US: Roger Khan led five-year drug ring

New York, May 7, 2008: The prosecution in the Shaheed Roger Khan drug trial yesterday released a memorandum of law submitted in support of its motion for a pretrial ruling to admit evidence regarding uncharged criminal activity by Khan.
According to the memorandum, Khan, indicted for trafficking of cocaine in the US, not only ordered the murder of Devendra Persaud, but also that of boxing coach Donald Allison.
The document, which was filed in the New York Eastern District Court on Monday, seeks to have the court admit at trial evidence of Khan's retaliation against Persaud, who was once part of his organisation, which included threats to Persaud and his family, seizing Persaud's car, and ultimately, ordering Persaud's murder; as well as the murder of Allison.
According to the document, though this conduct was not charged in the indictment, it constituted direct proof of the accused's continuing criminal enterprise and narcotics conspiracy and the evidence was admissible under Rule 404(b).
Further, the prosecution gave notice that it would seek to offer evidence of Khan's criminal conduct in Vermont and subsequent bail jumping if necessary to rebut defences advanced by Khan, including lack of knowledge of drug trafficking, pursuant to Rule 404(b).
The prosecution said it would establish at trial that Khan was the leader of a violent drug trafficking organisation (the "Khan Organisation") that was based in George-town, Guyana, from at least 2001 until his arrest in June 2006.
"Khan and his co-conspirators obtained large quantities of cocaine, and then imported the cocaine into the Eastern District of New York, among other places, where it was further distributed," the memorandum said. "Khan was ultimately able to control the cocaine industry in Guyana, in large part because he was backed by a para-military squad that would murder, threaten, and intimidate others at Khan's direction. While Khan's enforcers killed many people as part of a battle among political factions in Guyana, they also committed violent acts and murders on Khan's orders that were directly in furtherance of Khan's drug trafficking conspiracy."
With regard to Allison's murder, the prosecution said it expected to prove at trial, primarily through the testimony of cooperating witnesses and related corroborating information, that Allison, who lived in Guyana, and others, imported cocaine into the United States that was obtained from the Khan Organisation.
Some of this cocaine was seized in the US, the document said and Khan suspected that Allison and his co-conspirators had stolen it. Khan then tried to recruit Allison, but Allison refused and on at least one occasion insulted Khan in a public place, the memorandum said and Khan threatened that he would kill Allison. Subsequently, Allison was shot and killed.
Khan later made statements during which he took credit for the murder of Allison, the document contended.
As regard Persaud, the US attorney's document said he had lived in Queens, New York and was a cocaine distributor for the Khan Organisation. It said Persaud received cocaine from the Khan Organisation, distributed it to others, and then sent money back to the organisation in Guyana.
Persaud was arrested in June 2003 at John F. Kennedy airport, and was charged with bulk cash smuggling and conspiring to import cocaine into the United States. Thereafter, Persaud was released on bond. He ultimately cooperated with US law enforcement, including participating in numerous proffers and agreeing to have his cellular telephone calls recorded, among other things.
According to the document, in December 2003, Persaud's relative who was in Guyana, called Persaud in Queens and informed him that "Shortie," "Shortie's" bodyguards, and "Ledge," had gone into her store and threatened and pointed a gun at her while she held a child. She informed Persaud that they demanded to know his case number. Shortly thereafter, Persaud jumped bond and fled back to Guyana, the document said.
The prosecution said it would establish at trial that one nickname for Khan was "Shortman."
Individuals in the cocaine industry in Guyana, including Khan, the document said, suspected that Persaud was cooperating with US law enforcement. Additionally, Persaud owed Khan a drug debt. In order to collect on the debt, Khan's co-conspirators arrived at Persaud's store in Guyana, and took his car from him and Khan put a "hit" out on Persaud.
In October 2004, the memorandum said, Khan was informed by a member of his organisation that Persaud was at the Palm Court Restaurant and Bar and Khan stated that Persaud should be killed that night. Persaud was shot to death at the Palm Court restaurant.
The prosecution argued that the threats to Persaud and his family, the taking of Persaud's car, the murder of Persaud, and the murder of Allison, while uncharged, were admissible as direct evidence of the charged continuing criminal enterprise and narcotics conspiracy. It quoted sections of US law under which this was admissible and cited previous cases where such evidence had been admitted.
It said that Khan's alleged ordering of the murders was proof of his leadership role in the conspiracy. The government has alleged in Count One of the superseding indictment that Khan was the principal administrator of a continuing criminal enterprise.
It noted that in deciding whether to admit evidence of uncharged crimes under Rule 404(b), the Court must: (1) determine whether admission of the evidence is being sought for a proper purpose; (2) determine whether the evidence is relevant to an issue in the case; (3) determine whether the probative value of the evidence is substantially outweighed by the prejudicial impact; and (4) give a limiting instruction if one is requested by the defence

Donald Allison executed for insulting Roger Khan boxing coach had refused to work for him - prosecution

New York, May 5, 2008: As the Roger Khan saga continues to unfold, the Prosecution yesterday filed a motion in the United States District Court, Eastern District of New York, wherein the prosecution sought to admit at trial evidence of Shaheed Roger Khan's retaliation against Devendra Persaud, which included threats to Persaud and his family, seizing Persaud's car, and ultimately ordering Persaud's murder and the murder of an individual named Donald Allison.
According to the motion, the evidence at trial will show that Persaud, a Guyanese national who relocated to the United States and settled in Queens, New York, was a cocaine distributor for the Khan organization. Persaud received cocaine from the Khan organization, distributed it to others, and then sent money back to the organization in Guyana.
The U.S. Government expects to establish at trial that Persaud was arrested in June 2003 at John F. Kennedy Airport and was charged with bulk cash smuggling and conspiring to import cocaine into the United States.
Thereafter, Persaud was released on bond. He ultimately cooperated with U.S. law enforcement, including participating in numerous proffers and agreeing to have his cellular telephone calls recorded, among other things.
In December 2003, Persaud's wife, Elisabeth Persaud, who was in Guyana, called Persaud in Queens. In a call consensually recorded by Persaud, his wife informed him that "Shortie," "Shortie's" bodyguards, and "Ledge," had come into her store and threatened and pointed a gun at her while she held their child. She informed Persaud that they demanded to know his case number.
Shortly thereafter, Persaud jumped bond and fled back to Guyana. The Government is also expected to establish the following at trial, primarily through the testimony of cooperating witnesses, along with other corroborating evidence. The evidence is described in sum and substance.
Individuals in the cocaine industry in Guyana, including Khan, suspected that Persaud was cooperating with U.S. law enforcement.
Additionally, the Government will try to establish at trial that one nickname for the defendant was "Shortman."
Also, in the motion the Government at trial is expected to prove, primarily through the testimony of cooperating witnesses and related corroborating information, that an individual named Donald Allison and others imported cocaine into the United States that was obtained from the Khan organization. Allison lived in Guyana.
The evidence, according to the Government, will show that some of that cocaine was seized in the United States. With the disappearance of that cocaine, Khan suspected that Allison and his co-conspirators had stolen from him. The evidence, the state reveals, also will show that Khan wanted Allison to work for him within the Khan organization, but Allison refused.
On one occasion, Allison insulted Khan in public. Subsequent to these events Allison was shot and killed. The motion went on to state that the fact that Khan ordered these murders is proof of his leadership role in the conspiracy. The Government has alleged in Count One of the superseding indictment that Khan was the principal administrator of a continuing criminal enterprise, and his role in the Persaud murder constitutes direct proof of that allegation.
Accordingly, the Government says, evidence of the threats against Persaud and his family and Persaud's murder are admissible as direct evidence of the conspiracy, because:
(1) this conduct was committed in furtherance of the conspiracy and is thus direct proof of the existence and nature of the conspiracy itself, and
(2) it is inextricably intertwined with the evidence proving the charged offences.
For similar reasons, the murder of Allison should be admissible as direct evidence of the conspiracy; the murder was committed in furtherance of the conspiracy, and therefore is part of the conspiracy itself.
The evidence obtained by the prosecution, it was stated, will show that Khan ordered the murder of Allison in part because he believed Allison and others had stolen cocaine that they obtained from Khan's organization.
This is direct evidence of facts the U.S. Government must prove at trial - specifically that the cocaine distributed by Allison and others was received from the Khan organization. Further, Khan, according to the U.S. Government, ordered the murder of Allison because Allison refused to directly work for Khan and insulted Khan in front of Khan's co-conspirators. Murdering Allison was thus a show of force used to demonstrate Khan's power and make explicit the consequences of refusing to work for Khan.
Thus the murder of Allison is part of the cocaine conspiracy, and is admissible as direct evidence of charges in the indictment. Additionally, the Government would offer the consensually recorded call from Elizabeth Persaud to Devendra Persaud, described above, and other evidence to corroborate the testimony of the cooperating witnesses.
In addition, the Government also gave notice that it will introduce evidence of Khan's criminal conduct in Vermont, including his bail jumping, if necessary, to rebut defences advanced by Khan.
This conduct includes attempting to trade marijuana for handguns, and purchasing and possessing handguns as a convicted felon.

