Mystikal gives final show
Thousands turned out Friday to see New Orleans rapper Mystikal perform one last time before returning to jail on a probation violation.
The rapper, whose real name is Michael Tyler, was released from a Louisiana prison in 2010 after serving six years for sexual battery and extortion. He returns to jail May 14 following a February arrest on a misdemeanour charge of domestic abuse battery.
In April, the rapper's attorney, Roy Maughan Jr, said Tyler and the victim in the domestic battery case were long-time domestic partners.
The rapper alluded to his legal problems on stage Friday.
"I'm going through some things, but it's gonna be all right," Mystikal said to cheering fans. "Fellas if you get into it with your girl, just walk away. Me? I'm gonna run."
He also shouted: "Eighty-one days and I will be back," referring to the length of his pending jail term.
State District Judge Tony Marabella of Baton Rouge ordered Tyler to serve 90 days in jail for the violation but gave him credit for the nine days he was detained after his Feb 22 arrest.
Mystikal thanked his fans for their continued support and, in between a few water breaks, pushed through a set list that included fan favorites "Bouncin' Back, "Danger (Been So Long)," and "Here I Go."
"He's been through a lot, but I like artists who keep pushing past their struggles," said Erik Hamilton, of New Orleans. "A lot of people focus on an artist's problems and forget that he's a regular person and regular people sometimes have problems.
"I'm disappointed to hear he has to go back (to jail) but he'll have some time to sit back and realise what he's done and hopefully he will be a better man when he comes out."
Hamilton's wife, Frenchell Pannell-Hamilton, said she enjoyed the rapper's performance.
"We have to support our local musicians and stand behind them," she said. "That helps keep New Orleans strong."
Tony Jones, visiting from Hawaii, said he didn't know what happened to get Mystikal a return ticket to prison, but hoped "the judge was lenient."
Jason Foster, a Charlotte, NC native now living in New Orleans, said he grew up with Mystikal. This was his first time at the Jazz Fest and his first time seeing the rapper's live show, which included music by his full brass band "Hot Sausage."
"He played all his hits and gave a great show," Foster said.
Tyler pleaded guilty in 2003 to forcing his hairstylist to perform what a judge called "continuous sex acts." The victim in that case accused Tyler and two bodyguards of making her perform oral sex after accusing her of stealing $80,000 worth of his checks.
The woman denied stealing any money.
--AP
9 found hanging from Mexican bridge
Residents of the Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo found nine bodies hanging from an overpass Friday morning, along with a message directed to a drug cartel.
The five men and four women were hanging from one of the busiest intersections in the city.
"We are investigating. We think it is related to an organized crime group, but we cannot speculate," a military official told CNN. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
All of the bodies had signs of being beaten and tortured, the military official said. The bodies had their hands tied behind their backs and seven of them had blindfolds on.
The message said the victims belonged to a drug cartel and had been responsible for a car bomb that exploded outside the police station in last month.
Source-CNN
Prostitute to sue US embassy workers, marine
A Brazilian prostitute plans to sue the United States Embassy, three Marines, an American staff member and one of the Embassy's Brazilian drivers for injuries caused when she allegedly was pushed out of a van in Brasilia, her attorney said yesterday.
Attorney Cezar Britto said by telephone that Romilda Aparecida Ferreira will sue for injuries, medical expenses and lost income.
Britto said that any possible financial settlement would be determined by a judge.
The attorney described Ferreira as a "sex professional and dancer" who met the four Americans at the Apples nightclub on December 29, 2011. She and three other women left with the men in three vehicles, including two belonging to the embassy.
Britto said that after an argument with the driver, one of the Marines pushed Ferreira out of the vehicle. She broke her collarbone, two ribs and punctured a lung when the car ran over her in the nightclub's parking lot, the attorney said.
State Department's spokesperson Victoria Nuland said on Wednesday that the woman was not pushed out of the vehicle, but rather "attempted to open a car door and get into a closed and moving vehicle. She was not able to do so. She fell and she injured herself."
Nuland and Britto said that Brazilian authorities have not filed any charges against the four Americans.
AP
Caribbean to access $10.6 million in climate change financing through IDB
Caribbean countries and regional organizations will apply a $10.6 million grant from the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) to carry out a regional track of activities to address the impact of climate change, the Inter-American Development Bank announced on Friday.
At a recent meeting of the CIF’s subcommittee for the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR), members endorsed a strategic investment program for the Caribbean region that will fund activities in four areas:
• Improving geospatial data and management for adaptation planning, sea level rise and storm surge impact analysis.
