
Australian state of Queensland braces for flooding
The Australian state of Queensland is on alert for flooding in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Oswald.
Hundreds of people have been evacuated as heavy rain continued to fall on Sunday, with the towns of Gladstone and Bundaberg preparing for the possibility of major floods.
The bad weather is forecast to move towards the state capital, Brisbane, and the state of New South Wales.
Two years ago, flooding in Queensland left 35 people dead.
On Sunday, Australian media reported that authorities had pulled the body of an elderly man from the water at Burnett Heads, north-east of Bundaberg.
Two other people were reported missing, including a man who disappeared after trying to cross a creek in Gympie, north of Brisbane.
Six tornadoes have already hit the Bundaberg region, tearing off roofs and injuring 17 people.
The BBC's Nick Bryant reports from Sydney that the river in Bundaberg is already above the flood levels witnessed in 2010, and meteorologists fear it could rise another metre, reaching levels not seen in 70 years.
The council is expecting some 300 homes and businesses to be inundated.
In Gladstone, to the north, 400 properties have already been evacuated.
Sandbags are also being handed out in the state capital Brisbane, where bay areas are especially vulnerable from tidal surges.
Severe weather warnings are in place from central Queensland to the New South Wales border.
--BBC
Aung San Suu Kyi tells of fondness for Burma army
Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has said she is still "fond" of her country's army, even though it kept her under house arrest for 15 years.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, she told presenter Kirsty Young her Buddhist faith had helped her defy Burma's dictatorship, and later face them when taking a seat in parliament.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner's father, Aung San, is considered the father of modern Burma, and founded its army.
The BBC interview took place in Burma.
During the programme, which was recorded at her home in December, Ms Suu Kyi admitted: "It's genuine, I'm fond of the army.
"People don't like me for saying that. There are many who have criticised me for being what they call a poster girl for the army - very flattering to be seen as a poster girl for anything at this time of life - but I think the truth is I am very fond of the army, because I always thought of it as my father's army."
She explained that while the army had done "terrible" things in Burma, she hoped it would redeem itself.
And in a first for the programme, Ms Suu Kyi picked a record - Green, Green Grass Of Home by Tom Jones - that she had never heard before, because her personal assistant had recommended it.
She said: "I asked her which piece of music she'd like to choose and she said the Green, Green Grass Of Home.
"And she explained to me when she was working as a doctor in England it used to remind her of Burma - and I hope I like it."
Political prisoner
Ms Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest before Burma's 1990 election.
She had returned to the country from the UK to nurse her mother, and was held after giving a speech to crowds of half a million during protests and political unrest.
Ms Suu Kyi had been living in the UK with her husband, the academic Michael Aris, and their two sons. Mr Aris was refused a visa to visit her before he died of terminal cancer in 1999.
The interview also includes her feelings about her relationship with him and how they dealt with the Burmese government's refusal to allow them to see each other.
Political prisoner Ms Suu Kyi was not released until shortly after the November 2010 polls that formally ended military rule.
Her party has now rejoined the political process and secured a small presence in parliament after winning by-elections in April 2012.
--BBC
Bulgaria set for nuclear power referendum
Bulgarians are set to vote in a referendum on whether a new nuclear power plant should be built.
The opposition Socialist party called the vote because it wants the government to reverse its decision not to build a new plant at Belene.
The first referendum in Bulgaria's post-Communist history has polarised opinion and is seen as a precursor of general elections later this year.
The referendum would only be valid if at least 60% of the electorate votes.
The government says it supports the provision of nuclear power from an existing plant at Kozloduy, but that it does not have the 10bn euros (£6.3bn) it says would be needed to build a new plant.
Prime Minister Boyko Borisov told local media that this would remain the case even if Bulgarians voted in favour of a new nuclear plant.
Bulgaria had to close four of its old reactors at Kozloduy as a precondition for its 2007 EU membership.
The government froze plans to finish the plant at Belene last year, when work at the site on the southern bank of the River Danube was already well under way.
