SmallShop Caribbean News

The St. Lucia Star The Caribbean should brace for the ripple effect from the financial crisis now engulfing the United States. That’s according to Executive Director of the St Lucia Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, and local economist Brian Louisy.In recent times, banks and businesses in the United States have been going bankrupt, people have been losing their homes and the value of the US dollar has been fluctuating. According to Louisy those changes are partly due to the mortgage crisis in the US. “The US economy is going through a financial crisis,” he said. Giving a synopsis of the economic situation there, he said that many of the financial institutions are facing challenges and require a “government bailout.” The US government is therefore seeking to put together a rescue package of close to 700 billion dollars.

Related Jamaica Gleaner  THERE WERE no major surprises yesterday as Opposition Leader and People's National Party (PNP) President Portia Simpson Miller named her 20-member shadow cabinet. Phillip Paulwell made a triumphant return and Peter Bunting was handed the national security portfolio, while Dr Peter Phillips and his key lieutenants, Maxine Henry-Wilson, Fitz Jackson, Dean Peart and Sharon Hay-Webster, were left out.

The Miami Herald R ecently, I visited Haiti and witnessed the true scale of the disaster in human terms and physical damage left in the wake of hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike. The timing of this string of natural catastrophes -- four hurricanes in three weeks -- could not have been worse. Following a protracted process that lasted more than four months, it was only at the beginning of September that the Haitian Senate fully approved President Rene Préval's nomination of the economist Michele Duvivier Pierre-Louis as prime minister. She was sworn in on Sept. 6, amid this devastating string of hurricanes and tropical storms.

Kaieteur News Several persons whose telephone numbers appeared on an unofficial list of received calls from the cellular phone of one of the miners killed at Lindo Creek have denied any knowledge of the phone calls. The list was obtained from the website of the Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy, which claimed that it had spoken to the owner of the mining camp, Leonard Arokium. Acting Police Commissioner Henry Greene told this newspaper last night that the force has written to the telephone company requesting the records of Arokium’s missing cellular phone, but has not yet received it. According to the unofficial records, at least one of the telephone numbers listed in the records of telephone number 674-3943 belonged to a member of the Guyana Defence Force.

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday HEALTH MINISTER Jerry Narace and his immediate family are the recipients of millions of dollars worth of contracts siphoned from state bodies to the Narace-family owned and operated Reinsurance Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (Trinre) which handles a $100 million portfolio, the Opposition’s shadow Health Minister Tim Gopeesingh alleged last night. Speaking during the 2008/2009 Budget debate in the House of Representatives, Gopeesingh, the UNC A Caroni East MP, revealed that he has written John Martin, chairman of the Integrity Commis-sion, asking for an immediate investigation of the findings of a private six-month probe which has revealed Narace, his wife Rani Lakhan-Narace, son Vinai, daughter Vasha and brother Ojaran are tied to Trinre. 

The Nation Newspaper CUSTOMS OFFICERS  vented their frustration with working conditions at the Cargo Section of the Grantley Adams International Airport when they walked off the job yesterday. More than 20 officers gathered on the outside from around 8:30 a.m. after they reportedly saw rat droppings in the main building on that compound.

The Jamaica Gleaner THE BANK of Jamaica (BoJ) is preparing to answer questions about fiscal prudence that have been levelled against it in a damning document penned by the auditor general after a review was conducted into its affairs. Among the issues highlighted by the auditor general during the audit inspection are loans totalling $51.5 million made to the bank's governor - Derick Latibeaudiere.

Jamaica Observer VENDORS are expected to be removed from the streets of Half-Way-Tree tomorrow, at least until the next two weeks, while the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) cleans the busy commercial district. However, when street vendors are allowed to resume their trade in the busy commercial district there will be space for only a small percentage of the hundreds who earn their living selling on the streets of Half-Way-Tree.

CANA KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – A government minister along with some of the country's leading business people have called for a resumption of hanging in Jamaica to slap a lid on the island's growing murder rate. Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister Karl Samuda made the call for hanging to resume following the discovery of a body on Sunday believed to be that of an 11-year-old girl, Ananda Dean, who went missing nearly two weeks ago. "I am not a big hanging fan but I must tell you that we have to get back to hanging to deal with some of these people," he said, shortly after the body was discovered in the community of Cyprus Hall, Belvedere, St. Andrew.

Sun St. Kitts and Nevis MORE SHOOTINGS Darren Gibson dead, Chavern Scott hospitalised The police are investigating two shooting incidents, which have left one man dead and the other at the Joseph N. France Hospital. Dead is 22-year-old Darren Gibson of Tabernacle. Last Saturday at about 9:45 p.m. in Mansion Village, Gibson was sitting on the side of the road in the vicinity of the Mansion Domino Club when he was shot by an assailant from some nearby bushes. Gibson was taken to the Mary Charles Hospital in a private car and then transferred to the JNF Hospital where he later died.

