Gayle thinks about regional future
West Indies cricket stands to lose the talented opener Chris Gayle after his meeting with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) officials in Jamaica on Tuesday failed to bring both parties together. A well placed source close to the meeting told the Trinidad Guardian, Gayle is despondent after the meeting and may turn away from West Indies cricket. “Chris wants to play cricket for the West Indies. He wants to play really badly and this is why he turned up for the meeting. However, what was said and how it was said at the meeting has left him rather frustrated and he may now look at taking his game away from the West Indies. “This is a man who has served West Indies cricket well in the past and he was also captain of the regional team. However, he was treated very badly by one individual at the meeting and this has left him in a state.”
This meeting was called following the West Indies opener’s highly-publicised, controversial interview on a Jamaican radio station, where he slammed the WICB, and was also critical of Chief Executive Officer Ernest Hilaire, West Indies coach Ottis Gibson and West Indies captain Darren Sammy. Gayle was accompanied by Executive President of the West Indies Players’ Association Dinanath Ramnarine and WIPA Vice President Wavell Hinds to a near four-hour long meeting that took place at the Pegasus Hotel.
Hilaire, Gibson, West Indies Team Operations Manager Richie Richardson, and WICB Chief Cricket Operations Officer Tony Howard represented the regional governing body.
The source further stated : “Chris was penalised (by being dropped from the West Indies team) before he was given a hearing. This was totally unfair and was aired at the meeting. “Also one official who represented the WICB was very provocative towards Chris and was not even allowing him to answer questions posed to him. This was very unfortunate.” The findings of the meeting will be taken to the directors of the WICB, following which a decision will be made about Gayle’s role in West Indies cricket. In the meantime, Gayle has been left frustrated and with all the lucrative T20 tournaments being played all around the world, it is likely he may turn to this form of the game and Test cricket will no longer see the devastating left handed Jamaican.
Cuba claims US legislator trying to sabotage access to oil reserves
US Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives, is promoting a bill that seeks to impose sanctions on individuals or entities assisting Cuba in the development of its oil industry.
This claim was made during the Round Table Cuban radio and television program on Tuesday, when panelists said that, with the pretext of protecting the coral reefs of the Caribbean, the US legislator is trying to block the drilling of oil wells in the area and the Cuban socio-economic development in general.
The bill (HR 2047) is called the Caribbean Coral Reef Protection Act and it would deny US entry visas to any foreign officer, principal or controlling shareholder of a company that invests $1 million in Cuba’s oil industry.
The sanction would apply to any investments made on or after January 10, 2005. It would also direct the president of the United States to impose sanctions on people who invest in Cuba’s petroleum sector, and make it illegal for any US national to help Cuba develop its offshore oil resources.
Cuba’s area in the Gulf of Mexico is divided in 59 blocks. Several of them have been contracted for exploration by companies such as Repsol, PDVSA, and PetroVietnam.
Jamaica to sign solar energy MoU with US company
Jamaica’s Department of Local Government is to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with American company, Green Energy Management, to test a new set of solar energy technologies.
The partnership forms part of the Department’s thrust to establish a number of alternative energy projects.
Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Local Government Reform, Robert Montague made the announcement at a media roundtable, organised by the Department of Local Government on Tuesday.
He explained that the Department had embarked on a number of alternative energy projects at the community level, including a windmill and solar panel, which is now being installed at the Trelawny Infirmary, and solar street lights.
Meanwhile, he noted that, in 2009, the Department embarked on “an ambitious and cost-saving experiment in the form of using bio-diesel for our solid waste trucks”. This involved 20 trucks at an initial investment outlay of $273,000, using 3,650 litres of biodiesel, in partnership with Jamaica Biofuels.
“We used to collect all the used oil from hotels and restaurants and then truck them to Montego Bay. We handed that oil to Jamaica Biofuels, and they had a 96 percent conversion rate of oil to biodiesel,” Montague explained.
He said the experiment proved successful, saving the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) 20 percent in fuel and operational costs.
“There is every intention to broaden the application of this to other fleets in the local government system,” Montague said.
Montague also updated the media on other areas of his portfolio, such as: property tax collection; innovation in the operations of the NSWMA; improvements in the Jamaica Fire Brigade; energy saving initiatives; income generating activities for parish councils; increased efficiencies in the development approval process; the Ananda Alert system; disaster preparedness; infirmaries; and the financial management system for parish councils.
REDjet talks to expand operations
Transport ministers from Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago ended talks here on Wednesday promising to provide the necessary documents required by the Caribbean’s first low budget carrier to expand its operations in the region.
