Nichelle Farrington succumbed to her injuries
The journalism family of the Turks and Caicos Islands was thrown into a state of mourning as former WIV reporter and photo-journalist Nichelle Farrington succumbed to her injuries on Sunday night in Providenciales after she was involved in a vehicular accident.
Reports reaching RTC state that it was just after 5 p.m. when the accident occurred on the South Dock Road with Farrington being severely injured.
Farrington is best known for her investigative reporting pieces and was even attached to NBC in the United States as an understudy. Her friends described her as a positive person and a lover of the spoken word as she often broadcast her poems and rap verses on You Tube and other social media.
We will have more on this tragedy in a subsequent newscast.
Son of Skatalites member killed in Jamaica
Relatives say the 32-year-old son of a founding member of the pioneering Jamaican ska and reggae band The Skatalites was fatally shot about an hour after accepting a music award for his ill father.
Ruth Brevett says her son Okine was killed Sunday by a gunman at the entrance of his home in the rough Seaview Gardens area of Kingston.
He was shot about 15 minutes after showing his 80-year-old father, Lloyd Brevett, an award from the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association for the father's musical contributions. Former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson handed over the award.
Lloyd Brevett was an original member of The Skatalites, a hugely influential band begun in 1964. The group made its mark by transforming everything from jazz to movie themes into ska style.
-AP
Reggae Artist Pressure Shot In St. Thomas
As the sun was setting and families were heading home about 6:30 p.m. Friday, gunfire erupted between Buildings 11 and 12 of Paul M. Pearson Gardens housing community, leaving music promoter Shamal Smith, 24, dead, and wounding St. Thomas reggae artist Delyno "Pressure" Brown and a 33-year-old acquaintance.
By 10:30 p.m. Friday, Pressure, 30, was home with his mother and father, trying to promote a new album over the phone with a fresh, single gunshot wound through his right hip.
"The bullet went straight through," said Pressure's father, Irvin "Brownie" Brown.
While Brownie was on the phone, Pressure told him to mention his latest feature, which has not been released yet and still lacks a title, he said.
Pressure, who lives in Florida and arrived Monday with a scheduled flight home Sunday, was set to perform tonight at Pilgrim's Terrace, Brownie said.
The show is scheduled for 10 p.m. with headliner Lady Saw, Pressure Buss Pipe, Selecta Avalanche and After Dark Empire.
Because of Smith's death, it is unclear whether the show will go on or whether Pressure will take the stage, Brownie said.
Friday night, Brownie said Pressure recalled the moments before the shooting, sitting with Smith and discussing tonight's show, which sold advanced tickets for $35.
The second surviving victim, who is Pressure's friend and a fellow musician, suffered gunshot wounds to the chest, police said.
Friday afternoon, Brownie first learned of the shooting with a phone call from his daughter in Texas, he said.
"I flew out of my house and went to the hospital," he said. "I saw the crowd up there.
"The police stopped me, and they told me they believed he was going to be all right," Brownie said.
Pressure ran to the home of a relative who lives in the housing community, Brownie said, and the relative helped him hitch a ride to cc on a safari taxi.
At 8:30 p.m., a police officer escorted a body to the Schneider Hospital morgue, according to police information.
When the rapid gunfire rang out, children ran from the scene, according to police information.
Three male suspects fled the scene, and one of the suspects pulled his shirt over his face while slinging a rifle, according to police information.
Police initiated a search from Paul M. Pearson Gardens housing community to Oswald Harris Court housing community.
No arrests were made by 11 p.m., said St. Thomas-St. John Police Chief Rodney Querrard Sr.
Querrard said the crime scene was crowded when police arrived because of the time of day.
"We had a lot of families getting home from work," Querrard said. "It was just before dark."
Querrard said he could not disclose how many spent shell casings were found at the scene.
Upon initial inspection, no cars bore bullet holes at the scene Friday afternoon, Querrard said.
The investigation is ongoing, and Querrard said police understand some of the crowd that formed after the shooting may already have been at the scene during the shooting.
"There were a lot of people in the area," Querrard said. "We're requesting any information from the community - anything that they saw. No matter how unimportant they believe the information is, please contact us."
