SmallShop Caribbean News

Police hunt two armed sexual predators in Linden : Kaieteur News : "Police in Linden are in pursuit of two armed sexual predators, who terrorised two Linden families for at least a half hour Friday evening. Recounting the incident yesterday, one of the affected families told this newspaper that she and her 17-year-old niece went in to South Amelia’s Ward to uplift some things from another family when the minibus got stuck outside the home they had gone to visit."

Cromarty shoot-out : Stabroek News : "The third pirate, who was killed on Friday morning in a shoot-out with police at Cromarty Corentyne, has been identified by the police as 25-year old Hugh Gillis of Dazzell Housing Scheme, Paradise, East Coast Demerara. However, when Stabroek News visited the home of the deceased, his stepfather said that his stepson’s name was Cranston Gills, and he was unaware of his son being known by any other name. The dead man was reportedly identified by his sister who lives in the Corentyne."

The Trinidad Guardian -Online Edition Ver 2.0 : "The anti-smoking law before Parliament will allow a helper to bring charges against her employer for smoking in the employer’s home in the presence of the maid or domestic, an analysis of the legislation has revealed. If found guilty, the employer could be fined a maximum of $1 million and/or jailed for five years."

Jamaica Gleaner News - Sangster mum: JUTC boss says no comment until he reads CG's report - Sunday | November 30, 2008 : "Bindley Sangster, acting managing director at the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC), has declined to comment on the findings of a damning report about the breach of procurement procedures by Contractor General Greg Christie. 'I have not seen the report. I understand that there is a report that has been sent to our office (JUTC), but I am not going to comment on something that I have not seen,' Sangster said."

Abortion: Doctors give caution and cost - JAMAICAOBSERVER.COM : "It's Friday evening, November 28, and I have just made two appointments to terminate my feigned six-week-old pregnancy. I simply need to decide which doctor and which price quotation is best."

The Trinidad Express Works and Transport Minister Colm Imbert says Prime Minister Patrick Manning has "broken no law" by being transported in a Mercedes Benz S500, bearing the coat of arms on the licence plate. "My research tells me no law was broken," Imbert said at yesterday's post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair.

Kaieteur news A 24-year-old man beheaded his 57-year-old father at around 07:00 hrs yesterday at a desolate farm at Waikabra, on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway, after the parent refused to give him $200. Stanislaus Gomes, called ‘Santa’, was also chopped on other parts of the body by his allegedly drug-addicted son. At the time he was brushing his teeth in his yard. Gomes’s son then went to a neighbour’s home and informed the resident about his act, and waited for the police to arrive.

The Jamaica Gleaner The police were kept busy in downtown Kingston yesterday morning trying to round up students who were seemingly prepared to miss school for the day. After more than an hour, the police held nine girls and a boy - dressed in uniform - from one high school, who were absconding. Knives, ice picks and other weapons were seized by the cops, with one teenage girl charged with possession of offensive weapons.

The Jamaica Observer The Health Ministry, worried by an increase in the number of adolescents engaged in risky sexual behaviour, says it will use the observance of World AIDS Day next Monday to focus on young people. "AIDS is the second leading cause of death in persons 15-24," Dr Sheila Campbell Forrester, chief medical officer in the Ministry of Health, told reporters at a news conference at the ministry yesterday.

The nation newspaper ABOUT 60 BARBADIANS could be flying to Cuba in January for eye operations. And if all goes well, Cuba could soon be helping Bajan diabetics avoid amputations. The news for hundreds of victims of diabetes and eye diseases, several of them elderly, came from Cuba's Ambassador to Barbados, Pedro Garcia Roque, yesterday.

Dominica News Online Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit is shooting down on claims that Dominica signed a document with six other countries for the establishment of a single currency. The Cuban State Media reported Thursday that seven countries, including Dominica signed a document paving the way for the establishment of a single currency among them.

Trinidad Express : "Acting Police Commissioner James Philbert is investigating who is liable for the illegal use of the coat of arms on one of the Prime Minister's vehicles. In a telephone interview yesterday, Philbert said, 'The Act is clear. The Commissioner of Police has given advice to the law"

Stabroek News : "Oliver Hinckson has been detained in the United States for an interview with that country’s Homeland Security officials. Attorney-at-law Nigel Hughes informed Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson yesterday that his client had been granted permission by Acting Chief Justice Ian Chang to leave the jurisdiction for “health purposes”."

