SmallShop Caribbean News

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "A HIGH court judge yesterday sentenced a guilty father to 57 years in jail for having sex with his daughter when she was just 11-years-old. The father was found guilty on Monday on three counts of incest and one charge of grievous sexual assault on his daughter by a jury in the San Fernando High Court. In sentencing the 42-year-old father for the crimes yesterday, Justice Devan Rampersad remarked on how the man showed no remorse from the dock for the acts he committed, even up to the time when the jury returned the guilty verdicts against him. The man is a former Caroni (1975) Limited worker from a district near San Fernando."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "JAMAAT al Muslimeen leader, Yasin Abu Bakr, through his attorney, has expressed concern that his testifying before the Commission of Inquiry investigating events surrounding the July 27, 1990, insurrection, which he led, was likely to taint the criminal trial against him for sedition and terrorism. Bakr was scheduled to begin giving evidence before the inquiry, but yesterday’s session turned out to be anti-climatic after it was announced that the Muslimeen leader will not be testifying at this session which comes to an end tomorrow (Friday.)"

The Associated Press: "PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Evidence 'strongly suggests' that a United Nations peacekeeping mission brought a cholera strain to Haiti that has killed thousands of people, a study by a team of epidemiologists and physicians says. The study is the strongest argument yet that newly-arrived Nepalese peacekeepers at a base near the town of Mirebalais brought with them the cholera, which spread through the waterways of the Artibonite region and elsewhere in this impoverished Caribbean country. The disease has killed more than 5,500 people and sickened more than 363,000 others since it was discovered in October, according to the Haitian government. 'Our findings strongly suggest that contamination of the Artibonite (river) and 1 of its tributaries downstream from a military camp triggered the epidemic,' said the report in the July issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases, a journal of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

Jamaica Star "A female pastor is now in police custody after it was alleged that she was caught trying to smuggle contraband into a police lock-up in Clarendon on Sunday. Information reaching THE STAR is that the woman, who heads a church in the Palmers Cross area of the parish, went to the police station with food for her son who is in custody at the lock-up on a gun-related charge. Further information suggests she was told that visiting hours had expired, however, she sought the assistance of a senior police officer. When the food was searched, contraband was reportedly found in a transparent plastic bag hidden at the bottom of the meal."

nationnews.com : "There is no truth to the rumours that Barbados is under a tornado watch. The reports were circulating today via BBM (Blackberry Messenger) but meteorologists said no such alerts were issued. The officials reported that a strong low level convergence was affecting Barbados and was reponsible for the inclement weather experienced today."

Amandala Online : "The battle between the Barrow administration and the Ashcroft group for the control of Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) enters a new round with a move by Government to challenge Friday’s bombshell ruling in the Court of Appeals, declaring that the Government acquisition of the phone company back in August 2009 is unconstitutional. “Whatever we need to do, we will do legally...,” Prime Minister Dean Barrow told Amandala on Monday, insisting that Government will do all in its power to maintain control of the company. “Fix this we will!” he said."

Irish Weather Online : "A low pressure system over the Bay of Campeche in the southwestern Caribbean appears to be getting organised on satellite imagery. A visible image taken at 9:35 a.m. EDT (2.34P.M. GMT) Tuesday from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-13 shows a large area of cloudiness over the Yucatan Peninsula. Those clouds contain moderate to scattered strong convection (thunderstorms), some of which have heavy rainfall."

Forbes.com : "KINGSTON, Jamaica -- The Caribbean airline LIAT says its ground workers in Antigua have gone on strike without warning. The company says no flights have yet been affected. LIAT spokesman Desmond Brown says the Tuesday walkout by members of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers Union is the result of a wage dispute. He is not giving any details on the airline's pay offer or the union's demands.

Stabroek News "Jamaica Observer) It was still not clear up to last night why the cabin pressure failed Sunday on a Caribbean Airlines (CAL) flight, en route to Barbados from Jamaica, with 154 passengers on Sunday. CAL spokeswoman Laura Asbjornsen told the Observer yesterday that ground checks were done by the airline’s engineers when the plane landed, but no significant findings were observed. She explained further that the aircraft was later flown non-revenue or “unpressurised” to Piarco International Airport in Trinidad for further maintenance checks."