RisingStarTV
The Killer mourns - Rodney Pryce, entertainment fraternity remember Ms Ivy
The music fraternity is in mourning, following the untimely death of Rodney 'Bounty Killer' Pryce's mother, Ms Ivy Williams. The name Ms Ivy is very familiar in the dancehall circles, for the most part, because Bounty Killer makes constant reference to her in song.
Bounty made the announcement on Twitter early Sunday morning, expressing his love for his mother and asking the rhetorical question 'why'?
"RIP to the world's greatest mom because she gave the world the greatest man. Ms Ivy Williams 1941-2012. Rest in peace mama, Love you more than ever and always life and death is the equation; it's inevitable and you lived an excellent life my mother, my mentor, my friend, my a whole lot of things. Why now Jah? You know what's best though!!!" Bounty Killer tweeted.
Throughout Bounty Killer's musical career he has continuously shown respect and appreciation for his mother, and has dedicated singles such as Mama on the 1990s 'Cuss Cuss' rhythm, Mama's Love and Pot Of Gold, featuring long-time friend Richie Stephens in her honour.
Bounty Killer's single Ms Ivy Last Son also gave him much attention on the dancehall circuit. The song is used in sound system clashes even today.
The Jamaican STAR made attempts to reach Bounty Killer for a follow-up comment but the artiste was in no mood to talk.
Bounty Killer's business partner and manager of Alliance Next Generation (ANG), Cross Cris, revealed that Bounty Killer was in a meditative mood.
pensive mood
"Bounty Killer is in a pensive mood right now with the passing of his mother who he holds in very high esteem. This has hurt him deeply and it is no secret to the world that his mother was his main motivation. He is in no mood now for an interview at this moment and I, Cross Cris, would like to publicly say condolences to the entire family and hope they can stay strong during this tough time," he said.
"Mama Ivy is a deeply God-fearing woman and we all know that she is in a better place at this time," he added.
The STAR also spoke with ANG artiste Iyara, who described Ms Ivy as being a happy woman.
"Mama Ivy a one of the best mothers. She is like my other mother, she always happy, loving and caring. She always show the youth around Bounty Killer love. A she first bring mi guh a church and mi ago miss har a lot. The entire ANG family will miss her, and sincere condolences to the entire family," Iyara said.
Many local artistes also took to BlackBerry Messenger to share hearts bearing their name in celebration of Ms Ivy's life.
Some of the artistes who parti-cipated in the RIP Ms Ivy love broadcast included Mavado, Sizzla, Darrio, Khago, Kiprich, Busy Signal, Elephant Man, Beenie Man, Quick Cook, D'Angel, Inna Wi Genes Records, and Captain Barkey.
Ms Ivy was 71-years-old at the time of her passing. She had been ill for a while and died in her sleep.
The Artist triumphs at the Oscars
Silent movie The Artist has triumphed at the Oscars, winning five awards including best picture, best director and best actor for Jean Dujardin.
Director Michel Hazanavicius - winning on his first ever nomination - thanked the dog, Uggie, who appears in the film but added: "I don't think he cares."
Dujardin said of his character: "If George Valentin could speak, he would say 'Wow! Victorie! Genial! Merci!'"
The film also won the Oscars for best original score and best costumes.
Martin Scorsese's Hugo also won five Oscars, mainly in technical categories.
Meryl Streep won best actress for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady - her 17th Oscar nomination and third Oscar win.
She thanked the Academy "for this inexplicably wonderful career".
"When they called my name I had this feeling I could hear half of America going: 'Aww no. Not her again'. But, you know, whatever.
"I look out here and I see my life before my eyes. My old friends, my new friends. This is such a great honour but the thing that counts the most for me is the friendships… Thank you. All of you, departed and here," she added.
Dujardin broke into his native French language in celebration shouting: "Wow, victory!"
"Thank you to the Academy. It's funny because in 1929, it wasn't Billy Crystal but Douglas Fairbanks who hosted the first Oscars ceremony. Tickets cost $5 and it lasted 15 minutes. Times have changed."
1929 was the last year that a silent movie won an Oscar.