The Antigua Sun  The Hadeed owned Antigua Power Company (APC) and the government of Antigua and Barbuda will have their day in court today amidst heightened interest following the recent power outages that plagued the island for weeks and the resultant fallout that exposed a divided Cabinet. The outstanding matter, having gone through a number of adjourned pre-trial hearings will go to trial today before High Court judge Justice Errol Thomas. The trial is expected to last two days.

Wales On Line TOURISM on the island of Antigua has suffered a dramatic downturn since the double murder of honeymooners Ben and Catherine Mullany, according to one of the Caribbean’s leading tourist associations. The “significant cancellations” of hotel bookings across Antigua and Barbuda from UK tourists in just two months since the killings is already estimated to amount to $1m (Eastern Caribbean dollars), or the equivalent of more than £200,000.

The Trinidad Express  What could have triggered 26- year-old Jason Thomas to kill his wife by stabbing her 21 times about the body? Then for him to go to a hospital and jump four floors off the building? These were some of the questions being asked by residents of Ramdath Street, Malabar, Arima, as news that Salisha Morris's body was found lying on the couple's bathroom floor with puncture wounds, the majority in her stomach.

Kaieteur News “Some people are unhappy that ‘Fine Man’ and his cohorts have been taken out” – Minister Rohee Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee says that, as far as he is aware, there is no phantom gang. “If there is a phantom gang, we would have already been aware of who they are and where they are; but, as far as I am concerned, I’m not aware of any phantom gang, as the charge was before,” Minister Rohee told this newspaper.

The Trinidad Guardian Another domestic dispute has ended with the deaths of a 22-year-old woman and her former lover, who succumbed to his injuries after jumping from the fourth floor of Port-of-Spain General Hospital on Saturday afternoon. Police said Felicia Morris, of Morvant, was stabbed 21 times by her former common-law husband Jason Thomas, 29, of Malabar in Arima. According to the police, the couple had separated recently, after living together for eight months on Ramnath Street in Malabar

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday IN WHAT has been described by police, as a weekend of death, 12 persons died in unnatural circumstances between Friday and yesterday, in the country. The police, undertakers and District Medical Officers were kept very busy over the weekend as there were two murders, a murder/suicide, four road fatalities, a woman killed in a fire, another found floating in a river, a man shot dead by cops and a man drowning. The following is a list in chronological order of the deaths taking place this past weekend:

The nation newspaper WHEN THE Democratic Labour Party (DLP) came into office in January, little did it know it would be faced with over $100 million more in debt repayment than the previous Government would have had in 2007. According to Prime Minister David Thompson, the new DLP administration discovered millions of dollars in outstanding debt "that did not surface last year and which we were not told about during the election".

The Jamaica Observer SCREAMS of anguish bellowed throughout the community of Belvedere in Red Hills, St Andrew yesterday as firefighters removed a heavily decomposed body believed to be that of 11-year-old Ananda Dean from a steep precipice along Cypress Drive - miles away from where she was last seen after she went missing almost two weeks ago. "A she, a she.. Oh God," Ananda's aunt, Tamika Campbell bawled, after viewing the headless remains and then falling to the ground seconds later. Upon hearing the news, Nordia Campbell, Ananda's mother, also fainted at the thought that her daughter may have been brutally murdered.

The Jamaica Gleaner It was a dark and gloomy day in the community of Cyprus Hall, Belvedere, St Andrew, late yesterday morning, where a body was found, suspected to be that of Ananda Dean. According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Carol McKenzie, who is attached to the Constant Spring Police Station, the relevant forensic tests will have to be carried out to confirm whether the body is indeed that of the young girl. Related Video Jamaican Child Missing - Ananda 'Passion' Dean

The Trinidad Express The murder toll yesterday reached the 401 mark, according to Express statistics. Two murders occurred in South during the wee hours of yesterday morning, pushing the toll to the highest ever in this country's history. (See stories below.) The total homicide figure for 2007 was 392. Figures from the Homicide Bureau last Friday put the murder figure at 395.

SKNVibes BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – JUST four days after the shooting death of Kenneth Smithen in Nevis, the Federation has recorded its 17th homicide for the year with the killing of a young man in Mansion Village last night. According to reports reaching SKNVibes, 22-year-old Darren Gibson of Tabernacle Village was shot and killed at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 27 while seated on the side of the road in the vicinity of the Mansion Dominoes Club.

The Trinidad Guardian   “I have a son; I have a son.” These were the last words of dying machine operator Hayden Ross to the police. Ross, 46, was abducted on his way home after working a night shift at National Flour Mills on Friday. He was taken to the bushes in Carlsen Field, where he was robbed and stabbed more than 20 times.

Panday: Leak, cheating in police service exams POLICE OFFICERS have been cheating on their promotional examinations by obtain... Victim stabbed 21 times A 46-YEAR-OLD machine operator at the National Flour Mills, Wrightson Road, Po... bpTT and Ministry honour SEA students Over 200 students who scored 95 percent and above in the Secondary Entrance As... Sharma: Chinese to build new airport FYZABAD MP Chandresh Sharma on Friday alleged a plan for the construction of a...

