Death sentence proposed in Antigua-Barbuda

The Antigua government says it will propose the death penalty for crimes involving weapons - even if the victim is not killed. This was disclosed by the Justice Minister, Collin Derrick, to the Associated Press, following the slaying of a honeymooning couple from Britain. The legislation, which will be introduced at the next session of Parliament, would set a minimum sentence of 25 years in prison, Derrick said, and added that judges could also impose a sentence of life in prison.

Turks and Caicos Premier and First Lady involved in violent confrontation

The Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Michael Misick, and his estranged wife LisaRaye McCoy-Misick were involved in a violent confrontation at the Premier’s mansion on Wednesday night, according to reliable sources. The fight, which reportedly occurred in the presence of a number of government officials, including the Minister for Health and Education, Lillian Been-Boyce, resulted in both Misicks seeking emergency medical attention for bites. Each has filed a police report against the other. On Tuesday, Michael Misick had released a brief press statement, saying, "I am announcing that I am separated from LisaRaye McCoy-Misick."

Defence team for JFK terror plot accused to conduct investigations in Trinidad and Guyana

Defence attorneys for the four men accused of plotting to blow up fuel lines at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, will soon be travelling to Trinidad and Guyana, to conduct their own investigations. Meanwhile, Trinidadian Kareem Ibrahim may escape facing a judge and jury on charges of conspiracy. Ibrahim and Guyanese nationals, Russell De Freitas, Abdul Kadir, and Abdel Nur appeared before Judge Dora Irizarry in New York for a status report on the JFK terror plot criminal proceedings.

West Indies cricket legend Viv Richards joins crime protest in Antigua

Former West Indies captain and cricket legend Sir Viv Richards participated in a "peace march" on Saturday in St John's, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda, to condemn the brutal murder of a newly-wed British couple and also to protest against the country’s rising crime problem, which recorded 19 murders last year in a country with a population of only 88,000. Richards, who is a national hero, called on everyone to become more vigilant, in an address to the hundreds of marchers. He added, "If we need to survive, we must be vigilant. These are hard times and we have got to move with these times," the ‘Master Blaster’ told the marchers — many of them wearing black bands around their left arms as they marched through the streets singing songs of prayer.

Another Canadian top cop resigns in Antigua

Another Canadian recruited top cop in Antigua has resigned. Crime Chief Ron Scott, who was Assistant Commissioner in the twin island state, quit in the middle of an investigation into the killing of a British couple who were honeymooning in the island. Scott said, however, that his resignation is not related to the probe. He is the second Canadian recruit to quit within a month. Deputy Commissioner Michael O'Neal left for personal reasons.

Antiguan PM says Britain and US must share blame for rise in violent crime

Flashback: Ben and Catherine Mullany on their wedding day

The Prime Minister of Antigua says Britain and the US are partly to blame for a spate of violent attacks that have "nearly overwhelmed" the Caribbean is-land, including this week's shooting of a British honeymoon couple, Benjamin and Catherine Mullany. In a televised address, Antigua and Barbuda's leader, Baldwin Spencer, asked for Scotland Yard's help in reversing the rise in crime over the last 10 years, which he called a "threat to our very survival" due to its impact on tourism — the economic lifeblood of the island. He said Britain and the US shared the blame for deporting hundreds of convicted criminals to the region.

IMPACT ON GUYANA

Fire destroys Observation Ward among other GPHC sections in Guyana

Fire destroys Observation Ward among other GPHC sections in Guyana

Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) Wednesday lost several buildings in its complex to a fire, which started in the male section of the Observation Ward (OW) where mentally ill patients are kept. The burnt places housed the male and female sections of the OW, the walk-in Medical Out-Patients Department (MOPD) and the Patient Care Assistant (PCA) teaching facility, which was fully equipped with computers and other expensive equipment.

95 NOT OUT

Iris Lilly Miller-Henry celebrated her 95th birthday on August 12. Iris, the matriarch who hails from Guyana, is the oldest of the Miller clan.

Her loving children Elaine, Joan, Edgar, Harold and Fitzroy congratulate her on achieving this historic landmark milestone.

2006 Auditor General’s report states Guyana Govt. abused public funds. . . Billions unaccounted for

Despite the fact that the Auditor General’s Re-port for Guyana came in one year late, it has proved to be very revealing. The report on the audited public accounts of Guyana and on the accounts of ministries, departments and regions for the year ending December 31, 2006 has verified a complaint by the Parliamentary Opposition parties regarding the Contingencies Fund. According to the report presented to the National Assembly by the Auditor General, the Contingencies Fund continued to be abused, with amounts drawn from the Fund being utilized to satisfy expenditure that did not meet the eligibility criteria as defined in the Act.

Guyana sugar company says no shortage and no price increase

Sugar manufacturer Guyana Sugar Corporation (Guysuco) has denied reports that there is a sugar shortage and a price increase of the commodity.  Guysuco, which operates eight factories in five estates, grows, mills, and bags genuine brown sugar, and most of its product is exported to the European Union under the Special Preferential Sugar Agreement, and to Trinidad and Tobago under the Common External Tariff, as well as other Caribbean islands.
 