The Trinidad Guardian "Prime Minister Patrick Manning and his ministers must forego their “taste for champaign” because the country now only has “mauby income.” And Manning must lead by example and cut his salary by ten per cent. This is the challenge made yesterday by UNC deputy leader Jack Warner during a press conference at the Concacaf office on Edward Street, Port-of-Spain, following “belt-tightening” suggestions by Manning last week as a result of the country’s recent economic downturn."

Jamaica Gleaner : "Contractor General Greg Christie has submitted a report to Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn, which he believes points to evidence of 'a breach of duty or misconduct or criminal offence on the part of an officer or member' at the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC)."

Air J scare - JAMAICAOBSERVER.COM : "AN Air Jamaica flight headed to New York from Kingston yesterday morning was forced to make an unscheduled stop at the Miami International Airport to investigate the source of 'some unusual sounds' coming from the aircraft. John Jackson, father of a female passenger who was aboard the aircraft, said his daughter Jo-Anne reported unusual turbulence, a rattling door and air entering the craft, conditions which she said caused an emergency landing."

The Barbados Advocate : "Barbadians should expect to see lower electricity bills for the month of December but they should continue to conserve energy especially during the Christmas season. This anticipated decrease is based on the fuel clause, which has been calculated at the beginning of the month, which takes into account the cost of fuel, which in recent months has dropped."

The Nation Newspaper | Bushy Park land in Govt's hands soon : "GOVERNMENT HAS STARTED moves to acquire an area of Bushy Park, St Philip, for a housing project. 'We have already begun the land acquisition process,' Minister of Housing and Lands Michael Lashleyreported yesterday."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday : newsday.co.tt : : "WHILE the country should be spending cautiously given the global economic downturn, Trinidad and Tobago (TT) continues to pay a high price for corruption, UNC A Senator Wade Mark said yesterday as he accused National Security Minister Martin Joseph of negotiating a “fishy” $2.5 billion deal with a British firm for the purchase of three coastguard vessels"

Ricardo Henriques robbery/murder… : Kaieteur News : "Police have detained an employee of businessman Ricardo Henriques, who was shot dead in a brazen robbery on Monday night outside Juice Power on Middle Street in South Cummingsburg. Kaieteur News understands that the employee, who was in the vehicle with Henriques when he was killed, has confessed to planning the robbery with others."

Trinidad News, Trinidad Newspaper, Trinidad Sports, Trinidad politics, Trinidad and Tobago, Tobago News, Trinidad classifieds, Trinidad TV, Sports, Business : "A LOCAL economist has made the startling claim that more than a quarter of this country's 1 .3 million population is living below the poverty level, but some apprehensive economists continue to question the method of calculation used."

Jamaica Gleaner News - 34:15 - Hangman wanted - Wednesday | November 26, 2008 : "PARLIAMENT yesterday gave warm-up instructions to the hangman, telling him through a unanimous conscience vote that he was wanted back at work soon. However, the Senate will have a say, by way of a similar vote, whether the death penalty should be retained."

YES! Parliament votes to retain hanging - JAMAICAOBSERVER.COM : "Members of the House of Representatives voted by nearly 2-1 in favour of retaining the death penalty at Gordon House yesterday, setting off loud cheers from pro-death penalty MPs and mixed response on the streets of Kingston, including from rights advocate Dr Carolyn Gomes who described the result as a backward step"

Belize News - Belize Leading Newspaper | Breaking News - Amandala Online : "The story then took another turn. The vehicle that the Customs officers observed Rancharan put the black plastic bag in, turned out to be the police-issued vehicle of a senior police officer. When Customs officers approached Senior Superintendent of Police Robert Mariano, of an address other than Gentle Avenue, he told them that he did not know about the black plastic bag. The plastic bag, it turned out, was the wrapping covering a case of Jamaican Appleton Rum. Customs say that the value of the rum is $804.00. The case of rum contains twelve one liter bottles."

Jamaica Gleaner News - Death penalty D-Day - Parliamentarians in Jamaica to vote on hanging despite Opposition appeal - Tuesday | November 25, 2008 : "PARLIAMENTARIANS, ARMED with a made-up conscience, are today sche-duled to hand down a verdict on whether to abolish or retain the death penalty in Jamaica. The decision is expected, despite a late appeal from Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller for a special date to be set for the vote."

Another school stabbing - JAMAICAOBSERVER.COM : "Exactly one week after a 16-year-old student was knifed to death by a schoolmate on a school compound in East Kingston, a 17-year-old male student of Penwood High School in St Andrew was yesterday hospitalised in critical condition after he was stabbed by a fellow 11th grader on the school grounds. The student accused of the stabbing is now at large after he scaled a wall and fled, despite the efforts of school security to nab him. Police have since launched a manhunt for him."

