SmallShop Caribbean News

Antigua Sun : "A mother is still trying to come to grips with the loss of her only child who was gunned down on the weekend. Damien Jules, 24, of Golden Grove was shot to death on the morning of Saturday. The incident, according to reports, took place shortly after Jules arrived in Gray’s Farm with a young woman. Reports are Jules, the country’s 11th murder victim for the year, was sitting and talking on a verandah with the young woman when it is alleged that a masked man, wearing dark clothing, exited from a nearby yard. Jules and his female companion had, moments before, arrived on the scene, after having left the Jam Dung Nightclub on lower Nevis Street."

Nation News "A PATIENT'S AGGRESSIVE behaviour and his alleged ties to a group of unruly visitors has nurses at the Geriatric Hospital on edge. This situation follows an incident two weeks ago at the Beckles Road,St Michael institution where nurses came under threat after the patient reported the loss of a personal item. The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) has hinted that the nurses may walk off the job if the patient is not removed."

WalesOnline "THE Caribbean island where Welsh newlyweds Cath and Ben Mullany were brutally murdered has launched a “Brides Fly Free” initiative to woo back honeymooners. The horrific murders on Antigua had a devastating effect on tourism and just weeks after the first anniversary of the murders, tourism bosses are now trying to encourage newlyweds back to the sunshine island. The launch of the new British campaign was held at Scotland’s luxurious Glasgow Royal Concert Hall last weekend."

Dominica News Online "A young man from Portsmouth was shot dead in the wee hours of this (Sunday) morning. Dead is 22-year-old Charlesworth Christopher of Lagoon, better known as 'Junior'. The alleged shooter is Stebin Valentine, also from Lagoon. The shooting occurred on the roadside in the vicinity of the home of the victim."

The Associated Press : "MADRID — Fresh from setting a pair of world records, Usain Bolt is ready to go faster. The Jamaican sprinter, who took part in a ceremonial kickoff celebrating the start of the Spanish league at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium this weekend, said he can improve on his record times of 9.58 seconds in the 100 meters and 19.19 in the 200. 'I think I can go faster, but I leave that up to my coach,' Bolt said Sunday. 'We analyze each race. We try to go through the season without risking getting injured. We see what we can do to go further and achieve great things in sport.'"

Reuters : "The Dominican Republic will open formal talks with the International Monetary Fund this week aimed at securing $1.5 billion in new assistance from the multinational lender. A possible standby agreement with the IMF, the Caribbean nation's first in more than 2-1/2 years, was announced by the central bank over the weekend after Finance Minister Vicente Bengoa kicked off preliminary talks with IMF officials in Washington on Friday."

South Florida Caribbean News : "ST. LUCIA - St. Lucia's Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Honourable Stephenson King has officially tabled the motion in the House of Parliament for authorization to borrow the much talked about US$10.7 million from the International Monitory Fund (IMF). The funds are being accessed under the rapid access component of the exogenous shocks facility, to help Saint Lucia weather the effects of the global economic crisis and to assist government with its recovery efforts."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "OPPOSITION LEADER Basdeo Panday has urged citizens to revive their patriotic spirit and stand up against the efforts of the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) administration to undermine democracy in Trinidad and Tobago."

guyanachronicle.com : "The body of 63-year-old Dhaniram, known as Boyo, was found yesterday afternoon, around 14:00 h, in Best Village, West Coast Demerara. The body was found by two teenagers in the dense bushes along the path leading to his home. He was frothing at the mouth and his pockets were turned inside out."

Kaieteur News : "RELIANCE SETTLEMENT, EAST CANJE – The tears were unstoppable when Gladys Sanchari of Lot 26, Reliance Settlement in East Canje got the keys to her new home. The 69-year old woman said that this is a new beginning for herself and 50-year old son David Madramootoo."

Eye on the Storm : "The tropical wave that could become Erika is becoming better organized as it moved into the central Atlantic, forecasters warned today. The tropical disturbance was located about 900 miles east of Barbados and the Windward Islands,"

Stabroek News "Chaos erupted at Stabroek Market square yesterday when a man shot at two men who attempted to rob him and the bullet hit a newspaper vendor. Veronica Atherley, age 59 years of Stewartville, West Coast Demerara, was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital bleeding profusely from the gunshot wound. She was shot in the hip at around 5.30 pm as she sat at her stand selling newspapers. Up to press time last night the woman’s condition was listed as stable and the man who shot her was in police custody."

Dominica News Online "One man is dead and another in serious condition following a shoot-out in Grand Bay Sunday night. Dead is 25-year-old Neddison Benoit from Montine, Grand Bay, who was believed to an innocent bystander. The injured man is known as Irvin, who hails from the same community."

Jamaica Gleaner News "THE NAYS have increased while the ayes have stood firm as Jamaicans again respond to the question of whether the 'Chief Servant' is doing a good job as prime minister. The most recent Gleaner-commissioned Bill Johnson poll has found that Bruce Golding's approval rating mirrors what he received in June last year."

