British lord ‘concealed link’ to bankrupt Turks and Caicos firm
British peer Lord Ashcroft concealed his involvement in a Turks and Caicos Islands construction company that went into receivership with debts of around US$30 million, Panorama, a BBC television programme, has alleged.
The programme alleges that Ashcroft misled the stock market and the media about his links to Johnston International Limited.
According to the BBC, he said he has had no “economic beneficial or legal interest” in the firm since he sold it in 1999. But the programme has reportedly obtained evidence that shows Ashcroft continued to secretly control the company long after that date.
Johnston was one of the largest construction companies in the Caribbean, until it closed down in June 2010.
Panorama has spoken to 14 former employees, who all say they were told, long after 1999, that Ashcroft was their boss, the BBC reported. The programme also obtained dozens of faxes covering a seven year period that were sent to Ashcroft by the Johnston chief executive after the 1999 sale.
The faxes apparently updated Ashcroft on company business and asked for his instructions on major building projects. Ashcroft then wrote his instructions on some of the faxes and sent them back, Panorama reported.
According to Ashcroft’s lawyers, he did not have any kind of interest in the ownership of the Johnston group of companies.
However, Panorama had not asked Ashcroft about the ownership of Johnston. The programme had asked whether he controlled the company — and that, the BBC said, is a question he has repeatedly avoided answering.
Johnston had been doing business in the Turks and Caicos Islands since the early 1980s and, with associated operations in the Cayman Islands, Belize, Trinidad and Barbados, was a pre-eminent local and regional contractor.
After 28 years of doing business in the Turks and Caicos, the company was placed into receivership in July 2010 and into liquidation the following month.
At a meeting of Johnston creditors in September 2010, the liquidators revealed that the company’s financial woes may not have occurred had it not been for the non-payment of millions of dollars owed to it by the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (UDeCOTT).
Further, the list of unpaid debts owed by Turks and Caicos businesses and individuals to Johnston reads like a who’s who of the Progressive National Party (PNP) hierarchy, the governing party in the TCI immediately prior to the partial suspension of the constitution and the imposition of direct rule by Britain following a Commission of Inquiry into allegations of widespread government corruption.
Mexican diplomat freed after abduction in Caracas
A Mexican diplomat in Venezuela says the country's ambassador has been freed by captors hours after he and his wife were kidnapped.
Mexican Embassy spokesman Fernando Gondinez told the Venezuelan news website Noticias 24 that Ambassador Carlos Pujalte was kidnapped Sunday night in Caracas and was freed hours later.
Gondinez says both the ambassador and his wife are in good condition. He did not offer details about how the abduction occurred or about the liberation.
Venezuela has one of Latin America's highest murder rates, and the numbers of kidnappings have risen in recent years.
AP
World Bank country director meets with Jamaican PM tomorrow
WORLD Bank country director for the Caribbean region, Francoise Clottes, is expected to arrive in Jamaica tomorrow for a series of meetings with government and private sector officials.
She is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller tomorrow to discuss issues related to growth and competitiveness, as well as hold discussions with Jamaican experts and key leaders in business and academia.
Clottes, who joined the bank in 1994, is a French national and has been country director for the Caribbean for a year. As country director for the region, her top priorities are to forge strong client relationships and develop strategies and programmes to help the countries address their development challenges.
In addition, one of her roles is to continue to champion innovative solutions to development issues and regional integration, as well as provide leadership to the country’s management unit and offices. Her visit is expected to end on Thursday.
Haiti judge: Try Duvalier on corruption charges
A Haitian judge said yesterday that former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier should face trial for corruption, but not the more serious charges of human rights violations committed during his rule.
Investigative Magistrate Carves said the statute of limitations had run out on the human rights charges but not on the accusations of misappropriation of public funds. He did not explain his reasoning, but the once-feared ruler known as "Baby Doc" is widely believed to have used money from the Haitian treasury to finance his life in exile.
The judge said he recommended that the case be heard by a special court that handles relatively minor crimes. Duvalier, who has been free to roam about the capital since his surprise return from exile last year, would face no more than five years in prison.
Duvalier's attorney Reynolds Georges, who had argued that the case should be dismissed in its entirety because the statute of limitations had expired on all the charges, said he would appeal the decision as soon as he received the paperwork.
"We're going to appeal that decision... and throw it in the garbage can," Georges told The Associated Press.
Duvalier has posed a challenge to Haiti since his return home from 25 years in exile, most of which he spent in France. Haiti has a weak judicial system, with little history of successfully prosecuting even simple crimes, and the government is preoccupied with reconstruction from the devastating January 2010 earthquake.
A majority of Haitians are now too young to have lived under Duvalier but many still remember his government's nightmarish prisons and violent special militia, known as the Tonton Macoute, which killed and tortured political opponents with impunity.
Paul leads Clippers past NBA-leading Thunder
Blake Griffin's jaw-dropping one-handed jam over Kendrick Perkins sent Los Angeles Clippers fans into a frenzy, fired up his teammates, lit up the Twitterverse and burned the Oklahoma City Thunder .