The Dominican : "According to UWP leader Ron Green his party will continue its boycott of Parliament in protest over government’s failure to make provisions for electoral reform in the budget. Green urged his supporters to instead come out in protest outside of Parliament building in Roseau. The protests are aimed at calling attention to government’s refusal to put in place electoral reform."

msnbc.com : "Caribbean Airlines says it is investigating why one of its jets suddenly lost cabin pressure on a flight between Jamaica and Barbados. An airline spokeswoman says the Boeing 737-800 made an emergency descent, causing the oxygen masks to deploy. Laura Asbjornsen said there were no injuries to passengers or crew and the plane landed safely in Barbados. There were 48 people on board Sunday's flight. Asbjornsen said Monday that the aircraft is undergoing a thorough maintenance review. Caribbean Airlines is based in Trinidad."

Kaieteur News : "The police have arrested the woman who turned 45-year-old Malcolm Lancaster into a human torch after she allegedly doused him with more than two gallons of gasoline on Friday last. Reports are that Malcolm Lancaster, of Rosignol, Berbice and of Joseph Pollydore Street, Lodge, was cleaning “gold” over the fireside when his reputed wife came from behind and threw gasoline on him, causing him to be engulfed in the flames. Kaieteur News was told that the woman was arrested and transported to the Bartica Police Station."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "RELATIVES of stabbed schoolgirl, nine-year-old Aaliyah Felming, yesterday had to be cajoled by relatives to look into the coffin to watch the body of her murdered father, Davis Felming. Felming was laid to rest yesterday and not on Saturday, as reported by the Express Newspaper on Saturday. During a small, but emotional funeral service for Felming, 43, yesterday at the St Theresa’s Roman Catholic Church, at the Naparima/Mayaro Road in Rio Claro, Aaliyah refused to look at her dad’s body as she stood with relatives near the coffin. Her relatives had to gently guide her near the coffin enabling her to see her father, but during the process she was screaming."

nationnews.com : "THREE YOUNG MEN confessed yesterday to killing retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Frederick William Phillips in what “was a robbery gone horribly wrong”. The elderly man was bound and gagged in his home as the robbers went about ransacking his home in a futile attempt to find jars of money and a gun. They inflicted a beating on the 95-year-old man in an attempt to get him to reveal where the items were and eventually pushed him under a bed, where he suffocated."

Homicide number 32 was recorded on Sunday with yet another stabbing incident. A young man of Boguis Babonneau was stabbed to death during a confrontation at a mass crowd event. The young man was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police say the incident occurred around 8pm.

Kaieteur News : "Businessman, Desmond Alphonso (DA) will be deported back to his homeland, Guyana, today. According to BVI Platinum News, Alphonso who had appealed his deportation order last year, was picked up by Immigration Officers with the assistance of Police Officers Friday afternoon. Deputy Chief Immigration Officer, Guy Hill, refused to comment. BVI Platinum News contacted Hill after being informed that Chief Immigration Officer Dennis Jennings was on leave. Alphonso is a native of Guyana, but lived on Tortola for most of his life."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "Car salesman and father of three, Donald Brooks, was shot and killed in front of his six-year-old son at his Pleasantville, San Fernando home on Friday night. A police officer is being questioned in connection with Brooks’death. According to police reports, Brooks, 39, was downstairs his Orchid Gardens apartment with his son, when a man entered. The two men had a brief argument then the intruder shot Brooks twice in the head. Brooks died on the spot. His killer then casually existed the apartment."

NOLA.com : "A tropical wave interacting with an upper-level trough is producing widespread cloudiness and scattered showers over much of the western Caribbean Sea, Honduras and Nicaragua, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami."

UN News Centre "The historic section of the capital of Barbados today became the Caribbean country's first entry on the United Nations-managed World Heritage List after a committee of experts approved its inscription and that of two other sites. The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Paris, said Bridgetown and its garrison deserved a place on the List, which is comprised of more than 900 cultural or natural sites around the world regarded as having outstanding universal value. The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reported that the committee found the Bridgetown site – comprised of a well-preserved old town and a nearby military garrison – to be an outstanding example of British colonial architecture."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "A man who attempted to get married for the 13th time appeared before Magistrate Maureen Baboolal-Gafoor charged with bigamy in the Sangre Grande First Magistrate’s Court yesterday."