Barbados PM calls for a new way of thinking in the region - JAMAICAOBSERVER.COM : "CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC) - Barbados Prime Minister David Thompson has called for a new way of thinking in the Caribbean and one that is 'proactive', in light of the current global economic crisis which he said poses a huge threat to regional economies."

My baby has a rare condition. Please treat him kindly : "The mother of a boy with a rare medical condition is calling for Bermudians to put away their stereotypes and be more accommodating towards people with disabilities. Aiesha Oliver has recently returned to the island with her 14-month-old son, Ajani, and worries that the island is ill-equipped to deal with the youngster - who will soon be wheelchair bound."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday : newsday.co.tt : : "DEON “RATTY” SIMON, 26, did not listen to his mother when she warned him not to wear his thick, flashy $9,500 gold chain during his visit to Trinidad. Helen Simon told her son: “Deon, they going to kill you in Trinidad with that chain. Take off that chain!”"

The Trinidad Guardian -Online Edition Ver 2.0 : "Road fatalities climbed to 211 yesterday after two men were killed in separate road accidents. In the first, police said they believed Horris Phillip, 44, was speeding when he crashed head-on into barriers on the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway. They said that around 2 am, Phillip, of John Dulham Street in Aranguez, was heading east when he slammed into the barriers near Courts Mega Store. He died on the spot."

Bolt tops world again - JAMAICAOBSERVER.COM : "Monte Carlo, Monaco - Jamaica's speed king, Usain Bolt, capped off his excellent 2008 season, in which he won three Olympic gold medals in world record times, by taking the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Male Athlete of the Year award last night at the Salle des Etoiles of the Sporting Club d'Eté."

Jamaica Gleaner News - 'Not in crisis' - Economy safe for now - Shaw - Monday | November 24, 2008 : "Notwithstanding calls from some interests for the Government to formulate a rescue plan for the tourism and manufacturing industries, Finance Minister Audley Shaw has sought to calm fears, saying the Jamaican economy is 'not in crisis'. In an address to the nation yesterday evening, Shaw insisted that the regulatory systems were strong enough to cushion the impact of worldwide financial turmoil."

Antigua Sun : "International recording artiste “Beenie Man,” was reportedly pulled in for questioning yesterday by several police officers while he waited in the departure lounge of the V.C. Bird International Airport. He was leaving Antigua for his hometown Jamaica on a Caribbean Airline flight which the Antigua Sun understands was delayed for some time. It is not clear why the police took such actions but the SUN was reliably informed that the artiste, whose real name is Anthony Moses Davis, was allegedly interrogated on whether he had gone through the legal channels to perform at the opening of the opposition Antigua Labour Party (ALP) campaign headquarters Saturday night."

The Nation Newspaper | Two confident Barbados will survive crisis : "ALTHOUGH HARD TIMES are definitely on the economic horizon, much like for the rest of the developing world, Barbados is expected to avoid a calamitous economic fall. That forecast has come from two experts, Sir Courtney Blackman, a former governor of the Central Bank, and Byron Blake, once CARICOM's top economist."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday : newsday.co.tt : : "He has asked citizens to tighten their belts in the face of tough economic times but Prime Minister Patrick Manning yesterday said he lives an un-extravagant lifestyle and if he tightened his own belt “it will reach my spine”. As he drove through his San Fernando East constituency, on a tour of flood-affected districts, in a silver Mitsubishi Pajero, worth an estimated $500,000, Manning told reporters, during one of his stops, that he is not a man of excess."

'It will be war' - JAMAICAOBSERVER.COM : "CORPORATE Area taxi operators will meet this afternoon at the Gaynstead High School in Kingston to discuss plans by the state-run Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) to take back sub-franchise routes from minibuses and taxis. The taximen, represented by the East Central Taxi Route Association and the Jamaica Transport Operators Service, vowed yesterday that they would not be giving back the routes without a fight."

Jamaica Gleaner News - Policeman freed after seven years off duty - Saturday | November 22, 2008 : "One of three policemen who have been taken off the job for the past seven years was set free on Thursday after a Home Circuit Court jury found him not guilty of a murder charge. The jury retired for more than three hours and freed District Constable Sylford Williams of the murder of 23-year-old labourer Richard Williams, also called 'Truie', who was shot dead at a boat factory at 102 Spanish Town Road, Kingston."