Roger Khan had ordered hit on Davendra Persaud

New York, April 26, 2008: In one of the most shocking revelations since the indictment of businessman Roger Khan on drug-smuggling charges, the US government on Thursday disclosed that he had ordered the executions of Davendra Persaud, who was gunned down in Palm Court, Georgetown, Guyana, over three years ago, as well as several of its informants and other drug dealers.
The US did not name the informants, who were described as cooperating witnesses, but sources said they might have been the five men killed on Diwali night on Robb Street next door to Nigel's Supermarket in 2002.
The revelations were made in the Eastern District Court of New York after Khan's attorneys got hold of a sealed confidential document, which contained an interview between Persaud and the US government in relation to a narcotics case against another Guyanese Delven Adams, who was a member of Khan's organisation. The US's objections to the defence obtaining the document could potentially spark a heated court session slated for Monday.
In a letter dated April 24, and addressed to Justice Dora Irizarry, US Attorney Benton Campbell said he was apprising the court of an issue that the government will raise at the status conference scheduled for Monday. Campbell said that as part of Khan's lawyers' opposition to the US government's motion for an anonymous jury, they attached several exhibits. One of these was a report from the US Customs Service, now Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE"), of an interview with Persaud. Campbell said this report was an official and confidential internal ICE document, used for investigative purposes, that was disclosed by the government to defence counsel at trial in a case against Delven Adams and others.
Adams was busted in the US with drugs in 2004. According to Campbell, the report and some other material were disclosed to defence counsel in that trial pursuant to Rule 806 of the Federal Rules of Evidence, because it could be used to impeach Persaud, whose statements were admitted as co-conspirator statements through other witnesses.
Campbell said the US government satisfying its obligations, however, did not entitle defendants to file or otherwise disseminate that material outside the litigation. He argued that in the Adams trial, the government had serious concerns about witness safety, in large part because Persaud's testimony as well as testimony from 3,500 material witnesses implicated various individuals in Khan's organisation.
However, Campbell disclosed that Persaud, who was a co-conspirator of Khan, the Adams' trial defendants, and the government's cooperating witnesses in the Adams' case, was gunned down in Guyana on Khan's orders as he perceived that Persaud was cooperating with the US government. "In an effort to protect witnesses, Judge Frederic Block ordered the defence attorneys in that case not to disseminate the 3,500 material to anyone other than their clients. Unfortunately, Judge Block's order was violated ­ as defence counsel in this case has possession of this Customs report. The government did not provide this report to defence counsel in this case, and it was only disseminated in the Adams case," Campbell wrote to the judge.
He said the US government was writing to inform the court of the issue, and to request the court to inquire of Khan's lawyers at Monday's status conference: how, from whom, and when they obtained the report. The government also wants to know whether they have obtained any of the statements of the 3,500 material witnesses disseminated at the Adams trial; and whether they have disseminated any of this to anyone else. "We further request that the court order the prompt return to the government of any such material in the defence's possession ­ including all copies they have made of such material," Campbell requested.
He said while Khan's lawyers might not have been aware of Judge Block's order, this inquiry was important not only because a court order was violated, but because the potential danger to witnesses and their families in this case could not be overstated. "It is imperative that the government has complete knowledge of the full scope of the information disseminated about its prior witnesses, so as to take necessary safety precautions," Campbell stated.
Khan's lead attorney, Robert Simels in a response yesterday told the court that the documents were obtained from the clerk's office on March 31, this year. Simels said following the court appearance in this case his associate requested an opportunity to obtain a copy of the criminal complaint against an individual named Brentnoll Hooper in the file entitled US vs. Adams.
Simels said the clerk provided a box containing courts transcripts and other documents. "In reviewing the file my associate noticed that Persaud's documents were in an envelope 'not sealed' in the file. She made copies of same," Simels said in his letter.
Khan is facing charges for conspiring to import cocaine into the US.
Late last year this newspaper had reported that US was to introduce as evidence a ledger of Persaud, who was also a boutique owner, which contained the names of alleged drug dealers.
Persaud was gunned down at Palm Court, in October 2004 by unknown persons. One of Khan's lawyers here had told this newspaper that the US might be hoping to use some of the persons on Persaud's ledger to give evidence against Khan.
Persaud was shot close to 15 times, in what appeared to be an organised hit, orchestrated by a gang of four. Persaud had been charged locally in relation to drugs and later became an informant for the US government. Reports were that four men, two of whom were wearing masks, turned up at the Main Street bar in a white Toyota Sprinter car registration number PJJ 1767 a little before 10 pm. Two men remained in the car, another stood guard at the gate, while one went up to Persaud and shot him. The gunman reportedly stood over him and opened fire at close range.
Guyana police had arrested a number of persons for questioning, but they were all released

Guyanese illegal in US held with huge sum of money in car

Pennsylvania, April 25, 2008: A Guyanese who is illegal in the US was found with a huge sum of money when he was arrested and charged after behaving disorderly during a traffic stop in Pennsylvania.
The man who was identified as Ivory Anthony Weaver, 48, in a Centre Times Daily report, was at the time carrying US$351,164 in a cardboard box in luggage. Police in the area said they suspected it to be drug money.
According to the Centre Times Daily, Weaver was uncooperative and unruly when the officer stopped him at the traffic light for speeding on Tuesday which resulted in the police using a taser to subdue him. The police said they found indicators of criminal activity and obtained a search warrant.
They later found the money.
Weaver resisted arrest when the police seized the money.
He was arrested and charged with resisting arrest, false identification to law enforcement, and disorderly conduct.
The report said he is from an illegal immigrant from Lauderdale Lakes, Florida. He was placed for $25,000 and immigration detainers.

FREED 9 YEARS AGO Wanted Trini facing extradition from London

London, April 23, 2008: A TRINIDADIAN wanted on charges of trafficking $13 million in cocaine is being held in a British jail pending the decision of a judge there on a request for his extradition.
Rick Anthony Gomes will know shortly if he will be extradited to Port-of-Spain to face a retrial. The British court is considering a report from an English lawyer who came to Trinidad recently to look at prison conditions.
Gomes, in opposing the extradition request, contended that the prisons in Trinidad were in such a state that the facilities were not fit for human beings. As a result, the independent lawyer came to Trinidad and inspected the prison facilities. On his return to London, the lawyer submitted a report to the court, which painted a good picture for the local authorities.
The report would form a major part in the decision of the court.
Gomes was arrested on May 5, 2006, as he arrived at Heathrow International Airport, London. He was held on a provisional warrant by the British immigration officials.
Soon after his arrest, the T&T Government formally requested his extradition to Trinidad. Gomes and Colombian Luis Blanco Gomez were arrested at Mt Hololo, St Ann's on May 15, 1998, after 25.5 kilos of cocaine, valued $13 million, were allegedly found in the apartment.
On December 14, 1999, both men were freed on a no-case submission by Justice Herbert Volney in the Port-of-Spain High Court.
The judge said the evidence of one police officer was manifestly unreliable and it would have been a miscarriage of justice if the case went to the jury.
Two days after he was freed, Gomes went to Barbados and never returned to Trinidad. Gomez fled to Venezuela, and he too, never returned.
The State appealed and on July 17, 2000, the Court of Appeal comprising then Chief Justice Michael de la Bastide, Justice Sat Sharma, and Justice Mustapha Ibrahim, ruled that Volney was wrong to take the case away from the jury.
The Appeal Court said Volney should have called on both men to make their defence as a prima facie case was made out against them.
The two men never turned up at the appeal, and attempts by lawyers to represent them, were turned down by the court. The court also issued warrants for both men and ordered them, when arrested, to stand trial for a second time. The local Narcotics Unit contacted Interpol and an there was an international search for both fugitives. It was only on May 5, 2006, that a breakthrough was made when Gomes was arrested at Heathrow Airport, London.

Haiti's food shortage may persist for months, World Vision says

SINGAPORE, China (Bloomberg), April 23, 2008: Haiti's food shortages, which caused riots and led to the ouster of Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis this month, may persist for months because farmers lack seeds to produce another harvest in June, World Vision International said.
"Shortages are expected to continue even if there is good weather for the next planting season, scheduled to begin this month,'' the Los Angeles-based relief organization said in a statement on its Web site yesterday.
World Vision is preparing to increase aid to the Caribbean nation in response to the food crisis, which may produce a higher rate of child mortality, lawlessness and political instability, it said. The organization's next scheduled distribution of food rations is in June, and current supplies are almost depleted, according to the statement.
Governments from Guatemala to the Philippines and Indonesia are seeking to combat food price rises and avoid social unrest by curbing exports or lifting import duties on basic staples such as rice. Global food prices surged 57 percent last month from a year earlier, according to the United Nations, and the World Bank said civil disturbances may be triggered in 33 countries.
Groups of stone-throwing Haitians began attacking police forces on April 2 to protest the soaring cost of rice, cooking oil and other basic goods. The riots in Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, caused five deaths and injured hundreds of others, according to World Vision.

