SmallShop Caribbean News

The company Asphalt and Mining is accused of an unusually close relationship with a government Minister a relationship the SLP says has already resulted in shady business in the past.

The divide between aid workers and quake victims is increasing in Port-au-Prince.

Newsline 340 :: Tsunami Report by Erica Bivens....f a tsunami were to strike right this instance, would you know what to do? Erica Bivens provides you with the information you need to know about how to prepare.

Dominica News Online : "ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – A High Court judge on Wednesday ruled that the election of three government parliamentarians, including Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer, was invalid, throwing the United Progressive Party (UPP) administration into a tailspin."

SVG Today : "Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting death of Kneswin Samuel, a 28-year-old labourer of Vermont, who� resided in Chateaubelair."

St Lucia News Online : "Twenty-seven-year-old Darby Etienne of Vieux Fort will spend the next six years behind bars, following a rape conviction. The young man was found guilty for the offense after a two-day trial at the High Court."

Grenada Herald "ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – Six men have been detained as police investigate the first homicide of the year in Grenada. Police said Brian Peters, 30, was stabbed to death during a fight outside of a restaurant and bar in the western village of Black Bay early Sunday morning."

JamaicaObserver.com : "POLICE in Spanish Town, St Catherine, are keeping a close watch on a newly formed criminal network, which they fear could become as organised as the deadly One Order and Klansman gangs -- both based in the old capital. Superintendent Assan Thompson, anti-crime chief for the St Catherine North Division, said the 'No Order' or the 'Lion Paw' gang is a break-away faction of the One Order gang, based in lower March Pen Road."

Kaieteur News : "The mysterious death of a 13-year-old girl has created huge division between the residents of Canal Number Two Polder on the West Bank of Demerara. Sangeeta Persaud called Sheena succumbed at the West Demerara Regional Hospital on Sunday night after efforts by members of her church to ‘free her from spirits’ failed. Allegations are flying left, right and centre, that the teenager might have been affected after eating a meal from a religious function that was held by a resident of the area. But according to the neighbours, the child was not even at thee function."

Stabroek News "A coal burner was discovered dead on Monday night on a bridge about one mile from his home with marks of violence to his head and neck. Four persons including his wife have since been taken into police custody."

Dominica News Online : "The primary purpose of this press conference is to absolutely refute and correct a number of flagrant and repeated inaccuracies, misrepresentations and untruths being disseminated through the airwaves and media generally over recent days and weeks.� It is not intended nor will this conference address in detail the specifics of the written and other complaints made regarding Lay Magistrate Behanzin.� These will be addressed at an appropriate alternative time and forum."

BVIDailyNews.com : "Dellon Williams 31, who fathered the baby of a young lady who was a minor at the time, was found guilty of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 16 years by a nine member jury on Tuesday at 3:30 pm. The complainant is now 17 year old. Following a three and half hour deliberation, jurors returned a guilty verdict for Williams who will be sentenced on April 27, 2010. Williams who was on bail during the course of the trial was remanded to prison."

The Associated Press "HOUSTON — Attorneys representing jailed Texas financier R. Allen Stanford continue falling by the wayside as he awaits trial on charges he bilked investors out of $7 billion as part of a massive Ponzi scheme. In a motion filed Tuesday in federal court, Stanford is again asking for new attorneys, his fourth set of lawyers in less than a year."

MiamiHerald.com : "Vivian Blake's peaceful death in a Kingston, Jamaica, hospital March 21 is a grim contrast to his life steeped in violence -- much of it in South Florida. Blake, formerly of Miramar, was a founder of the ``Shower Posse,'' a politically connected drug gang that got its name from the bullets it rained down on its enemies. Despite the dope, death and political muscle that still defines the gang today, Blake died of natural causes at age 53."

JamaicaObserver.com : "SENIOR attorney-at-law Frank Phipps is arguing for Jamaica's system of government to change, so that any mistake made by one division of state leadership would not directly affect the flow and function of other arms. The noted Queen's Counsel, in addressing reporters and editors at the weekly Observer Monday Exchange yesterday, said that Jamaica could pay dearly if it turned out that the attorney general erred in refusing to send the matter of the extradition request for West Kingston businessman Christopher 'Dudus' Coke to the local courts for a determination to be made."

Kaieteur News : "A woman and her six-year-old daughter were spared a fiery death when they were pulled from a burning house at Montrose North, East Coast Demerara but not before they both received minor burns. The woman, Kumarie Baljit, 24 , and her daughter, Rachel, were asleep in the bottom flat of the two-storey wooden house when the fire started around 18:50 hours yesterday."

Nation News "A MOTHER’S initial plea for the safe return of her child turned to quiet acceptance yesterday when the body of the seven-year-old girl, Aliah Taylor, was found floating off the beach at Enterprise, Christ Church, by members of the� Coast Guard. Sharon Taylor, 34, of Kingsland Gardens, Christ Church, was trying to maintain her composure from the time the alarm was raised on Sunday afternoon around 2 p.m. that her daughter had gone missing from Miami Beach, Christ Church.� She felt that something sinister had happened� to the child, and that� she had been taken from the beach."

