Caribbean News

War zone

2010-03-16T07:42:00.000-04:00

Jamaica Gleaner News "ONLY HOURS after the curtains descended with a flurry on a birthday bash for embattled Tivoli Gardens community leader, Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, neighbouring sections of west Kingston exploded into a raging gun battle, involving members of the security forces and gunmen, which lasted for more than three hours."

Hell breaks loose in West Kingston

2010-03-16T07:40:00.000-04:00

JamaicaObserver.com: "THREE policemen were shot and injured and two men who police say were 'known gunmen' lost their lives during an alleged gunbattle in Hannah Town, West Kingston yesterday.
Following the shooting, there was prolonged gunfire in sections of West Kingston as armed men challenged the police for almost two hours."

‘You’re not welcome!’

2010-03-16T07:33:00.000-04:00

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "AN ANGRY pensioner yesterday held on to the shoulders of Prime Minister Patrick Manning as he chased him off his property, after the Prime Minister entered the man’s premises un-welcomed, during a walkabout of the St Joseph constituency.

The incident happened at about 5.30 pm when Manning, in the company of St Joseph MP Kennedy Swaratsingh, toured the constituency as part of the PNM’s preparations for pending local government elections."

2 BARRED

2010-03-16T07:30:00.000-04:00

Nation News "TWO INSURANCE COMPANIES have been prohibited from writing new business by the Supervisor of Insurance.

Prime Minister David Thompson announced yesterday that Clico International Life and British American Insurance company are also both set to be placed under judicial management - but for different reasons."

Journalist shot dead in Honduras

2010-03-16T07:20:00.000-04:00

Sifu "/EFE) Honduran journalist Nahum Palacios was murdered in the northeastern city of Tocoa, becoming the third media professional to die violently in the Central American country over the past two weeks, police said.

The killing occurred around 10.30 p.m. Sunday when Palacios, 36, was driving to his home in the Los Pinos neighbourhood, police spokesperson Leonel Sauceda told reporters Monday."

ROAD FATALITY #1...Young teacher, mother of two dies in crash

2010-03-15T06:40:00.000-04:00

Antigua Sun "Dead is Jewell Edwards, a second form teacher attached to the St. Mary’s Centre of Excellence.

The mother of two, a five-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl, was one of three individuals involved in the deadly single car collision. Speculations are rife that she was the passenger in the back seat while Daveile Abbott, 23, was the front seat passenger. Ahmel George, 28, was allegedly the driver of the white Toyota Corolla R2441."

Woman burnt to death

2010-03-15T06:38:00.000-04:00

Kaieteur News: "Just after 3:30 hours yesterday, the remains of newspaper vendor Jacqueline George were pulled from among the rubbles of her house which was completely gutted. It is believed that the woman was killed and her body set alight on her bed. The dead woman’s son, Kenneth George, told this newspaper that when he saw his mother’s remains, her hands were behind her back. “From what I saw it looked like her hands were tied behind her back and her wrists were severed,” the man related."

'Give us the real Bogle'

2010-03-15T06:36:00.000-04:00

JamaicaObserver.com: "INTENSE public resistance in Morant Bay, St Thomas, has forced the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) to call off remounting what many Jamaicans have always known as the Paul Bogle statue in that eastern Jamaica town.
The objection to the work of art is rooted in the residents' claim, which has been corroborated by the JNHT, that the statue is not a true replica of the National Hero."

Consumers warned about purchasing poisonous fishes

2010-03-15T06:33:00.000-04:00

SVG Today: "KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC – Consumers are being asked to be careful when purchasing river fishes after officials said that poisonous chemicals were being used to catch them."

Tivoli under satellite surveillance

2010-03-14T21:15:00.000-04:00

JamaicaObserver.com: "TIVOLI Gardens, the tough West Kingston base of Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, is under satellite surveillance by United States authorities who are determined to have Coke extradited to answer drug- and gun-running charges in New York, the Sunday Observer has learnt.

According to a security expert with knowledge of the operation, the US has powerful audio and video evidence of activities involving Coke, as well as several Government officials, including members of the legislature, inside the Tivoli Gardens community centre."

Non-nationals uneasy on Nevis

2010-03-14T21:02:00.000-04:00

SKNVibes.com "BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – MANY non-nationals are uncertain of their stay on Nevis following recent events, including an operation that was launched last Friday afternoon (Mar. 12) by the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force to rid the island of illegal immigrants.

Information reaching SKNVibes states that immigration officials, accompanied by a female Labour Officer had apprehended some 29 persons, whom they believed were illegally on the island. These persons were taken to the Charlestown Police Station, where they were told to produce proof of their legal status."

The treatment of Stanford is just not cricket

2010-03-14T07:16:00.000-04:00

Times Online: "EVERYBODY hates Allen Stanford now. Not so long ago, he was best buds with half of Antigua. Last week, the island joined the long list of former friends turned sworn enemies"

Barbados shuts out dancehall

2010-03-14T07:07:00.000-04:00

Jamaica Gleaner News "A BARBADOS minister of government has moved to shut out toxic Jamaican dancehall music from his country.
Ronald Jones, the minister of education and human resource development, said the heavy diet of dancehall artistes performing in Barbados is an overkill and doing more harm than good."