Canadian actor Christopher Plummer became the oldest Oscar winner at 82 by taking the best supporting actor prize.
He was widely tipped to win for his portrayal of a father who comes out as a gay man after his wife dies in Beginners.
Plummer thanked his real-life wife who, he said, deserved "the Nobel Peace Prize for coming to my rescue every day".
The Help's Octavia Spencer won the best supporting actress Oscar and gave an emotional acceptance speech, receiving a standing ovation from the audience.
Thank you Steven Spielberg for changing my life...oh my God, thank you... I'm freaking out," she told the audience, after struggling up to the stage in a floor-length gown.
Best adapted screenplay went to Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash for The Descendants, starring George Clooney.
Veteran screenwriter and director Woody Allen won best original screenplay for Midnight in Paris but was not there to collect the award.
Muppets win
The first two awards of the night went to Hugo for cinematography and art direction.
Robert Richardson was cinematographer on Martin Scorsese's 3D film and Francesca Lo Schiavo was art director.
And later, the film about an orphan who lives in a train station picked up a further three Oscars, all in technical categories.
Best sound editing was won by Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty.
Hugo's Tom Fleishman and John Midgley won the Oscar for sound mixing and the film also picked up the award for best visual effects.
Rango won best animation, a first Academy award and nomination for director Gore Verbinski, who said it was "made by grown-ups acting like a bunch of children".
The film features the voice of Johnny Depp, who plays a chameleon.
Best animated short film was The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore.
The Oscar for costume design went to Mark Bridges for The Artist, who thanked the Academy "for making a lifelong dream come true".
The best make-up prize went to J Roy Helland and British artist Mark Coulier for The Iron Lady.
Iran's A Separation became the first Iranian film to win an Oscar when Sandra Bullock presented director Asghar Farhadi with best foreign language film.
Set in contemporary Iran, it tells the story of a marriage break-down.
Best film editing went to Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall for Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - the pair also won last year for The Social Network. Both films were directed by David Fincher.
The Oscar for best original song was won by Bret Mackenzie for Man or Muppet from the soundtrack to The Muppets.
Best documentary went to Undefeated, a film about an inner city American football team whose fortunes are turned around by a new coach.
The executive producer of the film was rapper Sean 'P Diddy' Combs.
Cohen stunt
Northern Ireland film The Shore won the best live action short film.
Saving Face, about a British-Pakistani doctor who helps women who have been injured in acid attacks, won best documentary short.
Earlier, Morgan Freeman introduced the evening before a comic video was shown of George Clooney waking up host Billy Crystal with a kiss - in a parody of his nominated film The Descendants.
Freeman said: "All of us are mesmerised by the magic of the movies. This magnificent event allows us to celebrate the present and look back at its magnificent past."
Crystal hosted the 84th Oscars ceremony at the Kodak theatre in Los Angeles.
He joked: "This is my ninth time - just call me War Horse."
On the red carpet, British comedy actor Sacha Baron Cohen turned up dressed in a white military uniform and sporting a beard and sunglasses, promoting his upcoming film The Dictator.
Cohen arrived holding an urn he jokingly claimed contained the ashes of Kim Jong Il, the late leader of North Korea.
Cohen then tipped the container on to American Idol host Ryan Seacrest
-
Courtesy of the BBC
'Act of Valor' takes Oscar weekend with $24.5 mil
The real-life Navy SEALs action flick "Act of Valor" topped the box office with $24.5 million over Oscar weekend.
Made with the collaboration of the Navy, the film stars active-duty SEALs in sequences filmed with live ammo.
The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com are:
"Act of Valor," Relativity Media, $2,476,632, 3,039 locations, $8,054 average, $24,476,632, one week.
"Tyler Perry's Good Deeds," Lionsgate, $15,583,924, 2,132 locations, $7,310 average, $15,583,924, one week.
"Journey 2: The Mysterious Island," Warner Bros., $13,389,102, 3,350 locations, $3,997 average, $76,645,453, three weeks.
"Safe House," Universal, $10,926,145, 3,052 locations, $3,580 average, $97,622,705, three weeks.
"The Vow," Sony/Screen Gems, $9,916,774, 3,038 locations, $3,264 average, $102,924,117, three weeks.
"Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance," Sony/Columbia,$9,006,135, 3,174 locations, $2,837 average, $38,038,217, two weeks.
"This Means War," Fox, $8,425,010, 3,189 locations, $2,642 average, $33,495,646, two weeks.
"Wanderlust," Universal, $6,526,650, 2,002 locations, $3,260 average, $6,526,650, one week.
"Gone," Summit, $4,770,360, 2,186 locations, $2,182 average, $4,770,360, one week.
"The Secret World of Arrietty," Disney, $4,351,115, 2,958 location, $1,471 average, $14,508,920, two weeks.
"Chronicle," Fox, $3,685,036, 1,797 locations, $2,051 average, $57,984,963, four weeks.
"Star Wars: Episode 1: The Phantom Menace," LucasFilm Ltd./Fox, " $3,174,955, 1,618 location, $1,962 average, $40,444,585, three weeks.
"The Artist," Weinstein Co., $2,905,858, 966 locations, $3,008 average, $31,779,657, 14 weeks.
"The Woman in Black," CBS, $2,722,485, 1,727 locations,$1,576 average, $50,451,681, 4 weeks.
"The Descendants," Fox Searchlight, $2,133,442, 889 locations, $2,400 average, $78,460,135, 15 weeks
"Hugo," Paramount, $1,510,760, 501 locations, $3,015 average,$69,354,704, 14 weeks.
"Goon," Alliance, $1,270,000, 258 locations, $4,922 average, $1,270,000, one week.
"The Grey," Open Road, $800,285, 917 locations, $873 average, $50,179,091, five weeks.
"The Iron Lady," Weinstein Co., $694,982, 522 locations, $1,331 average, $25,721,579, 9 weeks.
"Big Miracle," Universal, $668,805, 628 locations, $1,065 average, $18,903,580, four weeks.
Dudus’ sentencing postponed again
Former Tivoli Gardens strong man Christopher (Dudus) Coke, will have to wait until March 16,to learn whether or not he will spend the next 23 years in Prison here.
Coke was scheduled to be sentenced tomorrow but Judge Robert P Patterson approved a request by Defense attorney, Stephen H Rosen to postpone the sentencing.
Yesterday’s postponement marks the third such since Coke was first scheduled to be sentenced in December.
Rosen requested the postponement to give the defense time to respond to a recommendation by prosecutors that Coke be given the maximum 23 year sentence allowed under a plea deal which was arrived at last August.
In their recommendation, prosecutors painted Coke as being so powerful while in Jamaica that he enjoyed virtual immunity from law enforcement.
Coke’s defense team is expected to paint a different picture of their client, by pointing to his charitable work in Tivoli.
Last year Coke who has been incarcerated here since June 2010 wrote to Judge Patterson seeking leniency in his sentencing.
And noted defense attorney Mark Golding said yesterday’s postponement will give Coke’s defense team an opportunity to rebut the recommendation made by prosecutors.
He said that there is no winner nor loser in delaying sentencing, since Coke will be given credit for the time he is incarcerated.
Jamaica Observer
Grenada ‘resident status’ promised to investors raises legal question
Prime Minister Tillman Thomas, who dismissed Environment Minister Joseph Gilbert last month on the grounds that the “action was taken in the public interest and in order to preserve the integrity of the government of Grenada and to maintain the highest standards of Cabinet decision-making”, may be confronting another situation that requires action on his part.
Documents circulating in St George’s show a senior ministry of finance official assuring the chairman of a Chinese financial company of Grenada government acceptance of a proposal to grant “resident status” to investors in return for investing up to US$50 million in Grenada.
However, Grenada has no law providing for payment for “resident status.” Journalists investigating the matter also uncovered no evidence that it was ever discussed and agreed to by cabinet.
The documents include letters written by Christopher DeRiggs, director of private sector development in the Ministry of Finance, to the chairman of the board of Touchstone Capital Partners Enterprise of China.
Last May, a 19-member Touchstone delegation visited Grenada and met with top government and private sector officials.
The visitors signed a number of memoranda of understanding and promised to plough US$200 million into the local economy.