Don't touch me there: NY Jury rejects rectal exam lawsuit

NEW YORK (AP), April 21, 2008: A hospital did nothing wrong when it tried to examine the rectum of a construction worker who had been hit on the head by a falling wooden beam, a jury found Monday.
After deliberating for about an hour, a state Supreme Court jury awarded nothing to Brian Persaud, who sued NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital for unspecified damages. The panel found the hospital and its emergency room medical staff were not liable.
Persaud's lawyers, Gerard Marrone and Gary DeFilippo, said he might appeal.
``We're very disappointed,'' Marrone said after the two-week trial. ``It's a miscarriage of justice.''
The hospital's lawyer, Jeffrey Lawton, declined comment.
Marrone said Persaud, 38, was injured while working at a construction site in midtown Manhattan on May 20, 2003. Persaud received eight stitches for a cut over his eyebrow at the hospital, but denied emergency room staffers' request to examine his rectum, the lawyer said. He said doctors told Persaud the exam could help determine whether the accident caused spinal damage.
When Persaud resisted, staffers held him down while he begged, ``Please don't do that,'' Marrone said. Persaud hit a doctor while flailing around, so the staffers gave him a powerful sedative and performed the rectal exam, he said.
Hospital witnesses testified at trial that the exam was never completed, but Marrone said that when Persaud woke up he was handcuffed to a bed and had an oxygen tube down his throat and lubricant in his rectum.
``He resisted because he didn't know what they were doing,'' DeFilippo said. ``Once he said he didn't want the rectal exam, everything should have stopped.''
DeFilippo said he believes the rectal exam was done as retaliation because his panicked client hit the doctor.
A judge dismissed a misdemeanor assault charge that was filed against Persaud because he hit the doctor.
DeFilippo said his client is unemployed and has been unable to hold a job since the accident.

Jamaican wins Western Union $25,000 Cash Giveaway prize

Brooklyn, NY, April 21, 2008: A Jamaica-born, South Florida-based resident on Friday walked away $25,000 richer after winning the Western Union Grand Prize Cash Giveaway competition.
Patren Daniel Mattadeen, a resident of North Miami Florida, was selected in a random drawing of the contest, which was held for thousands of Caribbean nationals who sent back money between October 15 and December 31, 2007.
Mattadeen had used the remittance service to send money to his girlfriend in Jamaica. He expressed shocked disbelief at the win. On Friday he was presented with his check by Western Union Assistant Marketing Manager, Nadine Johnson, at a ceremony at Sally`s Jamaican American Restaurant in Brooklyn.
Mattadeen says he plans to use the money to `go back to school.` Seventy-eight other remitters also were declared $500 winners. To see if you`re on of the 78, check www.westernunion.com/caribbeancash.

Barbadian Eyes Council Seat Amidst Indictment Of Vincentian Incument`s Staffers

CaribWorldNews, BROOKLYN, NY, Mon. April 21, 2008: A Barbadian-born immigrant is again eyeing the post of the 45th councilmatic district of New York amidst the indictment of the chief-of-staff of the incumbent councilman, born in St. Vincent & the Grenadines.
Local TV presenter and Brooklyn lecturer, Sam Taitt had run for the seat in East Flatbush and Flatlands, Brooklyn in 2001, 2003 and 2005. But the incumbent, Dr. Kendall Stewart, narrowly defeated him thrice.
Now as Asquith Reid, the top former staffer to Stewart is accused along with Joycinth `Sue` Anderson, another Stewart employee, of embezzling thousands in city money from a Brooklyn charity over the last three years, Taitt is gearing up to run again.
Taitt supporters feel that he is perfectly positioned to win the seat in the next election. They say that Stewart has disappointed them many times in the Council, including most recently, siding with his Manhattan counterpart and Speaker of the Council, Christine Quinn, in support of Gay marriage.
And they say the latest scandal surrounding his office places their candidate in a strong position this time around. Especially since they argue that Taitt has the economic well-being of the district on his mind and is highly regarded in this multifaceted district as he works with church and community leaders. He still has interest in forming a community credit union, which is supported by New York State Senator John Sampson.
Councilmember Stewart for his part has denied that the alleged embezzlement had anything to do with him or his office. In a statement he said, `While I believe in the presumption of innocent until proven guilty, I must say that I'm deeply disappointed over the allegations leveled at Mr. Reid and the embarrassment that his actions ­ right or wrong - have caused me, my staff and office and the people of my district.`
Reid and Anderson are named in the indictment which charges that Reid, who was in charge of discretionary city funds, allocated about $356,000 in funds to the Donna Reid Fund, which was established by Reid in honor of his daughter, who passed away from cancer at a young age.
The Donna Reid Fund also applied for money through the Department of Youth and Community Development, which granted the request. An additional $14,000 was transferred to the organization from other fictitious non-profits: the New York Foundation for Community Development and the American Association of Concerned Veterans.
The indictment alleges that about $145,000 of those funds were embezzled to provide cash and personal benefits to the defendant, and Anderson.
Some $31,000 of the money was sent by wire transfer to friends and family in Jamaica, while some $21,000 was used to pay for events in Brooklyn and campaign material. Anderson also cashed thousands of dollars in Donna Reid fund checks and gave the money to Reid, the indictment said.
In total, Reid faces a maximum of 80 years in prison if found guilty on all charges. Together they face charges of conspiracy, money laundering, and witness tampering. Anderson faces a maximum of 40 years in prison and the indictment said she aided Reid in the scheme. Councilman Stewart was not named in the indictment.
Meanwhile, Quinn, an openly gay politician, who had expressed plans of a possible run for the Office of NYC Mayor, has hired a criminal defense attorney for herself after staffers Staci Emanuel and Michael Keogh weere indicted as well. Both no longer work for the Council but are accused of channeling money into fake organizations or slush funds.

Caribbean Nationals Remembered At Rally For Pope Benedict

CaribWorldNews, YONKERS, NY, Mon. April 21, 2008: Catholic saints born in Haiti and Cuban were among those remembered at a youth rally in honor of Pope Benedict XVI here in Yonkers on Saturday.
Tribute was paid to Cuban-born Padre Felix Varela, who in the early 1820s concentrated his efforts to help the poor minorities living in New York and founded nurseries and orphanages for children of poor widows.
As a result of his abilities and dedication, Varela was named Vicar General of the New York diocese. He also founded the first Spanish newspaper in the US, publishing articles about human rights injustices suffered by minorities, as well as essays on religious tolerance, cooperation between English and Spanish speaking communities, and the importance of education.
Varela spent his last years in the City of St. Augustine, Florida where he retired due to illness. He died in 1853, but his legacy endures, as two foundations named in his honor carry out his work in Miami and New York and on a U.S. postage stamp.
Also remembered was Haitian-born slave turned saint, Pierre Toussaint. Toussaint came to New York from Haiti in 1787 and became an apprentice to one of the city's leading hairdressers.
He became a popular hairdresser and was freed from slavery when his owner died in 1807 and later became quite wealthy. He fell in love with another slave, Juliette Noel, and purchased her freedom when she was only fifteen years old. They married and soon opened their home as a shelter for orphans, a credit bureau, an employment agency and refuge for priests and poverty stricken travelers. Toussaint also funded money to build a new Roman Catholic church in New York, which became Old St. Patrick's Cathedral on Mulberry Street.
Toussaint died on June 30, 1853, at the age of eighty-seven. He was buried alongside his wife and daughter, Euphemia in Old St. Patrick's on Mott Street. In 1941, his grave was discovered by the Rev. Charles McTague. In 1990, John Cardinal O'Connor, then Archbishop of New York had Toussaint exhumed and reinterred in the crypt below the altar at St Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue.
Because of Toussaint's charity and piety, he was strongly supported for sainthood by O'Connor. In 1996 Toussaint was declared Venerable by Pope John Paul II, the first step toward sainthood.

Amnesty Int'l criticizes treatment of Haitians

London, April 19, 2008: Amnesty International, the London-based human rights group, has once again criticized The Bahamas for its treatment of Haitian migrants and its handling of the cases of two Bahamian men who were allegedly killed at the hands of police officers.
In its latest human rights report, Amnesty International noted that asylum seekers and migrants, the majority of whom were black Haitians, were deported. It further noted that some of these migrants were reportedly ill-treated.
"Immigrants, the vast majority from Haiti, continued to be deported in large numbers. Some were reportedly ill-treated," the report said.
It also noted that sometime ago, 187 Haitians, including children, on the island of Eleuthera were rounded up and detained. It was later found that 166 of them had legal documents and 27 also had permanent residence. Amnesty also noted that reports of abuse by members of the armed forces, including excessive use of force, continued.
Prison inmate, Neil Brown was reportedly shot dead while handcuffed, as he was being transported back to Fox Hill Prison. He had been recaptured following a prison escape in which a prison guard was killed.
A prison officer was subsequently found guilty of his (Brown's) murder by a coroner's jury, but the verdict was deferred pending a constitutional review. The officer remained on duty at the end of the year.
Subsequent to this, 20-year-old Deron Bethel was fatally shot three times outside his home, allegedly by a police officer who claimed he mistook him for a criminal suspect. Investigations were ongoing at the end of the year.
The report states that death sentences continued to be handed down by the courts. At least two people were sentenced to death in 2006 and 26 remained on death row. However, no executions took place.
In March, 2007 the UK-based Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the highest court of appeal for The Bahamas, abolished the mandatory death sentence for murder. Following the ruling, the attorney general announced that re-sentencing hearings would be held for all inmates currently on death row. Several new death sentences were issued after the decision.
Last October, Alutus Newbold was sentenced to 16 years in prison and eight strokes of the rod for an attack on an 83-year-old woman in her home in 2004. The ruling sparked a debate about the continued use of corporal punishment.