Government supports opposition motion in Guyana

L.F.S. Burnham

The governing People's Progressive Party (PPP) on Thursday night supported a motion by People's National Congress (PNC) opposition leader, Robert Corbin, recognising former President Forbes Burnham for his extraordinary and outstanding career as a Guyanese leader. The small opposition Alliance for Change (AFC) party also supported the motion. The motion calls for a collection of speeches spanning Burnham's tenure in the National Assembly from 1953 until his death in 1985, for their display in the Library of the National Assembly and for the government to designate a state institution to be responsible for historic research and documentation to chronicle and archive all the works of each of the country's presidents for the benefit of future generation.

Music banned from Guyana’s minibuses, taxis

"A driver of a motorbus or hire car shall not play or allow anyone to play any music in the motorbus or hire car whilst the motorbus or hire car is plying its route or parked in a public place." The Guyana National Assembly outlawed all music in public transportation, be they minibuses or taxis. The definitive measure was made possible through the successful passage of the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) (Amendment) Bill 2008 that was tabled by Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee and supported by both sides of the House.

Guyana TV station suspension ends, management promises changes

The ban on local television station CNS Channel 6 in Guyana has ended, and the management of the television station told local media that they are eager to recommence broadcasting with a "different flavour" in their programming. Broadcasting resumed exactly four months from when the ban was instituted. Proprietor of the station, Chandra Narine Sharma, says the live programme that prompted the suspension, ‘Voice of the People,’ will no longer be live.

IMPACT ON JAMAICA

Davies urges Comrades to tone down . . . backs Portia

People’s National Party (PNP) heavyweight and former Finance Minister Dr. Omar Davies is urging comrades to tone down the rhetoric in the lead up to the September 20 presidential election. Davies, a well-respected member of the PNP’s intellectual wing, gave Team PNP a boost on Sunday when he publicly announced his endorsement of party President Portia Simpson Miller, who is being challenged by Dr Peter Phillips. But Davies told The Gleaner yesterday that his endorsement was not designed to put down Phillips. "I’m saying that we have two excellent candidates but only one can become President," Davies said.

PetroCaribe rescue Jamaica among 18 countries allocated US$2-million each for food security

Dr. Christopher Tufton

Jamaica is one of 18 regional countries which will benefit from a drawdown of approximately US$40 million from a special Petro-Caribe fund aimed at helping them deal with global food security and price increases. Jamaica’s Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Christopher Tufton - one of eight members of the technical executive secretariat of the Council of Agriculture Ministers of PetroCaribe meeting in Havana, Cuba - yesterday confirmed that the 18 countries will each have access to approximately US$2 million within weeks to support emergency food initiatives, including fertiliser availability.

Johnson hires Trini firm as Jamaican distributor

Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices and Diagnostics Group, a business segment of the New York-based conglomerate, has signed a Trinidadian company as sole distributor for its products in Jamaica, saying it was intent on growing its market here. J&J has had a 12-year relationship with the company, medical equipment supplier AA Laquis Limited, which was introduced at a dinner function in Jamaica on August 11. The Trinidadian company has registered a subsidiary in Jamaica to handle the business.

Jamaican Gov’t to tap into Beijing attention

Asafa Powell	Usain Bolt

The Government will be hoping to tap into the positive attention Jamaica is receiving at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, Olivia Grange, and Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett will be in Beijing as official representatives, just prior to the start of competition in track and field. Jamaica’s contingent is expected to be a dominant force in the men’s and women’s sprints. The two fastest men in the world, 100 metres world record holder Usain Bolt and the former holder, Asafa Powell, will run in the heats of the men’s 100 metres on Friday.

IMPACT ON BARBADOS

US, region’s future ‘bound together’

US political editor John Mercurio speaking to the audience at the Errol Barrow Centre for the Creative Imagination

United States Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Mary Ourisman, thinks the future of the United States and the Caribbean are bound together, and "we cannot escape the fact that whatever happens in the United States impacts on the region." Speaking before the start of a lecture Elections ’08 – An Insider’s Perspective, given by American journalist John Merciurio at the Errol Barrow Centre For Creative Imagination, the ambassador told the audience: "It is a very good idea that as friends and allies we take a very keen interest in the democratic process in our respective countries." The lecture took place on Monday night.

Barrow's passing great loss

The passing of Lesley Barrow has left a deep sense of loss among friends and co-workers. The daughter of National Hero and first Prime Minister of Barbados, Errol Barrow, died last Thursday at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) at the age of 58, leaving many in shock upon hearing the news. "I have been blessed to know Lesley," said Opposition Leader Mia Mottley sadly. "I have known her all my life. "She was one of those unique people who was down-to-earth, full of life, always capable of laughing both at others and at herself and enjoyed life." Mottley continued: "Later on, I had the pleasure of seeing her work when she became board secretary at CBC. She was dedicated and mindful of people in all of the circumstances. She was just a very good friend.