NST Online "Former BBC journalist and commentator Rod Liddle was censured over a claim that young Afro-Caribbean men carried out the “overwhelming majority” of violent crime in London. The Press Complaints Commission, which oversees editorial content of newspaper and magazines, upheld a complaint about Liddle’s comments in December on the website of weekly right-wing magazine The Spectator. “This is a significant ruling because it shows that the PCC expects the same standards in newspaper and magazine blogs that it would expect in comment pieces that appear in print editions,” said the watchdog’s boss Stephen Abell."

Stabroek News "here has been a run on CLICO International Life Insurance Company and its top management say they are fighting to restore the company. Terrence Thornhill, president of CLICO Holdings Limited, said on Saturday night that confidence in the institution had been battered and despite all its efforts, people have been calling on it for their money, making a bad situation worse. He said CLICO had gone from being a very strong company with more than B$150 million in cash at the beginning of 2009 to one forced to pay out more than B$118 million over the past 12 to 14 months."

The West Indian News : "Barbados cannot continue to “bury its head in the sand” and ignore the fact that there is a serious problem with undocumented immigrants here. This assertion has come from Prime Minister, David Thompson, who stressed that Barbados was being presented with many challenges due to increased pressure on its limited resources."

News Montserrat : "GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – President says the Caribbean is on the verge of bankruptcy as many countries were spending more on servicing external debt and has reiterated his call for urgent debt relief by the international financial institutions (IFI)."

Antigua Sun "A man who is alleged to have shot at police over two months ago will have to wait a bit longer before his matter is heard before the court. Steve Allen appeared in the All Saints Magistrates Court before Senior Magistrate Asquith Riviere last week when his matter should have commenced. However, the prosecution informed the court that it was not ready to proceed. An adjournment was therefore requested."

BBC News "The raids followed an investigation into allegations that a Jamaican man and woman married two Bulgarians in an attempt to stay in the UK illegally."

MiamiHerald.com : "PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Several hundred Vodou practitioners gathered at a public plaza in downtown Port-au-Prince Sunday to bid farewell to the souls of victims of the Jan. 12th quake that claimed more than 200,000 lives. Typically held in private temples, the service sought to serve as a reminder of the influence Vodou wields in the Caribbean nation. Scores of men and women donning white outfits and colorful beads beat drums, prayed, sang, and danced in honor of the dead."

JamaicaObserver.com : "NEW YORK, USA -- The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Census Bureau have denied reports circulating here that data from the current Census exercise will be used to target undocumented immigrants, among them thousands of Jamaicans. In the three weeks since the Census Bureau began the task of counting all residents here, fears have heightened among Jamaicans and other undocumented nationals that they could be deported if they participate in the exercise."

JamaicaObserver.com : "DERRICK Brooks, a 45-year-old man serving life for drug trafficking in a Cuban prison, has accused the Jamaican Government of refusing to facilitate his transfer to a Jamaican penal institution, despite willingness by the Cuban authorities to send him back home. According to Brooks, there are more than 31 Jamaicans languishing in Cuban prisons who are desperately in need of help, as they receive no rehabilitation, and are denied the opportunity to study or even visit the library in many cases."

Stabroek News "A Hampshire, Corentyne resident succumbed to gunshot injuries he sustained when four masked bandits stormed his house around 7:30 pm on Saturday and stole almost $1M in cash and jewellery."

Nation News "DON'T BLAME THE MUSIC, blame the parents. Although they are in agreement with the decision made by Prime Minister, David Thompson to cancel the Mavado and Vybz Kartel peace concert, entertainers yesterday said these two Jamaican artistes or the culture of their music, should not be blamed for the negative behaviour of the youth in Barbados. It was the parents who were to blame."

Nation News "THERE IS AN UNCANNY SIMILARITY between the current Barbadian demonisation of Jamaican dancehall music and the much-earlier devaluation of jazz in the 1950s. Kamau Brathwaite relates an amusing anecdote that illustrates the Barbadian elite's perennial contempt for 'foreign' musical expressions that supposedly taint the cultural purity of the nation. Brathwaite recalls the public outrage at his participation, as a schoolboy, in a single radio programme on jazz."

An estimated 4,000 people in Haiti had an arm or leg amputated after being trapped in the rubble following January's massive earthquake. Al Jazeera's Sebastian Walker reports from the capital Port-au-Prince on a whole generation of new amputees who will be needing months, or even years, of rehabilitation as they battle to rebuild their lives.

Hundreds of Voodoo practitioners chanted, prayed and pounded drums to honour and cleanse the souls of the earthquake victims in Haiti.

Antigua Daily News "ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – A senior member of the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force (ABDF) and two civilians have been charged with stealing money that was part of a Haiti relief campaign. Police said that the three accused, including a captain with the ABDF, �will appear in court next week to answer the charge of stealing the money between March 1 and 25 this year."