The Socialists are seen as closely linked to the Belene project, having granted a construction contract for the plant to Russian state company Atomstroyexport in 2008.
They say Belene would now cost 4-6bn euros to complete, and would lower electricity costs for consumers.
Environmentalists had opposed the plant, which had first been proposed when Bulgaria was under communist rule.
Roadside bomb explodes in Kandahar,Afghanistan
At least 10 people have been killed, eight of them police officers, after a roadside bomb detonated in the southern city of Kandahar, officials have said.
Police in Kandahar said they went to a residential area to defuse a bomb but were hit by a second device.
There has been a wave of recent attacks targeting security forces across the country.
On Saturday, a suicide bomber on a motorbike killed 10 police officers in the northern province of Kunduz.
In the Kandahar attack, police had driven into a residential neighbourhood of the city to inspect a bomb found there.
They had detained three suspects and were driving back in a police truck when they struck a second device that had been buried in the road.
Eight police officers and two of those who had just been detained were killed in the blast.
No-one has yet said they carried out the attack, but Taliban-linked insurgents have been blamed for a string of similar incidents.
In another attack earlier on Saturday, a suicide bomber riding a bicycle killed two in the country's south-eastern Ghazni province, a police officer and a civilian.
On Friday, a suicide bomber in a car attacked a Nato convoy in the strategic Kapisa province, killing at least five civilians and wounding 15.
Crime & Incident Reports for January 24th,2013
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Officers of the Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Force are investigating a number of incidents reported from Wednesday 16th, January 2013 to Wednesday 23rd, January 2013 within the districts of Providenciales, including:
· One Robbery. During the commission of this crime the following item was stolen: cash.
· Ten Burglaries. During the commission of these crimes the following item was stolen: Jewelry, Electronics, generators and cash.
· Two Wounding.
· Theft.
· Assault on a Police Officer.
· Two Motor Vehicle Interferences offences.
· Assault.
· Obtaining Property by Deception.
· Malicious Damage to Property.
· Attempted Burglary.
Officers of the Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Force are also investigating a number of incidents reported from Wednesday 16th, January 2013 to Monday 21st, January 2013 within the districts of North and Middle Caicos, including:
· Attempted Burglary theft.
·
Drug Seizure
On Monday January 21, 2013 whilst making checks at a residence located in Kew Town, a team of Police Officers found and seized a quantity of suspected Cannabis.
***
Police are appealing to the public who may have any information about these incidents to call the Police on 911 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1-800-8477. Tips can also be submitted anonymously in English, French or Spanish on either www.crimestoppers.tc or on Facebook as a fan of Crime Stoppers Turks & Caicos. Crime Stoppers tips are received in the USA.
Court News
The following is news from the courts.
On Wednesday 16th, January 2013 accused persons:-
Kevano Wilson sentence was deferred for six months. Mr. Wilson is to keep the peace and must be of good behavior, and meet with Rev. John Malcolm for counseling, must make restitution to his family once he gets a job, he must keep a record of payment.
He must also return to the Supreme Court on the Friday 28th June 2013 for possible sentencing.
***
Drug Enforcement Activity:-
On Wednesday 9th, January 2013, the Drug Enforcement Unit in Grand Turk arrested and charged Kazmeane Simmons of West Road. He was taken before the court and pled guilty for unlawful possession of cannabis. He was sentenced to seven days in Prison.
Crime Prevention Tips
It's true that anyone can become a victim of crime, but there are some very basic things that you can do to deter criminals from choosing you. Do what you can to make your home as safe as possible. It all starts by becoming more active with your neighborhood.
Crime in Your Neighborhood
One of the best ways to ensure that a burglar does not target your house for a break in is to make your entire block a highly secure area. This involves working with your neighbors so that everyone watches out for each other. Think of your block as a mini community, and you can rely on your neighbors to keep you safe just as much as they can rely on you.
Meet the people who live nearby, and get to know their names, what cars they have and exchange phone numbers. Keep a list of this contact information near a phone, so you can call anyone on your block should the need arise. Consider starting an official Neighborhood Watch Group and working with the police to help watch over everyone in your neighborhood.
