Apple suppliers' shares fall on report of cut in orders
Shares of Sharp and other suppliers of iPhone parts to Apple have fallen after reports of a cut in orders for the iPhone 5.
Apple has reduced orders by about 50% for its latest model, according to the Nikkei newspaper in Japan.
Sharp, which makes display panels for the device, slumped as much as 7% in Tokyo trade. Speaker-maker ACC Technologies fell 4.2% in Hong Kong.
Apple shares hit an 11-month low in New York on Monday after the report.
Apple has seen increased competition in the smartphone market in recent months.
South Korea's Samsung Electronics, which offers a wider variety of smartphones, recently overtook Apple as the world's largest smartphone maker by market share.
Some analysts have said that Apple will need to come out with a cheaper smartphone to target customers in emerging markets.
Platinum Producer to Cut 14,000 Jobs in South Africa
Mining giant Anglo American Platinum has announced plans to close four mine shafts in South Africa and cut up to 14,000 jobs.
The vast majority of the job cuts would be in the city of Rustenburg, where at least 46 people were killed in mine-related unrest last year.
In a statement Tuesday, the company, also known as Amplats, indicated the cuts are a result of slowing demand for platinum and said the operation of “unprofitable shafts” is not sustainable.
Amplats said it lost money in 2012 after posting profits the previous year.
The company said it would try to create jobs in other sectors to try to make up for the cuts.
According to the French News Agency, National Union of Mineworkers spokesman Lesiba Seshoka said the union was “shocked” by Amplats' proposed cuts and said the reductions would be a “disaster for the economy.”
Amplats and other mining firms were hit by a wave of strikes last year after police fired on striking workers at the Lonmin platinum mine near Rustenberg last August, killing 34 people. The incident was the single deadliest police-related incident in South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994.
Pakistan Supreme Court orders arrest of PM Raja Pervez Ashraf
Pakistan's Supreme Court has ordered the arrest of PM Raja Pervez Ashraf and 15 others over corruption allegations, raising fears of a political crisis just months ahead of an election.
Mr Ashraf denies accepting bribes when approving power generation projects as minister for water and power in 2010.
Analysts say that the move is unlikely to lead to his immediate removal.
It comes as a populist cleric led thousands of protesters in Islamabad, demanding the government resign.
Television images showed demonstrators, led by Tahirul Qadri, celebrating and triumphantly applauding as news broke of the court's order.
The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says it may just be a coincidence - but to many observers the timing of the move bolsters allegations that the cleric is backed by elements of the judiciary and military.
In recent years Pakistan's government, judiciary and powerful military have been at loggerheads.
Mr Ashraf's predecessor, Yousuf Raza Gilani, was forced out as prime minister last June after the Supreme Court convicted him of contempt for failing to pursue a corruption case against the president.
Mr Ashraf was appointed in his place, but many predicted that his tenure would also be troubled.
The Supreme Court order says the prime minister and the others should be arrested and produced before court within 24 hours. But correspondents say the prime minister's lawyers may find ways of delaying any appearance.
Dogged by controversy
There was no immediate statement from the government following the arrest order. President Asif Zardari was holding a meeting of leading figures in the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in Karachi, according to state broadcaster PTV.
Mr Ashraf is set to lead the party into general elections due in May. Most observers say they expect the balance of power in the forthcoming parliamentary polls to broadly stay the same unless turnout is high, which could allow minor parties to translate popular support into seats.
He has long been a senior figure in the PPP, and has twice been a minister in the government which has been in power since 2008.
But it was his tenure as minister for water and power which is dogged by controversy.
The government needed to generate more power to deal with electricity shortages, but there were accusations of corruption from the opposition about the so-called "Rental Power Projects" devised to solve the crisis.
Critics labelled him "Raja Rental" because of the kickbacks he is alleged to have taken - he has consistently denied these claims and left the water and power post in 2011.
But many analysts say this case could simply be a continuation of the long feud between the PPP-led government and the judiciary.
And there have also been chaotic scenes in Islamabad after a long-planned march from Lahore to the capital by Dr Qadri culminated in a mass rally.
Clashes briefly erupted on Tuesday before Dr Qadri addressed his thousands of supporters camped near parliament, vowing to continue his mass protest indefinitely.
The cleric has said he wants the military and judiciary to be involved in installing a caretaker government to oversee the forthcoming elections.
But the government has accused him of trying to postpone elections due in May.
--BBC
Suicide Bomber Kills Iraqi Sunni MP
Iraqi officials say a Sunni lawmaker has been killed in a suicide bombing in western Anbar province.
Ifan al-Issawi died Tuesday when a suicide bomber detonated explosives in the restive city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad.
The attack comes amid rising anti-government protests, mostly by Sunnis, that have rocked Iraq since December.
Many Sunnis are calling for Shi'ite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to step down. They also want the release of detainees they say are being held without trial – and the suspension of an anti-terrorism law they say targets Sunnis unfairly.