Antigua Observer Newspaper "A rift in The Opposition Antigua Labour Party (ALP) continues to widen with Chairman Gaston Brown admitting that a small band of rogue elements is seeking to undermine the stability of the party. He told The Daily OBSERVER, “There’s a faction, namely (Lennox) Weston and Tanny (Rose) trying to run the party outside of the executive and unfortunately they are finding favour with one or two of the senior members who are trying to exploit the differences obviously for personal gain.”"

The Nassau Guardian : "Residents in communities throughout New Providence sat in sweltering heat throughout the afternoon yesterday and some were forced to sit in darkness after the sun set, as the Bahamas Electricity Corporation shut down power to thousands of homes and businesses due to generation failures at its Blue Hill Road and Clifton Pier plants. The blackouts were the result of three units failing, according to a statement by BEC."

Bermuda Sun... "FRIDAY, JUNE 24: The devastated parents of a popular Bermudian student have spoke of their grief after their 19-year-old son died suddenly in the U.S. Patty and Junior Hill still do not know what caused the death of their beloved son, Blake, and are waiting on news from a team of detectives who are currently investigating the case. The talented soccer star was found dead in a car on June 15 after a night out with friends in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "“He has life long injuries. By the grace of God he is here. Your life can change completely in a few seconds. We are counting our blessings. We are working on the mental and physical trauma. He was very excited today as everyone was there, uncles, aunties, those who prayed for him, everybody,” Renne said in a later interview yesterday afternoon. Ezekiel and his grandmother Yolande Renne were walking near their home in Palmiste on April 12, when two German Shepherd dogs mauled him. The boy had been warded at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the San Fernando General Hospital for several days before he was transferred to a private nursing home."

Jamaica Star "A 47-year-old carpenter who was attacked by his common-law wife's former boyfriend and chopped several times in his face is now living in fear after his alleged attacker somehow walked out of the police station moments after he was arrested. Information reaching THE STAR is that the brazen attack on the couple took place about 8:30 p.m. last Friday at the intersection of Meadowbrook Avenue and Red Hills Road in full view of other persons. The man was chopped in his face fracturing his facial bone and on his hand as he tried to protect himself and his lover, At the same time,THE STAR understands that the attack was motivated by jealousy as the accused had been threatening the woman for a number of years after their relationship ended and she moved on with her life taking the child from that union with her."

FoxNews.com : "Island time is different from time anywhere else. In the islands, especially the Caribbean islands, time seems to lose its urgency. Nothing seems important enough to rush for. Of course, that may have something to do with the heat and scenery that are the trademarks of places like Jamaica, Aruba and St. Lucia. One would imagine it'd be difficult to get much done with a spectacular beach just a few yards away, seductively calling you to kick back in the sun with a lounge chair and one of the local brews."

guardian.co.uk : "At Tampa federal court in Florida, Judge James S Moody gave Banton – real name Mark Myrie – the most lenient sentence permitted for the drugs charges. Judge Moody threw out the gun conviction, which would have extended the sentence by five years, accepting Banton was not carrying a gun and did not know his confederates were doing so. Allowing for time served and good behaviour, his attorney said he could be free in six years."

guardian.co.uk : "At Tampa federal court in Florida, Judge James S Moody gave Banton – real name Mark Myrie – the most lenient sentence permitted for the drugs charges. Judge Moody threw out the gun conviction, which would have extended the sentence by five years, accepting Banton was not carrying a gun and did not know his confederates were doing so. Allowing for time served and good behaviour, his attorney said he could be free in six years."

JamaicaObserver.com : "2011 -- January 16, Buju performs to a sold-out audience at a specially arranged fund-raising concert held at the Bayfront Park Amphitheatre in downtown Miami. 2011 -- On February 13 -- one day before the scheduled start of his retrial in Tampa, Florida -- Buju Banton's Before The Dawn album is announced as the winner of the Best Reggae Album category at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards being held at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California 2011 -- February 22 -- Buju is found guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five or more kilogrammes of cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offence and using communication wires to facilitate a drug-trafficking offence. He was found not guilty on the charge of attempted possession of five kilogrammes or more of cocaine."

JamaicaObserver.com : "BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — Prime Minister Freundel Stuart says his Barbados government will not compromise civil aviation security, making it clear that no aircraft will be exempt from ramp inspections. Stuart's comments came on the heels of recent complaints by his Jamaican counterpart, Bruce Golding, that a Caribbean Airlines (CAL) aircraft bound for Kingston was recently detained at the Grantley Adams International Airport recently."

