King Stitt’s farewell service for Feb 25
A thanksgiving service for the life and works of pioneering toaster/deejay/selector King Stitt will be held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in North Street in Kingston, on Saturday, February 25, at 2 pm.
King Stitt (whose real name is Winston Spark) died on died on Tuesday, January 31, at his home in Nannyville, St Andrew. He was 71.
Born on September 17, 1940, the veteran toaster was influenced by Count Machuki, the original Jamaican deejay. And, by the late 1950s, King Stitt began deejaying on Sir Coxsone’s Downbeat Sound System.
His first record releases came from producer Clancy Eccles with classic deejay tracks like Fire Corner, Lee Van Cleef, Herbman Shuffle, Vigorton 2, and Dance Beat.
King Stitt’s best known work for Sir Coxsone is the ska album featuring trombonist Don Drummond titled Paradise Plum. Another outstanding album is Dancehall ’63 released in the late ’90s of King Stitt deejaying over old-school rhythms.
JO
Big blow for BUJU - US government scoffs at lawyers’ appeal
LAWYERS for imprisoned reggae star Buju Banton were dealt a major blow yesterday when the United States government said there was sufficient evidence to support his June, 2011 conviction on cocaine conspiracy and trafficking charges.
According to the Associated Press new agency, Federal prosecutors filed their response last Friday in Atlanta's federal appeals court, where Buju's lawyers had filed an appeal in December.
The AP report out of Miami said prosecutors noted that "Banton's words and actions, in recorded conversations and a videotaped meeting in a Sarasota, Florida, warehouse where Banton tasted some cocaine, revealed the singer 'eagerly brokered' a drug deal between a friend and undercover government agents.
Buju, 39, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in a federal court in Tampa, Florida. He is serving his term at the Federal Correctional Institute in Miami.
With good behaviour, his lawyers believe he will be paroled in six years.
His legal team, led by David Oskar Marcus, argued that the US government acted illegally by failing to bring Buju to trial before 70 days. This, they said, is a violation of the US constitution's Sixth Amendment.
But the Federal government dismissed the appeal, saying prosecutors brought a legitimate case against the Grammy-winning singjay whose real name is Mark Myrie.
He was sentenced by Judge James S Moody who gave Buju the most lenient sentence for a drugs charge. During the trial, prosecutor James Preston cast Buju as 'a self-assured drug broker', presenting several video and audiotapes made by an informant of the dreadlocked artiste tasting cocaine at a Florida warehouse in December, 2009.
Buju was arrested at his south Florida home that month. A six-day trial in September, 2010 ended in a mis-trial and the entertainer was granted bail.
A second trial was scheduled for February last year, in which Buju was convicted.
Nine days before his conviction on February 22, Buju Banton won a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album for his 2009 album Rasta Got Soul
AP
Hugh Hefner's son arrested
The 2011 Playmate of the Year on Monday sought a restraining order against the 21-year-old son of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, after the son was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, the Pasadena Star-News reported.
Marston Hefner was released from jail Monday after posting US$20,000 bail, according to police and jail records.
Officers were called Sunday night to the apartment Marston Hefner shares with his girlfriend, and he was arrested after she was found with minor injuries, Pasadena police said in a statement.
The woman wasn't identified in the police statement, but Lt Jari Faulkner told the Star-News that Claire Sinclair, 20, sought an emergency restraining order against Marston Hefner from police on Monday. Sinclair is the 2011 Playmate of the Year.
It was unclear if the temporary restraining order was granted, and police reached by phone late Monday would give no information beyond the details of Marston Hefner's arrest.
Marston Hefner is one of two adult sons of the Playboy founder and his former wife, ex-Playmate Kimberly Conrad Hefner.
It was unclear if Marston Hefner had hired an attorney. He could not be reached for comment, and the arrest was not addressed on the Twitter accounts of Hugh, Marston or brother Cooper Hefner.
On her Twitter account, Sinclair wrote: "There's two types of pain in the world - pain that hurts you, and pain that makes you stronger. All of your positivity is giving me strength."
AP
Elephant Man back in court next month
POPULAR deejay Elephant Man's electricity theft trial is scheduled to start in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court on March 27.
The new date was set when the flambouyant artiste, whose real name is O'neil Bryan, appeared in court recently.
Elephant Man was arrested at his home on Hillcrest Avenue in St Andrew last June and charged with abstracting electricity after a team from the Jamaica Public Service Company and the police carried out an operation in the area.
The team reportedly visited one of the apartment complex and found that one of the meters had no socket. The team, on closer inspection, said that it observed that the meter contained an illegal connection, which went directly to an apartment they said was occupied by the entertainer.
Police reported that several appliances were connected to the illegal connection reportedly found in Elephant Man's apartment.
Meanwhile, the artiste is to return to court on trial on May 21 for a preliminary enquiry into charges of rape and grievous sexual assault.
JO
Foreign ministry says Cayman cops still probing case of missing J'can nurse
THE Foreign Affairs Ministry yesterday said that it has, since last August, been in constant contact with its counterpart in the Cayman Islands regarding the investigation into the disappearance of Jamaican nurse Kerran (Kerry-Ann) Baker.