Gays Protest Jamaican Reggae, Not American Rap

2010-03-13T20:49:00.000-04:00

NAM: "Middle-aged gay white men tried to stop a Jamaican artist from visiting the United States yesterday, instead of looking at the homophobia in their own backyard.

Jamaican international reggae artist Beenie Man (Anthony Moses Davis), who performed yesterday in Rochester, New York, has earned criticism from gay groups for lyrics like, 'I'm dreaming of a new Jamaica, come to execute all the gays.'"

'Corruption strangling Ja'

2010-03-12T10:55:00.000-04:00

JamaicaObserver.com: "CONTRACTOR General Greg Christie has described corruption as a scourge that is strangling Jamaica to death and used the conviction yesterday of Sierra Leone's former health and environment minister on corruption charges to urge journalists to focus on breaches of trust in relation to the Government's contract procurement process."

Victims secretly married in 2001

2010-03-12T10:53:00.000-04:00

Kaieteur News: "Home Affairs sources dropped a bombshell last night by disclosing that Cuban physiotherapist Guillermo Valintin Martinez Stable and Guyanese Usawattie Persaud were secretly married some nine years ago.
Kaieteur News has learned that the revelation came to light this week after Home Affairs officials discovered that Martinez had applied for Guyanese citizenship.
In the application, Martinez stated that he was married and identified Usawattie Persaud as his spouse.
Home Affairs officials reportedly unearthed a General Register Office marriage certificate which showed that the two became man and wife around February 2001."

Fuel boat explodes at Bartica

2010-03-12T10:51:00.000-04:00

Stabroek News "Deeraj Sanmogan,27, of 129 New Road, Vreed-en-hoop, West Coast Demerara was rushed down to Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) from the Bartica Hospital after the fuel boat he was on exploded while it was discharging fuel at the Texaco Wharf. “He mighten mek it,” his father told Stabroek News.

According to the captain of the fuel boat MV Mother Ganga, Komal Persaud, it was “pumping out kero to the gas station when the pump stop working.” Persaud said that workers went to investigate why and tried to fix the problem and “it just explode.”"

Cops: Come again!

2010-03-12T10:50:00.000-04:00

Nation News "POLICE HAVE SAID 'NO' to controversial Jamaican dancehall artistes Vybz Kartel and Movado.

The Barbados Youth Action Programme, a Government affiliate under the chairmanship of Member of Parliament Hamilton Lashley, has scheduled performances of the Jamaican duo for a reggae show on March 27 at the Midway House carpark, Bay Street, The City.

However, Commissioner of Police Darwin Dottin said the force was concerned about the negativity associated with both entertainers."

video--Suicide in Dennery

2010-03-12T10:47:00.001-04:00

Seaman charged with murder

2010-03-11T10:39:00.000-04:00

Kaieteur News: "A 19-year-old seaman from East Ruimveldt Housing Scheme was yesterday charged in connection with the killing of Canada-based Guyanese Rawle Harding, who was gunned down at Cool Square almost a week ago.
Clad in black three quarter pants and a white jersey, police brought a tearful Junior Bourne up the court steps. As the charged was being read by Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson, there were mixed reactions from the relatives"

Government seeks anonymous jury

2010-03-11T10:38:00.000-04:00

Stabroek News "An anonymous jury is being sought by the US Government in the case involving former Guyanese parliamentarian Abdul Kadir and three others “because of the defendants’ terrorist activities” and their “contact with violent organisations”."

PSOJ turns up ‘Dudus’ heat

2010-03-11T10:30:00.000-04:00

JamaicaObserver.com: "THE Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) yesterday turned up the heat in the ‘Dudus’ affair by urging Prime Minister Bruce Golding to let the nation’s courts decide on matters relating to extradition requests from the United States.

“It seems to us that the proper forum for these matters to be dealt with in a transparent manner is in the courts of Jamaica,” said Jamaica’s most powerful businessman’s lobby group in a news release."

Sexual abuse rates 'alarming'

2010-03-11T10:29:00.000-04:00

Nation News "THE RATE of sexual violence in the Caribbean surpasses the global average.

Furthermore, the region's criminal assizes reflect that 1.3 or 33 per cent of all offences, are of a sexual nature.

According to Jacqueline Sealy-Burke, attorney-at-law and advocate of children's rights and social justice, most cases involved women and children, with an alarmingly high number of child sexual abuse cases."

St.Lucia:No Water Importation

2010-03-10T11:06:00.001-04:00

Killing highlights Ocho Rios transport woes

2010-03-10T06:58:00.000-04:00

Jamaica Gleaner News "A fatal stabbing incident at the Ocho Rios Transport Centre in St Ann has exposed the inability of the police to adequately protect some travellers in the parish.

Two men were stabbed to death during an altercation at the transport centre yesterday morning, after relatives of a female student sought to protect her from men who had threatened her a day earlier."