South Florida Times "Once again, tempers are rising high among some governments in the English-speaking Caribbean in a dispute over rights for a new, Barbados-based airline called REDjet, which, so far, has not been able to obtain clearance to fly to Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica. Airline officials said they have also applied to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board for permission to service the Barbados-U.S. route and are awaiting a response. From the very beginning, REDjet set fares at a level to undercut those of the two other major regional carriers, LIAT Airlines and Caribbean Airlines. Shareholder governments of LIAT are Antigua and Barbuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Barbados. The government of Trinidad and Tobago owns more than 90 percent of Caribbean Airlines shares. REDJET began operations in early May, offering $9.99 fares between Barbados and Guyana. Those fares have since been increased but still fall well below those of the competition."

Telegraph : "Fifa’s ethics committee has ruled that there is “comprehensive, convincing and overwhelming evidence” that Mohamed Bin Hammam and Jack Warner colluded in the payment of bribes to Caribbean football officials, according to a secret report seen by Telegraph Sport."

Barbados Free Press : "Glitch at WordPress takes down Barbados Free Press for hours Well, that was exciting! We were down for hours – although it felt like weeks. Readers arriving at Barbados Free Press from the wee hours of Wednesday morning until about 10am were greeted with a notice from WordPress that BFP had been suspended and taken down for violations of WordPress policy."

Haiti's cholera epidemic has returned, with many new cases reported in the capital, Port-au-Prince. In one neighbourhood, aid organisation Oxfam says the number of cases has tripled since the epidemic reached its peak last year. Al Jazeera's Rob Reynolds looks at how health systems have failed to curb the disease.

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "IT WAS BUSINESS as usual for Works and Transport Minister Jack Warner yesterday as he toured a site damaged by heavy rainfall, hours after word of his FIFA resignation broke. At 8.30 am, Warner who is also the Member of Parliament for Chaguanas West, privately visited the building housing the Marsicans Steel Orchestra at the Arima Old Road, off Saroga Drive, which was damaged by heightened levels of river water. Warner later visited the site again at about 4.30 pm, in the company of the media."

It appears popular Barbados political blog is no longer available on the wordpress platform.visitors to the site today got the following message. This blog has been archived or suspended for a violation of our Terms of Service.

JamaicaObserver.com : "Often you will hear people say there is apartheid existing in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean because of class, race and colour discrimination. That kind of talk betrays a basic ignorance of the essential nature of apartheid. Invented and practised in South Africa decades ago, apartheid involved a body of laws passed by a fascist government and strictly enforced by the police and courts to separate the races and ethnic groups in every respect. The law of the land elevated whites as the superior and ruling group. It subjugated all other races with blacks at the very bottom -- virtually sub-humanised."

JamaicaObserver.com : "TWENTY EIGHT years after leading a group of West Indies cricketers to Apartheid ruled South Africa, former stylish batsman Lawrence Rowe, says he is sorry. In a release to the media Rowe expressed his sorrow for offending his countrymen and the cricketing world. 'Understandably, the tour offended the people of Jamaica and throughout the cricket playing countries of the Caribbean. Today, I sincerely apologise to the cricket fraternity of the Caribbean and the world,' Rowe said. South Africa had been banned from international cricket and other sports because of the cruel Apartheid regime that was in force in the country."

NYTimes.com : "As a member of Trinidad and Tobago’s Parliament and its minister of works and transport, Warner appears ubiquitous, holding news conferences, hugging children and cutting ribbons at road openings, promising warehouse workers that they will soon have proper toilet facilities and dressing rooms. One recent poll named Warner the country’s most popular minister. At times, he has served as the acting prime minister. Some believe he would like the position full time."

Antigua Observer Newspaper "Opposition Antigua Labour Party (ALP) leader Lester Bird yesterday expressed strong objections to government’s plan to have the Financial Services Regulatory Commission (FSRC) investigate a claim recently published by Euromoney magazine in which Antigua & Barbuda was listed as the worst Caribbean country to put money in. Bird, in his weekly address, said it would be a conflict of interest for the FSRC to conduct the enquiry since it has a vested interest in the matter. Instead, he said government ought to set up an independent body to do so."