Finance Minister, the Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas, during the Budget Debate on Friday, re-acting to statements made by the Opposition that St. Kitts and Nevis held the #2 spot in terms of having the highest National Debt to GDP ratio.

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "PRIME Minister Patrick Manning yesterday strongly hinted at a snap general election, which legally isn’t due until 2012, as he rallied support the PNM special convention at a packed Chaguaramas Convention Centre. “The time has come for the people to decide, my dear friends,” he said. Alleging the Opposition was trying to force a snap election by their upcoming no-confidence motion in him, he said the population not the Opposition should decide who governs. Reflecting the crowd’s mood, a woman shouted, “We have confidence in you!”"

The Bermuda Sun "In a brief press release this morning, police said: 'A few minutes after four this morning, Police responded to a report of gun shots being fired in the area of Mission Lane in Pembroke. 'Upon arrival it was ascertained that a 27 year old Pembroke man was taken to the hospital. 'He is listed in stable condition in the ICU and is being treated for gun shot wounds to his body.'"

Amandala Online : "Details are not freely forthcoming, but it was in the principal’s office, we were told, that one of the students, still angry from the fight outside, got a hold of a putty knife and slashed the other female student’s forehead. This wound on the student’s forehead was bad enough to cause extensive bleeding, which reportedly covered an administrator’s blouse as she tried to render aid to stop the bleeding."

Amandala Online : "With what appears to be a mounting disrespect for the law, armed robbers have begun attacking stores in the downtown area of Belize City with increasing regularity, and today, two tried their luck at Accents Gift Store on North Front Street, almost at its intersection with Queen Street, near the Swing Bridge."

JamaicaObserver.com : "MAYOR of Washington, DC Adrian Fenty has described the ongoing impasse between the United States and Jamaica over the extradition request for Christopher 'Dudus' Coke as a 'serious issue', but said he was hopeful that both governments will be able to resolve the matter in the near future. The mayor, a member of the Democratic party -- one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States -- noted on Friday that although not a lot of citizens in Washington, DC were talking about the case, it was a matter that needed to be dealt with."

The Jamaica Star :: "Dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel is claiming that he lost his mobile phone, leading to the unauthorised release of pictures with two women performing oral sex on him. 'I lost my BlackBerry, the rest is history,' the Portmore Empire-boss told THE WEEKEND STAR yesterday, noting that the phone was lost while he was in Negril. The first two pictures came to the fore about 6 a.m. yesterday morning. Since then, they have been circulating on the Internet, especially on social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter. In those pictures, a woman with a tongue piercing holds his member as they both look into the camera. The woman is light-skinned and has a tattoo on her left shoulder."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "Asked if the Syrian/Lebanese community felt prejudiced by reports that it was a meeting of mafia leaders, Hadeed replied, “If it is the media had reported that the Prime Minister met with the Syrian mafia, well obviously the community has the right to feel that way.” Attorney Faris Al-Rawi, son of former PNM Member of Parliament Diane Seukeran, told reporters afterwards that he was also pleased with the meeting."

JamaicaObserver.com : "JAMAICA will be repatriating the 62 Haitian boat people who arrived in two fishing boats on the island's east coast on Tuesday. Daryl Vaz, the Government's chief spokesman, told reporters Thursday at a press briefing at Jamaica House in the nation's capital, Kingston, that plans were being made to have the Haitians sent home within a few weeks. Three of the 62 Haitians, who are said to be prison escapees, are to be returned to police in their country."

Stabroek News "Police interrupted a Nyabinghi celebration hosted by the Rastafarian Community early yesterday morning and members of the group are alleging harassment and cultural intolerance."

Stabroek News "Despite uncertainty about the holding of local government polls, President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday emphasised that general elections must be held next year."

St Lucia News Online : "Twenty-six-year-old Yzes Harrison of Choiseul, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter, has been sentenced to eight years in prison. The sentencing was handed down by Justice Kenneth Benjamin this morning at the High Court."

St. Kitts News Every Day : "BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, MARCH 25TH 2010 (CUOPM) – An attempt by the two rookie People’s Action Movement (PAM) members on the opposition benches, to mislead the National Assembly on Wednesday has been labeled as “malicious.”"

Antigua Daily News "ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – The court case to determine whether Antigua and Barbuda’s former chief financial regulator, Leroy King, should be extradited to the United States has been adjourned until next month. US authorities want King to be extradited for what they say is his connection to the alleged multi-billion dollar investment fraud of disgraced financier Sir Allen Stanford."

SVG Today : "On December 31, 2007 British American Insurance Company’s (BAICO) auditors signed off on a balance sheet that showed the company was on sound financial footing; however a year later later many contributing factors led the company into millions in debt ."

Nation News "LOCAL CALYPSONIANS who write a lot of rubbish, trash and foolishness, be warned! Do not expect any pass marks from Minister of Education Ronald Jones. Jones, a strong opponent of the controversial Vybes Kartel and Mavado show, which was eventually cancelled, said yesterday that at times Bajan calypsonians also seemed to forget this country's value systems."