The Nation Newspaper | Two more remanded over Central Bank heist : "TWO MEN accused of laundering more than $135 000 of the $1.4 million stolen from the Central Bank were remanded when they appeared in the Bridgetown Traffic Court Friday. Shawn Antonio Rollins and Shawn Durand Hurst both return to court on December 17. Hurst, a 21-year-old shopkeeper of No. 5, 3rd Avenue, North Wildey, St, Michael, was not required to plead to directly engaging in money laundering, between May 1 and November 10 this year, in that he had $51 807 that was the proceeds of crime."

The Nation Newspaper | 59 hurt in morning crash : "SOME PASSENGERS were thrown from their seats, while others hit their faces on the seats in front, as two Transport Board buses and a taxi were involved in a collision on My Lord's Hill, St Michael, just after8:50 a.m. yesterday. Toddlers, schoolchildren, people on their way to work and pensioners are among about 59 people who received injuries in the crash which sent emergency personnel into high gear, declaring it a mass casualty situation."

Antigua Sun : "Almost one week after a father of two lost his life in a tragic pickup accident, the life of another young man was gruesomely snuffed out yesterday in what was described as the worst fatality for the year. Workers from the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) struggled for almost one hour to cut 38-year-old Andy Frederick of Cashew Hill out of his green Nissan Sentra using the Jaws of Life. Reports are that Frederick was driving from south to north on the Sir George Walter Highway also known as Airport Road when he tried to overtake a 10-tonne truck, but Frederick did not make it as he reportedly lost control of his vehicle, ran off the road, and crashed into a mahogany tree on the western side of the road."

The Nation Newspaper | Her HIV agony : "THE AIDS GIRL. This was one of the many derogatory names given to a then six-year-old Peaches (her nickname) by schoolmates and her community. Now 21, the trauma of her early years was still evident in her voice as she recounted her experience to the WEEKEND NATION, as one of the children born with HIV in Barbados in the 1980s. Peaches had to shoulder a burden that no child should have to carry."

'No licence to kill' - JAMAICAOBSERVER.COM : "A doctor yesterday cautioned legislators against giving his colleagues 'a licence to kill' by legalising abortion, calling instead for the spotlight to be turned on members of the profession who knowingly administer harmful drugs to pregnant women to induce abortion. 'I'm not hearing about so many backstreet abortions done by non-medical practitioners,' Dr Brendan Bain told the Joint Select Committee of Parliament contemplating the report of the Abortion Policy Review Advisory Group (APRAG)."

Jamaica Gleaner News - Jobs under threat - Labour minister says companies planning to send home hundreds - Points to global economic meltdown as cause of problems - Friday | November 21, 2008 : "An impending wave of job cuts triggered by the slowdown of the global economy has spurred Jamaica's Labour Minister Pearnel Charles to schedule a meeting with trade unions next week to head off the developing crisis. According to Charles, several companies have indicated to the ministry that they will send home hundreds, if not thousands, of workers in the coming months."

The Nation Newspaper | New-look cabinet coming : "A CABINET RESHUFFLE is on the cards. The ministerial changes will be announced tomorrow night in a state-of-the-nation address by Prime MinisterDavid Thompson. Exactly what the changes will be are not known. However, insiders suggest there will be a portfolio shift for at least four, possibly six ministers, with the possibility of the removal of at least one member from the front bench of Parliament."

AS Port-of-Spain started cleaning up mud and debris, and as travellers tried to recover from the stress and frustration of several days of drenching rain, the Met Office yesterday warned of another week of rainfall, flooding and landslides. The TT Met Office, in its weather forecast bulletin at 6 pm yesterday warned of isolated showers and thundershowers with persons in affected areas told to expect street and/or flash flooding and gusty winds. Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday

A motorcycle accident yesterday caused the death of a 22-year-old man in Nevis. Reports reaching Sun St. Kitts/Nevis indicated that Tynell Martin of Butlers Village died when his motorcycle struck a donkey. The accident happened in the afternoon in St. James’ Parish close to the drag race strip. It is unclear how fast Martin was going but after the impact, he fell and slid under a truck. Sun St.Kitts and Nevis

A MESSENGER charged with stealing $1.4 million from the Central Bank will spend the next 28 days on remand despite a stirring plea from one of his attorneys. Corey Andre Rock, 25, a messenger, of Tom Bend Road, Ashton Hall, St Peter, was not required to plead to the charge of stealing the money from the Central Bank between July 1, 2006, and October 30 this year. Rock was remanded to HMP Dodds by Magistrate Christopher Birch and will reappear in court on December 17. The Nation Newspaper

