URGENT: CHANGE OF NOMINATION VENUE ON MIDDLE CAICOS
Due to unforeseen circumstances the venue for election candidates to be nominated in Middle Caicos tomorrow is now unavailable. Candidate who had planned to register their nominations on Middle Caicos should now report to the Bottle Creek Library, North Caicos instead. The Elections Office apologises for any inconvenience that this may cause.
All parties/candidate should register their nominations (candidates, symbols and pay their deposits) tomorrow Thu, 25 Oct 2012, between the hours of 10.00am-12 noon and 2.00pm-4.00pm at the following venues in each Electoral District.
Aside from this change to Middle Caicos all other venues remain as follows:
1. ED1: Anglican Church, Dillon Hall, Grand Turk
2. ED2: Education Department Conference room, Grand Turk
3. ED3: Community Centre, South Caicos
4. ED4: Bottle Creek Library, North Caicos
5. ED5: Hope Missionary Baptist Church, Long Bay, Providenciales
6. ED6: Ianthe Pratt Primary (Auditorium/Library), Providenciales
7. ED7: Disaster Management Centre, Providenciales
8. ED8 and ED10: Clement Howell High (Auditorium/Library), Providenciales
9. ED9: Felix Morley Community Centre, Providenciales
Sandy heads for Cuba after pounding Jamaica
At least one man has died after being crushed by a boulder and almost three quarters of the island is without power after Hurricane Sandy pounded Jamaica Wednesday. As Sandy headed towards Cuba, Jamaica was still being pelted with heavy rains after the eye crossed the island making it the first hurricane direct hit for the country since Hurricane Gilbert 24 years ago. The airport and ports remained closed and the police curfew also remained in place Wednesday evening. Meanwhile, at 7pm local time Sandy was about 60 miles NNE of Kingston packing winds of over 85 mph and travelling north at 14 mph.
The National Hurricane Centre said this motion was expected to continue through until Thursday night when an increase in forward speed is expected. A turn toward the north-northwest and a decrease in forward speed are expected on Friday.
On the current track Hurricane Sandy will move over eastern Cuba overnight and head towards the Bahamas Thursday. Sandy remains a category one hurricane but forecasters said additional strengthening was possible before it reached Cuba. Hurricane force winds currently extend outward up to 30 miles while tropical storm force winds extend up to 140 miles.
Although the storm remains more than 200 miles to the east of the Sister Islands very high seas are forecast locally and a marine warning remains in effect. Cayman Weather Services said waves could peak as high as nine feet through Thursday. Some heavy rain and fresh winds are also expected locally as Sandy moves past Cayman towards Cuba.
-CNS
Hurricane Sandy brings torrential rain to Jamaica
Jamaicans have taken refuge in shelters and their homes as Hurricane Sandy sweeps across the island after making landfall near the capital, Kingston.
Heavy rains and sustained winds of 125km/h (80mph) are pounding the island, according to the National Hurricane Centre (NHC).
Schools and airports are closed, and a curfew has been imposed in major towns to keep people safe and deter looters.
Forecasters warned the category one hurricane could strengthen further.
The NHC said Sandy has moved north across Jamaica at about 20km/h and emerged off its northern coast near the town of Port Antonio.
Tropical storm conditions were also expected to hit Haiti, Cuba and the Bahamas before reaching Florida's east coast.
"These rains may produce life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, especially in areas of mountainous terrain," the NHC said in a statement.
Crocodiles
In some southern towns, crocodiles were caught in rushing floodwaters, which carried them out of mangrove thickets, the Associated Press reports.
One big croc was washed into a family's front yard in the city of Portmore, according to the news agency.
Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson cut short a visit to Canada and flew home before the island's international airports shut down.
"This is a very serious storm. The government takes the threat seriously and I call on all Jamaicans to do likewise and prepare to face the enormous risks that this type of weather system can bring," she said.
The number of people seeking refuge in shelters is rising, according to Ronald Jackson, the head of Jamaica's Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management.
"We now have over 437 persons in emergency shelters though those numbers could be higher at this time," he said.