Kaieteur News There is one sure way to obtain a government house lot. Go and squat on a piece on State land or reserve and when the demolition squad comes to remove your structure, raise a mighty noise and the government will be forced to offer you an allocation of a house lot so that you will no longer be in state of illegality. This is the lawlessness that is being encouraged in the country. Persons in clear violation of the law are being rewarded with house lots so that the situation can be regularized.

The Jamaica Gleaner VETERAN MEMBERS of the People's National Party (PNP) have scoffed at claims that the present infighting and bad blood in the party could leave it seriously wounded, if not dead. The former front-line members say they have seen worse clashes in the 70-year history of the PNP and the party has survived these and gone from strength to strength.

The Jamaica Observer As the financial meltdown in the US ripples through the world's financial markets, Jamaican business leaders are optimistically cautious about the effects the fallout could have on vulnerable local sectors such as remittances and tourism. Remittances last year topped US$1.9 billion, according to Inter-American Development Bank figures, and is the highest source of foreign exchange inflow into the island, surpassing tourism.

THE POLICE FILE on the death of I'Akobi Maloney is now in the hands of the coroner. Commissioner Darwin Dottin told the  SUNDAY SUN   ,   yesterday, that the probe into the 23-year-old man's death had been completed and sent to the Coroner, Magistrate Faith Marshall-Harris. Earlier this month, attorney Andrew Pilgrim, who has been retained by Maloney's family, said he was not satisfied with the progress into the young man's death and called for an independent body to handle any information regarding the case. Full Story

Related  Jamaica Star  Constable Michael Hayden  is a very worried cop. But he is not scared of gunmen or other criminals. He is afraid of some of his colleagues. He claims they are trying to force him out of his job because of his sexual orientation. While the 24-year-old constable admits to THE STAR  that he is bi-sexual, he says some officers at the Manchester police division, where he is stationed, have been accusing him based on mere suspicion after an incident when he was almost beaten by a group of men in May Pen, Clarendon.

kaieteurnews.com Police have issued wanted bulletins for Clayton Hutson, Trinidadian Joseph Aboud, and Frankie Ross in connection with the illegal importation of firearms and ammunition. A release issued yesterday stated that Hutson is 44 years of age; is brown in complexion; has brown eyes; is five feet, five inches tall; has black hair; and has a mole on his nose between his eyes. His last know address is Lot 50 New Hope, East Bank Demerara. The release stated that Joseph Aboud, a Trinidadian, is 31 years old; is six feet tall; is stout in build and fair in complexion.

The Jamaica Gleaner The head of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce has placed on record his grave concerns about the high level of illegal vending that has become a blot on the Second City. Chamber president Lloyd B. Smith raised the alarm yesterday, a day after a decision was taken by the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) to suspend vending in Half-Way Tree, St Andrew.

The Jamaica Observer THE Appeal Court yesterday handed down a ruling that will effectively keep the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP's) Daryl Vaz in Parliament, at least until November, when his appeal against his disqualification from the House will be heard. "I could not be happier (with the ruling)," Vaz said after the Appeal Court opted not to strike out his appeal against the April 11, 2008 ruling by Chief Justice Zaila McCalla in the Supreme Court that he could not sit in the Parliament because of his dual nationality.

The Trinidad Guardian Conditions arising from the Government’s 2008-2009 budget will batter T&T citizens particularly homeowners, the middle class, female heads of household, the working poor and professional women, UNC deputy leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said yesterday.

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday FINANCE MINISTER Karen Nunez-Tesheira yesterday rejected Opposition Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s charge that she (Nunez-Tesheria) never filed her declaration of assets with the Integrity Commission when she was on the board of directors of the now defunct Tourism and Industrial Development Company (Tidco).

The Nation Newspape r THE LONG-MOOTED ST JOHN POLYCLINIC will be resurrected by 2010, after more than 15 years. It will have a new look and additional services, according to Michael Lashley of Michael C. Lashley Architects Limited, who said the Ministry of Health, through its planning division, had offered the Barbados National Library Service and the Ministry of Constituency Empowerment the opportunity to use portions of the building that would not be used for health care.

Miami's Cuban American community is rallying to gather donations and financial support to aid hundreds of thousands of Cubans affected by recent hurricanes. But aid organizers, say there are too many hurdles to delivering aid, because of decades of US restrictions and sour ties between the two nations. However, many Cuban American leaders are renewing calls to end some U.S. restrictions and improve relations with people in the Communist-led nation. VOA's Brian Wagner reports from Miami.

NHC A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR BERMUDA. A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS.

The woman at the center of the dispute that ended with Andrew “yardie” Haynes being shot has decided to identify herself. Sadia Angel Antoine says she is not defending the Soca singer, but she says the police could have handled the situation differently. Antoine’s statement comes, as Haynes underwent surgery to repair a gunshot wound to the leg on Tuesday.

The Trinidad Guardian Trevor Deane is TSTT’s vice president of broadband, a job which usually keeps him abreast of evolving technology. His boast? That he’s not the smartest one in his household. Yesterday, his 18-year-old daughter, Jordanna, was a recipient of the President’s Medal. His 16-year-old son, Nicholas, copped an additional scholarship for technological studies.

kaieteurnews.com People’s National Congress Reform Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Anthony Vieira yesterday said that no strike by the Guyana Sugar Corporation’s (GuySuCo) workers or teething problems in the start up of the new Skeldon factory can be blamed for what appears to be one of the biggest economic disasters in this country’s history in the making.

