T&T attorney general concerned about increase in murders
Trinidad-Attorney General Anand Ramlogan said the crime plan implemented in the wake of the State of Emergency has failed.
And, he wants Commissioner of Police Canadian Dwayne Gibbs to present his 2012 plan to ensure that murders are kept to a minimum.
At least 15 people have been killed since the SoE ended December 5 – eight of them during the Christmas holiday weekend.
“There should have been some plans to deal with it, anticipate it and that is why perhaps it’s a little troubling at this time,” the attorney general told a media conference yesterday.
“…The government is very concerned in the spike of the murder rate post State of Emergency. I for one am very anxious to hear from the Commissioner of Police who had the benefit of a year to settle into the job and who we hoped to have brought fresh ideas and new perspective to be able to help us to solve the crime problem.”
Ramlogan said the matter would likely be discussed at an upcoming meeting of the National Security Council.
While noting that the murder rate was now lower than the previous three years, he said there was clear evidence that the SoE, which was in effect from August 21, saved lives.
More than 350 people have been murdered for the year so far, 117 more than in 2010.
Caribbean 360 News
PNP keeping close watch over Tufton's seat
People's National Party (PNP) candidate for South West St Elizabeth Hugh Buchanan yesterday expressed confidence that he will be a parliamentarian as the official count for Thursday's general election got underway here yesterday.
The preliminary count at the end of polling Thursday saw the incumbent Jamaica Labour Party candidate Dr Christopher Tufton with 9,426 votes to Buchanan's 9,325 votes.
Yesterday, Buchanan expressed optimism that the results would be reversed after the final counts are completed. He was, however, reluctant to declare what the margin of his victory was likely to be.
"It will not be a big margin, but it will be enough to take us into Gordon House," said the young politician.
Scores of PNP supporters gathered yesterday in the Black River square — from where music blasted from a sound system — celebrating what they anticipate would be victory for their candidate after the final tally. "Losers don't celebrate," a jubilant Rastafarian supporter told the Observer.
Tufton won the seat in September 2007, polling 9,899 votes to defeat the PNP's Stanley Redwood who got 8,074 votes.
Grenadian attorney demands outside help to investigate fatal beating
The attorney representing the wife of a Grenadian-born Canadian who died Tuesday, hours after being beaten allegedly by police officers, has demanded that an investigator be brought in from another jurisdiction to ensure that an independent probe is conducted into the matter.
Derick Sylvester said the investigation into the circumstances leading to the death of the 39-year-old Oscar Bartholomew should be “unbiased, clear and open”.
“We’re concerned that to date, no one has been detained and or arrested in relation to this matter,” he told a media conference yesterday.
The attorney said the post mortem determined Bartholomew died as a result of trauma to the head, and had multiple skull fractures and a brain haemorrhage.
Police Commissioner, Wilan Thompson, said the officer in charge of the police station in the eastern parish of St. David where the incident reportedly occurred has been replaced, while two others are assisting with the investigation.
“To date, all the officers who were present at the station at the time of the incident have had a preliminary interview. Reports have also been submitted by the officers,” he said.
“Further, some officers at the station will be reassigned to other areas so as to allow the investigation to proceed quickly and unimpeded.”
But Sylvester said authorities should seek outside assistance “to ensure that it (the investigation) is fair because justice is all about perception. You can’t have the cat watching the cheese…”
He said there appeared to be a “breeding of police brutality in the country” with numerous lawsuits filed against law enforcement officers over the last 10 years.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Tillman Thomas visited the family of the deceased and expressed sorrow at the incident.
He said the Attorney General’s Chambers has been asked to assist with the investigation.
“I have directed the respective government departments and agencies, including the Attorney General’s Chambers, to provide the support necessary for the full and unimpeded investigation of this occurrence,” Thomas stated.
Bartholomew died at hospital, a day after he was arrested for assaulting an officer.
This followed an incident in which he reportedly hugged a plainclothes female police officer whom he mistook for an old friend.
Caribbean 360 News
Proposed US sanctions against Antigua & Barbuda escalates
Antigua and Barbuda continues gain attention in both houses of the United States Congress as 10 US Representatives recently introduced a Congressional Resolution also calling for sanctions to be levied against the eastern Caribbean territory.
This December 23 resolution follows the one introduced December 8 in the Senate, which called for “provision of all further direct or indirect aid or assistance, including assistance derived from Federal funds, by the United States Government to the Government of Antigua & Barbuda should be suspended until the Government of Antigua & Barbuda provides complete redress of the issues…”
These issues relate to the Allen Stanford ponzi scheme that was based in Antigua, and Half Moon Bay land acquisition by the Antiguan government, both scandals which the US Congressmen piloting the two resolutions say disenfranchised US investors.
The House Resolution 507, led by Representative Mike Coffman of Colorado, states that the “Government of Antigua and Barbuda has committed numerous acts against the interests of United States citizens and operated the financial sector and judicial system of Antigua and Barbuda in a manner that is manifestly contrary to the public policy of the United States.”