Cuba changes 'cosmetic' says White House

WASHINGTON, USA (AFP), April 19, 2008: The White House on Friday dismissed as "cosmetic" changes in Cuba under new President Raul Castro on issues like access to cellphones and the potential easing of travel restrictions.
"They're cosmetic," Dan Fisk, the US National Security Council's senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs, told reporters days before a three-way US, Mexico, and Canada summit in New Orleans.
"We would hope that the international community, and I say that in the large terms, recognize that this isn't real change, this isn't fundamental change in the nature of the system," Fisk said.
"And if you look at what the regime is doing in terms of the continued repression against dissidents and civil society activists, the iron fist is still very, very visible, especially to the average Cuban," he said.
Fisk said US President George W. Bush, Mexican President Felipe Calderon, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper were expected to discuss changes in Cuba when they meet on Monday and Tuesday in New Orleans.
But while "all three countries agree" broadly on the need for "democratic evolution" in Cuba, "there are a lot ot tactical disagreements and I'm not expecting that to change," said the US official.
Fisk had been asked about the reforms Raul Castro, 76, has introduced in Cuba since he took over as president from his ailing brother Fidel, 81, in late February.
Raul Castro recently lifted bans on Cubans renting cars and hotel rooms and purchasing goods such as pressure cookers, DVDs, electric bikes and cell phones, and he may be planning to ease travel restrictions.

Dwight and Keva Major extradited

Nassau, Bahamas, April 18, 2008: A married couple accused of drug smuggling in the United States was extradited yesterday, following a five-year legal battle.
The government handed Dwight and Keva Major over to US authorities, a day after the Supreme Court dismissed an application challenging the lawfulness of a warrant of surrender that was signed in 2006. That warrant was executed yesterday morning.
The Majors will appear before a Florida judge on Monday morning, according to Daniel O'Connor, the political, economic and public affairs chief at the United State Embassy in Nassau.
Former Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell signed the warrant when the couple had no pending appeal against the Appeal Court's decision that they be extradited. At that stage, their lawyer had only filed a notice of intention to appeal the decision. The Majors lost their battle against extradition at the Privy Council last November.
The Majors, both 38, and the parents of four young children, aged seven through 18, are accused of conspiracy to import cocaine and marijuana and attempting to import marijuana. Florida prosecutors requested the couple's extradition in 2003 based on evidence gathered through wiretaps of their phone conversations.
Mr. Major, who is known by the street names "Sider Brown" and "Papa", was already in prison in connection with an alleged conspiracy to smuggle 1,200 kilos of cocaine from Colombia into The Bahamas when the request was made.
Police recorded the calls Major made to his wife and other persons on a mobile phone from his prison cell.
Becket Turnquest and Jonathan Cartwright, two coconspirators named in the Grand Jury indictment, waived their right to extradition and went voluntarily to Florida. They pleaded guilty and received shortened prison sentences in exchange for becoming cooperating witnesses. Turnquest and Cartwright were released in 2005.
Reverend Donald Dorsett, Mrs. Major's father, told The Guardian yesterday that he believed his daughter would get justice in the United States. He believed that she had been treated unfairly as her repeated requests for bail had been denied, although about 20 other men who are also fighting extradition were released. Mrs. Major's youngest child and only daughter was two years old when she was detained on the extradition warrant. The children are being cared for by their grandparents.
Dorsett, who runs a convenience shop in the Englerston area, said, "All things work together for those that love the Lord."

Teller Arrested in Robber Cop Case

New York, April 18, 2008: Police have arrested a bank teller for helping an NYPD rookie pull off two robberies at the East Village bank last year. Christina Dasrath, who is of Guyanese background, admitted to cops that she received a portion of the $118,000 taken.
Police officer Christian Torres was arrested last week after robbing a Sovereign Bank in Pennsylvania of more than $100,000. It turns out Torres was tipped off by Dasrath about the East Village branch's lax security (plus security changes made after his first heist). The two may have met while attending the John Jay School of Criminal Justice.
Dasrath is being charged with bank fraud and making false statements because she told investigators she knew nothing about her bank's robberies. A source characterized Dasrath as the mastermind behind the bank jobs, but her 16-year-old brother Christopher came to his older sister's defense. "There's no way she would do something like this...Our dad is the strictest person you'd ever meet."
The NY Times revealed that after Torres' arrest , police found "a copy of his own wanted poster...and news clippings related to the Manhattan robberies" in the car. And while Torres was buying a 1.5 carat diamond ring for his fiancée with the stolen loot, Dasrath's brother told the Daily News , "The only thing she bought recently was a black Toyota for 3 Gs, and it doesn't even have a CD player."

Guyanese falls to death at Shea stadium

New York, April 18, 2008: US investigators have said that the death of a Guyanese immigrant who fell from an escalator at Shea Stadium on Tuesday night was accidental. According to the New York Daily News investigators believe that Antonio Narainasami, 36, had been perched on the escalator's rail moments before losing his balance and plunging four storeys to his death after the Mets game. The paper quoted a police source as saying that several witnesses said they saw Narainasami "start to play on the escalator before he fell. It's an unfortunate accident."
However, Narainasami's pregnant wife Ambeeka disputes this claim; saying that her husband would not have been so reckless in front of their 14 and nine-year-old daughters. Outside their Cypress Hills, Brooklyn home, Ambeeka, who could barely speak through her tears said, "It is a shock to me [and] my family. We were looking forward to our third child, which is a boy."
According to the paper, the escalators at the stadium are customarily turned off in the seventh inning to encourage fans to leave via the long walkways. Though the 120-foot-long escalator remained accessible to fans after the game, its steps were not moving when Narainasami boarded it near the mezzanine's Section 20, officials said. He was just in front of his elder daughter Emily when he fell off the side and landed on another escalator below.
"It's so different without him not coming home," the eight-grader said, adding that "He gave us everything we asked for. He took us out for the last time."
The paper said Narainasami was an immigrant who worked as an installer of heating and air-conditioning systems. He also captained the Legend Cricket Club and was an avid Mets fan, his family said. In a statement the Mets extended condolences to the family.
The paper said a Buildings Department spokeswoman said the escalators were last inspected on March 8.
In the past 25 years, two New York fans have died at baseball games - one at Shea in 1985 and on at Yankee Stadium in 1999 - when they fell off the railing of an escalator.

US marshal won't blame J'cans for rise in South Florida violence

Thursday, April 17, 2008: Deputy United States Marshal, Josh Bostley, yesterday refused to blame Jamaicans for a rise in gun violence in South Florida, and said other ethnic groups have also been committing serious offences.
Bostley spoke to the Observer after Florida-based US Marshals included Jamaican David James Clarke, who is accused of involvement in a double murder, on its list of 15 most wanted fugitives.
"There is a lot of violence in South Florida. A lot of Jamaicans live in Lauderhill and there is a lot of violence in Lauderhill, but I am not going to say Jamaicans are responsible for the rise. There are American blacks, whites, Haitians and others involved in violence," Bostley said.
Clarke, who goes by the aliases 'Bigs' or 'Big Boy', has been on the run since June last year. The US authorities accuse Clarke and two others - Clinton Dinnall and Anthony Bennett - of the brutal murder of Chris Thompson and Cassandra Williams at a home in Lauderhill.
The Florida police say witnesses told them that Williams begged for her life, saying she was the mother of a five-year-old son, before Clarke allegedly shot her dead. Williams had moments earlier witnessed Thompson's murder.
Clarke and his cronies reportedly stuffed the bodies in the truck of a car before abandoning the vehicle in the city of Sunrise.
Bennett and Dinnall were arrested a few weeks later and charged with first-degree murder, but Clarke is still on the run.
The US Marshals say Clarke, 26, has a history of violence and drug trafficking. They have placed a US$25,000 bounty on his head.
A release posted on the website www.usmarshals.gov said Clarke has hazel-brown eyes, medium-brown complexion, weighs about 210 pounds and is six feet tall. He normally wears a beard and is known to have worn locks.

Call for greater press freedom in Guyana, Bermuda

MIAMI, USA, April 17, 2008: The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) has expressed concern at the temporary closure of a television station in Guyana by the Guyanese president. It also urged the government of Bermuda not to use official advertising as a weapon of reprisal against a newspaper in that country.
The IAPA expressed concern at a four-month suspension on April 12 of broadcasts by CNS Channel 6 television in Guyana on the orders of that country's President Bharrat Jagdeo, acting as minister of communications, on the grounds that the station "infringed the terms of its licence" by airing on three occasions a call-in by one of its viewers saying the prime minister should be assassinated.
The Guyana Press Association (GPA) said that it would not issue an opinion on the cause of the alleged offence but it deplored Jagdeo's action, saying it was out of line as the Advisory Committee on Broadcasting (ACB) had decided it would not act against the TV station because its Director had apologised for the allegedly offensive content of the call. The GPA called on Jagdeo to lift the broadcast ban because he was himself the aggrieved party in the matter.
IAPA President Earl Maucker and the chairman of the IAPA's Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, Gonzalo Marroquín, said that in any event the four-month suspension in a competitive media environment such as the current one was practically "a shutdown."
They issued a public call on Jagdeo to reconsider the punitive action and not to engage in any reprisals against the media because of their editorial views.
Meanwhile, after 17 months and on the repeated insistence of the IAPA and other press organizations Jagedo's government last week announced it would resume placement of official advertising in the daily newspaper Stabroek News, which had been "punished" for its critical editorial content.
In another development, in a letter to Bermuda Prime Minister Ewart Brown the IAPA declared, "Discrimination in the placement of advertising severely restricts freedom of the press." The note, signed by Earl Maucker and Gonzalo Marroquín, added that "the government should allocate its resources with complete transparency and employ purely technical criteria."
The IAPA was responding to a complaint by the Bermuda newspaper The Royal Gazette that the government had cut back placement of official advertising claiming that it was due to "cost-cutting" and declaring that it would "concentrate its advertising in electronic media, especially radio and the Internet."
The government also announced it was "suspending all subscriptions to the newspaper." The paper stated in an editorial that the cutback was rather a payback for its "The Right to Know - Giving Power to the People," campaign that advocates access to public information legislation in that country.
The Royal Gazette said that despite claiming budgetary constraints the government was continuing to advertise in other print media.