St. Lucia STAR : "St Lucia has developed a new plan to woo members of the Caribbean expatriate community to its shores. Louis Lewis, St Lucia’s Director of Tourism, announced this week that the St Lucia Tourist Board has embarked on a public relations strategy to encourage the North American Diaspora to “come back home” on vacation and to take advantage of some of the exciting investment opportunities on the island."

JamaicaObserver.com : "POLICE from the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) will be visiting a number of schools at the start of the school year, in September, to sensitise students and teachers about sex crimes and how they can protect themselves against sexual predators."

JamaicaObserver.com : "BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) - Forecasters are monitoring a patch of bad weather to the east of the Windward Islands that they say could become a tropical depression today."

Nation News "AS THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION DEBATE rages in the Caribbean with the focus on Barbados, a report confirms that the country is the most densely populated in the Western Hemisphere. Interestingly, Guyana, the source of the largest single community of undocumented immigrants in Barbados and many English-speaking Caribbean states, is among the world's least densely populated countries."

Nation News "A MOTORIST recalled on Thursday how he was beaten by two men after he had stopped to see if he had hit something or someone on the Fairchild Street bridge. 'All I could remember is one of the guys saying to police he lick me off the railing,' Lionel Benn told the District 'A' Magistrates' Court."

Nation News "THE WOMAN was sitting peacefully on her front porch reading the newspaper yesterday. Suddenly, someone pulled up in a car and started shooting, within feet from where she was. Terrified, that woman told her experience to the SATURDAY SUN at her Deacon's Farm, St Michael home yesterday but requested anonymity."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "A SECOND autopsy done privately at a funeral home midnight on Thursday by a senior pathologist on the body of 19-year-old Tyrone “T-boy” Peters Junior revealed his groin was “bashed in” and suggests he may not have died from hanging as initially reported. Tissue and blood samples were also taken by the pathologist for further tests and the results were expected next week."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "A man shot and killed his common-law wife as she sat with her lover in a car at St John’s Trace, Claxton Bay late last evening. The woman’s lover in a daring bid to save her and himself drove into the compound of the St Margaret’s Police Station, a street away. He ran into the station and told police officers that the woman had been shot twice in her head by her common-law-husband. But by the time, the officers ran out to the man’s Nissan Almera car the woman was already dead in the front passenger seat."

The Bahama Journal "A Cabinet minister, who appears to be in the process of making a decision as to whether he will resign his ministerial post, yesterday expressed his misgivings about salaries paid to ministers. During the Love 97 programme, Issues of the Day with host Algernon Allen, Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Desmond Bannister said he is contemplating his future. He also took exception with the salaries that ministers are being paid."

The Nassau Guardian "Two former employees of the Royal Bank of Canada have been accused of stealing more than $150,000 from the financial institution while they were working there. Prosecutors allege that Elkeisha Munroe and Roberta Sweeting, who both worked at the Palmdale branch as clerks, stole $166,588.22 from the bank between May 2009 until July 30, 2009 by making false entries in tellers' cash books."

St. Maarten Daily Herald "PHILIPSBURG--The Court of Guardianship took custody of an 11-year-old girl Thursday after she complained of sexual abuse by her step-grandfather. Court officials collected the girl while she was at school. The court stepped in after the girl allegedly was fondled and molested a week ago. Family members have been fighting over the situation since Monday. The girl said she would not talk with reporters Wednesday."

Jamaica Gleaner News - "Being made redundant from your job at a time when the global recession is battering Jamaica is hard enough. Being made redundant close to the time when your children are making back-to-school preparations makes the anxiety even greater. Several parents in western Jamaica are facing this reality with the start of the new school year a mere week away."

guyanachronicle.com "The body of 72-year-old Mohammed Nazir Khan, a driver with Rockers Taxi Service at Parika on the East Coast Essequibo, was discovered yesterday morning on Dentist Street, Stewartville, West Coast Demerara. There were stab wounds to the upper chest and slashes on his ankles."

Kaieteur News : "The nude, bound and gagged body of an 80-year-old woman was found shortly after 19:00 hrs last night in the Lot 66 Independence Street, La Grange, West Bank Demerara home in which she had lived alone. Relatives said that Kharpattie Shivnauth was found with her hands and left foot tied to her bed with pieces of cloth. A piece of cloth was tied around her mouth. According to her son, Gopaul Nauth, detectives who visited the scene suspect that she was also sexually assaulted."

JamaicaObserver.com : "RETIRED Chief Forensic Analyst Fitzmore Coates yesterday suggested that gasoline was used to start the May 22 fire at the Armadale Juvenile Centre in St Ann, which claimed the lives of seven wards and injured nine others. Coates told the enquiry, which is being held at the National Volunteer Centre on Camp Road in St Andrew, that he found traces of a 'highly flammable' hydrocarbon, which was likely to have been gasoline, on burnt-out clothing and the remains of a Bible that were taken from an area close to where he said the fire started."

Antigua Sun "Police officials claim the picket held on Thursday morning in St. John’s drew participation from approximately 300 supporters. The ALP organisers, however are claiming numbers closer to three times and many people are not disagreeing with this estimate. One police woman told me that if one were to include the people in queues trying to get in to see immigration officials for a variety of reasons and then if you added the heavy police presence, then yea, the ALP estimate would have got a bit closer to the reality which she sees as a mere conjecture on the part of the organisers."