Dominica News Online : "An inquiry which commenced on Monday to look at allegations of misconduct by Magistrate Tiyani Behanzin has been adjourned with no set date for the resumption of the case."

Toronto Sun : "A female Jamaican police officer is a prime suspect in the slaying of her Canadian boyfriend on the Caribbean island, the victim's family says. Andrew Nelson, 42, was found with a single gunshot wound last November in a Kingston ghetto. The Toronto salesman and the cop had been out for dinner and drinks, family members said. Nelson’s brother, Joseph, 44, says Andrew had been dating the cop for 11 months. She was attached to an organized crime division of the Jamaica Constabulary Force. On the night of the shooting there was a heated dispute between the couple that turned physical, Joseph said. “We want the police to bring someone to justice,” he said. “We want them to catch whoever it was who killed my brother.” Andrew, who is originally from Jamaica, was found with several bite marks and scratches, he said. “There were people who saw them arguing that night,” Joseph said. “We believe there was a fight and he was shot from close range.”"

- MiamiHerald.com : "TAMPA, Fla. -- A federal prosecutor says claims that Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton is being treated inhumanely in jail while awaiting trial on drug charges are 'lies.' Attorney David Markus claimed in a motion Monday his client was placed in maximum security because he shared food with another inmate. Markus' claims also included Banton had lost weight because he was denied the vegetarian diet he requires for religious reasons."

The Royal Gazette : "A former Jamaica Police commander on the run over child molestation charges may be hiding in Bermuda, according to reports. However, the officer leading the hunt for fugitive Harold Crooks believes he may be feeding the media false information about his whereabouts. A report in yesterday's Jamaica Observer newspaper said authorities may seek the extradition of Crooks, the former commandant of the Island Special Constabulary Force (ISCF) who is aged in his 70s."

TrinidadExpress : "Prime Minister Patrick Manning faced an unprecedented protest outside his San Fernando East constituency office yesterday, involving union members pushing for him to reverse unpopular decisions amid growing public discontent. They also asked that he resign. Manning refused to meet with protest leaders, ignoring them as he left at around 6.30 p.m. He was booed by protesters but cheered by office staff. Police SUVs were used to form a barricade to prevent protesters from getting close as a smiling Manning left."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "Officers of the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau (ACIB) yesterday met for close to two-and-a-half hours with Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard to seek advice on several matters now engaging the attention of the bureau, the most high-profile of which are the Udecott and Abu Bakr affidavit probes. The meeting came amid a day of frenzied police activity, which saw officers visit several locations, including the Urban Development Corporation of TT (Udecott) and the Central Bank, as several investigations progressed."

St Lucia News Online : "A former inmate of the Bordelaise Correctional Facility is paying the consequences of his actions, even after he has served his time. Stephen Williams, who seemed rather frustrated, lamented that he wants to make a change, but society won’t let him."

Beff News : "THIRTY-five-year-old Kenyouth Brissett of Barnett Bush in St James, allegedly chopped and stabbed his estranged girlfriend, Shadae Barker, 22, to death on the Barnett Bush main road yesterday. Brissett and Barker were reportedly involved in an intimate relationship which produced two children, ages 1 and 3. Barker later found out that they were cousins and decided to end the relationship, but Brissett objected to the proposal."

Antigua Daily News: "ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – The opposition Antigua Labour Party (ALP) says it will lead a “black march” through the streets of the capital next month for “a plethora of reasons”, including “mourning the death of the economy of Antigua and Barbuda”"

Anguilla Express : "According to Anguilla’s acting Attorney General Ivor Greene, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in the Delano Smith matter on�March 22, 2010.�� The court dismissed Smith’s appeal and affirmed his conviction and sentence. Smith was convicted by a jury on February 18, 2008 for the murder of Clifford Christie, and�was sentenced to life imprisonment. Christie received fatal stab wounds in the vicinity of Webster�Park in November 2006."

Grenada Herald "ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – Former deputy prime minister Bernard Coard�has denied that sinister motives were behind a recent gathering of former Grenadian revolutionaries."

Sun St. Kitts "PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – As Haitians continue to experience difficulties in garnering sufficient food and water supplies, tensions are growing among residents. Compounding the situation further, however, are the rapidly growing security concerns, owing to a number of overseas volunteers and security officers leaving the country. Meanwhile, there are escalating fears that the food supplies that some individuals have been fortunate to receive may soon come to halt as there are rumours that the government will be moving sometime next week to stop agencies from distributing food stuff as a result of perception that the agencies are crossing their line of responsibilities."

Jamaica Gleaner News "As Romane Bolt settled into the blocks for the seventh heat in the Class-One boys' 400 metres yesterday, the gathering in the grandstand at the National Stadium looked on curiously, as they wondered if the performance would be in keeping with the name."