Among the potential investors were said to be presidents and chairs of various companies whose finances are managed by Touchstone Capital Partners.
Touchstone, in following up with DeRiggs after the Grenada visit, requested a response on whether certain investors “will be granted the right to seek resident status in Grenada on condition that each successfully passes Grenada’s due diligence requirements and channels through Touchstone Capital’s pre-approved projects, an investment in Grenada of a minimum amount of $300,000 for 5 years.” Touchstone said it was “proposing up to $50m USD of investments under this program.”
DeRiggs answered in a letter dated September 12, 2011. The letter was copied to Finance Minister Nazim Burke; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Timothy Antoine; and Grenada’s Trade Counsellor at its Embassy in Beijing, Richard Nixon.
“In light of the foregoing,” DeRiggs said in the letter, “the Government of Grenada hereby accepts your proposal as captured in this letter, subject, of course to the clear understanding that the applicants shall pay all applicable fees associated with their application.”
DeRiggs, the point man in liaising with Touchstone on the fee-paying “resident status” arrangement he claims government had accepted, was also a lead player in another enterprise that was not discussed in cabinet and which ended prematurely in 2010.
He was part of a local team that had met representatives of SeWang One World, with whom a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed proposing investment of more than US$2 billion in Grenada.
Shortly after the signing of the MOU became public, news broke that Chinese authorities had arrested three people associated with SeWang One World on suspicion of fraud.
“These arrests have raised concerns about the wisdom of government’s decision to engage this company in the first place and the manner in which they were engaged,” Finance Minister Burke told reporters at a September 2010 news conference in St George’s.
Burke expressed “regret” that Prime Minister Thomas had signed the MOU in May 2010 with Yeja Park, who was described as president and CEO of SeWang One World Company Ltd.
“I do not believe,” he said, “that prime ministers … should sign on to an MOU of that nature with a private company. It’s not necessary to bring the prime minister into that scenario.”
Caribbean News Now
Fire leaves cruise ship adrift off Seychelles
An Italian cruise liner carrying more than 1,000 people was adrift without power in the pirate-infested Indian Ocean on Monday after a fire erupted in its generator room. The blaze, which was extinguished, caused no injuries, officials said.
Two tug boats from the island nation of Seychelles were steaming toward the drifting Costa Allegra, which had 636 passengers and 413 crew members on board, but they were not expected to arrive until Tuesday afternoon at the earliest.
Italian coast guard officials said a large French fishing boat could be the first vessel to reach the stricken cruise liner.
Monday's fire on the Costa Allegra immediately raised fears, since it occurred only six weeks after one of its sister ships, the Costa Concordia, hit a reef and capsized off Italy, killing 25 people and leaving seven missing and presumed dead. Both ships are operated by Costa Crociere SpA, which is owned by the Florida-based Carnival Corp.
However, company officials rushed to play down concerns.
The Costa Allegra is adrift "and being pushed by the current. It is stable and upright," Giorgio Moretti, the director of nautical operations for Costa Crociere SpA, told reporters in a conference call late Monday from company headquarters in Genoa, Italy.
No one was injured in the fire in the generator room and the cause of the fire was under investigation, Moretti said. The fire knocked out power to the ship's engines as well as to its lights and air conditioning.
Italian Coast Guard officials said emergency generators were keeping the ship's control room illuminated and communications equipment such as radios running. Officials said the cruise liner was holding steady, despite 5-foot (1.5 meter) waves in the area and passengers were being kept in the ship's big communal rooms, not in their cabins.
Moretti, a longtime Costa captain, said he expected the 636 passengers aboard would spend the night on outside decks. Among them were 212 Italian, 31 British and eight U.S. passengers, he said. Four of the passengers were children ages three or younger.
Costa Crociere SpA said in a statement the ship was about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Alphonse Island, one of the atolls in the Seychelles, a nation of islands and atolls that is a popular tourist destination.
The Allegra, whose Italian name means "merry," or "happy," had left northern Madagascar, off Africa's southeast coast, on Saturday and was cruising toward the port of Victoria, Seychelles' capital, when the fire erupted. Costa said the Allegra had been due in Victoria on Tuesday.