The Jamaica Star "Persons conducting business during the active back-to-school season are being urged by the police to take extra precaution as criminals are targeting shoppers conducting business at financial institutions. A senior officer from the City Centre Police Station told THE STAR that there has been an increase in robberies since the onset of the back-to-school season. Information reaching THE STAR indicates that persons who conduct monetary transactions at business places, banks and money-transfer agencies and then proceed to the downtown shopping district are being watched by hoodlums and then trailed and robbed."

Saint Lucia has recorded another homicide this time the murdered individual is a member of the business community a resident of the affluent Cap Estate neighbourhood. The 41 year old victim was murdered outside the gates of his name at approximately 9PM on Wednesday night. Police would not say how many gun shot wounds he sustained although they would state he was shot in the head. His homicide follows the slashing death murder of a Marc resident this past week-end. HTS St.lucia

JamaicaObserver.com : "Foreign Affairs Minister Kenneth Baugh yesterday confirmed that the US Government has formally requested the extradition of influential Tivoli Gardens don and businessman, Christopher 'Dudus' Coke. 'The Government has been notified and discussions are taking place. It is principally the prerogative of the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney General's office,' Baugh told the Observer."

Jamaica Gleaner News "Forced to temporarily close the doors to one of his three Montego Bay resorts, Iberostar Rose Hall's Managing Director Philipp Hofer said he had no option but to take the difficult decision to send 320 of his employees home."

St. Lucia STAR : "Is the IMF really the big, bad wolf getting ready to huff and puff and blow our house down? According to the opposition leader Dr Kenny Anthony, the government is leading St Lucia deeper and deeper into the bowels of the bad guy for the first time in this island’s history. Anthony even compared himself to John Compton, saying, “John Compton and I walk the same path when it comes to the IMF.” But the government position is that the IMF’s Exogenous Shocks Facility has conditions so favourable that it would be remiss—not to say foolish—of them not to take advantage of it."

Dominica News Online "Economist Atherton Martin says the political directorates of the Caribbean continue to ignore local and regional solutions to the global financial crisis and this is making matters worse for the region. Martin is also supporting statements made by renowned Barbados-based Economist Avinash Persaud, that Caribbean governments should guard against saddling themselves with more debt to stave off the financial recession."

Taiwan News Online : "Three coast guard officers in Guyana have been charged with murdering a jeweler and are under investigation in two other robbery-killings along the South American country's rivers, police said Thursday. The agents are in jail awaiting trial for last week's attack on Dweive Kant Ramdass, who was ferrying $85,000 on a river boat, police spokesman John Sauers said. Authorities say the suspects stopped Ramdass during an unauthorized patrol along the Essequibo River."

WSJ.com : "HOUSTON -- R. Allen Stanford, the Texas financier accused of spearheading a $7 billion international Ponzi scheme, was hospitalized Thursday, the same day his No. 2 man pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges in federal court here. At 5:30 a.m., Mr. Stanford was taken to Conroe Regional Medical Center after experiencing rapid heart palpitations, U.S. District Judge David Hittner said in court on Thursday morning. The hospital is near the federal lockup ..."

NYTimes.com : "R. Allen Stanford’s relationship with the chief regulator of his Antigua bank was closer than most. At a meeting in 2003, they became blood brothers, cutting their wrists and mixing their blood in a “brotherhood ceremony” that Mr. Stanford’s chief financial officer said promoted an elaborate scheme to hide a multibillion-dollar fraud from American and other regulators, The New York Times’s Clifford Krauss writes. The assertion that the two took a “blood oath” was laid out in a plea agreement signed by the officer, James M. Davis, and filed Thursday."

Antigua Sun "Two other people allegedly involved in the kidnapping and sexual assault of a 22-year-old woman have appeared before the court to answer to the charges."

Kaieteur News : "The public trust in the security forces took another massive dent yesterday when a group of men dressed as policemen held up a delivery truck and made of with about $10M."

Kaieteur News : "Amidst mixed emotions of tears and jubilation, 21-year old Roreema Dookie gratefully hugged her father in the East La Penitence Police station compound, while repeatedly uttering, “I just want to go home…” Twenty-four hours earlier, on Wednesday, while in the company of her boyfriend, the young woman was forced into a waiting vehicle by three gun-toting men. The men had struck her boyfriend several times resulting in minor injuries to his head and face. Fears for the worst grew with the arrival of relatives and concerned friends to her home. Her father had received a call demanding a ransom of $40M."

Stabroek News "Twenty-one-year-old Rorhema Dookie, who was kidnapped on Wednesday night, was last evening reunited with her family after she was pulled out of a house in the city by a woman who thought she may have been the girlfriend of one of her kidnappers."

Nation News "MOST NEW OR EXPECTANT MOTHERS dream about the day they can take their babies home with them from hospital. Crystal Bynoe did not have this privilege. Seven weeks after giving birth, the 23-year-old first-time mother cannot take her baby boy Ashcher Micah Bynoe-Chewitt out of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) because he was born with a heart defect known as Transposition of the Great Vessels."