Griffin had 22 points to go with Chris Paul's 26 points and 14 assists in a 112-100 victory Monday night that snapped the Thunder's four-game winning streak in a matchup of division leaders.
Griffin downplayed his monster move after the game, a sly smile only briefly breaking his serious expression.
"CP commands so much attention out there. He came off the pick-and-roll and he hit me in stride," Griffin said.
Paul added: "I told Blake after the game, `Thanks for letting me be part of that."'
DeAndre Jordan grabbed Griffin from behind in a celebratory bear hug as the basket got replayed over and over in the third quarter.
Jordan, who had 11 points and 11 rebounds, couldn't help himself.
"I was shocked. I didn't know what to do, so I just grabbed him. I hit him kind of hard," he said. "I'm going to go home and watch it again. It's probably going to be the screensaver on my phone."
Griffin said he knew he'd made an impression judging by the crowd's raucous response. Then he felt Jordan behind him.
"He armlocked me," Griffin said. "I couldn't breathe."
The reaction on Twitter came fast and furious.
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald tweeted: "Blake Griffin just made one of the top dunks of the season. Maybe even his career. (hashtag) Beast."
Tracy McGrady of the Atlanta Hawks weighed in with "yo, crazy crazy dunk by the dude Blake Griffin."
Even Shaquille O'Neal's ex-wife was impressed.
Shaunie O'Neal tweeted: "OMG!!! Did y'all just see Blake Griffin dunk!!!!! Daaayyyummm!"
Paul had 26 points and 14 assists, Caron Butler also had 22 points, Chauncey Billups scored 13 and Mo Williams 12 as the Pacific-leading Clippers dunked with high-flying abandon against the team with the NBA's best record at 16-4. They won their third in a row to follow up a 109-105 victory at Denver a night earlier that began a stretch of five games in seven nights.
"We're not going to read too much into it," Paul said of the back-to-back wins. "It let us know what we're capable of. We can explode offensively."
Kevin Durant had 36 points and 13 rebounds, and Russell Westbrook added 31 for the Northwest-leading Thunder, whose league-best road record dropped to 8-3. They had won 11 of their previous 12.
"Chris Paul was running around, getting what he wanted to get on the floor and making passes to guys for wide-open dunks and 3s," Durant said. "It's tough to stop."
Griffin's monster mash had everyone talking and tweeting, but the Clippers put together a stunning sequence going into halftime.
They shocked the Thunder with four consecutive 3-pointers in less than a minute to lead 64-46. The flurry by Williams (two), Butler (one) and Billups (one) stopped the Thunder's 11-2 run that had drawn them within six points.
"I told Mo that might have been the greatest exchange I have been part of since I've been in the NBA," Paul said. "That got the crowd into it. Four 3s in under a minute is unbelievable."
Jordan said: "We were just hot. It really didn't look like it was real. We were on a high, but we knew we had to come out in the third and knock them out flat."
The Thunder bumbled their way into the half, with Westbrook and Durant combining on three straight turnovers that led to the Clippers' long-range fireworks. Williams and Butler had two steals in the run.
"That doesn't happen, and it probably won't happen again the rest of the year, that a team will make that many 3s in a minute," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "But they made the shots. They started the game with a lot of urgency and they had us back on our heels."
Los Angeles shot 71 percent from long range in a half that also featured a series of huge dunks by Jordan, Griffin, Durant and Westbrook, although both teams missed their share of dunks, too.
Daequan Cook was the only other Oklahoma City player in double figures with 12 points. Durant and Westbrook scored all but two of the Thunder's 25 points in the third quarter, which the Clippers ended on a 3-pointer by Paul to lead 90-70.
Durant and Westbrook began the fourth on the bench, although they both stood up when Cook hit his second 3-pointer of the period to get the Thunder to 95-81. Griffin then scored five in a row, capped by a two-handed jam that extended the Clippers' lead to 100-81.
The Thunder outscored Los Angeles 30-22 in the fourth, but never made a big run to get close.
The Clippers made 13 3-pointers - just off their season high of 14 against Denver on Sunday.
They made 10 3s in the first half, led by four from Butler, who connected from his favorite spot in the left corner.
The Thunder's only lead was four points to start the game.
Gayle to make Jamaica return
Chris Gayle is to make a return to the national senior cricket team after missing this month's third annual Caribbean Twenty20 Tournament.
Also returning is Brendan Nash, who missed the Regional Super50 and the Caribbean Twenty20 after asking the selectors for a break.
Big-hitting left-hander Gayle, who missed the CT20 due to participation in the Australian Big Bash Twenty20 League, was yesterday named in the country's 13-man squad for their opening West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional Four-Day Tournament clash against the Windward Islands.
The match is slated to start on Friday at Sabina Park.
"It's good to know that we will have someone of the calibre of Chris Gayle for at least the opening game," said chairman of selectors, Courtnay Daley.
"This gives us a good opportunity to make a winning start, as we seek to defend our title and go for our fifth in a row."
He added: "We just hope that when he (Gayle) and the others go off for Bangladesh they will return and make themselves available for the final leg of the tournament."
The 32-year-old Gayle is one of two players in the squad who will leave to play in the inaugural Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) after the Windwards match. The other is Andre Russell.