Stabroek News According to a police press release sent last evening, the ranks conducted a search at Lot 120 Regent Street, Bourda at about 6.30 pm where they discovered an AK-47 rifle with the number filed off, a pistol with a silencer, a Mosberg shotgun, 713 rounds of ammunition of various calibre, 7 magazines for different firearms, a green camouflage water bottle and a green canvas pouch in a barrel.

The Jamaica Gleaner IT NOW seems certain that there will be no Dr Peter Phillips in the People's National Party's (PNP) shadow Cabinet to be named by Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller on Monday. Simpson Miller was initially scheduled to announce the shadow Cabinet at a media briefing today, but in a release yesterday, the PNP said the press conference would be delayed.

Jamaican Observer AN 11-year-old schoolboy is among a group of four youngsters, no older than 14 years, who are to be sentenced next month for sexually assaulting one of their schoolmates. The boys pleaded guilty to carnal abuse in the Home Circuit Court yesterday where their case was transferred from the Family Court. They were each granted bail in the sum of $50,000 and told to return to court on October 6 for sentencing.

The Nation Newspaper BARBADOS' FOUR LARGEST sporting bodies have been forced to cut back on their programmes in the face of reduced contributions from the island's lotteries because of a withholding tax implemented by Government.

The Trinidad Guardian The gruesome discovery of a headless body in Belle View, St James, early yesterday, marred Republic Day observances in the small community. The decapitated, decomposing body of Lyndon “Benz” Fraser, 25, was discovered by his brother and a friend in a forested area in the hills of Belle View shortly after 10 am.

Trinidad and Tobago's newsday POLICE are investigating the discovery of a headless body found at Dundonald Hill in St James, yesterday. Detectives at the St James Police Station said they received a call at about 9. 30 am that a decapitated body was discovered in some bushes at Dundonald Hill. Officers from the Western Divisional Task Force, Homicide Division, Port-of-Spain CID, and an army patrol were called out to the crime scene.

Jamaica Gleaner A recent narcotics intelligence report has linked a number of police personnel, customs officials and employees at the seaports to the growing illegal drug trade. Head of the Narcotics Police Division, Senior Superintendent Carlton Wilson, said the personnel were playing an integral part in the illegal drug trade. He did not disclose the identities of the persons implicated, but revealed that on many occasions police personnel have tipped off drug smugglers when the security forces were pursuing them.

The Jamaica Observer Police will today interrogate Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) politician Lennox Hinds, who was on Tuesday arrested and slapped with murder, conspiracy and shooting charges. Hinds, who unsuccessfully contested the Edgewater Division in Portmore, St Catherine in last December's parish council elections, was arrested at his Portmore home during an operation by officers from the Major Investigation Task Force and the Flying Squad.

The Nation Newspaper THE PRIVATE SECTOR has issued its strongest rejection yet of price gouging charges. Standing on the findings of a study carried out by the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social Studies (SALISES), made public yesterday, Ian Alleyne, head of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry's food group, maintained it was the "imported components" that was driving up prices.

The Nation Newspaper HISTORY HAS SHOWN that sports have provided us with some of the world's sorest losers......... And since Lewis can't "work with the fact that Bolt dropped from 10-flat to 9.6 in one year", then how can he fathom Michael Johnson lowering his previous best 200 metre time from 19.66 to 19.32 in the space of a couple months?

The Bahama Journal The Airport Authority (AA) may be liable to pay ten of thousands of dollars to workers it terminated after the creation of the Nassau Airport Development (NAD) Company based on a ruling by the Industrial Tribunal awarding one former employee more than $20,000. The ruling in the case of Harold Rolle versus the Airport Authority was handed down last Friday by president of the Tribunal Harrison Lockhart.

Stabroeknews President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday told the UN that vulnerable economies like Guyana will suffer from the crisis gripping financial markets and he assailed the EU over its proposed trade pact which this country has opposed and lobbied for climate change help.

kaieteurnews.com The war of words over the investigation into the murders of eight miners at Lindo Creek, Berbice River, continued with attorneys for dredge owner Leonard Arokium describing police accusations that he is seeking public sympathy as unforgivable.

The Trinidad Guardian Another child has reportedly died as a result of dengue Adrian Ojeer, 6, a pupil of the Longdenville Government Primary School, who lived at Ravine Sable village in central Trinidad died on Monday night at the at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mount Hope.

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday Central Bank Governor Ewart Williams yesterday insisted that high prices have to be addressed as soon as possible or the country will face the consequence of a prolonged period of double-digit inflation. He was speaking with reporters after the Trinidad and Tobago Insurance Institute breakfast meeting held at the Hilton Trinidad, St Ann’s.