JamaicaObserver.com : "FOLLOWING weeks of intense public debate and front page headlines in Barbados, the Mavado, Vybz Kartel unity concert scheduled for this weekend has been officially cancelled. Prime Minister David Thompson made the announcement at a press conference held yesterday, exactly two days before the event. Thompson is quoted in the Barbados Advocate as saying: 'That quest to do the right thing by Barbadians prompted my request for the meeting with the organisers of the proposed show and I am happy to announce that in deference to the expressed wishes and the anxieties of a very wide cross-section of Barbadians, that the organisers of the Mavado/Vybz Kartel show and Youth Forum have agreed to the revamping of initiatives resulting in the cancellation of this weekend's activities.'"

Kaieteur News : "Doctors at the Georgetown Public� Hospital Corporation were up to late last night battling to save the life of a 29-year-old man from Haslington North, East Coast Demerara, who was shot in the back of the head in what is initially being described as an execution attempt. Kaieteur News understands that Quacy John was sitting in his house at about 21:00 hours when a lone gunman walked in and shot him."

Kaieteur News : "Police were yesterday still trying to track down two bandits who shot a Brazilian miner dead at Cuyuni on Wednesday before escaping with a quantity of gold. A police release said that Francisco De Asis Da Rocho Muniz, 60, was shot in the abdomen and right shoulder and died before he could receive medical attention."

The Barbados Advocate : "THE on again, off again show headlined by Jamaican reggae artistes Vybz Kartel and Mavado scheduled to come off this weekend has officially been cancelled. The revelation came from Prime Minister David Thompson who briefed the media on this development following a meeting held at Government headquarters yesterday afternoon, with the promoters of the show."

The Ottawa Citizen "The top prosecutor in Barbados is appealing the 10-year sentence meted out this week to an island man who killed Ottawa tourist Terry Schwarzfeld a year ago. Charles Leacock, the country's director of public prosecutions, filed written notice with the island nation's Court of Appeal Wednesday. According to the Bajan newspaper The Nation, the document describes the 10-year sentence given to Schwarzfeld's killer, Curtis Joel Foster, as 'unduly lenient in the circumstances.'"

FOXNews.com "Passengers on the Boeing 737 were amazed to see a plume of ash hurled into the sky by the explosion. They rushed to the side of the jet to photograph the cloud from the Soufriere Hills volcano on Caribbean island Montserrat. Mary Jo Penkala, 49, was flying to the Caribbean from Toronto, Canada, with partner Barry Steinfeld, when she saw the staggering sight and took a picture. She said: 'We saw the volcano in all its glory.' Passengers told how the pilot had simply announced over the intercom: 'Ladies and gentlemen, if you look to the left of the plane, you'll see a volcano erupting.' After a long period of dormancy, the Soufriere Hills volcano became active in 1995 and has continued to erupt ever since."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "Even as investigators intensified their search for crucial documents and evidence in the probe into the affairs of the Urban Development Corporation of TT (Udecott) comes word from the police that former Udecott executive chairman Calder Hart cannot be found. The telephone numbers left for Hart at the Office of the Attorney General, which are now in the hands of the police, continue to remain unanswered when called by the police."

Kaieteur News : "The home of Mahender Sharma, head of the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) and his wife, Marcia Nadir-Sharma came under a grenade attack Tuesday night. Fortunately the grenade did not explode. The attack has left many unanswered questions. Sharma bought the home, located in Prashad Nagar, from David Narine who served a drug induced sentence in New York. He is out of prison having been sentenced to time served but he must undergo five years of supervised release."

Nation News "THE DECISION yesterday to give the green light for this weekend's controversial Vybz Kartel and Mavado show has opened a potential row between Commissioner of Police Darwin Dottin and his deputy Bertie Hinds. In an exclusive interview, a visibly upset Dottin told THE NATION yesterday that he first learnt of the decision to grant licences for the show through a radio news flash while on his way to Grantley Adams International Airport."

7 News Belize : "By now you’ve probably all heard about the Crooks Report – that’s the sweeping review of the police department which was completed in January of 2009 by Jamaican policing expert Harold Crooks. The 166 recommendations in the 146 page report lays out a blueprint for reform in the department and has indeed become the bible for policy and decision makers in the Ministry Of National Security. But tonight the news is that the report’s author is wanted by Jamaican Police. According to a report in the Jamaican Observer, Crooks is wanted by the police for alleged sex-related offences.

BVI News : "A fight between a couple has landed Hilario Crispin, a native of Dominica Republic, in trouble. He’s charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and unlawful wounding for hitting his child mother. The 45 year-old pled not guilty to both offences when he appeared before Senior Magistrate Valerie Stephens on Wednesday morning. He was granted bail in the sum of $10,000 with one signed surety and have to surrender his travel documents."

Dominica News Online : "Dominica’s sole water company is expected to take on marketing strategies towards the creation of a local industry for water exportation. According to Bernard Etinoffe, general manager of the Dominica Water and Sewerage Company (DOWASCO), there is already foreign interest in the project."