INJURIES RESULTING from motor-vehicle crashes are costing the health sector hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Last year, there were 14,069 visits to hospitals islandwide for treatment for injuries resulting from traffic crashes. That is an increase of more than 600 compared to 2006 figures, when hospitals islandwide treated 13,376 injuries caused by road crashes. Those injuries at the time cost the health sector an estimated $1 billion to treat. The jamaica Gleaner

THE King and Queen of Spain have cancelled their December state visit to Jamaica, immediately setting off speculation that the decision was triggered by a lawsuit against two Spanish-owned hotels being sued over the alleged theft of an estimated 500 truckloads of sand. The Jamaica Observer

China's president signed more than a dozen trade deals with communist ally Cuba. Raul Castro sang parts of a song about China and Mao Zedong, he learned while travelling the world in 1953.

JAMAICA SEEMS set to retain the death penalty but the hangman could have his workload shared as some parliamentarians have proposed the use of lethal injection and the electric chair in carrying out the punishment. Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller, in her contribution to the debate yesterday, said if Parliament votes to retain the death penalty, the gallows must be left to rust. "If the vote is to retain the death penalty, I would like to suggest that we discard hanging as the method of carrying out the penalty," Simpson Miller said. The Jamaica Gleaner

Three of four men who allegedly held up and robbed a grocery store of prepaid phone cards, a cellular phone, groceries, and an undetermined sum of money at New Bowens in Halse Hall, Clarendon yesterday were shot dead by police. Police say Dwayne Mitchell, Leon Wright and Sheldon Newman, all of Halse Hall, were cut down in a shoot-out in the nearby Hillview Heights community, shortly after the robbery was reported. The Jamaica Observer

ROMEO DACOSTA HALL, now appealing a six-year jail term for serious bodily harm with intent, should have been tried for murder, an Appeal Court Judge said yesterday. Justice Sherman Moore said: "You either intend to kill a person or intend to cause them serious bodily harm. If there is a body, the person should be charged for murder." The nation newspaper

Turks and Caicos

A West Berbice youth faces the possibility of losing a limb after he was severely chopped by another man yesterday afternoon. Jason Robertson, 17, was receiving treatment up to press time last evening for the wounds he suffered during a brutal assault at the hand of a friend’s brother, at Hopetown Village. Robertson was chopped on both arms ands and legs. He was taken to the Fort Wellington Hospital, where he was stabilized before being transferred to the Georgetown Hospital for further treatment. Stabroek News  

ST. JOHN, Antigua – A sea lion that somehow came ashore on Darkwood Beach created quite a stir among residents of the area yesterday afternoon. The unfamiliar scene drew curious onlookers from nearby villages and from around the island to the popular beach as an effort was mounted some hours after to get it safely back into the water. The first sighting of the creature took place early in the morning, when one resident reportedly saw a strange bobbing object moving toward the shore. The excitement was about to begin. The seal, after it came to shore, managed to clamber on to the protective wall that runs along a significant portion of the beach creating quite a scene as traffic virtually came to a standstill. Sun St.Kitts Nevis  

BLOOD flowed yesterday at Dunoon Technical High School after a schoolboy was chased and stabbed by another student with whom he had a dispute over a cellular phone, ironically, just minutes before the students were to attend a class on conflict resolution. The Jamaica Observer...

CENTRAL Bank Governor Ewart Williams yesterday gave a grim warning to Government that if world oil prices fall to US$40 per barrel or lower, this country’s economy could be in big trouble. And in such a worse-case scenario, Government will have to make “very serious decisions” on spending. Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday

POLICE OFFICERS searched the Coroner's Court yesterday as well as persons entering the courtroom, following reports that a verbal threat was made against Coroner Faith Marshall-Harris. The court resumed its investigation into the death of I'Akobi Maloney yesterday. The Nation Newspaper

Woman killed A MARAVAL mom was killed yesterday when her house came sliding down a hill at ... Thieves rob dead man Three persons lost their lives in three separate road fatalities in Toco, Sang... Rowley joins PM in retreat DIEGO MARTIN West MP Dr Keith Rowley yesterday said he will join Prime Ministe... Early Christmas shopping begins CHRISTMAS is in the air and for many Trinidadians that means shopping and many...