The general region where the cruise ship was adrift - off the coast of Tanzania - has seen a rash of attacks by Somali pirates. In 2009, an Italian cruise ship with 1,500 people aboard fended off a pirate attack in the Indian Ocean far off the coast of Somalia.
Moretti said an armed nine-member Italian military team on anti-pirate duty was aboard the Allegra, but he insisted the maritime region where the ship was now "isn't a high risk area for pirates."
"If pirates attack, the armed guards on board will respond. But as far as I am aware, no pirates have been sighted in the area," said Seychelles presidential spokeswoman Srdjana Janosevic.
A cargo ship was due to reach the Costa Allegra early Tuesday, and Moretti said it would bring batteries and otherwise help with communications. On Tuesday morning, a helicopter is expected to arrive, ferrying in "fresh food, cell phones and walkie talkies."
Tugs from the Seychelles island of Mahe, the largest island in the Indian Ocean archipelago, will arrive Tuesday afternoon.
"Once they arrive, they will decide which port" to take the Allegra to, Moretti said. "It depends on sea conditions."
Moretti said one possibility was evacuating passengers from the Allegra on lifeboats to Alphonse Island, then having them fly from its small airport to Mahe island. He also said 15 Costa engineers, technicians and other officials were flying to Mahe in hope of reaching the Allegra by air to repair its generators.
AP
Pakistan v England: Tourists hold nerve to win series
England claimed a dramatic five-run win over Pakistan in the third Twenty20 international to take the series 2-1.
On a slow Abu Dhabi pitch, the tourists were indebted to Kevin Pietersen, only the second man to carry his bat through a completed T20 international innings.
He made an unbeaten 62 in their 129-6 - and was then supported by a superb display by England's bowlers.
With Pakistan needing six from the final ball, Jade Dernbach bowled Misbah-ul-Haq to seal the series win.
Added to the 4-0 one-day series victory, triumph in the shortest form of the game provides England with further comfort following their humiliating 3-0 whitewash in the Test matches.
And, in their last T20 match in Asia before the sqaud is chosen for September's World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, Stuart Broad's men will draw confidence ahead of the defence of the trophy they won in 2010.
However, questions will remain over England's ability to make runs against quality spin bowling, with only Pietersen - aided by a late cameo from Samit Patel - able to cope with another magical display by Saeed Ajmal, who picked up 4-23.
Strong on the leg side early in his innings, the Surrey right-hander was forced to rein in his attacking instincts and bat with restraint as England faltered in the middle overs.
His only mistake came when he sent back Eoin Morgan after initially calling his partner through for a single, leaving the Dublin-born batsman short of his ground despite a despairing dive.
That ended another struggle for the left-hander, who should have been stumped and offered a chance that fell short of mid-off. He will now sweat on his place in the squad for the Test series in Sri Lanka.
Morgan's exit came prior to a spell in which England went 33 balls without finding the boundary, during which time Ajmal removed Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler.
The shackles were broken by Patel, who launched Ajmal for a straight six and then, next ball, inside edged for four.
After he was stumped trying to repeat the dose, it was left to Pietersen to add late impetus by swinging Umar Gul's waist-high full toss for six off the final ball of the innings.
When Pakistan replied, England got the start they wanted, Jade Dernbach having Mohammad Hafeez caught and bowled but, with Pakistan needing little more than a run a ball, they were able to build slowly through Asad Shafiq and Awais Zia.
However, after Graeme Swann trapped Zia lbw, the pressure applied by England's bowlers told when Shafiq was run out attempting a second by Buttler's accurate throw from the deep.
Still, Pakistan were able to make steady progress and needed only 17 when Broad began the penultimate over of the series.
The accuracy of the England skipper would prove crucial as, after two dots, Umar Akmal holed out to mid-off.
That brought Shahid Afridi to the crease but the only runs Broad conceded came when Bairstow let Misbah's slog through his legs for four at long on.
With 13 required off the final over, victory was still not entirely out of Pakistan's reach.
But when Misbah, who found the boundary only twice in his 32-ball stay, was asked to clear the ropes from the final ball, he could not match the brilliant Pietersen.