Much of the island's infrastructure is in a poor state of repair, and a lack of effective planning regulation has resulted in homes being built close to embankments and gullies.
On Tuesday, a resident of Standpipe, one of the poorer quarters of Kingston, was trying to complete repairs to a roof which leaks badly even during a lesser downpour.
"We don't have much time," said Andre Howt. "We heard on the radio that the hurricane was coming this way. We'll be getting wet."
LIAT reduces flights into St.Lucia
LIAT has reduced its daily flights into St. Lucia by 4, providing 11 compared to its regular 15, this as Saint Lucia recorded increased regional arrivals in the first quarter of the year; the first time in years.
But The St. Lucia Tourist Board says that airlift suffered a 20% drop in 2012.
Director - Louis Lewis says this did not reflect demand for the country which remained the same. He says efforts to restore the lost seats have been ongoing.
Lewis says further to the issue of decreased flights to the island, increased airfare also formed part of their troubles. He noted there has been a 40% increase in airfare this year compared to 2011.
IMF will not pay wage bill
THERE will be no accommodations for public sector wages under a new International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreement in Jamaica, says resident representative Dr Gene Leon.
This is because “an IMF loan does not provide money for salaries, it does not provide money for basic schools, and it does not provide money for roads”, Leon said. “It is to ensure that the country... can continue to meet international transactions.”Generally, the aim of the IMF is to ensure economic stability and to ensure there is enough financing to facilitate the continuation of international trade, stated Leon on Friday at a forum hosted by the Hugh Lawson Shearer Trade Union Education Institute.
Developing a “parallel track” that will take care of growth and an increase in public sector wages is the only way to address the incompatibility of the impending IMF agreement with an increase in salaries, said the Institute’s president ,Danny Roberts.
“We need to find alternatives,” he said. “We cannot borrow ourselves out of a crisis.”
This would be Jamaica's latest agreement in a 39-year stretch of borrowing from the IMF.
The last meeting required the completion of the Jamaica Debt Exchange and the sale of Air Jamaica before an agreement could be reached.
These “prior actions” increase the likelihood of the success of any programme that would be given to the island, Leon said.
Similarly, “we have some prior actions for this programme that have not yet been discussed and agreed upon”, he further stated, indicating that an agreement might not be reached until next year.
In the meantime, the Government should either reprioritize spending or increasing revenue.
“[Public sector] wages constitute 50 per cent of Jamaica's revenue,” he said, adding that the necessity of this 50 per cent and how it can be reduced if it is found that the amount is unnecessary should be considered.
And while the percentage of wages to overall expenditures is high in Jamaica compared to other countries globally, “we are focused on wages because that’s the easiest thing to tackle, but wages represent one element of the problem”.
“What we have is a structural problem. We need to fix the structure.”
A wage freeze, therefore, will only provide the Government with more time but does not solve the problem, he said.
Another secondary school stabbing - victim stabbed in leg
A form Five student in Trinidad remains hospitalised after he was stabbed with a knife by another student at school yesterday.
The student was stabbed once to the leg and was rushed to hospital for treatment. Up to late yesterday evening a 16-year-old student remained in police custody in connection with the stabbing incident.
According to police reports, at about 8.45 am, two male students, an 18-year-old and a 16-year-old began arguing over a school bag. The younger student, according to police, pulled out a knife and stabbed the older teen.
Police were told two days before, the older student complained his books were thrown out and his bag was stolen by the younger student. The older boy went to the 16-year-old and demanded he return his bag and a fight started during which the older boy was stabbed.
Eyewitnesses say a third student saw the fight and intervened to stop the younger student from beating the older one.
Last week a student in Grenada was stabbed to death by another student. The deceased will be ladi to rest next week. The female student charged with this crime has been remaded to prison and will face the court next month.