Law students worry over GPA system

Law students at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, are up in arms over what they claim are flaws in the GPA (grade point average) grading system. Several students who contacted the NATION contended that the system, which was introduced at UWI in 2004 but only came into effect in their faculty in the last school year, has affected the quality of their degrees. The students of the Class of 2008 are the first to have their degrees awarded under the new system.

Thompson: Overseas promotion bodies must work together

Prime Minister David Thompson wants to see co-ordination of the work between Barbados’ overseas tourism, investment and labor offices. The Prime Minister said, if such co-ordination is not achieved "we will continue to waste resources and support the territoriality and internecine fighting between our promotional organisations." He was at the time addressing the collaborative conference of National Organizations and National Councils of Barbadian organisations from Britain, Canada and the United States, at the Sherbourne Conference Centre last week.

JUNCTION JAM

There are some new traffic arrangements at busy Hothersal Turning. It is an experiment by The Ministry of Transport, Works and International Transport to ease congestion. But most motorists are complaining of difficulty with the change and early Wednesday morning a Nation team went to the area to observe how drivers were coping. Police were not there to monitor or direct traffic but Inspector Leon Blades said yesterday that they will be at the scene from today to make sure all goes smoothly. The director of the Academy of Driving Excellence, Junior Jordan, tested the new traffic flows Wednesday. His verdict: "The system can work but motorists need to be cautious."

IMPACT ON TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

STUDENTS GOING HOME

Govt flies T&T students out of war-torn Georgia

GOING HOME: Safia Kadir, left, and Nanyamka Cudjoe

All three Trinidad and Tobago university students who were in Georgia when the Eastern European state was partly invaded by Russia on Monday were set to begin their journey home Tuesday. The three students — Safia Kadir, 20, Nanyamka Cudjoe, 20, and Damion Sinanan — are attending the Tbilisi State Medical University in the Georgia capital, Tbilisi, on a scholarship funded by the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs. They had called on the Government for assistance to get out of Georgia on Monday. They were all scheduled to leave Georgia on the only international flight at 4 p.m. Tuesday (midnight Georgia time) to begin the first leg of their journey home.

Children escape as container crashes into house

Aftermath: A passerby views the container that fell off a trailer and crashed into Betty Bynoe’s house at Spring Vale, Claxton Bay

A freight container filled with scrap metal toppled off a truck Tuesday and crashed through the bedroom wall of a house in which three children sat looking at the Olympic Games on television. The infants were pulled from the house by older siblings who feared the old wooden house would fall. It did not. Betty Bynoe, 49, said that no one could now live in the house, and demanded that a new one be built. She also asked that the owners of the trucking company find a place for her and her eight children. Bynoe is a single mother and road worker.

Tillman Thomas arrives for talks

Newly-elected Prime Minister of Grenada, Tillman Thomas, arrived in Trinidad & Tobago Wednesday for two days of bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Patrick Manning.

Grenada, which has been the beneficiary of considerable economic and technical assistance from this country, received $232,321,975 from the Petroleum Stabilisation Fund to alleviate financial constraints following Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricane Emily in 2005.

Toddler starved to death . . . Trini mother charged in cult killing

Ria Ramkissoon and her dead 21-month-old son Javon Thompson

A 21-year-old Trinidadian woman was denied bail when she appeared in a Baltimore court, charged with starving her "demon" son to death. Standing in court with her hands shackled behind her back, Ria Ramkissoon wore a purple jumpsuit, rocked nervously side to side and shook her head slightly when Judge Theodore B. Oshrine read the charges. She and four other members of a religious cult, One Mind Ministries, are accused of abusing and neglecting Ramkissoon’s 21-month-old son, Javon Thompson. In arguing for the judge to give Ramkissoon bail, her attorney, Steven D. Silverman, said the woman was being controlled by adults during the period when her son died.

IMPACT ON ST. LUCIA

EDWARD HARRIS AT LARGE!

INCREASED COST OF LIVING & DOING BUSINESS IN ST. LUCIA TAKING ITS TOLL!

The Carnival is over; it is now time to get the children ready for the reopening of schools. Everyone is complaining about the high prices and challenge of stretching the dollar. These are serious times and it will take more than just complaining. It needs action on the part of those who are feeling the squeeze. Those who have been taking it easy while members of their families struggle with providing for them will have to get off their laurels and try to find gainful employment. I can imagine the response — that there is no available employment. But the challenge remains the same. What can be done to bring more persons into the workforce at a time when the business environment is in decline? The situation will only get worse as school leavers, coupled with possible retrenchment will increase the already exasperated unemployment situation. The government has tried a number of programs over the years to improve skills’ levels but the programs have not been sustainable due to international agencies funding arrangements which periodically expire. It is time to revisit the approach taken in the past and develop the type of programs that will change the mindset of young persons. Apprenticeship was important in earlier times and it is more necessary now.