Man shot dead in Tunapuna Homicide officers are seeking to identify the body of a man who was shot dead on Saturday night in Tunapuna. Guard among 3 killed Three people were killed in separate road accidents between Saturday and Sunday morning in Arouca, Matura and Sangre Grande. Cops quiz 3 suspects Police are questioning three people in connection with the murder of Joanne Gaspard, sister of Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard   ...

It’s been 15 heart-wrenching days since a U.S. twin-engine aircraft and its three-man crew disappeared over the Mazaruni jungle. It has also been a week since the search team picked up any signals from the plane’s Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT), and an official from one of the companies that are coordinating the search and rescue operation says that this may indicate that the crash victims have not survived their ordeal. “The signal has not been heard since Monday, and this may be a sign that they have perished, and we now have to recover them,” the official, who declined to be identified, told Kaieteur News yesterday. “Even if you are optimistic, you also have to be pragmatic.” Kaieteur news  

Although the Antigua Trades and Labour Union (AT&LU) instructed security workers at the VC Bird International Airport to return to work, issues affecting the disgruntled officers are still unresolved. Several security workers called in sick last Friday causing operations to virtually come to a halt at the country’s main port of entry. Workers are reportedly still on edge and it is feared that if their areas of concern are not adequately addressed, there may be a replay of last Friday’s actions very soon. The Antigua Sun

  Gunfire disrupted the 65th annual conference of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) yesterday, sparking a stampede at the National Arena. In a reaction last night, General Secretary Karl Samuda declared that the party will not yield to hooligans aiming to disrupt its business... The Jamaica Gleaner

Jamaica Labour Party supporters carry this man who was shot during the party's 65th annual conference yesterday at the National Arena in Kingston. (Photo: Llewellyn Wynter) Three men were yesterday shot, one fatally, at the National Arena during the 65th annual conference of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), triggering chaos and a hostile stand-off between labourites and police who were blamed for the fatal shooting. The Jamaica Observer ...

TODAY, Barbadians will wake up to yet another ease at the fuel pump. This time around, they will also witness a significant drop in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) products, better known as bottled gas. The Barbados Advocate

Relatives of Simon Cherubin say they will do whatever it takes to ensure he gets a fair trial. Cherubin was taken to court on Tuesday for a warrant hearing to facilitate his transfer to the French Department of Martinique. Cherubin`s sister – Vernetta Cherubin – says since he was recaptured by local police two Sunday’s ago, family members have not been allowed to speak with him neither has he been allowed a telephone call. Cherubin says her brother has a lawyer, but his legal representation is being frustrated by local police who have denied the Attorney access to her client. She says although her brother is accused of committing a crime he does have rights.

New York --- La Salle University officials said they are working to identify all the students allegedly involved in a racial attack on four freshman but the reported victims said it's not happening fast enough

Less than two weeks after Alejandro Nisbett was hacked to death in Shaw’s Road, Newcastle, Nevis, the Federation has recorded its 19th homicide for 2008. Police reports stated that on Tuesday night members of the security forcers responded to a report of gunshots being heard in the vicinity of Millionaire Street at about 9:.30. Upon their arrival at the area, officers found 23-year-old Omar “Mega” Stancliffe, of Wigley Avenue, lying on his back in a house. Sun St.Kitts/Nevis

Despite an overall downward trend, figures compiled by the Research and Planning Department in the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) disclose an increase in the murder rate and a major increase in crimes against property. However, those figures also show the level of crime overall has seen a decrease between January 1 and October 21 this year as compared to the same period last year. The force has divided the types of crime into two categories; crimes committed against persons and crimes committed against property. The Bahama Journal

Students at the Antigua and Barbuda Hospitality Training Institute are being denied the expert guidance of four department heads who were sent home for reasons that include the lifting of files from computers at the institution. The tutors' story was brought to the Antigua Sun last week. Efforts to get a comment from the Director of the Institution Calvin Ambrose, proved futile after he made it clear that he was not prepared to comment because the matter was being handled by the labour commissioner. The Antigua Sun

For hundreds of years the courts that inherit the Roman Dutch Law could not convict a man for raping his legally married wife given that it was embedded in English law for over 150 years (that Guyana adopted) that a wife was “mere chattel”, the property of the husband, and that consent to sex at any time was taken to flow from the fact that they were married. No Guyanese court has ruled on this point since Independence, so this is still the law in Guyana. Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Priya Manickchand, is currently seeking to change this when the completed ‘Sexual Offences Bill’ is tabled in the National Assembly. The Bill is currently in its draft stage but according to Minister Manickchand she is optimistic that everything could be finalised allowing the Bill to be tabled by year end. Kaieteur News