Bolt undecided on long jump
Olympic 100 and 200 metres champion, Usain Bolt, appears to be having second thoughts about competing in long jump events as he had earlier suggested. Bolt, currently on a short trip to Brazil, said he does not want to risk a serious injury that could keep him from defending his sprint titles at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
"The plan is (to compete in the) long jump maybe before the Olympics, but I have talked to my coach a little bit and he's shown some concern about the fact that long jump can bring some problems to the knee," Bolt told a news conference in Rio de Janeiro.
“We will sit down and evaluate if we want to do it”.
Bolt, who became the first man to successfully defend the 100- and 200-metre titles at the London Olympics, has been going back and forth about whether he will try competing in either the long jump or the 400 in Rio.
Earlier this month, Bolt said his aim was to go for a three-peat of his Olympic sprint titles in Rio, but a couple of days later he said the long jump and the 400 were not out of the question.
"Because if I do it, I may jeopardise my opportunity to come to Rio, so I may not do long jump,” said the 26-year-old who holds the world record in the 100 and 200. It concerns me. We will look over and see if it is possible."
Bolt began his two-day trip by visiting the Christ the Redeemer statue, then took a helicopter tour over Copacabana Beach, Sugar Loaf mountain and Maracana Stadium, which is being renovated for next year's Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup.
"Construction in full Usain Bolt speed ahead of World Cup football” he said on his Twitter account and also posted a photo of the stadium.
Bolt also visited a local athletics facility, met with young Brazilian athletes and received Rio's key of the city from Mayor Eduardo Paes.
Lakers shut down Kobe Bryant (sore foot) for rest of preseason
Kobe Bryant, his preseason work complete, will sit out until the games matter.
The Los Angeles Lakers announced Wednesday that their All-Star guard will be shut down for the remainder of the preseason with a sore right foot. The Lakers have preseason games against the the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday and the Sacramento Kings on Thursday. Bryant will be re-evaluted before the Lakers begin their 2012-13 regular-season schedule by hosting the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 30 at the Staples Center. The decision to shut Bryant down will give him nine days of rest between the injury and L.A.’s season opener.
Bryant suffered the foot injury during Sunday’s loss to the Kings.
Bryant strained the foot when accidentally making contact with a Kings opponent, as opposed to being kicked.
The level of concern here for Lakers fans should remain at zero. The biggest key for a veteran L.A. team during the preseason was to get an early look at how Bryant and Pau Gasol would mesh with new center Dwight Howard and new point Steve Nash. Howard’s rehabilitation from back surgery came together just in time to give the quartet the opportunity to play together before wins and losses count. That game, Sunday’s loss to the Kings, hinted at the success and domination that will come if all four can remain healthy. Nash and Gasol fed Howard with lobs, Bryant and Howard ran some pick-and-roll and Nash and Howard combined to push tempo on numerous occasions. Bryant and Howard combined for 40 points, Gasol added 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists and Nash had five assists. There wasn’t much missing from the October night for a team that looks poised to make a run at playing in June.
Bryant, 34, appeared in five preseason games for the Lakers, posting averages of 20.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 26.8 minutes per game. One of the league’s more durable superstars, he appeared in 58 of L.A.’s 66 games last season, averaging 27.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.
Ajax beat Manchester City 3-1
Manchester City's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League knockout stage suffered another crushing blow with a comprehensive defeat at Ajax.
Samir Nasri slotted City ahead against the run of play in Amsterdam, but Siem de Jong equalised for Ajax with a low finish just before half-time and Niklas Moisander headed them in front.
Christian Eriksen made it three with a strike that deflected off Gael Clichy.
Defeat leaves City bottom of Group D with one point from three games.They host Ajax on 6 November and Real Madrid on 21 November before finishing at Borussia Dortmund on 4 December.
Dortmund lead the way on seven points, one clear of Real and three above Ajax. The top two advance to the last 16.
City fell at the first hurdle last season - their Champions League debut - and look set to suffer the same fate this time round.
They can point to the difficulty of being drawn alongside the champions of Spain, Germany and the Netherlands - but their seeding will not improve until they reach the knockout stage.
City's Abu Dhabi owners are unlikely to look happily on such a return for their lavish investment, and the team's shortcomings have rarely been exposed as cruelly as they were in Amsterdam ArenA.
