Beenie Man doing OK
Dancehall King Beenie Man was recently diagnose with a hip condition that will required the veteran deejay to undergo surgery.
Sources close to the deejay told Urban Islandz that he is doing good and is in high spirit despite the set backs from his ailment.
“He did all the necessary check ups that he needed to, and will do a minor corrective surgery, so to all Beenie Man fans, he is doing good despite rumors that you might have heard,” the source exclaimed.
News broke earlier this week that the ‘I’m Ok’ deejay was ill and will be off the dancehall scene for a little while, there were also some rumors on some websites that the Doc is extremely sick and hospitalize, but Urban Islandz reliable sources confirmed that the deejay is doing good.
Beenie Man, whose real name is Moses Davis, shot the video for his Beenie Man and Friends medley last weekend, a project the Doc launch involving several dancehall artists.
Source: Urban Islandz
George Clooney recovering from malaria
Hollywood actor George Clooney contracted malaria during a trip to Sudan earlier this month, but is now fully cured, a spokesman has revealed.
The 49-year-old is a frequent visitor to the African country to help raise awareness about the Darfur conflict.
He said his own experience shows how the right medication can turn "the most lethal condition" into "a bad 10 days instead of a death sentence".
Publicist Stan Rosenfield said it was Clooney's second bout with the disease.
The actor is expected to discuss the condition and his work in Africa on Piers Morgan's CNN show on Friday.
Britney Spears' new single tops chart in first week
Pop star Britney Spears has become only the second artist in the US chart's 52-year history to have more than one single top the chart in its opening week, according to Billboard.
Hold It Against Me is the fourth number one single of Spears' career.
In 2009, the singer's track 3 also debuted at number one.
Mariah Carey is the only other artist to have had multiple first-week chart toppers - Fantasy and One Sweet Day in 1995 and Honey in 1997.
Hold It Against Me sold 411,000 downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
It marks the highest first-week tally for a solo female artist, beating the 325,000 downloads sold by Taylor Swift's Today Was a Fairytale in February 2010.
Bruno Mars features twice in this week's top ten at number two and in tenth place with Grenade and Just The Way You Are.
Katy Perry's Firework track was in third place, followed by Rihanna's What's My Name?, with Wiz Khalifa at number five.
Enrique Iglesias, Kesha, Pink and The Black Eyed Peas rounded off the top 10.
Tony Blair's note told President Bush 'count on us'
Tony Blair privately assured US President George Bush "you can count on us" in the run-up to the Iraq war.
The private note will remain secret - despite calls for it to be published by Iraq inquiry chairman Sir John Chilcot.
But Mr Blair, who is being grilled by the inquiry for a second time, summed up its contents.
He also revealed he disregarded Lord Goldsmith's warning that attacking Iraq would be illegal without further UN backing because it was "provisional".
The ex-PM said he had believed his top legal officer would change his position on whether a second UN resolution justifying force was needed when he knew the full details of the negotiations.
'Difficulties'
Sir John repeated what he said earlier this week, the panel was "disappointed" that the government would not allow the public release of statements Mr Blair made in July 2002 to Mr Bush and the then US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The panel have seen them.
Mr Blair said that although he agreed with cabinet secretary Gus O'Donnell, who blocked their release on the grounds that they would compromise diplomatic confidentiality, he was "not going to hide behind the cabinet secretary".
Summing up the contents of the statements, he said he had told Mr Bush: "You can count on us, we are going to be with you in tackling this, but here are the difficulties."
The message he wanted to get across, he added, was "whatever the political heat, if I think this is the right thing to do I am going to be with you, I am not going to back out if the going gets tough. On the other hand, here are the difficulties and the UN route is the right way to go".
He said his foreign policy adviser Sir David Manning, who earlier told the panel he thought the statement was too sweeping and wanted the wording changed, would have preferred him not to have given "undertakings" to President Bush.