"Through our regular contacts with the Jamaican consulate in Cayman, we have been informed that the police are still investigating the case for hard evidence, and that the process is being followed through thoroughly," said the ministry in a release to the Observer.
The ministry was responding to an Observer article on Monday in which Baker's family made an impassioned plea for the Jamaican Government to get involved in the case. According to the family, the Cayman Islands authorities were not forthcoming with information regarding the investigations into Baker's disappearance.
"We have not been hearing anything from anybody. We need the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get in touch with the Cayman Government because the case seems like it is dying out," said Wilmot Anthony, Baker's stepfather, the anguish evident in his voice.
Yesterday, the ministry said it has asked the Cayman Islands authorities to keep the family abreast of the investigations.
"Understanding the sensitivities involved and the grief of Ms Baker's family, the Consulate Office in Cayman has advised the Royal Cayman Island Police service to fully engage with the family, disclosing the details of the case," said the release.
Baker, 25, a practical nurse, disappeared from her apartment on Arrow Drive in Bodden Town on the evening of Saturday, July 31. She was last seen on CCTV footage in a Cayman Islands supermarket around 7:00 pm that day.
A man was taken into custody "on suspicion of murder, following a police operation in the Prospect area", but was later released without charge, Janet Dougall, public relations officer at the Cayman Islands Criminal Investigative Branch headquarters told the Observer last week.
Several major searches have failed to locate Baker, who had lived in the Cayman Islands three years prior to her disappearance. Her white Honda Civic motor car was later found with her car keys and what appeared to be blood smears nearby. Her groceries, which she apparently purchased at the supermarket, were also found in her ransacked apartment.
Falklands dispute: Argentine union to boycott UK ships
Argentina's transport workers' union says it will boycott ships flying the British flag because of the dispute over the Falkland Islands.
The union - which includes dock workers - said the measure would apply to all UK vessels reaching Argentina.
It is not clear how much impact the boycott will have.
Tension between the UK and Argentina over the Falklands has been rising in recent months as the 30th anniversary of the Falklands war approaches.
"We have resolved to boycott any ship with the British flag, or with the lying and invented flag of the Falklands, or with any flag of convenience which the British pirates use," the Argentine Confederation of Transport Workers said in a statement.
The announcement is the latest in a series of measures aimed at pressing Argentina's claim to sovereignty over the islands, which it calls the Malvinas.
In December, the South American trading bloc Mercosur closed its ports to ships flying the Falkland Islands flag.
And last week Argentina took its case to the UN general assembly, where it accused the UK of "militarising" the region and sending a nuclear-armed submarine to the South Atlantic.
The UK government has dismissed the claim of militarisation as "absurd" and says its defence posture in the Falklands has not changed.
It says there can be no negotiations on sovereignty as long as the Falkland Islanders wish to remain British.
Rio de Janeiro police end strike ahead of carnival
Police officers and firefighters in Rio de Janeiro have ended their pay strike, days before the annual carnival.
Union officials in the Brazilian state said a vote on Monday had agreed to stop the demonstration over pay.
Earlier, officials said the strike had had only a limited effect and one police force had decided to suspend its action.
Police in the state of Bahia voted at the weekend to end their 12-day strike after being offered a 6.5% wage rise.
Officials in Bahia said they had also agreed that none of the officers who stopped work would be punished.
The stoppage had led to an increase in reported murders and violence before troops and federal police were deployed to keep order.
In Rio de Janeiro, police and firefighters took action despite being offered a 39% increase in pay.
Trade unions said this was not enough to make up for decades of falling wages.
On Sunday, some 400 people demonstrated on Copacabana beach to call for the release of several arrested officers, who they say have been locked up in maximum security prisons with criminals they put behind bars.
Rio's carnival is the world's largest and gets under way on 17 February.
Explosion damages oil pipeline in Syrian city of Homs
An explosion has hit a major oil pipeline in the central Syrian city of Homs, witnesses and activists say.
A large plume of smoke was seen rising from the pipeline, which runs near farmland on the edge of the Baba Amr district - the target of bombardment by government forces for more than a week.
State media blamed "armed terrorists", but one activist group said government fighter jets had blown up the pipeline.
Activists also said security forces had begun shelling the nearby city of Hama.
Several people had been injured by rocket and mortar fire in the districts of Arbain, Amiriya, Faraiya, Elilat, Bashura and Bab Qibli, and all telecommunications had been cut, they added.
Damascus raids
The pipeline damaged on Wednesday morning runs from the Rumeila fields in the eastern Syriac Desert to the Homs refinery, one of two in the country, which supplies the capital Damascus and the country's south.
A dense plume of black smoke was seen rising above the city several hours after the blast, residents told the Reuters news agency.
It is not yet clear what caused the explosion, but the state news agency, Sana, reported that an "armed terrorist group" was behind it.
One activist group, the Local Co-ordination Committees, said warplanes had flown over Baba Amr - a centre of anti-government protests - and blown up the pipeline. Others said the army had shelled it by mistake.