Please visit our web site at www.tcipolice.tc or www.facebook.com/RTCIPF for more crime prevention information.
Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police to Visit Schools
Pupils at Enid Capron Primary School received a visit from officers of the Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police on Thursday 24th January.
Earlier this morning Police Public Relations Officer, Special Constable Audley A. Astwood and Social Media Officer Constable Kevin Clarke, spoke to pupils about community safety and gave information on what the police do. This was the second visit made by the police. The school visit on the morning of 22nd of January 2013 was the first of many which will take place throughout this year.
The officers were in North and Middle Caicos on 23rd of January at Raymond Gardiner High School and all of the primary schools in both islands. The children got a chance to meet and asked questions to police officers from various sections of the Police Force. Officers spoke to the pupils about road safety, internet safety, joining the Police Cadets and crime prevention.
Special Constable Audley A. Astwood said: “One of the goals of this initiative is to visit all of the schools within the country. We arranged these visits to the schools as it is a great way of educating children on what the police do and the young people that we speak to are usually very interested in policing.”
Rachel Taylor, Principal at Enid Capron Primary, said: “It is so important that the children see the work that the police do in order to build positive relationships between police, school and the community.”
Please visit our web site at
www.tcipolice.tc or www.facebook.com/RTCIPF for more crime prevention information.
Women’s Missionary Band presents ‘Caring for the Elderly'
The 201st Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands conference of the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas is intending to hold a referendum expressing its strong opposition to all forms of gambling on January 28th. The Conference Organizers say gambling is a subject of tremendous concern to all citizens of the Bahamas. In a statement today the Ministerial and Lay Delegates at the annual session reiterate their strong and uncompromising opposition to gambling in all its forms.
The Ministerial and Lay Delegates give the reasons for taking their principled stand against gambling. Firstly they point out that many religious leaders see gambling as the concept of gaining something by means of luck or chance at the expense of others. That makes it incompatible with the teaching of Scripture, which calls upon Christians to use their God-given abilities and talents to work for or earn the same: by the sweat of thy brow thou shalt eat bread – Genesis 3:19. They also point to Proverbs, Matthew, andThessalonians for further clarification. Gambling, they say, encourages laziness, avarice and greed – fostering dependence upon chance rather Divine Providence and dedication to duty as taught in the Bible. They say further that gambling can greatly disrupt or even destroy home and family life. The most powerful argument against gambling from a moral perspective, however, was the “law of love” as expounded by Jesus in “The Sermon On The Mount in discussions with His religious contemporaries Matthew, Mark, and John. They say this is all in keeping with the teaching of John Wesley in his famous sermon on the use of money. Whatever may be the outcome of the Referendum, the Methodist Church will continue to hold tenaciously to its position that gambling is morally wrong.
Eritrea Returns to Calm After Mutiny
Calm has reportedly returned to the east African nation of Eritrea a day after a group of mutinous soldiers attempted to take over the country's information ministry.
More than 100 dissident soldiers stormed the ministry in Asmara early Monday, ordering state television announcers to read a statement calling for the release of political prisoners and saying the 1997 constitution would be respected.
It is unclear how the situation was resolved, but the soldiers are believed to have left the ministry by late Monday.
In a message posted on Twitter Tuesday, the director of the Eritrean president's office, Yemane Ghebremeskel, said “all is calm today as it was yesterday.”
Diplomats and residents say the situation in the capital is quiet with no military presence seen on the streets.
The U.S.-based Eritrean opposition website, Awate.com, says the mutiny was led by a prominent military commander, named Saleh Osman, in an attempt to restart stalled negotiations for the country's democratization.
President Isaias Afewerki has ruled Eritrea since 1993. His government has kept tight control on the country, allowing little dissent and no independent media.
The government is believed to hold thousands of political prisoners, including journalists and officials who questioned the president's leadership.
The United Nations human rights office has said the country of about six million people holds between 5,000 and 10,000 political prisoners.