The Associated Press: "GENEVA (AP) — Jack Warner quit as a FIFA vice president Monday, and soccer's governing body dropped a bribery investigation of him. Warner and Asian soccer chief Mohamed bin Hammam were suspended by FIFA last month after they were accused of offering $40,000 cash payments to Caribbean voters during bin Hammam's presidential campaign to unseat Sepp Blatter. Warner spent 28 years on FIFA's executive committee but stepped down days after some of his Caribbean Football Union followers were interviewed by former FBI agents enlisted by FIFA to investigate. FIFA said it accepted his resignation and 'regrets the turn of events' that led to the decision."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday : "Over 200 prisoners at the Remand Yard in Golden Grove are expected to embark on a hunger strike today as part of a silent protest against what they claim is the state’s failure to address issues affecting them. In a letter sent to the President, Prime Minister, Attorney General, Justice Minister, Chief Justice, DPP, Opposition Leader, the Law Association and Amnesty International last week – the inmates requested a meeting to discuss matters plaguing the judicial system."

Mail Online : "Kent’s daughter, Keisha, said this week that Glenconnner made the right decision. 'My father deserves it more than his family. He was always there for him, more than his wife, who was hardly ever here and when she was, she was down at the beach or in the hotel.' That’s not how Lady Anne sees it. 'Colin and I had talked about how Cody would get the house and eight acres, and myself and the children would also get something,' she says. 'I hope Kent will remember Colin’s wishes.' We have not heard the end of this aristocratic saga."

Stabroek News "(Barbados Nation) Police are investigating the killing of a 31-year-old Gemswick, St Philip mother of three close to her home on Saturday in front of horrified witnesses. Natoya “Chubby” Ewers, a Jamaican national, died after a “a violent altercation with a man” that left her with “multiple chop wounds about the body”, a police report said."

guardian.co.uk : "A school's anti-gang ban on unconventional hairstyles has resulted in 'unlawful, indirect racial discrimination which is not justified', the high court has ruled. The test case decision is a victory for the family of African-Caribbean teenager 'G', who wears his hair in cornrow braids as part of a family tradition. G, who cannot be named, and his mother challenged a refusal by St Gregory's Catholic Science College in Kenton, Harrow, north London, to let G through the school gates with his braids in September 2009, when he was 11."

USATODAY.com : "This according to an announcement by the Barbados Tourism Authority and news outlets including London's Daily Telegraph. The popular and sultry singer, who grew up on the Caribbean island, has agreed to assume the post because she says she wants visitors to experience the 'spirit and warmth' of Barbados residents. 'Barbados is a place like no other and one of the reasons for this is the spirit and national pride of our people,' Rihanna said in a statement. 'I want each and every visitor to this beautiful island to experience what makes this destination different from all others, and that is the spirit and warmth of my fellow Barbadians.'"

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "A NOTE left behind by runaway schoolgirl Jernique Chelsea Wilson, 15, to her mother Jemma Kalisingh, stated that she (Wilson) was leaving home to live elsewhere and if her mother calls in the police, she will kill herself. Yesterday, as she wiped away tears, a worried Kalisingh said all she wants is for her daughter to be safe and back home with the family. Kalisingh said she has not slept since June 10 when she failed to locate her daughter and found the note."

Trinidad Express Newspaper "Three ministers of government from three different Caribbean countries have come together to see if they can get low-fares airline REDjet to operate in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Works and Transport Minister Jack Warner yesterday met with his Caribbean counterparts, Michael Henry from Jamaica and George Hutson from Barbados, to work on a unified plan to bring REDjet's plan to fruition."

Reuters : "PORT OF SPAIN (Reuters) - The police commissioner of Trinidad and Tobago has written to FIFA requesting information on possible criminal activity which may have taken place in the Caribbean country. A statement from the police's public affairs unit on Thursday said the letter from police chief Dwayne Gibbs to soccer's global governing body was a first step to seeing if an investigation was required into the allegations of bribery in Caribbean soccer."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "A LONDON tribunal has ruled that the mandatory death sentence for the killing of someone during the commission of an arrestable offence is unconstitutional. The ruling handed down by British Law Lords — Lords Rodger, Brown, Kerr, Clarke and Dyson — could affect scores of prisoners currently on Death Row. In a 24 page ruling, the Judicial Committee ruled that Section 2 of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act of 1997, has abolished what was referred to as Felony Murder."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "A DIEGO Martin man was shot dead and his teenaged son critically wounded yesterday when a gunman, who reportedly disguised himself by wearing a school uniform, fired several shots at the father and son as they sat in a car near the Diego Martin North Secondary School. While Western Division police were last night continuing their investigations, schoolboy Raheem Gillard, 14, was warded in critical condition at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. His father Dexter “Sugars” Gillard, at the same time, was lying in the morgue."