Mr. Maliki's Shi'ite supporters have also taken to the streets in what is becoming escalating sectarian strife.
The protests began in Sunni-dominated Anbar after the army arrested the bodyguards of Sunni Finance Minister Rafa al-Issawi.
He is the most high profile Sunni Cabinet member since Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi was dismissed from office, accused of running death squads. A death warrant has been issued against Hashemi in absentia. He says the charges are trumped up for political reasons.
Provincial elections are set to take place in April and analysts expect the unrest to continue until then.
China to Survey Disputed Islands
China says it plans to conduct a geographical survey of a group of islands at the center of a heated territorial dispute with Japan.
The official Xinhua news agency says the survey of the Diaoyu Islands, known as Senkaku in Japan, is part of a wider plan to map China's territorial claims.
It gave no further details, but said the mapping program aims to safeguard Beijing's “maritime rights and interests.”
China and Japan have long disputed ownership of the uninhabited islands, which are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potential energy deposits.
Tensions increased last year after the Japanese government purchased some of the islands from their private Japanese landowner, prompting days of widespread anti-Japan protests in China.
Both countries have recently sent planes to patrol the area, intensifying fears of a possible clash between the two Asian powers. China has also sent regular patrol boats to the islands, which are administered by Japan.
Egypt Train Derailment Kills 19, Injures 107
A train carrying military recruits has derailed near the Egyptian capital, killing 19 people and injuring 107 others.
Officials say two train cars went off the tracks early Tuesday in the Badrasheen neighborhood of Giza.
The accident comes less than two weeks after a new transportation minister was named to improve the safety of the Egyptian rail system, which has a poor safety record due to a lack of maintenance and poor management.
About 50 people died in November when a train slammed into a school bus in central Egypt.
China: Factory Fire Burns Unnoticed for Hours Because of Smog
A factory fire in eastern China raged out of control unnoticed for hours Monday, after local residents were unable to distinguish the smoke from the dense smog that has filled the region.
The official Xinhua news agency says the furniture factory in Zheijiang province burned for nearly three hours before residents noticed the blaze. It took 10 hours to extinguish the flames, which destroyed a large amount of furniture.
Much of China's east coast has experienced its worst air pollution in recent memory over the past several days. In Beijing, a thick blanket of brown smog reduced visibility to just 200 meters, with the tops of many of the city's massive skyscrapers disappearing in the haze.
At its worst, official air quality readings in the capital reached nearly 40 times the World Health Organization's safe limit. Many hospitals were filled with patients complaining of heart or respiratory sicknesses.
The crisis has prompted an unprecedented amount of criticism of the government in China's state-controlled media, many of which published front-page commentaries on the issue. Government officials traditionally have downplayed the severity of the problem.
Facing increasing public outrage, China has taken steps in recent years to become more transparent about air pollution levels. It now publishes hourly updates online for more than 70 cities.
Conditions on Tuesday had improved slightly in the capital, as a cold front moved into the area. But officials warn that heavy smog will persist through Wednesday.
NEW PERMANENT SECRETARY APPOINTED AT TCIG MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
Cheryl-Ann Jones has been appointed as the new Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Education in the Turks and Caicos Island Government (TCIG) by His Excellency, Governor Ric Todd, yesterday, Mon, 14 Jan 2013.
Her appointment follows a competitive selection process which saw seven applications received. Mrs Jones was previously Deputy Permanent Secretary in the TCIG Ministry of Government Support Services (GSS).
She has worked in the TCI public sector for twenty years, having been previously worked as the country’s National AIDS Program Coordinator, Training Director. She holds a MSc in Human Resource Management and a BSc in Social Work.
Together with her Minister and other colleagues, Mrs Jones will be working to address manpower, education ordinance, potential curriculum reviews and will seek to address overcrowding in TCI schools, particularly in Providenciales.
She also wishes to look at the better use of technology in the class room, seek to building partnerships both internally and externally, and to work with the College Board to bring together its offering with the needs of the Islands.
The Ministry’s Youth Department’s National Youth Policy will shortly be submitted to Cabinet, and through the Sports Department will look at developing a program to strengthen sporting initiatives across the islands in a coherent structured way.
“This appointment of this high profile Turks and Caicos Islander to this very important position shows the huge steps being taken to build up the capacity and capability within the TCIG civil service,” said Governor Ric Todd.
“Mrs Jones performed very well as a Deputy Permanent Secretary within the Government previously, and was an excellent candidate throughout the section process. On behalf of the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands, I would like to take this opportunity to say very well done and that we look forward to you succeeding in this position which will play a vital role in the future of these Islands.”
Education Minister continues Tour of Schools
Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture Hon. Akierra Missick along with officials from the Ministry of Education continued their tour of the Nation's Schools last week.