Jamaica’s Transport Minister Michael Henry described the talks here as “very productive” even as his colleagues made it clear that the licence would only be provided once they are certain that the proud safe aviation history of the Caribbean is not affected as the Barbados-based REDjet moves to expand its operations by flying the Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago routes.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Works and Transport Minister Austin “Jack” Warner told reporters that the issue of safety had been raised during the talks here and that the ministers had agreed on a common position for ensuring that the airline meets the strict standards for safety.
“The fact is that our Civil Aviation Department has some concerns which shall be looked at by the suitable departments in Barbados and Jamaica and collectively those three civil aviation departments will come up with one common approach and a response to whatever concerns they are.”
Warner said that the issue could “take a week or two weeks…but what I do know the fact that the three of us are now working in sync that should be a catalyst for a quick approach to a resolution”.
The meeting here came a few days after Jamaica’s Prime Minister Bruce Golding said that he intended holding talks with his counterparts in the two Caribbean countries to sort out the issues confronting the Barbados-based REDjet.
Barbados-Transport Minister George Huston said the country understood the concerns of both Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, noting that it was their right to address those issues before allowing any airline to operate out of their countries.
“There are a few issues that are going to be worked on and addressed and I am assured that once those issues have been addressed the operations of the aircraft into the respective jurisdictions should proceed.
“That is really the fundamental issue we have agreements between our respective states in terms of the various routes, rights that will be afforded to the carriers of Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Jamaica and I am assured once we addressed those outstanding issues that we would be able to have the REDjet aircraft flying between our respective countries.”
Huston told reporters that those discussions should have taken place earlier.
“Maybe if we had had a meeting like this sometime last year it would have avoided some of what has been said in the press.
“As we said, going forward we will be meeting from time to time to iron out that particular issue,” he added.
Henry told the news conference that from Jamaica’s perspective “the safety concepts that relates (to REDjet) is very important, but we have the technical people who have to review what is necessary.
“Indeed we want to see as many airlines flying in many directions as possible and we are offering any airline that wants to come in. There are new routes that are not being served, areas that are not being served.
“So in the context of it we have had a very productive meeting and a clear position wjere we want to go,” Henry told reporters
In April, REDjet announced that it would be flying between Jamaica and Barbados as of May 8.
But the airline has been experiencing administrative problems in Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica and has had to cancel its operations for a period. REDjet now services the Barbados to Guyana route.
Earlier this week, REDjet accused regional industry players of seeking to frustrate the progress of the airline.
Director of Development, Robbie Burns, said that the airline would not be deterred by the efforts to stop its expansion throughout the region.
“This is a long term strategy that we have to enter the market with low fares and bring competition to the market,” he said noting that there had been a monopoly situation existing in the region where the entrance of others have been ‘delayed or slowed down”. (CMC)
Customs Intercept 18 year old with Cocaine in Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Customs officials intercepted an 18 year old girl on Thursday who had two kilos of cocaine in chocolate chip cookies and two posters. The young female passenger identified as P.S. was traveling from Curacao to St. Maarten on an Insel Air flight.
Head of Customs Anthony Doran said the young mule had the drugs in both liquid and power form. Doran said tests were conducted on the substance which was found hidden in six parcels and it turned out to be cocaine.
The passenger was then arrested and brought to the Customs station (ward) for further interrogation. P.S. is currently going through a series of interrogations at the Customs Department to find out if the drugs that was found in her possession, were intended for the local market or the European Continent.
HIV/AIDS victim gets 25 years for manslaughter
ANTHONY ATWELL defended a murder charge for killing his wife on the grounds that she infected him with the deadly HIV virus, but he himself went on to have sex with at least two other women.
In renewing his call yesterday for legislation to have persons jailed who deliberately infect others with HIV/AIDS, Justice Anthony Carmona sentenced Atwell, 43, to 25 years with hard labour for stabbing Gail Auguste to death on the Point Fortin main road in 2003.
The judge justified the stiff sentence on the guilty verdict by a jury last week Tuesday on the lesser count of manslaughter, on the ground that Atwell cohabited with other women.
Atwell also has a past criminal record of 14 convictions, the judge added.
Carmona told Atwell in the San Fernando High court yesterday that he (Atwell) had attempted to hoodwink the court by wrongly informing him that he was being administered only pain killers in jail for HIV. But it was revealed by the State yesterday that Atwell, though in prison, is an out-patient of the Medical Research Foundation (MRF) headed by Professor Courtenay Bartholomew, and receives the best treatment the country could offer for HIV/AIDS victims.