They will be joined by Marlon Samuels and Jerome Taylor, who did not make themselves available for selection in the Windwards match.
Following the BPL, Gayle is scheduled to head off to South Africa to participate in that country's Twenty20 league. Gayle was bought for US$551,000 (J$47,248,338), Samuels for US$360,000 (J$30,870,011), Russell for US$50,000 (J$4,287,500) and Taylor for US$50,000 (J$4,287,500).
The Bangladesh Twenty20 League will run from February 12-20.
The WICB Regional Four-Day Tournament will be held between February 3 and April 10.
SQUAD: Tamar Lambert (captain), Nikita Miller, Christopher Gayle, Simon Jackson, Brenton Parchment, Donovan Pagon, Brendan Nash, David Bernard Jr., Carlton Baugh Jr., Odean Brown, André Russell, André Richardson, Jamie Merchant.
WWE Welcomes Mike Tyson to its Hall of Fame
Mike Tyson fans can now boast that their guy is a member of not one, but two halls of fame. That’s because the legendary boxer is going to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Tyson will be inducted during the ceremony at American Airlines Arena in Miami, FL on March 31. As has become tradition, WrestleMania XXVIII takes place the following day.
Here’s what Iron Mike told TMZ:
“I am honored to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. I was the youngest heavyweight champion of all time, but the most fun I ever had in the ring was with WWE.”
Tyson’s history with the WWE goes back to 1998 when, after a confrontation with Stone Cold Steve Austin on Monday Night Raw, Tyson served as special enforcer for the main event at WrestleMania XIV between Austin and Shawn Michaels.
Tyson made his return to the WWE last year, when he hosted Monday Night Raw
Bow Wow and Ex-Falcons Star Jamal Anderson in Tax Debt
These young artists have no idea what to do with their money when they get it, especially three time tax offender, Bow Wow.
He’s had a tax lien against him for unpaid taxes from 2006 for $91,105.61, 2008 for $15,279.62, and now 2010 for $19,70.91.
None of them have been paid off.
His total tax debt now totals a staggering $126,086.14.
Meanwhile, ex-NFL star running back Jamal Anderson (above), best known as the originator of the “Dirty Bird” touchdown dance has the same problem as Bow Wow.
According to a tax lien filed by the Georgia Department of Revenue, the former Atlanta Falcons star owes money for the 2007 fiscal year.
Anderson’s debt is piling up too — a $52,234.28 principal has nearly doubled to $102,797.06 … thanks to interest, penalties and fees.
Looks like they could both use new accountants. Or maybe listen to the accountants.
The Help triumphs at SAG film awards
Civil rights drama The Help has won three prizes at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards, including best cast and best actress for Viola Davis.
Another of the film's stars, Octavia Spencer, was named best supporting actress.
"Dream big and dream fierce," Davis told the audience at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium on Sunday.
Silent movie The Artist, tipped for Oscar glory, could only manage one win, a best actor prize for Jean Dujardin.
The SAG awards are seen as a key indicator of which films and stars may come out on top at the Oscars.
Actors make up the biggest voting group in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which picks the Oscar recipients.
Veteran Christopher Plummer was named best supporting actor for his portrayal of an elderly man who comes out to his family in Beginnners.
Like the Golden Globes, the SAG awards also honour television work.
Paul Giamatti was named best actor in a TV film or mini-series for his role in Too Big to Fail, a drama about the 2008 financial meltdown.
Kate Winslet was named best actress for playing the title role in Mildred Pierce, having won the same award at the Golden Globes earlier this month.
The cast of Martin Scorsese's Boardwalk Empire picked up the TV drama ensemble prize, while its star Steve Buscemi was named best male actor in a drama series.
Jessica Lange was named best actress in a drama series for her role in American Horror Story.
Alec Baldwin won best actor in a comedy series for 30 Rock, while Betty White picked up the best comedy actress prize for Hot in Cleveland.
"I think they made a terrible mistake," White joked, adding that the prize belonged to all four female leads in the series.
Modern Family won the comedy ensemble prize, while the best stunt award went to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.
The ceremony also saw Dick Van Dyke present a lifetime achievement award to Mary Tyler Moore, best known for her self-titled sitcom in the 1970s.
India censors block Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hollywood's remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is unlikely to screen in India after local censors called for the removal of "explicit" scenes.
Indian censor official JP Singh said they had objected to some scenes in the film and "wanted them to be blurred".
Sony Pictures in India said in a statement quoted by the AFP news agency that it would not compromise on the content of the film.
The David Fincher film stars Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara.
It is based on Stieg Larsson's best-selling thriller which tells a story of murder, corruption and family secrets, and contains some sex scenes.
"Bare bottom and bare-breast scenes are not allowed in India," Mr Singh, an official at India's Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) said.
"We objected to several scenes in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and wanted them to be blurred."
Sony Pictures in India said that the censors had "adjudged the film unsuitable for public viewing in its unaltered form".
"And while we are committed to maintaining and protecting the vision of the director, we will, as always, respect the guidelines set by the board," the statement added.
More than 1,500 foreign films, mostly Hollywood, are released in India every year after clearing the country's censors.