Stabroek News "(Barbados Nation) Three British tourists who were fined by a Barbados court for fighting aboard a Virgin Atlantic flight last Thursday have been banned for life by the airline."

Stabroek News - Guyana : "(Barbados Nation) Barbados will not engage in a war of words with Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding over low-budget airline REDjet or use tit-for-tat tactics to get the carrier to fly to the neighbouring island. Acting Prime Minister Ronald Jones stated Government’s position yesterday, after Golding said Jamaica would not be “bullied” into allowing the Barbados-based airline to fly there. Jones said Barbados would not be engaging in any “robust language” – although Golding had used some – as it tries to resolve REDjet’s problems. There was “no need to fight” over the Caribbean travel market, according to Jones."

Insideworldfootball : "At least four more Caribbean countries have admitted they were offered thousands of dollars in cash as the plot thickens into the most explosive bribery scandal in the history of FIFA. With the investigation into the bribes-for-votes sensation that led to the temporary suspensions of FIFA vice-president Jack Warner and Asian football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam about to be switched from Miami to the Bahamas,"

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "FORMER Clico Investment Bank (CIB) chairman Andre Monteil and his private investment company Stone Street Capital, have filed their defence of a civil lawsuit brought against them by the Central Bank and Colonial Life Insurance Company (Limited) Clico. Attorney Sashi Indarsingh, of MG Daly and Company, filed the documents on behalf of the two men."

Antigua Observer Newspaper "KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Prime Minister Bruce Golding has admitted that his administration denied the Barbados-based REDjet permission to fly to Jamaica saying he is not yet prepared to allow the “Lovebird planes to start dropping out of the sky.” “We are not saying approval will not be granted but in the spirit of the collaboration that saw the closure of the deal with Caribbean Airline (CAL) that decision has to await the appropriate consultation” the Prime Minister said."

WSJ.com :(subscription) "Moody's Investors Service lowered its domestic currency rating on Barbados to the brink of junk, citing concerns about the island nation's ability to absorb high levels of government debt issuance as the already large deficit is expected to rise."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "A team of doctors led by veteran obstetrician/gynaecologist Dr Krishna Rampersadsingh yesterday performed a three-hour surgery at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) to save the life of a 41-year-old woman whose baby was growing outside of her womb. The woman, of Ste Madeleine, remains warded at the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in a stable condition. Her baby, a boy, has been placed in an incubator in the neo-natal unit but doctors say his chance for survival is slim. She was due to give birth in September."

The Guardian : "The fate of six West Indian prisoners on death row will be decided through the adjudication of the privy council this summer amid fresh pressure from the Caribbean to limit the UK's role in determining capital punishment cases. In July, senior British lawyers will fly to St Kitts and Nevis to represent, in local courts, four islanders who have been condemned to hang after being convicted of murdering a key witness in a gangland trial."

The Bahama Journal : "A young political candidate was recently grilled by police following allegations that he engaged in illicit affairs with male minors, the Journal has been reliably informed. The candidate is under investigation for allegedly having affairs with the boys who attend a local private school. The Journal has chosen not to print the name of the school in order to protect the boys. The Journal understands that the parents of the two boys are 'absolutely livid.'"

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "FORMER CL Financial honcho, billionaire businessman Lawrence Duprey received, over a seven year period, “consultancy fees, salary and bonuses,” as direct payments from Colonial Life Insurance Company Limited (Clico), amounting to over $96.8 million to support his personal needs and lifestyle and that of members of his family."