Stabroek News "Acting Chief Justice, Ian Chang has ordered the Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai to show why new elections should not be held for the Orealla/Siparuta village council. Minister Sukhai has been ordered to declare the disputed village council elections invalid and to set a date for new elections, unless cause is shown as to why the court order should not be made absolute."

Antigua Sun "Prince Charming Graham has alleged that he was beaten by the police while he was picked up on a bench warrant. Graham appeared in the St. John’s Magistrates Court bearing obvious signs that he had been in a confrontation. He entered the courtroom barefooted, limping with a bandaged right knee. He had bruises just below the left elbow and slight swelling to the right side of his face."

Jamaica Gleaner News "Prime Minister Bruce Golding and Finance Minister Audley Shaw have gone on the offensive in the wake of strident demands from some public-sector groups still upset over the Government's decision to freeze wages this fiscal year. Since the controversial decision was announced in March, Golding and Shaw have adopted mainly defensive positions as they sought to convince civil servants and the rest of the country that the global economic crisisleft the Govern-ment with no choice but to freeze wages despite signed contracts."

JamaicaObserver.com : "PRIME Minister Bruce Golding says it is unfair and unreasonable for the police and teachers to be clamouring for salary increases when both groups benefited from what he said were 'significant' top-ups in the almost two years that his administration has been in office."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "A higher percentage of the “richer” income group of the population are reported to have various types of disabilities compared with the poor. However, the rich can afford the care to diagnose their conditions. This recent data was produced by the Central Statistical Office (CSO) yesterday from the Disability from the Survey of Living Conditions 2005."

Nation News "POLICE are investigating an incident in which 30-year-old Marcus Thomas of Danesbury, Black Rock, St Michael, was shot in a leg yesterday. The incident occurred at Black Rock and Thomas was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by ambulance. A resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, said shortly before the incident that Thomas was in a shop liming."

Nation News "THERE IS a shortage of supplies in the dialysis unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. And patients who rely on the unit's blood purifying service fear their lives may be on the line. '[The hospital] is short of equipment and people are literally afraid for their lives,' said a patient who spoke under anonymity. Gloves, needles, and other items were needed, said the patient who added that waiting periods for dialysis treatment had lengthened. 'Some patients have had to wait for four or five days for treatment, and others were even turned back.'"

One man is dead and another in police custody after a cutlass attack in the Community of Marc on Saturday night. Police reports state about 10:00 pm Lambert Joseph and Presley Edward both 45 years old were engaged in an altercation where a cutlass was used and caused injury to both men. Joseph succumbed to his injuries while at the hospital.

Amandala Online : "The Department of the Environment (DOE) called a press conference on Friday afternoon to dispel fears over the environmental safety of the waters of the Macal River, Cayo, which have been excessively turbid—having a disturbing “coffee-with-milk,” ochre-colored look for nearly a month now."

The Bahama Journal "The noticeable increase in the number of 'hung juries' recently in trials before the Supreme Court, as well as cases being withdrawn, may be due to a number of factors, including the alleged increasing intimidation of witnesses, according to a well-placed legal source. Citing a recent case before the court an attorney said that of three witnesses scheduled to testify for the prosecution, two, including the alleged victim did not show up. The prosecutor had no choice but to withdraw the case and the accused person was freed."

The Bermuda Sun "A tale of alleged conspiracy and bootlegging has yet to unfold in the Supreme Court after legal arguments and incomplete jury selection ate up the day's proceedings today. After hearing from the several lawyers in the case, Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves immediately set about trying to select and swear a jury of twelve but exhausted the pool of 57 prospects with one seat still to fill."

JamaicaObserver.com : "NEW YORK, USA (AP) - Usain Bolt's representatives are in talks with publishers about a biography, the agent for the record-breaking sprinter said yesterday."

Antigua Sun "The Wireless Road man, who stole several bottles of Guinness from a service station, was convicted and fined $200 when He appeared in the St. John’s Magistrates’ Court before Acting Chief Magistrate Keith Thom yesterday."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "The final funeral for the five victims the Mosquito Creek accident took place yesterday, when nine-year-old Sachin Maharaj, a student of Avocat Vedic Primary School, was laid to rest. The service for Sachin, who aspired to become a pundit, drew a massive crowd which spilled over onto the roadway with police directing the traffic."

Kaieteur News : "Over 180 punts of cane were destroyed by arson as protests over inadequate remuneration in the sugar belt spilled over to West Demerara, crippling the Wales Estate. The cane was reportedly set alight on Monday afternoon and the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), stands to suffer untold losses as the final crop of the year undergoes a torrid beginning."

Stabroek News "A Georgetown resident fears for his life and those of his family after being attacked by “channa-bomb throwers” several times this year. Brian La Fleur, who operates a mechanic shop in central Georgetown, told Stabroek News last evening that four attempts have been made to torch his house and on one occasion he was attacked by gunfire."

Nation News "FORMER Commonwealth Secretary General Sir Shridath Ramphal has rejected claims that he linked Barbados' immigration policy to 'ethnic cleansing'. 'I very much regret the misleading information that has wrongly attributed remarks to me about 'ethnic cleansing' in Barbados,' he said in a statement issued yesterday. 'I make it absolutely clear that I never made even an insinuation about this in relation to Barbados, or any other country in the Caribbean.'"