• Consolidating and expanding the regional climate monitoring network and global platform linkages.
• Downscaling and expanding climate projection models and high-resolution maps.
• Applied adaptation initiatives.
The Caribbean Regional PPCR is a collaborative effort between six participating countries — Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St Lucia and St Vincent, each with its own national program and the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center serving as a focal point for the regional track of activities. Lessons learned from CIF-funded projects will be disseminated to other non-participating countries in the region.
The Climate Investment Funds include the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) and the Strategic Climate Fund (SCF), which are financed with contributions from donor countries. The Pilot Program for Climate Resilience is a targeted program funded by the SCF. CIF funds are disbursed through multilateral development banks such as the IDB.
Caribbean News Now
France Elects New President
France has a new leader after Socialist challenger Francois Hollande beat conservative incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy in the French presidential election.
Final results Monday show Mr. Hollande won 51.6 percent of the vote to Mr. Sarkozy's 48.4 percent in Sunday's runoff election. French media say the outgoing president will officially hand over power on May 15.
The vote reflected citizens' disapproval of the country's spending cuts and high unemployment. The outgoing president said he takes responsibility for the election loss.
Mr. Hollande opposes many of the tough economic austerity measures in France. He will be the first left-wing French leader in almost 20 years.
Mr. Hollande is regarded as a mild-mannered career politician. He has promised to move quickly to implement a traditional socialist tax-and-spend program with higher taxes on the rich to help finance increased state spending.
He also is expected to try to renegotiate European Union-imposed austerity measures.
U.S. President Barack Obama telephoned his congratulations to Mr. Hollande Sunday and invited him to the White House before the G-8 and NATO summits later this month.
China Criticizes US Role in Dissident Case
China says the United States should “take necessary measures” to prevent a repeat of events like the case involving dissident Chen Guangcheng.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei made the comments Monday during a briefing in Beijing.
“The incident of last week reflected the U.S. interference with China's internal affairs. What the U.S. side should be doing now is to take on a responsible attitude to learn lessons from the relevant case, reconsider its policies and practice, and take necessary measures to avoid similar incidents happening again.''
Chen said Monday he does not expect any trouble from Beijing when he applies for permission to travel to the United States with his family.
The Reuters news agency said that during a phone interview Chen said he does not know when he will leave China, but that “it shouldn't be too long.”
Chen spoke from a Beijing hospital where he is being treated for injuries sustained during his escape from house arrest two weeks ago. The report quoted him as saying he is “feeling much better.”
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said Sunday the blind dissident's future is in the United States, and that the U.S. is ready to give Chen a visa right away.
Mr. Biden said Washington expects China to stick to its commitment to allow Chen to take up a fellowship offer at New York University.
China's foreign ministry on Friday said that Chen can apply to leave the country to study, “just like any other Chinese citizen.”
The announcement followed a series of appeals by Chen, who said he is worried about his safety and wants to travel to the U.S. “for a time.”
Chen originally agreed to a deal reached by U.S. and Chinese authorities that would allow him to stay in a “safe” place in China and study law. But he changed his mind hours after leaving U.S. protection, saying his family had been threatened.
Chen is a self-taught lawyer and human rights activist who has been blind since childhood. He was given a four-year prison sentence in 2006 for exposing abuses under China's forced abortion policy aimed at population control. He had been under house arrest since 2010, before fleeing on April 22 to the U.S. embassy.
Al-Qaida Militants Kill 20 Yemeni Soldiers
Yemeni military officials say suspected al-Qaida militants have killed at least 20 soldiers during a surprise attack in the country's south.
The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Monday's assault occurred in the volatile Abyan province.
The attack comes a day after a senior al-Qaida leader in the Gulf region was killed by a U.S. airstrike in Yemen. Officials say Fahd al-Quso was hit by a missile in Rafth, in the country's southern Shabwa province, along with another al-Qaida operative.
The Yemeni embassy in Washington said Quso was “one of Yemen's most wanted terrorists.” The terror group Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has confirmed his death.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington had placed Quso on its “most wanted” list. He was charged in a U.S. court with involvement in the October 12, 2000 bombing of the USS Cole at a port in Yemen – an attack that killed 17 American sailors and wounded dozens of others.
Suspected Bali Bomber Apologizes to Victims
An Islamic militant accused of making the bombs used in the 2002 Bali nightclub attacks has apologized to victims and their families.
During emotional testimony at his trial Monday, Umar Patek said he played only a small role in the attacks that killed 202 people, and did not know nightclubs were the target.