Mr Blair was also quizzed about apparent discrepancies between what he told the committee in January 2010 and recent statements to the committee by his Attorney General Lord Goldsmith.
'Uncomfortable'
Lord Goldsmith said he had been "uncomfortable" with statements Mr Blair made in the Commons ahead of the war suggesting Iraq could be attacked without UN authorisation, when he was warning at the time that such a move would be illegal.
Mr Blair told the panel he was also "uncomfortable" at the time, as he was trying to make the "political" case for taking action against Saddam.
"In the end I wasn't making a legal declaration, but a political point - if there was another breach we had to act," he told the panel.
He said "I was trying to hold that line in circumstances where it was very difficult" and if UK legal disagreements had emerged it would have wrecked ongoing negotiations.
"If a chink of light had opened up it would have been a political catastrophe for us," said Mr Blair.
Asked if Lord Goldsmith's legal doubts constrained him from making a commitment to the US, Mr Blair said "No".
Airing legal doubts to the US at that time would have damaged the coalition and encouraged Saddam, Mr Blair suggested.
The former prime minister told the inquiry: "I believe if I started to articulate this, in a sense saying 'I cannot be sure', the effect of that on the Americans, the coalition and most importantly on Saddam would have been dramatic."
But he said he was convinced that if Lord Goldsmith spoke to Sir Jeremy Greenstock, the UK's then ambassador to the UN, and to "the Americans" he would change his mind on the legality of war, which turned out to be the case.
Mr Blair issued a 26 page written statement ahead of his appearance in response to more than 100 detailed questions from the inquiry panel, in which, among other things, he set out the process by which he said Lord Goldsmith changed his mind.
'Gung ho'
The inquiry also released a note from Mr Blair to Jonathan Powell, his chief of staff, shortly before his visit to then US President George Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, in April 2002, in which he argued that Labour should be "gung-ho" about dealing with Saddam Hussein.
In the note, Mr Blair said that, from "a centre-left perspective", the case for action against the Iraqi dictator should be "obvious".
"Saddam's regime is a brutal, oppressive military dictatorship. He kills his opponents, has wrecked his country's economy and is a source of instability and danger in the region," he wrote.
"I can understand a right-wing Tory opposed to 'nation-building' being opposed to it on grounds it hasn't any direct bearing on our national interest.
"But in fact a political philosophy that does care about other nations - eg Kosovo, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone - and is prepared to change regimes on the merits, should be gung-ho on Saddam."
Mr Blair said the meeting with Mr Bush at Crawford "did not result in an alteration of policy".
Mr Blair told the committee he believed Saddam Hussein "never had any intention" of complying with the terms of UN resolution 1441 and there had been "heavy" pressure put on Iraqi scientists and officials not to co-operate with UN weapons inspectors.
If Saddam had been allowed to continue in power, there was a risk that Iraq could now be engaged in an arms race with Iran, Mr Blair he added.
The evidence session is to last more than four hours.
Mr Blair's previous appearance prompted demonstrations at Westminster, although the former prime minister arrived hours before the start and avoided any confrontation.
Similar protests are expected later.
South Korea rescues Samho Jewelry crew from pirates
South Korean navy commandos have stormed a cargo ship which had been seized by pirates in the Arabian Sea.
All 21 crew members of the South Korean-owned Samho Jewelry were rescued, said Lt Gen Lee Sung-ho of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The navy said eight of the pirates had been killed and five captured.
South Korea is part of a multinational anti-piracy patrol in the area - it had dispatched a warship after the vessel was seized on Saturday.
The unprecedented rescue mission took place about 1,300km (800 miles) off the coast of Somalia and was described by Lt Gen Lee as "a perfect military operation".
The 11,500-tonne Samho Jewelry had been carrying chemicals from the United Arab Emirates towards Sri Lanka when it was hijacked in the waters between Oman and India.
Earlier in the week, President Lee Myung-Bak told the navy to take "all possible measures" to free the eight South Koreans, two Indonesians and 11 Burmese on board.