When Carmona passed the sentence yesterday, and as Atwell was being led away from the dock by police officers, he replied: “Ah go rot in jail?”
Atwell was found guilty by a jury last week Tuesday on the lesser count of manslaughter in a trial for murder. He met Auguste, 34, on King’s Wharf, San Fernando, and within three months he married her in Point Fortin.
In 2003, Auguste left Atwell and went to live with another man, Anslem Joseph. He stabbed Auguste with a knife he bought in a ‘Ten dollar’ store in Point Fortin.
Carmona deferred sentencing to yesterday after he heard pleas in mitigation from attorney Wilston Campbell, on the accused’s behalf. Campbell had complained to the judge that Atwell received only pain killers and antibiotics in jail for his HIV illness.
But this was disputed yesterday by State Attorney Mauricia Joseph, who supplied the judge with medical records from the MRF, which indicated that Atwell, since his incarceration for the murder, had been subjected to regular blood tests. Joseph said that it was untrue to propagate the notion that the accused was not been attended to by the MRF and administered appropriate HIV drugs. Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Kathy Ann Waterman-Lachoo, prosecuted the trial.
Carmona told Atwell yesterday that he must pass sentence consistent with the jury’s verdict of manslaughter, in which they obviously believed that he had become enraged by Auguste for infecting him with HIV. But when Auguste left Atwell, the judge noted, the accused in his own testimony, admitted to having a one-night-stand with a woman in Point Fortin name Cleopatra, and another woman, who was not named.
Auguste’s new husband after she left Atwell, Carmona said, was Joseph. He died and the court during the trial, was not furnished with medical evidence as to what he died from.
Carmona called for criminalisation of the deliberate and reckless spreading of HIV and yesterday he renewed his call. His call had gained the support of the Ministry of the Attorney General, Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago and MRF’s director Prof Bartholomew. The Attorney General office in a release, stated that the Law Reform Commission had been mandated to examine the Offences Against the Persons Act, with a view to incorporating anti HIV/AIDS legislation as obtained in some foreign countries.
But Carmona said yesterday that there should not be a “witch-hunt”approach to such legislation. The judge said, “It should not be used to derail the gains and efforts to prevent HIV transmission, or encourage safe sex, HIV testing and disclosure by persons who have the disease.”
The judge put forward the suggestion yesterday that in framing such legislation, there should be guidelines to control how the police and the State, prosecute such persons. It must amount to a deliberate, and or reckless act of infecting another person, Carmona said. Carmona said that the threshold that must be met for a conviction of a person who consciously spread HIV, or by an reckless act, must be based on similar criminal law principle of “Proof beyond a reasonable doubt”.
R.Kelly for Reggae Sumfest
American R&B singer-songwriter and record producer R Kelly will also be performing at this year's staging of Reggae Sumfest.
According to a release sent to THE STAR, the singer is expected to hit the concert's stage on Friday, July 22. He joins Nicki Minaj, Mavado, Beenie Man, Tanya Stephens and I-Octane on the festival's line-up.
Johnny Gourzong, executive producer of the event, confirmed the Radio Message singer's appearance yesterday.
"The Reggae Sumfest team is excited to be presenting R Kelly on the Sumfest stage. We have been trying to contract him for the last five years and it is great to see that it is finally happening. We are expecting a spectacular performance from Mr Kelly," Gourzong stated in the release.
controversy
It will be R Kelly's second performance in Jamaica. His Jamaican debut in 1996 was surrounded by controversy at a concert at Jamworld, St Catherine. The singer, who at that time was one of the hottest artistes in R&B, had dropped his pants while performing. This was followed by a public backlash.
The singer, however, has never hid his love for Jamaican music. He experimented with reggae on his 2005 album, TP.3 Reloaded, which yielded the club jam, Slow Wine and Reggae Bump Bump which he recorded with Elephant Man.
R Kelly was born Robert Kelly in Chicago, and first came to the attention of fans in the United States as a member of the R&B group, Public Announcement. He went solo in the early 1990s and it was not long after that he climbed to the top of Billboard magazine charts with 12 Play.
He is also known for the inspirational hit I Believe I Can Fly and has been known for writing hit songs for other acts. Among those songs are Stroke You Up and Foolin' Around by Changing Faces and You Are Not Alone which was recorded by Michael Jackson. R Kelly's last album, Love Letter, was released in 2010.