French police say they are “almost certain” that Troy James, the Guyanese deportee who was gunned down in French Guiana on Monday, was killed by an older brother. James had been convicted on crack cocaine charges and spent ten months in jail before being sent back to Guyana, the police said. Stabroek News

    SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland: Overwhelmed with grief, Ketura Bennett yesterday recalled the good times she shared with her son, Christopher Suckra, whose body was found hours earlier in cane fields at Blue Castles, near Georges Plain, in Westmoreland... The Jamaica Gleaner  

Nathaniel Gibbs Montego Bay, St James - The police, up until late yesterday, had still not established a motive for Wednesday's brutal slaying of four men and the injuring of two other persons, including a teenaged girl, at Golden Heights in Green Pond, St James. According to the police, five heavily armed men invaded the community at about 9:15 Wednesday night and opened fire on occupants at a shop, killing 34-year-old Rayon Mendez, also called 'Oily'; a man known only as Gavin, and injured another 36-year-old man. The Jamaica Observer  

DIEGO MARTIN West MP Dr Keith Rowley yesterday called on Prime Minister Patrick Manning to apologise in Parliament for misleading the House on September 30, with “concoctions and distortions” that he (Rowley) knew about $10 million which could not be accounted for in the Cleaver Heights Housing project, while he was Housing Minister. Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday

Murders continue to rise as three men were killed and another hospitalised after they were shot in separate incidents on Wednesday night in Barataria, St Joseph, and Wallerfield. The Trinidad Guardian

NOT EVEN the frenzied efforts of ten men could save the life of a young labourer yesterday. The young men of Farm Road, Deacons Farm, St Michael, rushed to the aid of a fallen worker at the former depot of the Ministry of Transport and Works (MTW) in the housing area, but were unable to pull away a large concrete wall column which had collapsed. The Nation Newspaper

A 10-YEAR-OLD girl who needed J$18 million (£153, 509) for a life- saving operation has died before she could get help. Cassandra Smith, who had spent eight years living with chronic disease cirrhosis of the liver, died on October 30. Her death came a fortnight after her mum, Patricia Grey, made a desperate public appeal in the Jamaica Star for help to find the funds to get Cassandra a liver transplant. Voice Online

Several gas stations in St Lucia ran out of gasoline and diesel Tuesday, creating a wave of panic buying by some motorists at the few stations that still had supplies. The problem has been linked to a move to adopt international standards in the loading of fuel trucks. The St Lucia Petroleum Dealers association and the National council on public transportation both hope that the problem will be solved Wednesday. Radio Jamaica  Association President, Clinton Chelery says the problem has to do with the distribution of fuel.

A Filipino national who spent 35 years of his life at sea was yesterday fined in excess of $2.5 million after he pleaded guilty to importing prohibited goods into Trinidad waters. Nestor Jalop Cagampang, 53, captain of the vessel Zim Kingston I, appeared before Senior Magistrate Lucina Cardenas-Ragoonanan in the Port-of-Spain Four A Court. The Trinidad Guardian

Boy, 5, drowns in drain Five-year-old Ortega “Kiel” Taylor drowned on Monday afternoon when he fell in... Mom of 6 murdered A 43-YEAR-OLD mother of six was found shot to death at her St Augustine home, ... $18M for Panorama, finals return to PoS Government has approved $18.5 million for Panorama 2009, and once again the wi... Spend, but wisely ALTHOUGH there have been calls for Government to slash spending to reduce infl...

Bruce fires back - Dismisses nepotism claims as 'scurrilous'  PRIME MINISTER Bruce Golding yesterday rejected the Opposition's allegations that he had engaged in nepotism in the Ferry land saga, calling the claims "scurrilous". Golding was like an angry fast bowler when he spoke in Parliament yesterday, scoffing at the Opposition... The Jamaica Gleaner   

The St Andrew Central police on Monday continued their clampdown on tinted public passenger vehicles in the division. The police, since Friday last, have been targeting tinted taxis, minibuses and other forms of public transportation following a string of abductions, rapes and murders. The Jamaica Observer

After being on the run for some time now, the long arm of the law finally caught up with an Antiguan airport security official who was wanted in the United States for allegedly defrauding that government of over US$1 million in taxes. One of three deputy chiefs of security at the V.C. Bird International Airport Henderson Aunsley Joseph was held by the authorities in Trinidad & Tobago and is reportedly awaiting extradition to the United States where he faces trial for several charges of fraud. According to press reports coming out of Trinidad, Joseph was arrested at a hotel in Port-of-Spain last Friday after he entered the country to attend a conference, purportedly on behalf of his place of work here in Antigua. The Antigua Sun

