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.
Syria Activists: Car Bomb Toll at Least 42
Syrian rights activists say the death toll from a suicide car bombing in the central province of Hama late Monday has risen to at least 42 people.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack targeted a building used by pro-government militiamen in the town of Salamiyah. It said civilians were among the dead.
Syrian state news agency SANA gave a death toll of 32 people and blamed the bombing on terrorists whom it says are behind a 22-month rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad.
The Observatory also reported deadly battles between mostly Sunni anti-government rebels and minority Kurdish fighters in the northeastern town of Ras al-Ain, on the border with Turkey.
It said at least 56 fighters have been killed in a week of fighting in the area. Syria's minority Kurds have largely remained on the sidelines of the majority-Sunni led rebellion, but have long sought greater autonomy from Damascus.
The Observatory said pro-Assad troops and rebels engaged in more battles in Damascus province on Tuesday.
Dozens of Russians boarded buses from Syria to neighboring Lebanon in the first evacuation organized by Moscow since the start of the Syrian uprising in 2011.
The Russian government had sent two planes to the Lebanese capital Beirut to fly the Russians back home. Syria's main international airport outside Damascus has been largely devoid of traffic in recent weeks due to fighting along the road to the capital.
Russia is one of the few remaining international allies of Mr. Assad's government. But, it has been distancing itself from the Syrian leader, acknowledging that he may be ousted by the uprising.
Separately, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on U.N. members to send senior delegations to an international donor conference for Syria, to be held in Kuwait on January 30. He said the international community must do everything it can to help Syrians in need.
The UNHCR reported Tuesday that it is dramatically scaling up its operations for Syrian refugees. The agency says it is hard to keep pace with the increasing numbers of people fleeing Syria into neighboring countries.
Japan Moves to Stimulate Its Stalled Economy
Japan's central bank is embarking on an American-like plan to stimulate the country's stalled economy by pumping more money into it.
The Bank of Japan, under pressure from the new government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, agreed Tuesday to double its inflation target to 2 percent and stimulate the world's third largest economy for an indefinite period through asset purchases. The economic boost is similar to that undertaken in recent years by the U.S. central bank, the Federal Reserve.
Japan's economy has been long stalled, restrained by deflation, with falling prices. Mr. Abe said the new policy marked a significant change.
“In terms of making a bold review of monetary policy, I believe (the agreement with the bank) is a ground-breaking statement. A macroeconomic regime change clearly is under way.”
A governor for the Bank of Japan, Masaaki Shirakawa, is optimistic that the stimulus will boost the country's economy.
“They (the government) have again pledged to take concrete steps towards a sustainable fiscal structure. We have high expectations for the government's measures.”
Car Bombs Kill 16 in Iraq
A wave of car bombings in and around the Iraqi capital has killed at least 16 people.
The blasts Tuesday included an attack near an army base in Taji, 25 kilometers north of Baghdad, which killed six people and wounded at least 20 others.
Another car bomb killed five people, including two soldiers, near a security checkpoint in Mahmudiyah, south of the capital.
A third attack hit Baghdad's Shula neighborhood, killing five others.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombings.
Last week, a string of attacks across the country killed at least 59 people.
Bunji Garlin & Fayon out of Soca Monarch 2013
Bunji Garlin and Fay Ann Lyons-Alvarez have both bowed out of the International Groovy and Power Soca Monarch competitions, respectively.
The couple announced this last night, saying they decided to withdraw because they believe that fundamental clauses in the competitors' contracts were objectionable and demanded too much of the winners.
They were therefore advised by their management and legal representatives that it was best they pull out of the competition before the semi-final round on Sunday at the Arima Velodrome.
Bunji had pulled position number 15 and Lyons-Alvarez number 20.
Among the elements in the contract with which Bunji and Lyons-Alvarez took exception to was the rule that winners must give back to the Caribbean Prestige Foundation (CPF) five per cent of the winnings.
Also, the winners must defend the respective titles the following year, or they will have to pay back 90 per cent of the prize money.
Another clause the artistes are objecting to in the contract is that the winners must attend the prize distribution ceremony wherever it may be, here at home or abroad.
Chairman of CPF William Munro, said last night he was saddened and very hurt over Lyons-Alvarez and Bunji pulling out only two days before the semi-finals, and he was hoping they would reconsider.
Lyons-Alvarez and Bunji did not compete in the Soca Monarch competition last year and at that time announced they were considering not returning because they wanted to focus on taking their music directly to an international audience.