Kaieteur News : "The police acting on a “tip off” on Thursday, intercepted a vessel, with a large quantity of cocaine at Batavia, and located some eight kilometers ( five miles) up the Cuyuni River and about 24 kilometers south of Bartica. The cocaine with an estimated street value US$5million ($1B) was found stashed in four large plastic containers on a vessel named “Amor”. That vessel was powered with two 75-horsepower outboard engines. Police sources yesterday told Kaieteur News that the five people arrested, one Venezuelan and four Guyanese, have been transported to the city for further questioning."

nationnews.com : "THREE BRITISH NATIONALS charged with disruptive behaviour onboard a Virgin Atlantic aircraft en route to Barbados were fined a total of $22 500 yesterday and told they were lucky their birthday celebrations did not land them in jail. Derek John Edmond, 76, his 46-year-old daughter Zoe King and 49-year-old son-in-law Martin King appeared before Magistrate Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell in the District F Magistrate’s Court after their celebration of Zoe’s birthday turned ugly and ended in a mid-air fight with a number of passengers."

Reuters : "(Reuters) - The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Friday an elongated area of low pressure interacting with a large upper-level trough over the extreme north-western part of Caribbean Sea has a 20 percent chance of developing into a tropical or a subtropical cyclone over the next couple of days."

Attorney General Rudolph Francis has sought to clarify statements he uttered about his main political opponent-Dr. Robert Lewis.

Antigua Observer Newspaper "SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, CMC – St. Kitts and Nevis Foreign Minister Sam Condor has warned that violence in Latin America and the Caribbean is now an unrelenting epidemic that is having a deadly impact on the socio-economic development of the region. “As our populations become more youthful, the issues which we must address to keep young people alive, and secure, take on greater urgency,” Condor told the 41st General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS)."

Stabroek News - Guyana : "DETROIT, (Reuters) – The majority of Caribbean football federations will not attend planned questioning with FIFA’s bribery investigators, a source told Reuters on Tuesday."

Goal.com : "Fifa have summoned 25 Caribbean football association chiefs to attend an interview in light of allegations that they were each offered a a $40,000 (£25,000) bribe by Fifa vice-president Jack Warner and AFC supremo Mohamed Bin Hammam. Both Bin Hammam and Warner have been accused of offering the cash sum in exchange for votes for the former in the Fifa presidential elections, prior to Bin Hammam's withdrawal from the candidacy."

Amandala Online : "What Rodney Lino and Patrick Menzies experienced early Sunday morning around 4:00 is normally seen only in the movies, but a series of events leading to a cruel beat-down by some off-duty policemen was all too real, leaving Lino’s face unrecognizable and Menzies narrowly escaping a shot intended for his head. "

News One : "High end clothing company, Gucci is being sued by a former employee, Josephine Robinson, for discriminating against pop star, Rihanna because she is Caribbean. Vogue reports:"

Kaieteur News : "Residents in Region Nine are now faced with a major crisis and are in panic mode after being forced to relocate to higher grounds with the continuous overflowing of the Takutu River coupled with incessant rainfall. Due to the water rising about 20 inches between Saturday night and early yesterday morning residents in Lethem are now without electricity as the Lethem Power Company is in a terrible state with water accumulating to over 4.5 feet causing its transformer and power cable(s) to become flooded out."

nationnews.com : "It’s often said that a drunken face can reveal a sober mind. Ben Douglas, a well known black television presenter in Britain, whose biological parents are from Barbados, has just written chapter and verse about such a painful experience in London when he was publicly insulted by a top white celebrity hairdresser who called the Bajan-Brit a “nigger” at least seven times to his face at an elegant television awards function."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "TRINIDAD and Tobago is at greater risk of being affected by a major storm this hurricane season and the country needs to be prepared. This was the warning sounded by Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management Agency (ODPM) Dr Stephen Ramroop following a meeting between members of the ODPM and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s last evening."

The Washington Post : "KINGSTON, Jamaica — Governments in the Caribbean, where dependence on imported food has ballooned in recent decades, are calling on citizens to tend to backyard vegetable plots and buy local produce to save money and stave off a possible food crisis. Eager to avoid unrest over the rising cost of food, several island governments are giving away seedlings and gardening kits while promoting a grow-it-yourself approach, just as the U.S. did during World War I and World War II by encouraging citizens to plant “victory gardens.”"

Bloomberg : "An area of disturbed weather with a 40 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone may bring heavy rain and mudslides to Haiti and Jamaica this week, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The system, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) south of Grand Cayman, is expected to run into unfavorable conditions for additional development in about 24 hours, according to the center in Miami."