R Kelly is the latest high- profile hip-hop/R&B act to be snared by Summerfest Productions. Big names like Boyz II Men, Destiny's Child, Snoop Dogg, Chris Brown, Wyclef Jean, Toni Braxton and Usher have also appeared on the show. Reggae Sumfest will take place on July 17-23 in Montego Bay.
Kim Kardashian wants a $4600 vase
What do you get a reality TV star and her basketball player fiancé as a wedding gift?
Either a $4,625 black vase or a $375 candy jar, if Kim Kardashian’s wedding registry is any indication.
The online list, confirmed to E! as legit by Kardashian’s camp, features a variety of stemware, flatware, plates and other miscellaneous items from the upscale Gearys Beverly Hills. If you, for whatever reason, attempted to purchase everything on that list you’d be out of about $172,000.
A few of the items requested: An $1100 ashtray; a $1650 coffee pot with a matching $1000 creamer and $710 sugar bowl; 18 silver placemats at $75 a piece; 18 cereal bowls at $150 a piece; and an $1150 black clock.
Someone has already snatched up the $175 crystal mustard jar, and presumably the purchaser knows the actual wedding date - a source told E! that the October 31, 2011 date listed on the registry is just a joke.
Oprah ready for OWN
During a cable industry trade show in Chicago today, Oprah Winfrey said says she’s ready to give 100 percent of her attention to nurturing her six-month-old Oprah Winfrey Network.
As OWN was under development, Winfrey said she was also trying to finish the last 130 episodes of her syndicated TV talk show, the last episode of which aired on May 25. With “The Oprah Winfrey Show” now out of the way, Winfrey said she can be “all in” at OWN.
“I now have the time to be committed to the nurturing of this network,” Winfrey said in an interview with Paula Zahn at the National Cable & Telecommunications Association’s Cable Show 2011. “The vacation I thought I was going to have is kind of over … at least for the time being.”
Rosie O’Donnell, Shania Twain, Sarah Ferguson and Winfrey friend Gayle King have first-season shows on the commercially-supported OWN, which offers a mix of talk and reality shows, films and original documentaries.
Winfrey will appear in “Oprah’s Next Chapter,” in which she travels the world in search of interesting stories, and “Season 25: Oprah Behind the Scenes,” a chronicle of her final talk show year. She will also be seen in the series “Oprah Presents Master Class” and “Your OWN Show: Oprah’s Search for the Next TV Star.”
Winfrey said there are two people she was never able to get on her talk show she’d still like to interview — O.J. Simpson and Susan Smith, the South Carolina woman convicted of drowning her two young sons.
She said she’s been surprised by the “bumps along the way” in launching her network, which has seen low initial ratings and the abrupt exit of its top executive. But she said her focus has always been on her audience, not numbers.
“I let other people worry about ratings,” she said. “For me, it is always about service to the viewers. I have committed everything I have to this cable venture. I wouldn’t bet against me.”
Mama's boy by kanye West is leaked
Kanye West says he’s upset over this week’s leak of his track “Mama’s Boy,” and has vowed to go after the people who did it.
The rapper-producer released a statement late Wednesday declaring that versions of the track, which had turned up on blogs and elsewhere online in the past week, are “bogus and unsanctioned” and that he and his team are taking measures to “identify and prosecute the persons responsible for leaking this material.”
West continued the missive by saying that the leak “violates the artist’s creative intentions.”
An a capella version of the song was first performed by West last year inside Facebook’s corporate office south of San Francisco.
Kanye’s statement is posted in its entirety below:
“The version of the Kanye West recording “Mama’s Boy” that arrived on blog sites earlier this week is entirely bogus and unsanctioned, and violates the artist’s creative intentions. As is often the unfortunate case, an unknown party or parties got a hold of Kanye West’s vocal track and added their own soundbed to it, effectively and falsely releasing it as a Kanye West track from the My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy sessions. The result in no way resembles the final song Kanye West intended his fans to hear, and he is deeply disappointed that one of the most personal, meaningful and special songs he has ever written would reach people in this way. Needless to say, measures are being taken to identify and prosecute the persons responsible for leaking this material.”
The two men charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and commit grievous bodily harm to singer Joss Stone are due in court in England today.
The men were arrested on Tuesday outside the singer’s Devon home, in the rural South West of England, armed with swords, ropes and a body bag after neighbors called the police to report suspicious behavior near her gate.
The 24-year-old singer has since released a statement saying she is “absolutely fine” and “getting on with life as normal.”
Junior Bradshaw, 31 and Kevin Bradshaw, 32 were charged on Wednesday night and will appear at Exeter Magistrates’ Court for a bail hearing.