On Tuesday January 8, 2013, the Minister along with The Acting Permanent Secretary Cherylann Jones and Director of Education, Edgar Howell toured the Ianthe Pratt and Enid Capron Primary Schools. The Thursday of the same week, they visited the Clement Howell High and Oseta Jolly Primary Schools.
The purpose of these visits was among other things, to meet first hand with school principals and students; to see the physical conditions of the school and to hear from both the principals and students what they saw as some of the immediate needs of their schools. During the tour of each school, officials visited individual class rooms to meet and speak with the students.
Among the needs identified by the students were new play grounds, freshly painted class rooms, new books for the library and more play room. Most principals outlined their needs as auditoriums, repairs to fences, more lighting on the compounds and the construction of tuck shops or cafeterias where one can get 'good' food. They also saw the need to have sitting room to eat.
The tour continued on Friday January 11 when the Minister and her team visited schools on Grand Turk. Minister for Government Support Services (GSS) Hon. George Lightbourne and GSS’ Head of Secretariat Miss Kathy Watkin, joined the team on their visit to the H. J. Robinson High School.
Both Ministers pledged their commitment to address the needs of the school in “a structured way to ensure the most urgent needs are met as priority”. The officials expressed dismay at the physical condition of some of the schools visited and at the level of wall markings and litter on the compounds.
Students were charged to pay more attention to and to take more pride in their surroundings. The Officials also called on the students to form groups that will work with the prefects and other school officials to take care of their surroundings as well as to report instances when students were damaging or destroying school property.
The tour of schools will continue next on North, Middle, South Caicos and Salt Cay. These visits have been organised to allow both the Education and GSS Ministries to make adequate budget preparations for the coming fiscal year.
More petty robberies attacks the police in the TCI
0
0
1
624
3562
Tripple M FM
29
8
4178
14.0
Normal
0
false
false
false
EN-US
JA
X-NONE
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
The Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police are investigating a Burglary, which was reported on Friday January 11th, 2013 at 4:30PM.
A female of Blue Hills told officers that she secured her home on Friday January 11th, 2013 at 8AM and returned at 4PM to discover that her home was broken into. Missing was a case of beer and her wedding band. Investigations are ongoing into this matter.
***
The Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police are also investigating a Theft incident, which was reported on Friday January 11th, 2013 at 2:10PM. A hotel guest at a resort on Grace Bay told officers that he left his black and silver Breitling wrist watch on a table in a general area of the resort and when he returned, he discovered that his wrist watch was missing. Investigations are ongoing into this matter.
***
The Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police are also investigating an attempted Burglary, which was reported on Thursday January 10th, 2013 at 10:31AM.
A female of Cheshire Hall told officers that she was in her bedroom when she heard a noise coming from her window. She then noticed two male subjects taking the screen out of her window, at which point she shouted and the subjects ran off. Responding officers later arrested two males in connection with this report. Investigations are ongoing into this matter.
***
The Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police are also investigating a Burglary, which was reported on Thursday January 10th, 2013 at 7:38PM.
A female of Long Bay told officers that she secured her home on Friday January 11th, 2013 at 4:30AM and returned at 7:53AM to discover that her home was broken into. At present nothing appears to be missing. Investigations are ongoing into this matter.
***
The Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police are also investigating a Burglary, which was reported on Thursday January 10th, 2013 at 8:13PM.
A male of Long Bay told officers that he secured his home on Thursday January 10th, 2013 at 11:30AM and returned at 8:10PM to discover that his home was broken into. At present nothing appears to be missing. Investigations are ongoing into this matter.
***
The Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police are also investigating a Burglary, which was reported on Thursday January 10th, 2013 at 9:25PM.
A male told officers that he secured his hotel room on Thursday January 10th, 2013 at 4PM and returned at 8PM to discover that his hotel room was broken into. Missing is a safe containing a quantity of cash. Investigations are ongoing into this matter.
***
The Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police are also investigating a Robbery, which was reported on Friday January 11th, 2013 at 2:08AM. A male of Five Cays was rushed to Cheshire Hall Medical Centre and is now recovering from non-life threatening injuries. He told officers that he was stabbed just outside his home after a male subject wielding a knife demanded money from him. The male subject was reported to be wearing a green sleeveless t-shirt and a red short pants. Investigations are ongoing into this matter.
***
The Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police are also investigating a Burglary, which was reported on Wednesday January 09th, 2013 at 7:21PM.
A male of Blue Hills told officers that he secured his home on Wednesday January 09th, 2013 at 8AM and returned at 6:45PM to discover that his home was broken into. Missing is a quantity of cash. Investigations are ongoing into this matter.
***
The Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police are also investigating a Burglary, which was reported on Wednesday January 09th, 2013 at 11:09PM.
A male of Grace Bay told officers that he secured his home on Wednesday January 09th, 2013 at 6PM and returned at 11PM to discover that his home was broken into. Missing are two IPads. Investigations are ongoing into this matter.
***
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.