The resolution is also backed by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, Representatives John Culberson and Pete Sessions, all of Texas; Representatives Jeff Boustany and Bill Cassidy, both of Louisiana; Representative Jo Bonner of Alabama; Representative John Duncan of Tennessee; Representative Greg Harper of Mississippi; and Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer of Missouri.
Similarly to the previous Senate Resolution, it calls for “provision of all further direct or indirect aid or assistance, including assistance derived from Federal funds, by the United States Government to the Government of Antigua and Barbuda should be suspended until the Government of Antigua and Barbuda provides complete redress of the issues described”, including the return of all expropriated lands, full co-operation with all investigations and court matters related to the Stanford fraud, and a sizeable donation of funds to the receivership to benefit victims of the fraud.
In addition, the resolution echoes the Senate request that, “the Secretary of the Treasury should direct the United States Executive Directors of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Development Association (commonly known as the ‘‘World Bank’’) and the International Monetary Fund to use the voice and vote of the United States to ensure that any future loan made by the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund to the Government of Antigua and Barbuda is conditioned on providing complete redress of the matters, and satisfaction of the requirements.”
This move in both seats of Congress is receiving strong backing from the Stanford Victims Coalition.
Director and Founder Angela Shaw, in commenting on the Congressional resolutions, suggested that these actions would force the hand of the Antigua and Barbuda government, which she alleged had not been acting in the interest of Stanford’s victims from more than 65 countries in the almost three years since the scandal broke.
The resolution has been referred to the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs for a formal vote. The earlier Senate Resolution is now pending a vote by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Caribbean 360 News
New Year's Eve 2012: Celebrations around the world
Revellers around the world are celebrating the end of 2011 and are seeing in 2012.
Sydney heralded the new year with a 15-minute multi-million dollar firework display at midnight (13:00 GMT).
In Dubai an extravagant pyrotechnic display lit up the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, with fireworks spouting from the top floor.
Celebrations are now taking place in Europe, with large crowds on the streets in many cities.
Thousands of people gathered in Red Square in Moscow to witness a firework display at midnight, although alcohol was banned to prevent the festivities getting out of hand.
Heavy rain dampened the celebrations in the Turkish city of Istanbul, but the main square in the Ukrainian capital Kiev was illuminated with an array of colourful lights and fireworks.
The first places to celebrate were Samoa and Tokelau after they jumped across the international dateline.
As the clock struck midnight at the end of 29 December, the two South Pacific island nations fast-forwarded to 31 December, missing out on 30 December entirely.
Tourists and locals partied throughout Saturday as Samoa revelled in being the first country to ring in the new year, rather than the last.
Hopes and fears
In Tokyo, people released helium balloons in front of the Tokyo Tower at midnight with notes attached listing their hopes for 2012.
Many wished for a better year, following the earthquake and tsunami that brought devastation to the north-east of Japan in 2011.
"I hope it will be a year full of smiles. For those who are crying now, I hope they'll be smiling too," said 21-year-old Horie Soichiro.
Days after the death of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, the authorities issued a New Year message urging people to back his son and successor, Kim Jong-un.
"The whole party, the entire army and all the people should possess a firm conviction that they will become human bulwarks and human shields in defending Kim Jong-un unto death," it said.
A downbeat tone was reflected in the new year's message of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said 2012 would be more difficult than 2011, but hoped Europe's debt crisis would bring its member states closer.
In a televised message marking the start of an election year in France, President Nicolas Sarkozy, issued a similar warning, but tried to remain upbeat.
"We have to be courageous and we have to be lucid. What is happening in the world announces that 2012 will be a year full of risks but also full of possibilities," he said.
For his part, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who starts his second term on Sunday, said he hoped the new year would continue the move towards democracy that protesters had started during the so-called Arab Spring in 2011.
For the UK, meanwhile, New Year's Eve is just the start of a year of festivities that will include the Queen's diamond jubilee and the London Olympics.
In Brazil, revellers are set to enjoy a fireworks display on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro.
And hundreds of thousands will pack into New York's Times Square later for the ceremonial ball-dropping at midnight.
Musical medley
Sydney's firework spectacular had the theme "Time to Dream", which producer Aneurin Coffey said was about giving people a chance to put a bad year behind them.
An estimated million-strong crowd watched the pyrotechnics around Sydney Harbour Bridge, which were accompanied by a medley of wild animal sounds and pop music.
Some of the fireworks resembled waterfalls, rainbows and clouds - which Mr Coffey said was "because every cloud has a silver lining".
Bad weather prompted some New Zealand planners to cancel outdoor events, but a low-key fireworks display went ahead at Auckland's Sky Tower.
Heavy rain meant celebrations in Palmerston North, Mount Maunganui, Rotorua and on Wellington's waterfront were called off, the New Zealand Herald reported.
"We hate having to cancel events but especially for something like New Year's Eve," Wellington's events manager Lauren Fantham told the paper.
"We'd rather have people safe inside somewhere than catching colds from a cold wet southerly," she explained.
European Leaders Express Somber New Year Messages
European leaders delivered somber New Year's messages to their citizens Saturday.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned that France's future will hang in the balance in 2012. He acknowledged that many people are starting the new year worried about the future of their children and that emerging from the crisis will remain a challenge for the continent.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the past year in Europe was marked by the financial crisis. But she reminded citizens that the peaceful continent is a historical gift and that lessons could be learned from past mistakes.