Chris Brown is sentenced to 5 years' probation, 6 months' community labor for his beating of Barbados singing star Rihanna and ordered to stay away from his ex-girlfriend for 5 years.

Antigua Sun "Opposition Leader Lester Bird wants air-time on ABS Radio and Television and he wants it tonight. This was the opening salvo of his return letter to Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer, both of whom have engaged in a tit for tat exchange of letters over the past few days."

Kaieteur News : "Three ranks from the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard were yesterday charged for the murder of 23-year-old, Dweive Kant Ramdass of Bartica. Sherwyn Harte, 26, of 123 Eccles, East Bank Demerara, Delon Gordon, 21, of 108 ‘C’ Field, Sophia, and Deon Greenidge, 20, of 166 Middle Road, La Penitence, appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Vreed – en – Hoop Magistrate’s Court."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "THE SON of PNM councillor Paul Guerra was shot and killed in Arima early yesterday morning. According to a police report, Paul Guerra Jr, 25, was standing on the corner of King Street and Broadway when he was fatally shot. Police said that according to eyewitnesses, Guerra Jr was with a male friend when a white vehicle pulled up alongside them and its occupants opened fire. Guerra Jr was killed on the scene while his friend managed to escape. He lived at Martinez Street in Arima."

JamaicaObserver.com : "IN an effort to significantly reduce cost for the September 4 by-election in Clarendon North West, the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) is abandoning the Electronic Voter Identification and Ballot Issuing System (EVIBIS) used in the two previous by-elections in favour of the Black Book system. Director of Elections Orette Fisher said the move will reduce the cost by at least $10 million, as many of the costs associated with the electronic voting system would be eliminated."

Nation News "THERE IS A NEW PLAQUE in Heroes Square to commemorate the lives of the enslaved Africans who were transported to and traded in Barbados during the British Atlantic slave trade."

St. Lucia STAR : "International websites like Homeoverseas.com.uk are saying that St Lucia’s Parliament is currently changing immigration laws to give instant economic residency to foreign citizens investing US$350,000 or more in the island. According to these sources, the St Lucian government wants to maximize the benefit of having increased airlift into the island by offering visitors the chance to become residents—for less than EC$1m. Homeoverseas.com, in particular, suggests that the government is trying to boost demand for property in St Lucia by offering foreign millionaires a second passport as well as a tax haven. This comes on the heels of changes to the tax regime which gives tax breaks to property owners who rent out their homes to visitors."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "DARREN DIXON, the lone survivor of Saturday’s tragic fire which claimed the lives of six of his family members, including his pregnant wife, had to be taken to the Couva Health Facility yesterday, suffering from acute stress, elevated blood pressure and a high fever. Health officials said Dixon’s symptoms were brought on by the trauma of the horrific incident."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "SCORES of stranded vacationing visitors on the north east coast of Trinidad, were yesterday shuttled out of the area by boat as a temporary Bailey Bridge was being constructed to get people out of the area after the collapse of the Balandra bridge, on Saturday."

JamaicaObserver.com : "A ward gave shocking testimony Friday that a policeman had pulled his firearm at a girl who accused him of killing her friends, following the deadly fire at the Armadale Juvenile Correctional Centre in May, which left seven girls dead. The 15-year-old ward said the girl walked up to the policeman and said, 'A you mek me friend dead.' According to the girl, the policeman took out his gun and said, 'Try something nuh.'"

Go-Jamaica "A motive is yet to be established for the murder of a 50-year-old farmer in Kitson Town, St Catherine last night. The police say Fredrick Brooks and a relative were at his house at about 7 p.m.when they heard their dogs barking. The police say Mr Brooks went to investigate and was later heard shouting for help. They say explosions were heard shortly after and the farmer was later found suffering from gunshot wounds He was pronounced dead at hospital."

Stabroek News "A post-mortem examination on 24-year-old Dweive Kant Ramdass who was dumped in the Essequibo River on Thursday showed that he died of asphyxiation – consistent with the confessions of members of the coast guard who robbed him of $17M."

Nation News "BARBADIANS have given thumbs up to the David Thompson-led Democratic Labour Party (DLP) administration after 19 months in office. And, 43 per cent see no need for change right now. And, were a general election held today, the DLP could improve its lot significantly, according to the results of a public opinion poll released yesterday by the Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES). But according to the poll, it's not all roses for the Government."

Nation News "EDITOR OF THE SUNDAY SUN, Carol Martindale, yesterday received the threat 'to do the right thing' or have her reputation destroyed. The threat came from Hartley Henry, senior political advisor to Prime Minister David Thompson."

Stabroek News "Incumbent Robert Corbin was re-elected leader of the PNCR last evening, following polls at the party’s 16th Biennial Congress that were attended by numerous claims of irregularities."

Kaieteur News : "The agonising search for abducted Bartica resident, Dweive Kant Ramdass, ended at around 08:00 hrs yesterday after relatives, aided by a fisherman, found his partly decomposed body near Caiman Hole, an area in the Essequibo River near Fort Island."