Insidesoccer| : "It looks as if the truth may be found out in this whole FIFA and CONCACAF corruption scandal after all. After CONCACAF president Lisle Austin tried to illegally fire whistle blower Chuck Blazer this past week, he has been suspended from his position by the FIFA Executive Committee (ExCo) and told to stand down from ALL FIFA activities. Austin was Warner’s right hand man. CONCACAF vice president Alfredo Hawit of Honduras is now the acting president."

The Associated Press: "KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Caribbean's first discount airline is having a rough time getting off the ground and the company's Irish chief executive blames political fear of competition for the region's government-affiliated carriers. Ian Burns dreams of creating a Caribbean version of Europe's cut-rate Ryanair, advertising flights for as little as $10 that would make it dramatically easier for people across the islands to fly and do business, boosting the region's economy. People in the Caribbean have long complained that costly, inefficient air service has choked back investment and jobs. But regulators in two key countries have not yet given Burns' REDjet permission to operate. And so far he's unable to offer any flights to the United States, the most important source of travelers and trade for the Caribbean."

The Associated Press: "KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Caribbean's first discount airline is having a rough time getting off the ground and the company's Irish chief executive blames political fear of competition for the region's government-affiliated carriers. Ian Burns dreams of creating a Caribbean version of Europe's cut-rate Ryanair, advertising flights for as little as $10 that would make it dramatically easier for people across the islands to fly and do business, boosting the region's economy. People in the Caribbean have long complained that costly, inefficient air service has choked back investment and jobs. But regulators in two key countries have not yet given Burns' REDjet permission to operate. And so far he's unable to offer any flights to the United States, the most important source of travelers and trade for the Caribbean."

TBO.com : "A large but disorganized area of showers and thunderstorms has a 40 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours, forecasters say. According to the National Hurricane Center, a broad low-pressure system continues over much of the central and western Caribbean Sea. The area of the lowest pressure is located about 130 miles south of Grand Cayman, and remains separated from the strongest thunderstorm activity."

International Business Times "Rihanna is grabbing attention once again, and this time it's for her new video 'Man Down.' The Barbados native portrays a rape victim in her latest video, 'Man Down,' who commits premeditated murder against her offender with the shot of a gun."

Stabroek News - Guyana : "Barbados Nation) There were no words of remorse, no apologies, not an utterance from the young man who confessed to throwing two Molotov cocktails in the Campus Trendz boutique and killing six women in the process."

Barbados Free Press Barbados Louis D’Or Bank tied to Russian organized crime money laundering “We possess a huge amount of [supporting] documentation: Fyodorov’s payments, transferring $2 million to Suren Yegiazaryan on Cyprus via the Louis D’Or Bank. His brother Ashot Yegiazaryan cleaned a minimum of $1 billion using the same bank on Barbados.

Nationnews.com POLICE ARE on the hunt for three men who tried to extort money from a Christ Church woman last week, after tying up one of her guests. Reports indicated that Vayne Marshall of St Patrick’s was asleep when the assailants, two of them armed with a sword and a knife, entered her home during the early hours of Friday. Sources said the culprits knocked at Marshall’s door and when she opened it, she saw one of her guests being held at knifepoint, with his hands tied behind his back.

Newsday LEGAL AFFAIRS Minister Prakash Ramadhar yesterday advised his Cabinet colleague Jack Warner to “step aside” as Works and Transport Minister from the People’s Partnership Government until bribery allegations made against him as FIFA vice-president have been addressed. Ramadhar offered this advice to the embattled Warner at a news conference at the Congress of the People’s (COP) Flagship House in St Clair to announce his candidacy for political leader of the party.

Newsday WORKS and Transport Minister Jack Warner will appeal the decision of the FIFA ethics committee to suspend him, sources close to him said yesterday as Warner nonetheless wrote to members of the Caribbean Football Union urging them to back Sepp Blatter in today’s FIFA presidential elections. “I can tell you he finally received his papers and an appeal will be filed,” a member of Warner’s staff told Newsday yesterday

The Jamaica Gleaner The Contraband Enforcement Team (CET) reportedly struggled to find persons to staff a planned Airport Interdiction Task Force in September 2006 as many failed lie detector tests. "(Embassy official) explained to the commissioner (of customs) that of seven CET people who were polygraphed last September (2006) only two were deemed to have passed," the United States Embassy in Kingston reported in a diplomatic cable dated March 2007 and acquired by The Gleaner through whistle-blowing organisation WikiLeaks.