” One of these is that a common that a common currency can only be successful if we work together more than ever in Europe. Europe is growing closer in the crisis. The road to overcome it remains long and not without setbacks, but at the end of this path Europe will re-emerge stronger from the crisis than it was when it entered it.”
Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos also warned that the coming year will be difficult and urged Greeks to accept austerity.
“We have to continue our efforts with determination, so that the sacrifices we have made up to now won't be in vain, so that we prevent this crisis from developing into disorder, so that we can continue to use the euro as our currency, so that we return to the path of development and reduce unemployment.”
Athens has cut down its spending on holiday festivities and used the funds to help the needy.
Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev was somewhat more optimistic in his last televised message of the outgoing year. He said that 2011 was “not easy” but that it is ending well for the country as a result of people's joint efforts.
Pope Benedict marked the end of the year with prayers of thanks and said humanity awaits the new year with apprehension, but also with hope for a better future.
Nigeria Declares State of Emergency After Attacks
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a state of emergency in areas hard hit by violence blamed on the radical Islamist sect Boko Haram.
In an address on state television Saturday, Mr. Jonathan said the measure is in force in parts of Yobe and Borno states in the northeast, Plateau state in central Nigeria, and Niger state in the east.
He said a temporary closure of borders in those areas is needed to address security challenges and restore normalcy to the country.
“All Nigerians will collectively fight this terror. We will crush them. We know what happens in other countries that is why I always say 'yes, there has been a terrorist attack, but there is not a magic wand to wave it off' because we know it has been happening in other countries but collectively we'll bring it under control and finally crush it. We begin from tonight to take some different measures, different approach to fighting Boko Haram.”
The move came following a series of Christmas Day attacks in northeastern Nigeria, including four that killed about 40 people, most of them Christians.
The violence is blamed on Boko Haram, an Islamist sect that has claimed responsibility for multiple bombings and shootings in the north and in the capital, Abuja. The group's name means “western education is a sin.”
The violence is raising fears that the militants are trying to ignite sectarian strife.
The opposition has criticized the Jonathan administration for failing to control Boko Haram.
Nigeria is roughly divided into a mostly Muslim north and a predominantly Christian south.
North Korea Vows to Defend Kim Jong Un “Unto Death”
North Korean officials have pledged in their annual New Year's message to make every effort to bring the country to prosperity and to defend its new leader Kim Jong Un.
The message published Sunday by the state-run new agency KCNA comes a day after Mr. Kim was named the supreme commander of North Korea's military following his father Kim Jong Il's death.
In April, North Korea will mark a crucial landmark in its history: the centenary of the birth of its founder Kim Il Sung, the new leader's grandfather.
The New Year's message urges North Koreans to glorify 2012 as a year of victory and prosperity. It also calls on the army and people to defend Kim Jong Un unto death.
After the death of Kim Jong Il, December 17, North Korean official media referred to his youngest son as the great successor.
Kim Jong Un, who is in his 20s, was given a prominent position during his father's funeral. Leaders of the ruling Workers' Party officially named him supreme commander over the 1.2 million-strong military at a meeting Friday.
Officials also have sent a message to the world not to expect any changes in the communist country's policies.
Afghan President Welcomes US Remarks on Taliban
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Saturday he welcomed U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's recent remarks that the Taliban in Afghanistan is not America's enemy.
During a speech in Kabul, Mr. Karzai said the Afghan people are very happy about the U.S. announcement, adding “such a message will help the Afghans reach peace and stability.”
In a December 19 interview with the U.S. magazine Newsweek, Biden said President Barack Obama has made no statement in any U.S. policy assertions that the Taliban is “our enemy.” The vice president said the insurgent group did not represent a threat to the United States, unless it continued to harbor al-Qaida.
On Tuesday, Mr. Karzai said his government would accept the Taliban establishing a liaison office in the Gulf state of Qatar for the purpose of holding peace talks.
U.S. officials have been quoted as saying that the United States is open to negotiating a peace agreement with the Taliban and that a possible deal could include the transfer of Taliban prisoners from the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Meanwhile, NATO-led troops handed over responsibility for security to Afghan forces in three districts in southern Helmand province. The provincial governor's office said Afghan forces took control of Nad Ali, Nawa and Marja districts late Friday as part of the second wave of security transition.
And NATO said one of its service members died Saturday in a non-battle related incident in southern Afghanistan. No other details were immediately available.
Report: Iran to Propose New Nuclear Talks
Iran's ambassador to Germany says his country is ready for a new round of talks with major world powers about Iran's controversial nuclear program.
The semi-official Mehr news agency reported Saturday that Ambassador Ali Reza Sheikh Attar says Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, will propose the talks in a letter to the European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton.
The renewed dialogue would be between Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — the United States, Russia, China, Britain, and France — as well as Germany.
The ambassador did not say how soon the letter would be sent.
The West fears Iran's nuclear program is geared toward making atomic weapons, a charge Tehran denies.
Talks earlier this year between Iran and the six world powers did not make progress.