Jamaica Gleaner News : "Regardless of the performance of Jamaica's women in today's 4x400m relay final, the country has already created World Athletics Championship history. Helsinki, Finland, in 1983 was where it all started when Bert Cameron pocketed gold in the men's 400m, running an impressive 45.05 seconds. The outstanding Merlene Ottey took the baton and collected back-to-back 200m gold medals in 1993 and 1995."

The Jamaica Star "Cops search for her estranged husband Police have launched a manhunt for the estranged husband of a woman after she was attacked and her male companion beaten to death. The community of Ellerslie Pen, Spanish Town, St Catherine is now in shock after the incident. Investigators from the St Catherine north police are now searching for the killer, a man identified as 'Patrick', a resident of Rivoli also in Spanish Town."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "FOUR children and a pregnant woman were amongst six who died in an early morning fire which razed a house at Light Pole 608 Southern Main Road, Mc Bean Couva yesterday, shortly after midnight."

Antigua Sun "The police have arrested and charged 36-year-old Colin Reviere of Skerritts Pasture for his alleged involvement in the theft of over $20 thousand in power tools."

Stabroek News - QC duo top CSEC : "With 14 grade ones each, Kia Persaud and Padminee Roshundatt of Queen’s College (QC) emerged the top students of the 10,243 candidates who wrote this year’s Caribbean Secondary Examinations Council (CSEC) exams.

Kaieteur News : "Amidst growing fears that 23-year-old Dweive Kant Ramdass of Bartica, the victim of the brazen river robbery is dead, police sources are reporting that one of the three GDF Coast Guard ranks has confessed that the man was strangled before he was thrown overboard."

Jamaica Gleaner News "It was not a gold medal, but Pamela Bailey, mother of Veronica Campbell-Brown, was just as pleased and excited for her daughter, who placed second in the IAAF World Championships in Athletics 200 metre finals yesterday in Berlin, Germany. Veronica Campbell-Brown mined a silver medal for Jamaica for the second consecutive World Championships, dashing across the finish line in 22.35 seconds behind Allyson Felix of the United States."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "TRUCK driver Balton Barnwell, 70, yesterday offered his condolences to the families of five persons who died in a smash-up at South Trunk Road, Mosquito Creek, La Romaine last Saturday. Barnwell expressed his sympathies to the families when he appeared before Magistrate Indira Misir-Hosein in the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court yesterday to answer five charges of causing death by dangerous driving. Corporal Vijay Ramdhanie laid the charges."

Trinidad Express "'I knew I was going to get a medal, so I was hyped, I was excited.' Renny Quow's confidence in his own ability was evident in the World Championship men's 400 metres final here in Berlin, Germany, yesterday, the Trinidad and Tobago athlete sticking to his race plan to earn bronze in 45.02 seconds."

Nation News "Barbados’ more than 200 000 cell phone users are being set up to be robbed by high-tech scammers. And this country’s two tele-communications service providers, LIME and Digicel, are warning customers not to use their handsets to send personal banking information via text messages to any unknown numbers, or provide such account information to unknown or unregistered e-mail addresses."

Nation News "The Barbados National Anthem was played during a medal ceremony for the first time in the 26-year history of the World Championships in Athletics, at the Olympic Stadium, here in Berlin, Germany, yesterday. The man responsible for the historic first, 21-year-old Ryan Brathwaite, soaked in the occasion from the top of the podium, his 13.14 seconds run in Thursday's men's 110 metres hurdles final earning him that right. “The feeling was very amazing and great,” a proud Brathwaite told the Nation, following the medal ceremony. “I'm glad it was shown all over the world."

Kaieteur News : "Three ranks from the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard were arrested yesterday afternoon following a brazen multi-million dollar robbery in the Essequibo River. The men were nabbed at Parika, East Bank Essequibo, after police recovered one-third of the stolen money. The victim 23-year-old Dweive Kant Ramdass of Bartica has not yet been found and is believed to have been killed."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "A TRUCK driver has been charged for the deaths of five persons killed in an accident at South Trunk Road, Mosquito Creek, La Romaine, last Saturday. Cpl Ramdhanie, of the San Fernando Police Station, laid the charges of five counts of motor manslaughter due to dangerous driving which the accused will answer before a magistrate today."

Sun St. Kitts "While reiterating that he has never held citizenship for any other country besides St. Kitts/Nevis, People’s Action Movement Parliamentary representative for Constituency #7, Ronald 'Lui' Williams denounced accusations of holding dual citizenship for some three countries."

Antigua Sun "The police were called out to quell what appeared to be a disturbance at Her Majesty’s Prison yesterday afternoon. According to unofficial sources, three maximum-security inmates reportedly attacked another prisoner on the compound. Reports reaching the AntiguaSun are that the unrest occurred around the time they were to return to their cells from their usual time out."