The Jamaica Gleaner THE SECTION of Parliament reserved for the Opposition People's National Party (PNP) was back-heavy during yesterday's sitting of the House of Representatives after the exodus of Dr Peter Phillips' supporters from their usual seats. Phillips yesterday resigned as leader of government business in the House and spokesman on national security.

The Jamaica Observer THE Opposition People's National Party (PNP), rocked by the resignation of several of its key spokesmen in the aftermath of another bitter leadership contest, yesterday dissolved its Council of Spokespersons to allow party leader Portia Simpson Miller to name a 'new' team.

The Nation Newspaper ATTORNEY-AT-LAW and consumer activist Rahim Bacchus Jr. is dead. The 50 year-old former Nation Newspaper columnist was discovered lying face down on the floor at the bottom of his stairs of his home at Western Avenue, Fort George Heights, St Michael, yesterday morning by his maid.

The Barbados Nation LACK of water at Her Majesty's Prisons Dodds led to a disturbance by inmates at the institution on Monday night. But when contacted yesterday Superintendent Lt. Colonel John Nurse reported that the situation was under control.

Stabroek News In a complete turnaround from his previous statement on the issue, Minister of Education, Shaik Baksh, announced yesterday that plans were in train to install flush toilets at the Santa Rosa Primary School. Speaking at an impromptu press conference at the Ministry of Education, Baksh said that under the Education for All Fast Track Initiative Programme (EFA-FTI) the Santa Rosa Primary School was one of 15 countrywide, which benefited from the improvement part of the project. This entailed each school being given $1 million for the improvements and in its proposal, he said, Santa Rosa indicated that the money, which has been handed over, would be used to build additional class rooms and sanitary blocks.

kaieteurnews.com West Ruimveldt Internet café owner was stabbed to death, at around 20:30 hrs last evening, in an alleyway a short distance from his home. The victim, identified as Desmond Davis, 38, called ‘Lion’, of Lot 251 West Ruimveldt Housing Scheme, was found lying in a pool of blood in the alleyway with stab wounds to his abdomen and right arm. Reports indicate that he was attacked while coming out of the area on his motorcycle during a power outage. While family members declined to comment on a motive, there are reports that Davis was slain by someone with whom he had an ongoing feud.

The Antigua Sun Jameel Sameid of Tyrell’s, a victim of a hit-and-run accident last Saturday night at around 10 p.m., suffered a severely broken leg. Sameid came off a bus and was walking to his home in the Tyrell’s area, when a small, brown car sped down the road and struck him with vicious force. “I saw the car coming down and the driver just came straight and hit me. It was a small, brown car that hit me and the person just kept on driving,” Sameid said. While speaking to the Antigua Sun, he described the car further, stating that it was a two-door without window tints and added that the car hit him with such a force that the impact spun him in a full circle before he fell to the ground.

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday MINISTER of Finance Karen Nunez-Tesheira delivered a $49 billion Budget that made several prudent investments in the country’s economy, ecology and education, but which otherwise left observers scratching their heads to wonder what was actually new. Her three-hour maiden speech to the House of Representatives yesterday was not a budget of consumption but one investing in the future, and often unglamorously continued the ongoing capital programmes, with the theme, “Shaping our future together”.

The Barbados Advocate SEVEN of the nine major groups measured in the national retail price index, recorded increases for the month of June 2008, when compared to May. Food increased by 3.4 points or 2.3 per cent, following an increase of 5.1 points or 3.6 per cent in the month of May

The Jamaica Gleaner A university lecturer is predicting that homosexuality could soon be accepted as a way of life in the Caribbean. Claude Douglas, a sociologist, has just released a new book titled, Homosexuality in the Caribbean: Crawling Out Of the Closet, which examines the rise of homosexuality in the region. The 60-page book covers issues ranging from biological origins and the gay tourist phenomenon, to the campaign to decriminalise homosexuality in the region.

The Trinidad Guardian “Kamla will eat you raw!” Those were the Opposition’s parting words to Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira yesterday as she concluded her maiden budget speech at 5.15 pm— about three hours and eight minutes of it.

The Jamaica Gleaner The casualties from last Saturday's presidential elec-tion in the People's National Party (PNP) have started with a senior member of parliament (MP) relinquishing his position as an opposition spokesman while a caretaker has resigned. At the same time, a sitting MP is to be challenged for the leadership of her constituency.

The Jamaica Observer Dean Peart yesterday quit as the Opposition spokesman on local government and the environment in the first of what is likely to be a flurry of resignations today from the People's National Party (PNP) in the wake of Portia Simpson Miller's defeat of Dr Peter Phillips' challenge to her presidency Saturday.

The nation newspaper POLICE BRUTALITY, bad execution of search warrants and an abuse of police power are among the major complaints filed at the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) since its inception in 2004. Very few, if any, have been investigated.

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday WHEN Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira presents the 2008/2009 Budget in the House of Representatives today at 2 pm, the population will be hoping to hear about new measures Government will be taking to deal with escalating crime, high food prices, rising inflation and a plethora of other social ills.

The Trinidad Guardian With goodies promised to everyone in the budget being presented today, the various arms of the Ministry of National Security are hoping they will get their share. Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira is expected to deliver her maiden budget presentation in the House of Representatives from 2 pm today.