Jamaican-Born City Council Staffer Indicted

CaribWorldNews, NEW YORK, NY, Thurs. April 17, 2008: The Jamaican-born former chief of staff of a New York City councilman was yesterday indicted by the United States District Attorney's Office.
Asquith Reid, the top former staffer to Vincent-born City Councilman Kendall Stewart is accused along with Joycinth `Sue` Anderson, another Stewart employee, of embezzling thousands in city money from a Brooklyn charity over the last three years.
Reid and Anderson are named in the indictment which charges that Reid, who was in charge of discretionary city funds, allocated about $356,000 in funds to the Donna Reid Fund, which was established by Reid in honor of his daughter, who passed away from cancer at a young age.
The Donna Reid Fund also applied for money through the Department of Youth and Community Development, which granted the request. An additional $14,000 was transferred to the organization from other fictitious non-profits: the New York Foundation for Community Development and the American Association of Concerned Veterans.
The indictment alleges that about $145,000 of those funds were embezzled to provide cash and personal benefits to the defendant, and Anderson.
Some $31,000 of the money was sent by wire transfer to friends and family in Jamaica, while some $21,000 was used to pay for events in Brooklyn and campaign material. Anderson also cashed thousands of dollars in Donna Reid fund checks and gave the money to Reid, the indictment said
In total, Reid faces a maximum of 80 years in prison if found guilty on all charges. Together they face charges of conspiracy, money laundering, and witness tampering. Anderson faces a maximum of 40 years in prison and the indictment said she aided Reid in the scheme. Councilman Stewart was not named in the indictment.
The two aides' loyalty "should have been to the New York City taxpayers," U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said at a news conference yesterday. "Instead, they were driven by greed."
Garcia said the federal probe will continue to take a "hard look" at the council's discretionary funds practice.
Reid and Anderson, meanwhile, were still reportedly employed by the council as of yesterday.
Councilmember Stewart for his part yesterday denied that the alleged embezzlement had anything to do with him or his office.
In a statement he said, `While I believe in the presumption of innocent until proven guilty, I must say that I'm deeply disappointed over the allegations leveled at Mr. Reid and the embarrassment that his actions ­ right or wrong - have caused me, my staff and office and the people of my district.`
The indictment comes a week after it was revealed that the council was hiding discretionary funds for more than two decades. ­ CaribWorldNews.com

Guyanese Man Falls To His Death At Shea Stadium

CaribWorldNews, QUEENS, NY, Thurs. April 17, 2008: A Guyanese man who Tuesday night fell to his death while watching a baseball game at the Mets Stadium was yesterday remembered as a good family man by his cousin.
Nelson Nigel told CWN yesterday that while he`s still trying to cope with the news of the sudden death of his cousin, who migrated from Berbice, Guyana in 1985, he's still focused on trying to help the two daughters and an unborn child Antonio Nararainsami has left behind.
Nararainsami, aka Tony, and several relatives, including his two young daughters, were leaving Shea stadium at the end of the Tuesday night game against the Washington Nationals when he lost his balance on an escalator and fell two stories to his death, police said. He landed in a section below the left field stands and hit a concrete floor.
He was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead half an hour later. Nigel said he received a call about `Tony's` death around midnight Tuesday from his mother, an aunt of Nararainsami.
He said the news has devastated him and his entire family but his concern remains focused on establishing a fund to help Nararainsami`s children, especially his unborn child.
`Can you imagine not knowing your father? Can you imagine what that will be like?` a distraught Nigel asked.
Nararainsami, according to Nigel, lived on Crescent Street, Brooklyn and had been married for 14 years.
His mother is in Guyana and funeral arrangements are still being worked out pending her arrival, Nigel said. Nararainsami installed heating and air-conditioning systems for a living and was the captain of a local cricket club.
The Mets, meanwhile, yesterday issued a statement that they had been `advised of a tragic accident that resulted in the death of a fan.` They said team officials and police were investigating.
`Our deepest and heartfelt condolences go out to the fan's family,` the team's statement said.
Police have deemed the death an accident.
Anyone interested in aiding the Nararainsami family can contact Nigel at Headcontracting@aol.com. ­ CaribWorldNews.com

Trini jailed in Canada for giving woman HIV

Toronto, Canada, April 16th 2008: A TRINIDADIAN man has been jailed in Ontario, Canada, for infecting a woman with HIV.
According to the Observer newspaper, Superior Court Justice Johanne Morrisette sentenced Owen Antoine to five years in prison for aggravated sexual assault and criminal negligence causing bodily harm, and called Antoine's actions "an act of extreme, callous insensitivity".
However, Antoine will spend only two and a half years in jail as he has already served just under three years in custody awaiting trial.
Antoine, a construction worker and father of six, called the victim in April 2006 and arranged to meet with her in a bar. The 30-year-old woman who is a mother of two, had one drink with Antoine and went to the bathroom.
On returning she discovered a drink waiting for her. She said she remembered nothing after drinking the 'shooter', until she awoke and found Antoine in bed with her.
The woman later discovered that Antoine was HIV positive and months later she also tested positive for HIV.
At trial, Antoine revealed that he was diagnosed with the virus back in December 2004, but he denied having sex with the woman.
However, in a taped interview with the police he admitted to having intercourse with the victim once.

Latest changes in Cuba 'interesting', says US commander

WASHINGTON, USA (AFP), April 16th 2008:: The head of the US Southern Command, Admiral James Stavridis, told lawmakers Tuesday the changes in Cuba under President Raul Castro were "interesting," but that only time would tell if they were real or "cosmetic."
"I think it is too early to tell as yet, but it is interesting that Raul is opening some of the economic freedoms such as cellphones, access to tourist hotels, property rights," he told a congressional panel looking into his command's budget.
"We need to watch to see if this is a sincere change or just cosmetic," he added.
Stavridis was questioned on the reforms Raul Castro, 76, has introduced in Cuba since he took over as president from his ailing brother Fidel, 81, in late February.
Raul Castro recently lifted a series of bans on Cubans renting cars and hotel rooms and purchasing goods such as pressure cookers, DVD's, electric bikes and cell phones.
He is also considering agriculture reforms that include opening up the sector to greater foreign investment and closing down farming cooperatives that have proven to be inefficient.
Cuba watchers say there is likely a short-term political benefit of allowing greater economic openness, though they also warn that too many reforms by Cuba's centrally-controlled, one-party regime could build pressure for more change than the government is prepared to allow.

Vigil Set For Murdered Jamaican Briton

CaribWorldNews, LONDON, England, Tues. April 15, 2008: Jamaican Briton, Jamie Simpson, was cashing out the day's takings at a Matalan store in Kingsland shopping centre on Saturday, March 22 when he was attacked, robbed and stabbed to death.
Now as the five men arrested in connection with the murder inquiry prepare for a May court date, Simpson`s family and friends are set to celebrate the life of the 33-year-old sales manager.
A vigil is set for Sat. April 19th from 12 a.m. to 1 p.m. outside the Shopping Center in Dalston, London, where Simpson was killed.
`The murder of Jamie Simpson was a horrific crime. His death represents a loss to the community as a whole. My thoughts are with Jamie's friends and family during this remembrance of his life,` commented Diane Abbot MP of Hackney North & Stoke Newington.
Meanwhile, a remembrance book, photographs, candles and flowers have been laid, as well as cans of Jamaican beer have sprung up in a makeshift memorial to Simpson. ­ CaribWorldNews.com