Ajax started the match in a manner evoking memories of their glorious past, when a side featuring Johan Cruyff won three European Cups in the early 1970s.
A fourth arrived in 1995 with the help of current coach Frank de Boer and his largely home-grown team contrasts sharply with City's expensively assembled squad.
They pass and move with pace and flair, forming combinations all over the pitch and attacking fluidly from wide or through the middle.Ajax dominated the opening 20 minutes and signalled their intent when Eriksen shot narrowly wide after neat work from Daley Blind and Lasse Schone.
Blind - the 22-year-old son of former Ajax great Danny - continually raced forward from left-back and Ricardo van Rhijn was similarly effective on the opposite side.
But Eriksen was the most prominent threat and he again went close having shimmied past a leaden-footed Gareth Barry.
If one criticism could be levelled at Ajax it was that they were not challenging City goalkeeper Joe Hart, and punishment arrived.
Micah Richards advanced on the right and found James Milner, who fed Nasri to clip a crisp strike past Kenneth Vermeer.
The hosts were suddenly subdued and Vermeer prevented Richards doubling their advantage as City began to exert control.
But with half-time in sight, Roberto Mancini's men switched off and De Jong met Van Rhijn's cross with a crunching first-time effort.
Sergio Aguero was foiled by Vermeer in the opening moments of the second half and that save proved crucial. Shortly after, Moisander got away from Joleon Lescott and glanced home Eriksen's corner.
Mancini swiftly replaced Lescott with the more attack-minded Aleksander Kolarov, yet it seemed to further disrupt City's flow.
Ajax were now full of confidence and Shone was able to rob Barry before Eriksen went past Vincent Kompany and beat Hart via a significant deflection off Clichy.
Hart saved his side's blushes when one-one-one with Tobias Sana, while Mancini introduced Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli in attack.
Edin Dzeko, Nasri and Sergio Aguero all had chances to keep City's hopes alive, but Ajax held on comfortably for their first home win against English opposition since 1980.
Olympic medals stolen from Alex Partridge and Hannah Macleod
Olympic rower Alex Partridge says he is devastated after he and hockey player Hannah Macleod had their London 2012 bronze medals stolen.
They were out celebrating with other Team GB members in the capital after a Buckingham Palace reception on Tuesday when the medals went missing.
Partridge's medal was inside a blazer which was taken in the early hours.
The 31-year-old told BBC Sport: "It's very, very upsetting. It would mean everything to me to get them back."
Partridge, whose bronze in the men's eight followed a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, added: "I worked for 12 years of my life to try to achieve something at the Olympic Games and that's what I've got to show for it.
"While we were out and dancing away, I noticed I'd misplaced my blazer. In the morning I thought one of the other Olympians must have picked it up by accident, but no-one had it."I always say to people it's not about the medal, it's about the journey but I guess you don't appreciate the value of it until it's not there
"It was only when I picked up my 16-month-old daughter from nursery it really dawned on me. If it doesn't come back she won't see everything I worked for, which was a representation of being in the best British Olympic team and possibly the best Olympics ever."
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said it was investigating reports of an Olympic medal and blazer being stolen from an event in Mayfair, although the force had yet to be contacted about a second stolen medal.
"It was believed the items were taken between midnight and 5am on Wednesday, 24 October. No arrests have been made. Inquiries are ongoing and the property is still outstanding," he said.
Olympic and Paralympic stars had earlier been invited to the palace to mark their achievements along with the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh, Duchess of Cambridge, Prime Minister David Cameron and London 2012 chief Lord Coe.
Henley-based Partridge and 28-year-old Macleod used their Twitter accounts to appeal for information about the missing medals.
"Someone else might have it right now and if they do, I'd really appreciate having the medal back and the blazer, which had two pins on it representing the silver medal in Beijing and taking part in London 2012," said US-born Partridge.
Macleod, who hails from Boston in Lincolnshire, was a member of the women's team who beat New Zeland to secure a medal.