The Antigua Sun Law enforcement officers were up to yesterday afternoon continuing investigations into the apparent suicide of former co-captain of the Barbuda Express ferry, Thomas Lambert. Lambert’s body was discovered early last Saturday morning at his villa in Jolly Harbour. According to information reaching Antigua Sun, Lambert, a US citizen, was found by a neighbour and police officers at around 7:30 a.m. His death has reportedly sent shock waves throughout the sister isle Barbuda, as he was said to be a well respected man during the time that he worked on the ferry.

The Jamaica Gleaner Despite calls from within the camp of the People's National Party (PNP) for President Portia Simpson Miller to 'clean house', analysts are not expecting the reconfirmed party leader to rashly boot former Vice-President Dr Peter Phillips or some of his key supporters in the days ahead. The analysts told The Gleaner yesterday that, while Simpson Miller will likely seek to sideline as many of Phillips' sup-porters as possible, the large support he enjoys is too great for the party president to forcibly remove them without significantly shredding the base of the PNP.

The Jamaica Observer Stung by criticisms of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) government as "uncaring", Karl Samuda yesterday lashed victorious People's National Party (PNP) president, Portia Simpson Miller as "backward and unconstructive". Samuda, the JLP general secretary and minister of industry, investment and commerce, charged that Simpson Miller had displayed a "destructive attitude" with which his party was "very disappointed".

The Nation Newspaper PRIME MINISTER DAVID THOMPSON is convinced that millions of dollars "bizarrely spent" during the previous Barbados Labour Party (BLP) Administration are now stashed in foreign bank accounts. He did not call any names but he made it clear that he hoped one day to be able to track down the bank accounts and expose the culprits.

The UN's world food program has tripled the amount of food aid going into Haiti after storms created flooding and devastation there. But, as Kelly Cobiella reports, it's still not enough.

Kaieteurnews.com Following an outbreak of dengue fever in Trinidad, the Ministry of Health has intensified its surveillance of the infection across the country. Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy has instructed all health care facilities, including private hospitals, physicians and laboratories, to report all suspected cases of dengue to the Ministry of Health.

Stabroek News A retired Guyana Defence Force (GDF) officer may be used as a key witness against drug accused Roger Khan who has since sought to discredit any notion that they could have been co-conspirators in exporting drugs, alleging that he had exposed the former officer’s links to the criminal enterprise in Buxton. The former army officer, who made the news on numerous occasions several years ago, and who in the past had received the personal attention of President Bharrat Jagdeo, was reportedly nabbed in the US and subsequently turned state witness.

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday A bloody weekend as two women were found dead in the wee hours of yesterday morning. Dead are Patricia Simmons of Laventille, and Lilwatee Ramkisson of Kernaham, Ortoire-Mayaro. The women died in separate incidents. 

The Trinidad Guardian The Smart Card introduced by the Government in 2006, to provide food items for poor and vulnerable households has been falling into the wrong hands. The corruption was unearthed by a Sunday Guardian investigation last week.

The Jamaica Gleaner  DELEGATES OF the People's National Party (PNP) reaffirmed Portia Simpson Miller as the party's president in yesterday's elections at the National Arena. Simpson Miller polled 2,332 votes to Dr Peter Phillips' 1,959 in an election in which 4,291 of the 4,438 delegates of the party voted. The result left Simpson Miller with 54.8 per cent of the votes amd a victory margin of 373 votes.

The Jamaica Observe r Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller regained leadership of the People's National Party (PNP) yesterday, easily beating back a challenge from senior vice-president Dr Peter Phillips and declared that dispute over her authority was at an end. "There can be no more argument. Portia Simpson Miller is now the president, is now the leader of the People's National Party," she said last night to loud cheers from supporters inside the National Arena in Kingston.

The Antigua sun A sentence of life imprisonment was yesterday handed down by High Court judge, Justice Louise Blenman, to convicted murderer Rudy Monelle, leaving family members of the victim, in shock. The sentence was handed down after Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Anthony Armstrong told the court that he was not seeking the death penalty in this matter. Monelle, 30, was unanimously convicted by a jury for the 9 July murder of his girlfriend Lisa Phillip. Asked about her impression of the sentence, Phillip’s mother, Phyllis Proctor of Greenbay Hill said she did not anticipate that the court would impose such a lengthy sentence.

Related  British officers quit St. Lucia Police Force    Thu, 29 May 2008  CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC - Three British officers have tendered their resignations from the St. Lucia Police Force despite reports of a truce between the British-born Acting Commissioner John Broughton and the Police Welfare Association (PWA).  The latest officer to call it quits on Wednesday was the Head of Central Intelligence,  Superintendent   Les Milner.  His resignation, which takes effect in three months, follows that of two other British officers, Superintendent Paul Common and Assistant Commissioner Adrian Maybanks.

kaieteurnews.com  A fisherman who was questioned about the Bartica slaughter says he fears for his safety after being warned that he would be murdered “before Christmas”. Marice Teixeira, who says he is a member of the Greater Georgetown Fisherman’s Co-op Society, told Kaieteur News that he was informed about the plan on his life last Saturday and has since contacted a prominent attorney. Teixeira revealed that he was detained at Eve Leary shortly after the February massacre, after being accused of being the speedboat operator who took the gunmen to Bartica. The fisherman said he was eventually released after being placed on an identification parade. Teixeira insists that he has never travelled to Bartica.