Amandala Online : "On Sunday, March 21, the Crimes Investigation Branch at 2:20 a.m. received a call that a half an hour before, Kent Ocean, 50, a construction worker and fisherman of Belize City, who was also a patient of the KHMH, apparently leapt out of the medical ward window, located on the second floor of the hospital."

Antigua Sun "A Trinidadian woman has been remanded to prison after the prosecution objected to her being granted bail in the St. John’s Magistrates’ Court yesterday. Grier Calendar-Chase appeared before Chief Magistrate Ivan Walters. Calendar-Chase is charged with fraudulent conversion of $50,000. In objecting to bail, the prosecutor Otis Archibald told the court that the police were not aware of her status in Antigua."

Stabroek News "A dredge owner shot himself in the head with his licensed firearm on Monday night, leaving relatives with no clues as to why he wanted to end his life."

Nation News "THE DECISION BY A BARBADIAN JUDGE to sentence a confessed killer to ten years in jail has come under serious international scrutiny. But a former attorney general says this country's judicial sentencing system remains beyond reproach, and foreigners simply need to respect the jurisprudence and judicial system of countries outside their own."

Dominica News Online : "Magistrate Tiyani Behanzin, who has been the centre of controversy among the legal fraternity and the public, has described a complaints inquiry currently ongoing at the Fort Young Hotel today as part of a conspiracy to oust him."

Radiojamaica.com a radio interview Monday, Mr. Farrell, said he was 'calling off' the show because of opposition from the police and members of the public. But he later retracted the position on the advice of his lawyers. Reports later indicated the promoters had applied to the Royal Barbados Police Force for licences to play loud music and to sell alcoholic beverages. Superintendent of the Bridgetown Division, Lybron Sobers, confirmed receiving the applications but said approval would be based on the results of investigations into Saturday's proposed show."

The Royal Gazette : "The heartbroken wife of Bermuda's latest gun victim was last night being comforted by her family. Greashena Spence-Lawes had only been married to James Lawes for four months. The newlyweds met when they were co-workers for the Prestige Beauty Salon. James was a barber and Greashena a hairdresser."

Stabroek News "Relatives of Vasdeo Persaud, 39, of Parika Façade, East Bank Essequibo yesterday held a wake while searchers in Venezuela look for his body. “I just hearing all the time me brother dead. Still me can’t say yes me brother die. I just hearing all the time”, Persaud’s sister, Dhanpattie cried yesterday."

MiamiHerald.com : "TAMPA, Fla. -- The attorney for Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton wants his client moved from the Pinellas County jail - for diet concerns. Attorney David Markus filed the motion Monday. A hearing is set for Friday morning. Banton has been in jail on a drug charge since December. The motion says he's lost 40 pounds and was not given a diet in accordance with his religious views. He's a Rastafarian, a religion that places importance on a vegetable- and fruit-based diet."

Antigua Daily News "ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – The opposition Antigua Labour Party (ALP) has welcomed the statement by the United Progressive Party (UPP) regime in response to the actions by a group which calls itself “The Stanford Victims’ Coalition” (SVC), saying it was long overdue, since the harmful actions by the group against Antigua and Barbuda commenced one month ago in mid-February."

Grenada Herald "ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – A security guard accused of stealing from the new United States Charge d’Affairs here, Bernard Link, is to appear before a magistrate this week, police confirmed on Monday."

Anguilla Express : "Anguilla’s Deputy Police Chief Rudolph Proctor wants to see an end to drag racing on the Jeremiah Gumbs highway. The senior cop said that some members of the community have telephoned the police station to express their concern about the dangerous activity."

SVG Today : "Police are currently carrying out investigations into the shooting of Campden Park resident Vesley Enville. The 37-year-old man was wounded when a gunman opened fire on him, while he on his way to a beach party event at Questelles Bay on Sunda. He was shot in the throat, buttocks and left leg at around 6.15 p.m."

Amandala Online : "Initial police investigations revealed that Reyes went to his room after working special duty and there, he was attacked by Sanchez, who hit him on the head with a pipe. �� Reyes then tried to close his room door, say police, but noticed that Sanchez had a firearm he was trying to fire."

JamaicaObserver.com : "SHEFFIELD, Westmoreland -- Buckston Harrison -- the popular herbalist whose weekly health column in the Observer West attracted a global fan base -- was yesterday found dead at his home in Sheffield, Westmoreland. Harrison, 52, was found with his throat slashed."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "MRS HAZEL MANNING, the wife of Prime Minister Patrick Manning, was interviewed by officers of the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau (ACIB) last week in relation to an ongoing probe into an alleged land deal between Jamaat leader Yasin Abu Bakr and Prime Minister Patrick Manning, investigators yesterday said."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "NVESTIGATORS of the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau (ACIB) have gathered enough information to meet with Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard on their ongoing probe of former Udecott executive chairman Calder Hart."