Raffel Douglas to be deported ­ NY court accepts guilty plea

New York, April 15, 2008: Drug accused Guyanese Raffel Christopher Douglas is to be deported shortly, after an NY court accepted a guilty plea he made to a charge of conspiring to distribute cocaine in the US using a telephone.
The order was made yesterday at the New York Eastern District Court during a hearing that was set to decide the Guyanese's fate after he pleaded guilty to the charge late last month. As a result of his guilty plea, the US government dropped four other drug-related charges against the Guyanese and taking into consideration a previous imprisonment in Canada and the time he spent behind bars since his apprehension in 2005, he was released without any sentence. 
The other charges Douglas was facing were distribution of narcotics for illegal importation and three counts of conspiracy to distribute narcotics. He had been indicted in connection with the shipment of 184 kilogrammes of cocaine, seized at JFK Airport on September 21, 2003.
Attorney-at-law Paul Laymon, who represented the US in the case, said in court documents seen by this newspaper responding to Douglas's plea, that the US government believed that Douglas's offered plea was fair.
He noted that the case boiled down to the testimony of an informant, who could be skilfully impeached by the defence.
Further, Laymon said, the case involved only two kilogrammes of cocaine, though there were some hazy conversations between the confidential informant (CI) and Frederick Hawkesworth (a codefendant in Douglas's case) about other deals.
"Douglas served seven years in Canada on a case which was eventually overturned and will have served almost three years in this case, meaning he will have been confined for about ten of the past 13 years. His apparent guideline range is not much different from the recommended sentence.
Accordingly, the government would urge the court to accept the plea and sentence the defendant in accordance with the plea agreement," Laymon asserted.  
According to the US case, a CI working with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Barbados met in Barbados in 2003 with Hawkesworth. The DEA believed that Hawkesworth was moving cocaine to the United States.
According to the CI, he advised Hawkesworth that he had contacts at JFK International Airport in New York who could help him smuggle cocaine through JFK on flights coming from the Caribbean. These discussions led Hawkesworth to introduce the CI to Douglas, who was Hawkesworth's partner. Thereafter, the CI had additional conversations with Hawkesworth and Douglas about shipping cocaine aboard flights going to JFK. Douglas informed the CI the cocaine would be arriving on a certain JFK flight in a Nike bag. When the flight arrived, agents were there to search it, the US said noting that the Nike bag was on the plane but the bag did not contain cocaine. Douglas then informed the CI that he would send a second test shipment a few days later, on a flight certain and this time in passenger baggage. When the flight arrived, again the agents were there to search it, and while the luggage was there, it did not contain cocaine.
Eventually, in March 2004, the CI met Douglas and Hawkesworth in Barbados at Hawkesworth's home in Bridgetown and they sold the CI two kilogrammes of cocaine, which the defendants knew were to be transported to New York. The CI paid some money for the cocaine but did not pay the full amount requested, the US said in its case. In April 2004, the CI discussed with Hawkesworth and Douglas about why he was not able to pay all the money he owed them for the two kilogrammes, but according to the US, in reality, the DEA had no money to spare. Hawkesworth eventually told the CI to call his 'buddy' because "the man is cursing me."
The US said its case against Douglas was based almost solely on the informant's testimony, as corroborated by several recorded telephone calls with Douglas and the codefendant Hawkesworth, along with several recorded face-to-face meetings with Hawkesworth in which Douglas was discussed.
Some of the recorded telephone calls and recorded meetings were hard to hear, though some were audible, the US said in its case, adding that the DEA agents were unable to see the informant meeting Douglas, although two agents did observe a courier deliver the two kilogrammes of cocaine to the informant. The US added that the CI was a paid informant, who has been doing the job since 1999 and has been paid about $250,000 during the course of his service as an informant. The US further noted that the CI was shot while working on a case in the Caribbean, and the DEA paid for his medical treatment.
The CI has a prior felony conviction for robbery, for which he served about four years. He has denied ever being involved in drug trafficking. However, he was a potential witness in a United States prosecution against Charles Miller, his cousin, which occurred in Miami in about 2000.
Additionally, the US noted in its case that Douglas had moved to Canada from Guyana in the early 1990s. In 1994, he was charged in Canada with conspiracy to import cocaine.
His trial started on February 20, 1997 and concluded on March 26, 1997 with a jury verdict of guilty. He was in custody from the time of his arrest in February 1994 and remained in custody until about 2001.
On July 8, 1997, he was sentenced to 13 years. He appealed the case and his conviction and sentence were overturned.
The crown prosecutor had the option to retry him, but instead Douglas was deported to Guyana after serving about seven years in total.
He apparently returned to Guyana where he lived with his family, the US said in the background of its case, noting that he had been back in Guyana less than three years when he came to the attention of the DEA and its informant in the fall of 2003.
The US stated that in the investigation of the Canadian case and the instant one in New York, agents from Canada and the DEA travelled to Guyana and observed Douglas's home, which was described as "comfortable but not lavish in what would amount to a middle-class neighbourhood".
According to the US case, on one occasion when Douglas travelled to Barbados to meet the CI, undercover Barbados police officers observed him, his wife, a teenage son, and a teenage daughter at the home of codefendant Hawkesworth. Douglas was observed playing cricket with his teenage son.

HAITI TO GET EMERGENCY FOOD AID THROUGH OAS-PADF INITIATIVE

Washington DC, April 11, 2008: Some 400 tons of fortified rice, worth more than $1.5 million, is available for delivery as emergency food aid to Haiti, especially for those in greatest need, the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), an affiliate of the Organization of American States, announced in Washington on Thursday.
OAS Assistant Secretary General Albert R. Ramdin chaired the meeting of the Organization's Group of Friends of Haiti, at which PADF Executive Director John Sanbrailo announced the proposed aid package. Sanbrailo also appealed to OAS member states and other interested parties to help mobilize some $200,000 in funds to underwrite the cost of shipping the rice.
The food would be distributed largely to schools (under the school feeding programs), health centers for women and children, hospitals and community groups operating in Cité Soleil, Bel Air and other locations where PADF has programs, Sanbrailo explained.
In addition to the food security question, Ramdin identified the need for efficient food distribution systems to ensure those most in need receive help, and in that regard he praised the PADF's effective network for aid delivery. Ramdin also cited immediate employment opportunities as a way to help maintain political and social stability in Haiti, arguing that street cleaning projects would generate useful short-term employment.
Several member state representatives reiterated their support for urgent action to mobilize assistance for the sister country of Haiti, detailing their respective government's initiatives, such as food and security assistance provided by Brazil, Canada and other governments. Bahamian Ambassador Cornelius Smith conveyed the solidarity of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) governments, assuring the Friends of Haiti meeting that, "We stand ready to assist in whatever way we can."
On behalf of his government, Haiti's Permanent Representative Ambassador Duly Brutus thanked the OAS and the PADF as well as member states and the other interested partners, for their demonstration of commitment to his country.
Ramdin suggested the "Friends of Haiti," which includes OAS member states and observers as well as key inter-American institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank and the Pan American Development Organization (PAHO), meet again before a meeting in Haiti this coming April 24 and 25 to consider funding for the government's National Strategy Paper on Growth and Poverty Reduction.

Jamaican on vacation in London on drug charge

London, April 10, 2008: A Jamaican man on vacation in London, England was on Tuesday granted bail following his arrest the day before on a charge of possession of crack/cocaine.
The man, Ian Grey, 33, of Kingston, was arrested after the contraband was found hidden in the spare tyre compartment of the vehicle he was driving. British police put the value of the illegal drugs at £7,500. When he appeared before the courts on Tuesday, Grey, who arrived in England on March 20, was granted bail in the sum of £150,000. On Monday, Grey was pulled over by a police patrol in an area known for the sale of the drug in the depressed Hounslow Borough In London.
Police said he was arrested after it was discovered that he was driving the blue BMW motor car without a British driver's licence.
"The vehicle was searched and the parcel containing the drugs was allegedly found stashed underneath the spare tyre," Melody Green of Pride Magazine in London told the Observer.
If convicted, Grey, who is to re-appear in court on April, 17, could be sentenced to a minimum of seven years, half of which he will spend in the British prison before being deported to Jamaica to finish his sentence.
He was scheduled to return to Jamaica in May.

UN reaffirms support to Haiti for stability, development

New York, April 09, 2008: The UN Security Council reiterated on Tuesday their support to the government of Haiti and the UN mission in this conflict-poverty stricken Caribbean country for its stability and development.
In a statement read out by Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo of South Africa, the current president of the council, the members reiterated their "sustained support to the government of Haiti and to the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) in their efforts towards ensuring stability, consolidating democracy, and sustaining conditions conductive to economic growth, social development and the delivery of humanitarian assistance and basic services to the Haitian people."
The members of the council were briefed Tuesday morning on recent developments in Haiti by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of MINUSTAH.
He said Haiti has made significant gains in politics, security and institution-building, but warning that this progress remains fragile and subject to swift reversal at the same time.
Annabi noted that there has been a rise in anti-government demonstrations, with a particular focus on the recent dramatic increase in the cost of living, notably in a violent demonstration last week in Les Cayes.
He said in order to combat the threat of criminality and violence, the UN Mission has reinforced its collaboration with theHaitian authorities and has enhanced the sharing of information.
In the statement, council members also reiterated their support for the secretary-general's intention to prepare a consolidation plan with benchmarks to measure continued progress, on the basis of consultation with the Haitian authorities

'The war changed him' - Mother-daughter team that helped raise Kevin Brown will stand by him BY TYRONE S REID Sunday Observer staff reporter reidt@jamaicaobserver.com