Patek faces a maximum penalty of death if convicted of charges that include premeditated murder, bomb-making and illegal firearms possession. He faces similar charges for his alleged role in deadly attacks on Christian churches in Jakarta on Christmas Eve of 2000.
Patek was captured in January of last year in the same Pakistani town where U.S. forces killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
The Bali attacks and a string of others aimed at foreigners in Indonesia over the past decade have been blamed on members of Jemaah Islamiyah – a hard-line Muslim group that has advocated creating an Islamic state spanning much of Southeast Asia.
Greek Conservatives Must Form Coalition Government
Greek voters have pushed the country into more political uncertainty after no party garnered nearly enough votes to form a government.
Results Monday from parliamentary elections the day before show the conservative New Democracy party winning about 19 percent of the votes. That is the most of any single party, but the percentage falls far short of the number needed to form a government on its own.
The Socialist PASOK party won less than 14 percent of the vote, after taking 44 percent just three years ago to take power in Greece. The leftist, anti-EU bailout Syriza party won about 17 percent in Sunday's election.
New Democracy party leader Antonis Samaras now has three days to form a coalition government. He is expected to begin coalition talks later Monday. Failure to form a coalition after three days leaves the task up to smaller groups.
PASOK took power in 2009 and soon discovered the country was deep in debt. It later entered into a coalition with the conservatives to get parliament to pass tough economic austerity measures. The EU demanded Greece impose the measures if it wanted crucial bailout money.
The measures include job cuts and tax hikes, infuriating millions of Greeks who say they sacrificed enough.
Both parties have said they will press the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank to ease austerity requirements imposed on Athens' debt-ridden government in return for more than $300 billion in two bailouts. But many Greeks accuse the ND-PASOK coalition of fueling the crisis with corrupt practices and widespread mismanagement.
Champion Mavericks head home, trailing Thunder 2-0
Last postseason, Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks rode a wave of late-game comebacks to win the franchise's first NBA title.
Now the Oklahoma City Thunder are showing the Mavs how it feels to be on the other side.
Russell Westbrook scored 29 points, Kevin Durant added 26 in an off-shooting performance and Oklahoma City clawed out a 102-99 victory over Dallas on Monday night to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.
The Mavericks led in the final minute in both road games so far, but couldn't even manage a split as the Thunder gutted out two wins by a total of four points.
"We just haven't made enough plays. It is tough, there's no question about it," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "We've had opportunities and we haven't cashed in. They've made one more play than we have in both games. That's how playoff basketball is."
Durant hit two free throws with 50.4 seconds left to give Oklahoma City a 98-97 lead, and reserve James Harden hit all four of his foul shots after that to close it out for the Thunder.
Jason Terry missed two 3-point attempts from the left wing in the final 5 seconds that could have tied it and set up overtime. Instead, the defending champs head back home facing what amounts to a must-win Game 3 on Thursday night in Dallas.
"That's really all we need right now is to get on the board on Thursday," said Nowitzki, who led Dallas with 31 points but missed both his shots in the final 75 seconds.
"I still think the guys are upbeat, even though we're down 2-0. The guys know that we're right there. We're still in this if we get the game on Thursday."
If not, the Thunder will take a big step toward avenging last year's 4-1 loss in the Western Conference finals.
"Obviously, they have been here last year so they know what it takes," Harden said. "We've made it pretty far, so we know what it takes.
"It's going to be a battle."
Durant put the Thunder ahead to stay after salvaging two key points with Oklahoma City inbounding the ball with only 2.6 seconds left on the shot clock. He grabbed the inbounds pass from Harden while headed toward the sideline, and Terry was called for a foul for bumping him.
Durant hit both foul shots, and Nowitzki missed his chance to answer with a fade-away 12-foot jumper from the left side.
Harden, only eight days removed from sustaining a concussion as the result of elbow from Metta World Peace, grabbed the rebound on Nowitzki's shot and got fouled to set up the first of his four clinching free throws in the last 26 seconds.
"That's what the playoffs are about," Westbrook said. "Toughness."
The late-game struggles are exactly the opposite of last year's championship run, when the Mavs got two fourth-quarter rallies while sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers and closed out the Thunder with back-to-back comebacks from deficits of 15 and eight points in the fourth quarter.
But it's a continuation of the regular-season series, when Dallas led in the final 3 minutes of both games in Oklahoma City and lost them both.
"We're just a couple bounces away from being up 2-0," Nowitzki said. "It's tough and it's frustrating, but we're going to keep coming. We're not going to lay down. If they beat us, we're going to make them earn it."
Source-SI