A DOWN-THE-ISLANDS lime turned into a tragedy on Sunday evening when six gunmen rammed a speedboat into a 32-foot pirogue and opened fire on the passengers, killing one man and wounding five persons, including a four-year-old boy. Assim Ali, 42, died after he got shot in his lower left back, according to an autopsy yesterday.  Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday  

Dominica police have identified the man whom they shot and killed after an attempted rape incident in that country. The authorities sought the assistance of the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda in finding out the identity of the man and his photo was placed in the local media. The Dominica Police Commissioner, Matthias Lestrade said the man is Jamaican, Andrew Kirkpatrick Mitchell. The Antigua Sun  

Worried about a near five per cent slippage in the value of the Jamaican dollar over the past five weeks, the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC), the umbrella body of local businesses, yesterday warned the Government and the Central Bank against returning to a policy of devaluation, pointing out that in the past, currency value reductions had pushed up inflation and eroded confidence in the economy and the currency. The Jamaica Observer ...

The Nation Newspaper WHAT IS BELIEVED to be a massive theft has taken place at the Central Bank. About $1.4 million comprising brand new $100 notes has disappeared from the top financial institution located within the Tom Adams Financial Centre, Church Village, in The City.

Featuring never-before-seen footage, this documentary delivers a startling new look at the Peoples Temple, headed by preacher Jim Jones who, in 1978, led more than 900 members to Guyana, where he orchestrated a mass suicide via tainted punch Related Video Jonestown:The Final report

Men in two vehicles were involved in the murder of clothes vendor Raphael Piggott on Saturday in Cummings Lodge, another execution-style case. The pregnant reputed wife of Piggott, who was in the vehicle at the time, yesterday said she didn’t see the murderer, just a small hand gun in his hands that fired two bullets into the back of the vendor killing him almost instantaneously. Stabroek News

IT was the children who cried the longest and the loudest for Ananda Dean yesterday. Ananda Dean's  mother Nordia Campbell is helped to her feet as she weeps during yesterday's thanksgiving service (Photo: Joseph Wellington) The little ones were just unable to control their emotions as they bade farewell to the 11-year-old who was abducted on September 17 and later brutally murdered and her body dumped in bushes in Belvedere, St Andrew. Politicians, community members, well-wishers and relatives allowed tears to flow freely for the young girl whose infectious smile and pleasant demeanour impacted all who knew her . The Jamaica Observer

A-16-YEAR-OLD boy was shot and killed by police in Chaguanas on Saturday night and his parents are calling for an investigation into what they believe was a senseless act of police brutality. Bernaldo Francis, who sold mangoes at a stall in the market, was shot in the back of the head at about 11 pm on Saturday following a fracas outside a club, Genieve Sports Bar at Busy Corner. Police said they responded to a call that a fight had erupted outside the club between two patrons.  Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday

Popular Point Fortin motorcyclist Christopher Farrier loved to attend motorbike shows. But on Saturday, while returning home from a show, Farrier met his death when he crashed into a herd of cows close to the Petrotrin Facility in Point Fortin. The Trinidad Guardian

McNeil to be tried in Supreme Court The man accused of the much-discussed murder of international handbag designer Harl Taylor will be tried in the Supreme Court, The Nassau Guardian has learned. Troyniko McNeil, 21, the son of Taylor's business partner, Troy McNeil, is charged with Taylor's murder that occurred between November 17 and 18, 2007. He will be informed of his arraignment date in the Supreme Court when he appears before Magistrate Derence Rolle today, according to a well-placed court official. Full story The Nassau Guardian 

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, CMC - Two and a half decades after it was branded "the gay plague", AIDS is again taking a toll on certain vulnerable groups within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), one of them being men who have sex with men. Globally, homosexual and bisexual men are 19 times as likely to contract HIV than the rest of the population and data released at the 8th Annual General Meeting of the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP) in October show that in this part of the world, the HIV prevalence among that group is very high.

"Caught On Tape:" Hurricane Paloma downgraded to a tropical depression as it moved over Cuba. The storm destroyed hundreds of homes on the Cuban coastline.

One million Cubans in central and eastern Cuba prepare for Hurricane Paloma to hit. Portia Siegelbaum reports from Havana

The death toll has risen after a school collapse onto the pupils. Injured children are sent to hospital and parents search for the body of their child in the morgue.