Kingston, Jamaica, April 6, 2008: Kevin Christopher Brown has always been a traveller.
Growing up in Jamaica in the 1980s, he lived between Kingston, Manchester and Westmoreland. By adolescence, he was boarding regular flights to the United States to visit relatives - sometimes not returning for lengthy periods - and by adulthood, he was flying to the war-torn Iraq as a soldier with the US Army.
Kevin Brown with his newborn son, circa, mid-2005.
Most recently, Brown, 32, was about to travel to Jamaica to visit friends and family when he was detained at the Orlando International Airport in Florida after a search of his luggage revealed bomb-making material.
The story made international media headlines last week and the image of the Jamaican-born man - about 6'7" tall, dark and heavily-built with some facial hair - handcuffed, sitting on a pavement outside the main airport building as law enforcement officers conducted their investigation into the 'mysterious contents' of his travelling bag, was beamed into households via big-name news networks.
Nobody was more shocked at the news than Lucille Rodney and Carmen (her alias), the mother-daughter team that helped raise Brown as a child living in Kingston, after his biological single mother, Sandra McLeod (friend and one-time neighbour of the Rodneys in St Andrew), moved to Negril, Westmoreland, to establish herself as a hotelier and businesswoman. They did not know he was coming home.
"Growing up, his mother could afford to take him where he wanted to," shared Carmen Rodney, Lucille's 30-something year-old daughter, whom Brown often called 'Auntie'. "He came from a privileged background, not excessively, though. But he was not spoilt because sometimes he had to earn what he wanted," she added.
Born in 1975, Brown led a normal childhood, surrounded by loving family, despite the occasional travelling. He attended Stella Maris Preparatory School and Knox College, where he was a boarding student up to third form before he moved to Kingston in 1991 to enroll at Priory High.
Brown, with friends at a US Army base during his days as a soldier.
During that time, he lived with the Rodneys in Red Hills, St Andrew, regularly going to Negril to visit his mother on weekends. Brown's father had passed away when he was only a toddler.
"He was not a child that got into trouble. He had friends but he never kept bad company to get him in any kind of mischief as a teenager," said Lucille, to whom Brown often referred as his 'other mother'. "He attended church regularly with us [St Georges Anglican, Duke Street, Kingston]. And he would go down to the country regularly to look for his mom," she added.
After completing his high school education in Jamaica, mounting ambition, the appeal of overseas opportunities and a thirst for success led him to travel again to the US to enroll in college.
"He went up to go to school but he could not decide what to study," Carmen said.
By that time, in the late 1990s, his mother had opened a small hotel in Negril and was finding moderate success in the hospitality industry. Brown would visit Jamaica occasionally to check on relatives.
"He then decided to join the US army and he did numerous stints in Poland and Germany. He got numerous medals during this time," Lucille said.
With the dawn of 2003 came the Iraq War. Brown went to serve during the second six months and served double time after his stay was extended - leaving Iraq in early 2005, a little before his mother's brutal murder in Negril. She was strangled. And while suspects have been brought in by investigating officers, three years later, they are yet to stand trial.
Just two days before his mother's murder Brown married a fellow Army officer and made plans to honeymoon in Jamaica. His son, who turns four in a few months, was also born around that time. A lot was happening and quickly in Brown's life.
According to the Rodneys, the former US soldier who had to leave the army for medical reasons, sank into a deep depression following his departure from Iraq. The depression, they believe, became compounded when he learnt of his mother's murder. He subsequently began abusing alcohol, they said.
"The war changed him. The war depressed him because afterwards he had to seek medical attention. He became unstable because of his experiences. He saw many of friends die and heard gunshots 24/7 during over there," Lucille explained.
"And I know for a fact that since his mother died three years ago it has been with him. At the funeral, he got off right there. We had to call a doctor for him. He couldn't believe that his mother died like that. The news was hard to swallow," she said.
Brown has been in police custody in the US since his arrest. A judge ruled last week that there was enough evidence to proceed against him. He was subsequently charged by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) with attempting to place an explosive device on an aeroplane.
"The news was shocking. It was something unexpected because we didn't even know he was coming back to Jamaica. I immediately started trying to think and reason out why he would do anything like that," Lucille told the Sunday Observer.
According to the FBI, the liquid substance found in Brown's luggage was nitromethane, a potentially explosive formula. Galvanised pipes, end caps, two containers of BBs, batteries, bomb-making literature and a rocket igniter were also allegedly found in Brown's luggage. A laptop computer was removed from his carry-on bag for analysis by the FBI.
"I am still baffled as to why he would have that in his luggage. I can't say why. I can't think for him," Carmen said.
Psychologist and human relationship expert, Dr Veronica Salter, said grief and mental anguish can severely alter a person's state of mind and functioning.
"Severe grief is a terrible thing and it can cause anyone to have a breakdown. Grief can certainly alter your state of mind. A lot has happened to [Brown] especially his mother's murder and going to Iraq. The sort of stress he's been exposed to is enough to cause serious mental and emotional damage," Salter told the Sunday Observer. "War is a very traumatic experience. The episodes of violence, one right after another, can take a strong toll on anyone. I am very seriously concerned about what's going to happen to him. I am not one to judge but he's clearly in need of psychiatric help."
Psychologist Dr Leahcim Semaj also said being surrounded by such graphic violence can take its toll on a person's brain, an idea being explored in the media regarding Brown's case.
"If you examine the story closely you will see that it is about the frailty of the human mind and factors that push people over the edge. What we're now hearing in the media has to do with how vulnerable the human mind can be when exposed to stressors."
On the other hand, Salter's overall concerns on the issue of mental health extend beyond Kevin Brown's case. According to Salter, the stigma attached to mental illness and the capacity to deal with it, here in Jamaica, are important matters that need to be addressed.
"What facilities and conditions do we have here in Jamaica to deal with such situations? If he's shipped back here what will happen? Because we are not adequately equipped to deal with such situations," Salter pointed out.
In the meantime, although Brown's prosecution hearing last week was initially scheduled to determine whether he
could be granted bail, that decision has been rescheduled to a later date. The Rodneys are prepared to stand by him, through it all.
"I'll be travelling up there to see what and what can be done from a family perspective. He is not guilty of terrorist activity," Lucille told the Sunday Observer. "I know they will have to put him in an institution because he just needs help. Everything happened to him in a short period of time and I think his mental state has suffered as a result. But I know that with God on our side, things will work out," she added, slowly nodding - seemingly holding on to the belief that what does not kill you, only makes you stronger.
Editor's Note: Reprinted from the Jamaica Observor of April 6, 2008.

Trini-born US soldier killed in Iraq

NEW YORK, April 5th 2008: JUST three weeks before he was scheduled to return from Iraq, Trinidadian-born US soldier, Sergeant Dayne Dhanoolal, was killed in Baghdad.
Dhanoolal, 26, died of massive injuries when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle on Monday, the US Department of Defence said in a statement.
Dhanoolal was originally from Acono Road, St Joseph, before he migrated to New York 11 years ago.
Dhanoolal, who joined the US Army six years ago, was a combat engineer with the 3rd Brigade in Fort Benning, Georgia. He was supporting "Operation Iraqi Freedom". His older sister, Sergeant First Class Jillene Fenton, is on her fourth tour in Iraq.
Dhanoolal, the only son from five children, was the youngest.
In a statement yesterday, his sister, Darlene Dhanoolal, said, "This is a tough time for our family because we always knew this was a possibility, but we never imagined that it would happen."
Darlene added, "He was the type of person that left a happy memory wherever he went. No matter the situation he always tried to make the best of it."
"We will forever remember his gigantic grin... we know that you (Dayne) are definitely smiling down from heaven at us.
"You are gone but you will always be missed, loved and always remembered forever in our hearts."
Reports in the New York Post said three hours before Dhanoolal was killed, he text-messaged his 28-year-old wife, Kynesha, to tell her he loved her. It was the last thing he said to her.
The couple, who got married three weeks before he first went overseas, had been together over Christmas, before he had to return to Iraq, the paper reported.

US federal judge detains Jamaican bomb suspect

NEW YORK, United States, April 4, 2008: A United States federal judge says there is enough evidence to detain the Jamaican man accused of having bomb-making material in his luggage at a US airport, taking the ex-soldier one step closer to facing a Grand Jury on the matter.
When 32-year-old Kevin Brown returned to court yesterday at what was expected to be a bail hearing his attorney, Assistant Federal Public Defender Clarence Counts instead asked prosecutors to begin a preliminary examination of the evidence that led to his client's arrest. The court-appointed lawyer later said he would seek Brown's release at a later date "if circumstances change".
After hearing submissions from both sides, Magistrate Karla Spaulding ruled there was "probable cause" to proceed with the case against Brown. He has been detained at the Seminole County Jail in Orlando pending a Grand Jury indictment.
Brown first appeared in court on Wednesday, a day after being apprehended by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials at the Orlando International Airport where he was awaiting an Air Jamaica flight to Montego Bay. When his luggage was searched, two galvanised pipes, end caps, two containers of BB pellets, batteries, flammable liquid in two Vodka bottles, a laptop and bomb-making literature were allegedly found.
He has since been charged by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) with attempting to place an explosive device on an airplane.
Assistant US Attorney Vincent Citro yesterday argued that the flammable nitromethane which Brown was allegedly carrying could have caused a fire and explosion.
But Brown's attorney argued that there was no real threat since the materials were not assembled and he could not have accessed them after he checked in his luggage.
"None of these items, your honor, were packaged in such a way that they would explode...We did not have a bomb," Mr Counts told the judge.
"He didn't have any way of even detonating any explosive device, so there really was no danger to anyone on the airplane."
An FBI agent told the court that Brown had initially indicated he was going to use the materials to blow up a tree stump on his cousin's property back home in Jamaica. He later added that he was going to show friends how to make bombs like the ones he saw in Iraq.
Brown, who joined the US Army in June 1999 and was discharged in December 2003, reportedly had a history of mental illness and had sunk into a deep depression after the strangling death of his mother in 2005.
sTwo men have been charged in connection with her murder, but the case is still ongoing