The jamaica Gleaner PEOPLE'S NATIONAL Party (PNP) President, Portia Simpson Miller, has for the first time admitted that she is hurt by the challenge to her reign by Dr Peter Phillips. Simpson Miller, who has acknowledged the democratic right of party members to run for any post, told  The Gleaner  yesterday that Phillips and his supporters had never accepted her as party president.

The Jamaica Observer Thirty-nine year-old Vincent Duffus and his wife Juanita, 32, of Gore Terrace in St Andrew are now community heroes after their dramatic rescue of a man who was being washed away by raging flood waters in the Grants Pen gully during heavy afternoon showers yesterday.

The Trinidad Guardian The Law Association is going after “bad-pay” lawyers in T&T. In an unusual move, the association filed action against five lawyers in the Port-of-Spain High Court yesterday, seeking to have them suspended for not paying fines and compensation after being found guilty by the Disciplinary Committee.

Trinidad and Tobago's newsday AS the country’s murder rate continues to escalate, threatening to exceed 400 before year’s end, National Security Minister Martin Joseph yesterday declared the Government will take steps to reinforce the ranks of the beleaguered Police Service “to the tune of 500 officers per year.” He also announced that Government will extend the call-out of 579 officers, once Acting Commissioner of Police James Philbert believes they are required to help stem violent crimes, especially murders. 

The Nation Newspaper Flooded streets! Stranded people in their homes! Parents scrambling for their loved ones from school! Vehicular mishaps and wash-aways! And it was all due to a large trough system, which dumped more than an inch of rain across the island yesterday

Andrew “Yardie” Haynes wants to know who is responsible for his medical bills. Yardie is nursing a gun shot wound to the thigh at the Saint Judes Hospital. He says he has had to fund his stay in a private room there from his own pocket. Yardie says the shooting incident is indicative of the many problems plaguing the police force. Yardie is represented by Attorney at Law Nicholas Jn Baptiste. Jn Baptiste says his client has a number of options for dealing with his shooting by an SSU officer. He says what Yardie wants is an amicable settlement.

The Jamaica Gleaner  MacMillan... Irrespective of what is said about them, they have a right to certain things. National Security Minister Trevor MacMillan has backed arguments that dons reserve the right to present their opinions on six controversial anti-crime bills being considered by a joint select committee of Parliament. "Irrespective of what is said about them, they have a right to certain things," MacMillan told  The Gleaner  yesterday, shortly after speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Rotary Club of downtown Kingston.

Stabroek News  The stunning arrest and arraignment of his lead counsel for witness tampering may cause the start of the Roger Khan drug trial in New York to be pushed back and the prosecution has also asked Justice Dora L. Irizarry to schedule a status conference soon. On Wednesday, Khan’s lead attorney, Robert M Simels, and his assistant, Arienne Irving, were hauled before the courts and charged with conspiracy to tamper with witnesses relating to the drug trial. Simels has since been placed on US$3.5 million bail while his assistant was granted US$500,000 bail. Both face 10 years in prison if convicted.

Today on Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday HCU meeting aborted Angry and frustrated depositors and shareholders of the Hindu Credit Union (HC... 9-year-olds on drugs PRIMARY school students, some as young as nine, are experimenting with both il... Murder/suicide IN FULL view of customers at the Curepe branch of Royal Castle fast food resta... TT in good shape MINISTER of Finance Karen Nunez-Tesheira is optimistic the Trinidad and Tobago...

SANDSIDE, St Mary - Police in this rural community said yesterday that they believe a breakthrough was near in solving the gruesome murder of 11-year-old Aakim Scott, whose dismembered body was found stuffed in a plastic bag Tuesday, a day after he was reported missing. Complete Story ...

The Barbados Nation  The community of 4th Ave, New Orleans was thrown into mourning early Wednesday morning when one of their own, Margaret Brewster, was found dead at her home. In what police alleged is suicide, the former worker of the Royal Bank of Canada, was found hanging from a noose in her backyard, shortly after 5 a.m.

The daylight shooting of Andrew “Yardie” Haynes has brought several issues relating to police procedures to the spotlight. The entertainer was shot in his upper thigh by an officer allegedly with a twelve gage shot gun. But in what circumstances are police officers allowed to discharge their firearms? The Assistant Police Commissioner with responsibility for Crime Vernon Francois says procedure dictates that an officer discharge a firearm when the life of innocent citizens or his or her own is at risk. ACP Francois says the officers are the ones who make these judgment calls.