The pipeline has been targeted several times during the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, which began in March.
Activists say more than 400 people have died in Homs since security forces launched an offensive on opposition-held areas on 5 February.
Meanwhile, reports from Damascus say troops from the elite Republican Guard and army's Fourth Armoured Division - both under the command of President Assad's brother, Maher - have stormed the suburb of Barzeh, setting up roadblocks, searching houses and making arrests.
Residents told the Reuters news agency that the soldiers were looking for opposition activists and members of the Free Syrian Army, a group of army defectors who are seeking to overthrow the president by force.
Rampaul out as T&T leaves for Barbados
On the heels of the national cricket team’s departure at 6 pm today to battle Barbados in their second match of the Regional 4-day tournament, the national selectors have announced that fast bowler Ravi Rampaul has suffered a shoulder injury which has forced him out of the team.
Rampaul is currently receiving treatment for the injury and has been replaced by inform batsman Marlon Barclay. T&T are already without the services of allrounder Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Kevon Cooper who are all currently participating in the inaugural Bangladesh Premier League T20.
Opening batsman Lendl Simmons is also recovering from a knee injury which he picked up in the match against the CCC. Years gone by when T&T national cricket teams left for neighbouring Barbados, not much was expected, however these days that country is a favorite stomping ground for T&T. Last week, T&T opened their campaign with victory over the Combined Campuses Colleges (CCC) at Cave Hill. They were on a bye for the last round and now face Barbados in their den from Thursday. Manager of the team Omar Khan said the players were confident and looking to keep up with Jamaica by winning the clash outright. “Jamaica have now gone ahead with two wins from their two matches. We got a win in our first match and we will be going hard at the Bajans to ensure we keep the pressure on Jamaica.”
Khan said he was very happy with the performances over the weekend in the domestic cricket league. “It was good to see the guys get runs and take wickets and this would give them confidence going into the clash. Skipper Denesh Ramdin had a century for T&TEC, Jason Mohammed was also among the runs and Justin Guillen scored a century for Queen’s Park
Denesh Ramdin (captain), Lendl Simmons, Adrian Barath, Justin Guillen, Darren Bravo, Jason Mohammed, Imran Khan, Rayad Emrit, Sunil Narine, Shannon Gabriel, Marlon Barclay, Atiba Allert and Yannick Cariah.
The officials are: Omar Khan (Manager), Kelvin Williams (Coach).
Greece 'can't take any more cuts'
The Greek people have been pushed to the limit by austerity measures demanded by the EU and IMF, the country's public order minister says.
Christos Papoutsis said Greece had made "superhuman" efforts to comply, and the people "can't take any more".
Eurozone chiefs cancelled a meeting with Greek officials earlier, demanding further cuts and reassurances.
International lenders have told Greece to make huge cuts in return for a 130bn euro ($170bn, £109bn) bailout package.
The Greek parliament approved an austerity package on the weekend, despite violent protests sweeping the country.
But eurozone ministers have demanded a further 325m euros of cuts.
They have also insisted that all major Greek parties give an assurance that the cuts will be enacted regardless of who wins a general election scheduled for April.
Antonis Samaras, whose New Democracy party is a member of the governing coalition and is expected to win April's vote, had hinted that he would try to renegotiate the bailout deal after the election.
Earlier reports said Mr Samaras had refused to give a written assurance that the cuts would be enforced.
But unnamed officials were quoted on Wednesday as saying Mr Samaras had now signed a letter committing him to the austerity package, and it would be delivered by the end of the day.
After a cabinet meeting late on Tuesday, Mr Papoutsis, a member of the other major coalition party Pasok, said Greece had "made all the efforts that it needed to do".
"The people cannot take any more. The government is making superhuman efforts, and we have reached the limits of the social and economic system," he said.
"Greece has owned up to its own responsibilities, and the sacrifices of the Greek people are huge. I believe it is time for everyone to own up to their responsibilities."
Eurozone ministers were due to hold talks on the bailout on Wednesday, but eurogroup head Jean-Claude Juncker said face-to-face talks would be replaced by a conference call.
He said Greece had not shown that it was committed to the austerity plan, and technical work was still needed "in a number of areas".
As well as 17 ministers from nations that use the euro, the president of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi and the Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, Olli Rehn, had also been due to attend the meeting.
The latest bailout was agreed in principle by EU leaders in October, conditional on Greece adopting further measures to cut its deficit and restructure its economy.
On Sunday, Greek MPs approved extra cutbacks, but coalition parties had to expel more than 40 deputies for failing to back the bill.
Thousands protested in Athens, where there were widespread clashes and buildings were set on fire. Violent protests were reported in cities across the country.
On Tuesday, an official report showed that the decline of the Greek economy accelerated in the final three months of 2011.
The estimate showed that, compared with a year earlier, Greek GDP contracted by 7% in the fourth quarter of 2011.
That is an acceleration from the 5% contraction in the third quarter.
The report also shows that the Greek economy shrank 6% last year, an increase on earlier estimates and the fifth year of recession.