Barbados National Nabbed At Ontario Crossing

CaribWorldNews, NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y., Thurs. April 3, 2008: A 34-year-old Barbados national, wanted for questioning in connection with a murder that occurred in that Caribbean nation, has been nabbed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents.
Earl Victor was arrested at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing in Niagara Falls, N.Y. after CBP officers revealed inconsistencies in his story. He was referred to secondary inspection for verification of his immigration status and record checks subsequently revealed that Victor was the subject of an INTERPOL lookout issued in July 2007.
Victor had in his possession an Ontario, Canada, driver's license and claimed that his Barbadian passport was at his residence in St. Catherines, Ontario.
Police officers in Barbados advised CBP that Victor has several criminal convictions in Barbados, including a charge of wounding resulting in serious bodily harm and may be involved in drug smuggling.
Barbadian authorities further advised CBP that Victor is wanted on an active warrant for robbery, for which he was previously held in Barbadian custody, but absconded on June 28, 2007, and fled to Canada.
Victor was found to be inadmissible to the United States due his various convictions for crimes involving moral turpitude, and is being held at the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in Batavia, N.Y. pending an immigration hearing. Authorities in Barbados are currently pursuing

Website launches searchable register of British Empire's slaves

LONDON, England (AFP), April 3, 2008: A website specialising in family geneaology launched a massive online searchable register of slaves of the British Empire Wednesday, allowing descendants of slaves to discover their origins.
The social history website Ancestry.co.uk has compiled the details of more than 2.7 million slaves and 280,000 slave-owners from 17 former British colonies for Internet users to explore.
Stretching from 1812 to 1834, the records of the slaves are searchable by name, year of birth and gender, as well as by the name of their holder.
According to the website, more than half a million Britons are originally from black Caribbean former colonies, the majority of them descended from slaves.
"The slave registers are a vital resource and are for many the only record of their ancestor's existence," said Simon Harper, a spokesman for Ancestry.co.uk.
Last year, Britain commemorated 200 years since it outlawed slavery. The Abolition of the Slave Trade Act was passed on March 25, 1807, imposing a 100-pound fine for every slave found aboard a British ship.
The 1833 Slavery Abolition Act outlawed slavery itself throughout the British Empire. However, some slaves did not gain their final freedom until 1838.

UN chief pleads for continued international role in Haiti

UNITED NATIONS (AFP), April 3, 2008: Strong international involvement in Haiti remains indispensable to cope with security threats and ensure the success of reforms, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said in his latest report released Wednesday.
"Strong international involvement remains indispensable for continued progress," Ban noted, stressing the key role of the 9,000-strong UN troops and police in responding to security threats and criminal activity and backing state authority along the country's border with the Dominican Republic.He also made clear that the reform of the rule-of-law structures was key to bosltering stability in the impoverished Caribbean nation.
Ban said that it was essential that plans for justice sector reform be translated into action and that "the necessary national and international funding be made available to support those reform processes."
Turning to the security situation, the secretary general noted a marked improvement since UN peacekeepers spearheaded major raids against gangs preying on slum-dwellers in early 2007 in Port-au-Prince.
"Since December, several areas of Port-au-Prince have experienced an increase in criminality and in the number of reported kidnappings," he said, citing "recurrent indications that gangs may be trying to reorganize themselves."
He said the number of kidnappings per month from December 2007 to February this year reached 28, up from 11 six months earlier.
The rising cost of living has also fueled a hike in anti-government protests, he noted, citing statistics from the UN mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) pointing to 164 such demonstrations in the six months leading to last August and 258 in the subsequent six months.
"There is a risk that those who perceive their interests to be threatened by ongoing reform processes may deliberately seek to foster additional disturbances, including through orchestrated acts of violence," Ban said.
"Suspected illicit trafficking activities along the coast and by air have the potential to contribute to instability, as do uncontrolled movements of goods and persons across the land border," he added.
MINUSTAH was deployed in volatile Haiti after then-president Jean Bertrand Aristide fled an uprising in February
2004.
Its main troops contributors are: Brazil, Uruguay, Sri Lanka, Jordan, Nepal, Argentina and Chile.
More than half of the Caribbean nation's 8.4 million people live on one dollar a day, according to UN officials.

Bomb suspect a sick man Mom's murder, Iraq War depressed Kevin Brown

Miami, April 03, 2008: PERSONS who know Kevin Brown, the Jamaican-born ex-US soldier who was held trying to take bomb parts on an Air Jamaica flight at the Orlando International Airport on Tuesday, yesterday insisted he is not a terrorist but developed mental problems after returning from the war in Iraq.
Brown was discharged from the US Army for medical reasons and sunk into further depression after the murder of his mother, 52-year-old hotelier Sandra McLeod, three years ago.
McLeod was found strangled in a room at a hotel she owned in Negril in 2005. Three men are now before the courts for McLeod's murder.
"He is sick. His actions were not about any strike against Jamaica or the national airline," said a Kingston-based woman who claimed to have raised Brown and who opted not to be named.
Yesterday, Brown told investigators that he planned to set the bomb off on a tree stump when he arrived in Jamaica and that he wanted to show his friends the 'bombs he saw in Iraq'.
Lloyd Chung, McLeod's neighbour, said Brown displayed signs of depression after the murder of his mother.
"After his mother's death I met him at his home. He was a quiet, calm and casual person, but after his mother died he started drinking a lot more from when I saw him initially," Chung told the Observer yesterday. "He was a soldier and also his wife, but he told me he was discharged for medical reasons."
Brown appeared in shackles at the Orlando Division of the United States District Court and was ordered held without bail by Magistrate Karla Spaulding until today when bail will be considered.
Brown was charged by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) bomb expert, Kelly Boaz, with attempting to place an incendiary or explosive device.
Court papers bearing the signatures of Spaulding and Boaz said Brown gave up his right to an attorney and agreed to speak with the investigators.
"Brown knowingly and willfully waived his Miranda rights and spoke with agents about the items in his baggage and backpack," the paper stated. "Brown told us, among other things, that he bought the items in Gainsville, Florida and intended to use them as a pipe bomb."
The hearing was put off today after government officials asked for time to check if Brown suffered from mental illness.
A release from the FBI's public affairs officer, David Couvertier, said the liquid found in Brown's luggage was nitromethane, a potentially explosive formula. Galvanised pipes, end caps, two containers of BBs, batteries, bomb-making literature and a rocket igniter were also found in Brown's luggage, the FBI said. A laptop computer was taken from his carry-on bag and is now being analysed by the FBI.
The bureau yesterday said Brown had no fixed address and "slept out in the open".
He signed up to the US Army in September 1999 and was honourably discharged in December 2003. Brown was given a commendation medal for serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, officials said.
Records show Brown was at a medical unit at Fort Bennington in Columbus, Georgia after he served in the Iraq War.
He was married for about a year to another army officer.

Barbados takes lead of OAS' second highest decision making body

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, April 2, 2008: Barbados is now at the helm of the Organisation of American States' (OAS) Permanent Council.
The country's Permanent Representative to the OAS, Ambassador Michael King has assumed chairmanship of the second highest decision-making body of the 34 member hemispheric organisation, calling for equality and justice to be more entrenched in the Americas.
For the next three months, he will steer the work of the Council, including its preparations for the upcoming OAS General Assembly to be held in Medellin, Colombia, in early June.
Chairing his first regular session of the Permanent Council, Ambassador King called for equality, justice and a culture peace to be promoted in this hemisphere.
"It is clearly understood that individuals who are prevented from participating in the economic, social and political affairs of their countries, will eventually participate in eroding the existing political, economic and social framework," he declared to his colleague ambassadors in the Permanent Council.
"The best way to see to the health of this hemisphere's political and democratic system is to deepen the emphasis on social justice. The need for equality is apparent, when the condition of Afro descendants, indigenous people, women, youth and the disabled is observed."
Ambassador King replaces Ambassador Cornelius Smith of the Bahamas whose three-month stint had ended.
Meantime, Ambassador Anthony Johnson has become Jamaica's Permanent Representative to the Permanent Council.
He used his maiden address to reiterate the call for a timely conclusion of the proposed Social Charter of the Americas to serve as "a blueprint for action on the social agenda of the OAS and in the fight against poverty."
Ambassador Johnson also highlighted the challenges to hemispheric security posed by "the borderless phenomena of illicit traffic in drugs and small arms, transnational organized crime and terrorism, to which all our countries are vulnerable and which undermine our efforts to maintain stable and prosperous societies".
He therefore urged the OAS to continue to play its part in tackling these scourges.

Roger Khan's pre-trial hearings postponed to Oct. 27

New York, April 2, 2008: Shaheed 'Roger' Khan would have to spend even more time in jail. On Monday, Judge Dora Irizarry ruled that she was adjourning the hearing until October 27.
When she adjourned the matter there were two motions before her, one of them filed by the defence to take depositions in Guyana and the other by the government, on which there can be no comment since the matter is sealed.
Initially, both the defence and the prosecution had agreed that a one-month postponement would have been adequate for the two sides to marshal their arguments. They informed the judge that they would have been ready to make their submissions by April 28.
However, the judge declined. Further, she refused to undertake any matter during the summer and promptly set the next court date for October 27.
Meanwhile, people close to the trial believe that one of the prosecution witnesses is hidden in the United States and is making calls to people in Guyana and that these calls are being recorded.
The witness who has been identified as David Clarke is said to have been arrested in the United States with a quantity of drugs and that he has been a co-operating witness.
Clarke was a former member of the Guyana Defence Force who had traveled to the States and ran foul of the law.

Bomb scare in Orlando J'can held before boarding Air J flight to MoBay