The anguished tears of Marcellin Agnes Henry accompany the hearse that carries her brother away. Police officers are also on the scene at a Ciceron home where Richard Alexander Henry took his last breath. They are investigating the circumstances that led to the death of the 62 year old man. Agnes Henry says her brother took ill on Tuesday morning. Henry had her neighbour call for an ambulance. That neighbour – Virginia Melrow –says the ambulance took some time but eventually showed up.

Kaieteur News  The prime suspect in the attack on two hospital nurses has reportedly confessed, and has led detectives to a resident to whom he gave items he stole from his victims. Kaieteur News has learnt that police detained the other man on Monday and recovered a gold chain and a pair of earrings that the bandits had stolen from the nurses.

Jamaica Gleaner News THE Energy Minister Clive Mullings has raised concerns about the financial position of the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) and is adamant that the plug must be pulled on members of its management team. Speaking in the House of Representatives yesterday, Mullings revealed that the power company owes Petrojam, the state-owned oil refinery, $5.7 billion, $2.9 billion of which is now due.

The Trinidad Guardian Chief Justice Ivor Archie yesterday emphasised the need to protect witnesses in court cases. In his first address as Chief Justice, during the ceremonial opening of the law term, Archie spoke of witness protection three times in his hour-long speech in the Convocation Hall, Hall of Justice, Knox Street, Port-of-Spain.

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday Gunmen killed one man and wounded a 12-year-old schoolboy when they attacked a family in Arouca on Monday night. Shaquille Guy, 12, has been warded at the Wendy Fitzwillam Paediatric Hospital, Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, (EWMSC) Mt Hope after he got shot in his left hand. The student of Arouca Government Primary School had endured a night of terror when gunmen, pretending to be police officers, stormed into his family’s home at about 10 pm and shot at him and three adults. 

The Nation Newspaper IN AN UNPRECEDENTED case three St Michael men have been charged in connection with a dub promotion poster which featured two of them with guns.

Police on yardie shooting ....Assistant Police Commissioner for Crime - Vernon Francois - says Andrew “Yardie” Young first appeared on the Police radar after a call from a woman in the Vieux Fort area. That woman alleged “Yardie” was trespassing on private property and had to forcibly enter her house. Francois says when officers arrived on the scene the entertainer had already fled the area. He says “Yardie” later resisted arrest when an officer attempted to apprehended him

Assistant Police Commissioner for Crime - Vernon Francois - says Andrew “Yardie” Young first appeared on the Police radar after a call from a woman in the Vieux Fort area. That woman alleged “Yardie” was trespassing on private property and had threatened to forcibly enter her house. Francois says when officers arrived on the scene the entertainer had already fled the area. He says “Yardie” later resisted arrest when an officer attempted to apprehended him

Stabroek News Lewis, who said the men tried to follow him using a white car, has not reported the matter to the police, saying he did not know whom to trust. He said he believed the incident was the result of his tireless activism on a range of issues, including the recent killing of the country’s two most wanted men by the security forces. Despite the episode, he said, he remains undaunted and would continue to speak out. “They don’t want to hear what I have to say. They want me dead not alive,” Lewis told a special Guyana Trade Union Congress (GTUC) press conference convened at the Critchlow Labour College yesterday. He did not identify the ‘they’ to whom he referred.

The Jamaica Observer There's a measure of mean-spiritedness being exhibited by a few people in international track and field in relation to Jamaica's outstanding performance and, particularly that of Mr Usain Bolt, at the Beijing Olympic Games. No sooner had the world slapped down Mr Jacques Rogge for his reprimand of Mr Bolt's celebration on winning the 100 metres in a new world record, we now have the xenophobic US Olympian, Mr Carl Lewis, raising doubts about the authenticity of Mr Bolt's outstanding achievements. Related 'I had to train hard'   Sports Jamaica Lewis laughs at  Jamaica's  drug testing programme; dismisses Bolt's  ... Caribbean Net News

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday Shellron Mc Intyre, 11, died in the arms of her eight-year-old brother Andy Clarke while waiting for treatment for an electric shock at the Chaguanas Health Facility on Sunday. Shellron suffered an electric shock when she unplugged a washing machine at her home at Lamont Street Extenstion, Enterprise, Chaguanas. Her grandmother Shaffina Clarke found her frothing from her mouth, at about 11.30 am. Shellron’s aunt Pamela Francis, a nurse, performed cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on her and got a faint pulse.

The Trinidad Guardian Determined to hold on, 24-year-old Jamel Sebastian refused to end his long-term relationship with his common-law-wife Alisha Wellington. But when the 21-year-old woman tried to make a clean break, Sebastian became enraged and went on a stabbing spree around 10.30 pm on Sunday, at Alexander Street in Valencia.

The Trinidad Guardian Pooniah Mahabir was eagerly looking forward to celebrating her 100th birthday in 2010. She fell two years short. Mahabir was killed in a crash on Sunday, a short distance away from her Kumar Village, Williamsville, home.

The Jamaica Gleaner A woman constable who was allegedly raped by another cop is facing an uncertain future, as she has had to be dealing with the ordeal, all by herself. Some of her colleagues are advising her not to take any action against the culprit and are doing everything in their power to slow the process. She is, however, adamant that the accused must be brought to justice