Nation News "TEN YEARS. That is the time Curtis Joel Foster will spend in jail for killing a Canadian tourist a year ago. Foster, 25, of Wiltshire Avenue, Bayfield, St Philip, was back before Justice Randall Worrell in the No. 4 Supreme Court yesterday for sentencing after pleading guilty, earlier this year, to unlawfully killing Canadian Jewish visitor, 60-year-old Theresa Schwarzfeld on March 18, 2009. He was originally charged with her murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser count. Director of Public Prosecutions Charles Leacock, QC, prosecuted. Justice Worrell told the killer the only good feature in his case was that he had pleaded guilty."

Ottawacitizen "OTTAWA — On a sunny afternoon 13 months ago, Ottawa resident Terry Schwarzfeld went for a walk on Long Beach in Barbados -- something she and her husband had done dozens of times during their frequent visits to the Caribbean nation. This walk, though, would end her life and irrevocably alter others."

Nation News "CASTRIES - Could you refuse $160 million? A St Lucia man has, and no persuading seems to be able to change his mind. Claudius Lousien who lives in a corrugated lean-to, without electricity or water, has turned down an offer of �40 million (BDS$158 199 million) for his land. The 70-year-old sleeps on a rackety old lounger which has long since lost its linen cover and the foam padding has all but disintegrated."

The Nassau Guardian "An alleged argument between two male relatives while they were driving in a vehicle in the Bootle Bay area turned deadly late Saturday afternoon. It is alleged that the pair, said to be closely related, along with a female passenger got into a heated row when the driver, who is believed to be Stanley Butterfield, a Grand Bahama resident in his late 30s, was shot in the head."

Antigua Sun "The police have arrested and charged the mother of the seven-year-old whose hands were burnt by his stepfather. Both the mother and the man have been released on bail. Jamila Charles was reportedly picked up by the police, charged on Friday 12 March and taken before the court last Tuesday (16 March). She was jointly charged with her boyfriend, Egbert Lucien, for causing grievous bodily harm to the child."

The Bermuda Sun "The investigation into the murder of James Lawes is ongoing. A 30-year-old Smith's parish man is currently in custody in relation to this matter. A forensic pathologist has arrived on island to conduct an autopsy of the deceased."

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

latimes.com : "ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The first musher from Jamaica to enter the 1,100-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race has reached the finish line at Nome, three days after Lance Mackey won for an unprecedented fourth consecutive time. Newton Marshall finished in 47th place. The 27-year-old rookie covered the arduous course in 12 days, 4 hours and 27 minutes, reaching Nome at 7:27 p.m. Friday."

Dominica News Online : "Ronald Weisel, one of two men caught with some $5.6 million worth of drugs in BVI water on December 31, 2008, was denied the chance to change his plea to not guilty by reason of mental illness on Friday morning."

JamaicaObserver.com : "LEADERS of the manufacturing and export sectors, as well as the Mandeville Ministers’ Fraternal, have expressed concern about the lengthy stand-off between the governments of Jamaica and the United States over the extradition request for West Kingston strongman Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke and its possible effect on Brand Jamaica and efforts to sell Jamaican products overseas."

Jamaica Gleaner News - "IT WAS business as usual this past weekend with the strike by British Airways (BA) cabin crew having little or no effect on flights from London Gatwick Airport to Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean."

JamaicaObserver.com : "AS if the murder of her husband was not enough of a burden to bear, Palicia McCrae is further saddled with grief after being informed that the killers could have been caught by now had an off-duty police officer on the scene reached for a pen or even his cellphone. McCrae's husband Oliver Leroy McCrae, a 35-year-old salesman with Jamaica Beverages Limited, was on Friday, March 12 killed by gunmen in the vicinity of Tools Hardware in Three Miles -- several metres from the Hunts Bay Police Station and in the presence of a horde of witnesses."

Stabroek News "A boat captain is missing and feared drowned after pirates forced him and his crew into the waters off the Venezuelan Coast in a vicious attack on Thursday."

Nation News "POLICE WERE up to last night looking for a man who reportedly took a woman at knifepoint from a Transport Board bus yesterday. This action triggered a massive manhunt in parts of St John for the woman who was subsequently traced and taken to the District 'C' Police Station in St Philip."

Millions of dollars from around the world are pouring into Haiti to provide basic aid for the earthquake devastated nation. And millions of dollars in foreign investments are also flowing into the country to help it rebuild and shape its future. However, many Haitians see the expansion of foreign companies as a way to take advantage of the widespread poverty plaguing the country, where the unemployment rate is up to 80 per cent.

The Barbados Advocate : "Minister of Economic Affairs, Empowerment, Innovation, Trade, Industry and Commerce, Dr. David Estwick intends to bring the cost of living down in Barbados."

Kaieteur News : "Robin Holder, the 19-year-old who was shot by police near Mandela Avenue on Thursday, is now a prime suspect in the gunning down of Canada-based Guyanese Rawle Harding at the Cool Square night spot. A source revealed last night that investigators are to re-examine video footage of the killing to ascertain whether one of the gunmen was indeed Holder. The investigators will reportedly be paying particular interest in the fair-complexioned gunman who is seen on the footage scaling the nightspot counter. Holder, who is nursing gunshot wounds to the left hip and groin, is also likely to be placed on an identification parade this week."