JamaicaObserver.com : "BERLIN, Germany - Jamaican superman Usain Bolt surprised himself by clocking an unimaginable 19.19 seconds into a slight headwind of -0.3 m/s to set a new world record in winning the 200 metres yesterday to complete the sprint double at the 12th IAAF World Championships. Bolt's mind-boggling run, which chopped 11 hundredths of a second off his previous world mark of 19.30secs, came moments after another Olympic champion, Melaine Walker, secured gold in the 400m hurdles in a new championship record of 52.42 seconds."

Nation News : "He added Barbados had become a very violent and aggressive society where everyone wanted things done 'now'. 'Let me say here that the Ministry of Health has a policy of zero tolerance in respect of bad behaviour and threats to our staff. It is not fair for a doctor, nurse, or any member of staff . . . to come to work and feel that they are under siege,' he said."

Nation News "RYAN M. BRATHWAITE has delivered the World Championship medal that had eluded Barbados three times at the 1999 edition of the World Championships. The 21-year-old athlete made up for the ten-year wait by claiming the most precious of the three medals on offer in the men's 110 metres hurdles final at the Olympic Stadium here in Berlin, Germany, yesterday."

NYTimes.com : "BERLIN (Reuters) - Jamaica's Usain Bolt shattered his own 200 metres world record on Thursday to win gold at the world championships in a breathtaking 19.19 seconds and secure his place as the greatest sprinter ever seen. One year exactly after he posted 19.30 seconds at the Beijing Olympics to beat Michael Johnson's 'untouchable' 19.32 from the Atlanta Games, he sliced another 11 hundredths of a second off just as he did in Sunday's 100 when he ran 9.58."

Zimbio : "Ryan Brathwaite, a 21-year-old Olympic hurdler from Barbados, won the 110-meter hurdles at the World Championships today. It was the first medal ever to be won for Barbados at the World Championships."

The Bermuda Sun "Hurricane Bill, the season's first major hurricane, is currently tracking towards Bermuda, and today the Emergency Measures Organisation (EMO) convened a formal meeting to get an update on the storm's progress. Resulting from the information provided in the briefing, the EMO is advising the public to begin to prepare for the impending storm today, because Bill is considered a potential treat to Bermuda."

The Bahama Journal : "The only way most small hotels in the country could survive is if they partner with more mega brands – like the Atlantis Hotel and Resort – to help pull them out of the current rut, according to a former high-ranking tourism official."

Amandala Online : "Two young boys, as young boys are wont to do, went to “get” coconuts from a neighbour’s yard, and when they were attacked by two rottweilers, one of them paid with his life for the adventure. On Saturday, between the hours of 2:00 and 3:00 p.m., in the Hill View area of Santa Elena Town, Cayo, David Moltavan, 9, and Dualvin Salinas, 7, climbed over the chain-link part of a fence to get into the yard. Although the boys knew, or ought to have known, that inside the yard were a pair of rottweiler dogs, a male and female, they still went ahead. The boys were attacked by the dogs, and ran, apparently trying to reach the fence, but Dualvin Salinas , the 7-year-old, could not make it back to safety in time. The dogs, named King and Queen, attacked him, biting him in the throat, and he was killed on the spot."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "Little Paige Welch, the 13-year-old United States citizen whose hand was almost severed during a boating accident on the high seas, last Sunday, reportedly flew home late Tuesday night. Relatives continued to remain tight-lipped, but Newsday understands relatives together with the US Embassy made arrangements to have her board a flight bound for the US."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "SERIOUS questions were raised yesterday by a Port-of-Spain magistrate as to how a Chinese national who can neither read nor write English, was granted a firearm user’s licence 11 years ago. “If a person is issued a firearm licence with conditions which must be adhered to, and these conditions are written in English, how could someone who can’t read and write English be given a firearm?” Magistrate Avason Quinlan asked."

Jamaica Gleaner News "Jamaica produced another glittering performance at the 12th IAAF World Championships in Berlin last night. Veteran Brigitte Foster-Hylton gave a scintillating display to win the women's 100 metres hurdles gold medal in a season-best 12.51 seconds, while Delloreen Ennis-London showed grit and determination from the difficult lane eight to snatch the bronze medal in 12.55, also a season best, just behind Canada's Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, who clocked 12.54 for silver."

JamaicaObserver.com : "BERLIN, Germany - Jamaica is set to secure at least two more medals on day six of the 12th IAAF World Championships, with four athletes, including Olympic champions Usain Bolt and Melaine Walker, down to contest finals."

Antigua Sun "Antiguans and Barbudans can breathe a sigh of relief as a huge hurricane Bill moves further away from the North Eastern Caribbean. That was the word from forecasters at the Meteorological Office at the VC Bird International yesterday. The shift, according to the Met Office, was anticipated but they did not want to say until it was absolutely certain. However since Bill is a large storm, forecasters told the AntiguaSun yesterday that Antigua and Barbuda can expect to feel the effects of spiral bands associated with the storms across the island from yesterday."

Nation News "THE Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP) will hold an emergency meeting today to discuss what action to take after a doctor was attacked at a polyclinic. As a result of today's meeting, the Ministry of Health has suspended all medical services at polyclinics islandwide after 1 p.m. The DAILY NATION has learned that while on duty at Warrens Polyclinic last Friday, Dr Dwayne Lashley, a general practitioner, was hit with a brick by a man."