Stabroek News "Several investigation techniques that were critical to unearthing evidence in the 2006 slaying of minister Satyadeow Sawh were not followed by police, leaving behind more questions than answers, a security expert said."

JamaicaObserver.com : "A J Nicholson, the former attorney general, did not know it was Christopher 'Dudus' Coke's phone he was asking the court to tap, when he sought the relevant warrant to do so, on February 2, 2007. In fact, if the rules are followed, no attorney general knows whose telephone conversation they are seeking a warrant to tap, according to the then governing People's National Party attorney general and minister of justice."

Nation News "LAWYERS representing two doctors who were at the centre of an inquest into the death of a 30-year-old woman, are appealing to the High Court for a judicial review of the coroner's verdict. Last month, Coroner Faith Marshall-Harris ruled that the death of Anthea Burgess was an unlawful killing by gross negligence by the doctors and stated that she would be submitting her findings to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)."

Nation News "ARMED WITH flowers, flags and placards, Rastafarians and other 'roots' people took to the streets of Bridgetown yesterday, calling for 'justice'. The protest march from 'Temple Yard', through the Jubilee Gardens, along the Wickham-Lewis Boardwalk and up Broad Street to Queen's Park was largely to draw attention to the mysterious death of 23-year-old chemical engineer I'Akobi Tacuma Maloney in June, 2008. Participants used the march to call for the reopening of the case in which Coroner Faith Marshall-Harris said Maloney's death was due to misadventure."

JamaicaObserver.com : "CHRISTINE Rushton, maybe for the first time in her 10-year marriage, was unable to find words to describe her husband, Ainsroy. 'I can't even find the words to explain how I feel. I still cannot believe what I am hearing,' Mrs Rushton, a district constable told the Observer yesterday. She was at the Constant Spring Police Station where she had gone after receiving the shocking news that her husband, a police constable, had been mowed down by a motorist Thursday night."

Scotsman.com "DOMINICAN police yesterday arrested a fugitive who acted as lawyer for US missionaries accused of kidnapping 33 Haitian children. Jorge Puello, 32, was the group's legal adviser but authorities said he was wanted for trafficking women and children in the US and El Salvador."

A young man charged for making threats to the police has denied the accusation. He claims he never used threatening language towards law enforcement and his words taken out of context.

JamaicaObserver.com : "A teacher was stabbed and injured yesterday and four students robbed by armed men who barged onto the compound of Meadowbrook High School in St Andrew about midday. Police said last night that the injured staff member, said to be a physical education teacher, was in a serious but stable condition."

Dominica News Online : "Fire officials are attempting to subdue a major fire at Coulibistrie, which has caused damaged to three houses. One wooden house and an upstairs and downstairs concrete house were engulfed in flames. The Fire Service of Portsmouth and Roseau arrived, and had to resort to removing water from the sea nearby to out the fire, since there was no fire hydrant in the area."

Kaieteur News : "Following the tabling of a question by Alliance For Change Vice Chairperson Sheila Holder, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds yesterday presented to the House the salaries of two Presidential Advisers, Gail Teixeira and Odinga Lumumba. Teixeira, who is the Presidential Adviser on Governance, earns a salary of $800,692 per month. She is a former Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Home Affairs and Health. Teixeira has since been retained as an adviser and is also a Member of Parliament. She also serves on a number of committees."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "WORKS and Transport Minister Colm Imbert, who yesterday denied being interviewed by the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau (ACIB) in relation to Udecott, was in fact also interviewed by the ACIB in relation to an alleged land deal between Prime Minister Patrick Manning and Jamaat leader Yasin Abu Bakr which was disclosed in an affidavit sworn by Bakr in 2006."

Nation News "IT IS BEING called the biggest cocaine bust in the history of Barbados, England and Ireland. The story of a yacht loaded with $600 million worth of Colombian cocaine which left Barbados some time in June/July 2007 for Ireland, ended yesterday when two men were sentenced at the Blackfairs Crown Court in Central London to lengthy jail terms. The keen eyes of the Irish Police and efforts by Barbados' Coast Guard to keep international drug traffickers out of Barbadian waters, failed when the haul of Colombian cocaine was able to travel undetected from Barbados to the coast of Ireland."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "A pilot study on the merits of all girls and all boys secondary schools is to be conducted at 20 government schools which currently have a mixed student population. Sources told Newsday most of the 20 schools were those which were previously junior secondary and senior comprehensive schools but have since been changed to five and seven-year schools."

Kaieteur News : "Trevor Boston, known by some as Don Dick, should be singing praises to the police now that he is resting comfortably at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, nursing gunshot wounds to his body. Boston was picked up by police ranks after he was found lying in an alleyway, bleeding profusely at Prashad Nagar about 04:50 hours yesterday. He had reportedly been shot by a resident of the area who caught him in his yard stealing some building material."