CNN.com : "MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Described as 'an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane,' Hurricane Bill was churning closer to the Atlantic island of Bermuda on Wednesday, forecasters said. Although Bill is not expected to make a direct hit on the island, forecasters cautioned that the storm is large and will generate large swells on Bermuda as well as the islands of the northeast Caribbean Sea over the next day or two."

Usain Bolt is the fastest man to ever live. He is also one of the tallest sprinters of all time.

Morne Du Don bus drivers say school children living in Bois Patat will have to walk the road when school re-opens unless that road is repaired. The drivers say they are tired of empty promises made to repair the road that remains in a deplorable condition. They say driving on it has led to untold costs and they will no longer bear the expense of plying that part of their route. They are calling on the powers that be to fix the road or school children and Bois Patat residents will be made to suffer the consequences.

It is usually the other way around the Taiwanese government giving to Saint Lucia for various projects. On Monday the Prime Minister shifted the momentum on that relationship slightly by presenting a monetary donation to the Taiwanese. The money is to be used for relief efforts in Taiwan - the country was devastated by a typhoon that recently hit Asia.

Nation News "BARBADOS, and by extension the region, can expect earlier and more accurate warnings regarding hurricanes this season, especially Hurricane Bill, currently heading towards the region. 'The last reading we got this morning was that Bill was 15.6 north and 48 west . . . east of the Lesser Antilles with a windspeed of 85 miles per hour and it does have category 3 potential,' Lieutenant Colonel Nancy Ash warned yesterday."

Nation News "The headquarters of ice-cream maker BICO went up in flames tonight, causing at least one million dollars in damage. The north-western section of the complex was extensively damaged by the inferno that started around 7:50 p.m. and lasted more than two hours. Chief executive officer Edwin Thirlwell, who rushed from home to the complex, said as far as he knew it was the first fire to hit the company since its opening on Bay Street in 1901."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "WHEN his plea for a reconciliation fell on deaf ears, insurance clerk Gary Balkaran attacked his wife Nadine on Monday inside the New India Assurance Company office in Rio Claro, where they both worked. He bound and gagged her with duct tape, then beat and choked her. Believing her to be dead, Balkaran, 36, left the office and went to the marital home, also in Rio Claro, where he committed suicide by drinking a toxic substance and stabbing himself in the neck with a pair of scissors."

Sun St. Kitts "Today, respondents in the constitutional matters hearing will continue calling witnesses to seek to prove the unwillingness of the People’s Action Movement (PAM) to engage in discussion during deliberations of the Constituency Boundaries Report committee and the Boundaries Technical Committee thereby quashing the claimant’s submission of prejudice and unfairness."

Kaieteur News : "Police yesterday questioned the wife of a Greece-born local businessman who was found dead with a single gunshot wound to the right temple. Investigators believe that 54-year-old Vlachakis Zackarias shot himself with an unlicenced .32 revolver during a domestic dispute with his Guyanese wife, Rosemarie Badursingh."

guyanachronicle.com : "A woman and her brother are in police custody following the shooting of her husband, Greek businessman Mahaikis Blabvlacharakis Zackarias, called “Harris”, 52, of 123 Ramsingh Street, Annandale, East Coast Demerara, early yesterday morning. The owner of Nicholas Fast Food and Water Depot was discovered with a gunshot wound to the temple slumped in a sofa in the lower flat of his two storey house. His licensed gun, a .32 pistol, was found in his lap. At the time of the incident, he was at home with his wife’s brother, Ravi, while she was out with their 10-year-old son, Nicholas."

The Bahama Journal "Four men and two teens were arraigned on a string of arson related charges yesterday, less than a week after several portions of the St. Francis and St. Joseph Catholic Primary School were damaged in a fire."

Jamaica Gleaner News "Jamaica's Shericka Williams posted a personal-best 49.32 seconds yesterday to take silver in the women's 400 metres final at the 12th World Championships in Berlin. It was the 23-year-old's second silver at a major championships in 12 months, following her surprise second place at the Beijing Games last year."

JamaicaObserver.com : "Several researchers have done studies recently to predict how fast a man can run 100 metres. The latest, from Tilburg University in the Netherlands, predicts that someone will eventually be able break the tape at 9.51 seconds. Bolt, who has set three records at the 100-metre distance with times of 9.72, 9.69 and Sunday's 9.58, is already looking to rip that theory apart. 'I said 9.4,' Bolt said. 'I think the world records will stop at 9.4.'"

The Nassau Guardian : "More layoffs are looming in Grand Bahama as a small resort prepares to close its doors. The Nassau Guardian confirmed yesterday that 29 employees are set to lose their jobs at Port Lucaya Resort & Yacht Club, which is partially owned by the Grand Bahama Port Authority. The group reportedly includes 16 permanent employees and 13 casual laborers."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "Surgeons will have to wait and see whether the re-attached arm of United States (US) teen Paige Welch, will be accepted by her body, after it was almost severed during a kayaking outing in Chaguaramas on Sunday. Surgery was performed on the 13-year-old that same day, after she arrived at the Medical Associates private hospital in St Joseph, with her left hand hanging only by pieces of tissue."