The Choi Young destroyer had been pursuing the ship for nearly a week, and the navy said the pirates appeared to have been weakened by the chase.
Lt Gen Lee said there were also concerns that they were expecting a mother ship to arrive soon to give them support.
"Since we thought we could be in an extremely difficult situation if the pirates joined forces, we chose today to carry out the operation," he said.
Lt Gen Lee said the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff had taken advice from the Fifth Fleet - the US Navy division based in Bahrain - before the mission, and that the raid was carried out with support from a US destroyer.
'Never negotiate'
The Choi Young moved in when some of the pirates left the Samho Jewelry, apparently to attack a Mongolian ship nearby.
Commandos boarded the ship while a smaller boat and a helicopter were sent to rescue to Mongolian vessel.
"Three of our soldiers suffered light scratches on their bodies as they were fired upon by pirates on Tuesday," said Col Lee Bung-Woo, a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"Our Lynx helicopter immediately returned fire and several pirates fell into the waters. We believe they are dead."
Officials said eight of the 13 pirates on board were killed, although their bodies have not been found. Five were captured alive.
The captain of the ship suffered a bullet wound to the stomach but his condition was not thought to be life-threatening - he was praised for his actions in assisting the rescue.
"Pirates sought to take the vessel to the Somalian coast fast but the skipper helped us earn time by manoevering the vessel in a serpentine manner," said Lt Gen Lee.
"This operation demonstrated our government's strong will to never negotiate with pirates," he said.
In a televised statement after the mission, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said the military had "carried out the operation perfectly under difficult circumstances".
"I appreciate it and send a message of encouragement," he said.
"We will not tolerate any behaviour that threatens the lives and safety of our people in the future."
Family members of the crew said the news of the rescue was "breathtaking".
"I feel so relieved," said the son of crew member Kim Doo-Chan. "I'm ecstatic."
The Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Somalia, is one of the world's busiest shipping routes and has become a hotspot for pirate attacks.
Last year, Somali pirates received a record ransom of $9.5m (£5.8m) after seizing another ship owned by Samho Shipping.
The Samho Dream supertanker had been hijacked in the Indian Ocean in April.
Iran nuclear talks under way in Istanbul
Major world powers have begun two days of talks with Iran over its controversial nuclear programme.
Diplomats meeting in Turkey are expected to revive a fuel-swap plan, where Iran gives up nuclear material in return for fuel for a research reactor.
US officials warned that a major breakthrough was unlikely.
Some Western nations suspect Iran aims to build nuclear weapons, and economic sanctions have been imposed. Tehran insists its programme is peaceful.
After the two-hour morning session in Istanbul, Iran's National Security Council said in a statement that the talks had made a "positive start".
One goal
EU foreign policy chief Baroness Ashton is heading a delegation from China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK and US, aiming to get Iran to be more open about its nuclear ambitions.
But Iran has repeatedly insisted that uranium enrichment will not be on the agenda, instead pushing such issues as global disarmament and Israel's suspected nuclear arsenal.
In an effort to achieve this, there are reports that the negotiators are preparing to once again propose a fuel-swap deal.
Under such a deal Iran would give up an agreed amount of its low-enriched uranium. In return the world powers would provide fuel for a research reactor in Tehran.
However, it would be the third time in recent years that the idea of a uranium-for-fuel swap has been proposed.
A first version of this deal was agreed in October 2009, but collapsed shortly afterwards.
In May 2010, Brazil and Turkey brokered another version on their own with Iran - but the deal was rejected by the West.
Meanwhile, the UK's Guardian newspaper has published a leaked US diplomatic cable from 2009 suggesting that American experts believed Tehran had the "technical ability" to make highly enriched uranium - which can be used in weapons.
The cable shows, however, that other international experts at the same meeting disagreed with the American view.
Southern Sudan referendum: 'Massive vote to split'
With most votes counted in Southern Sudan's referendum, 99% of people have opted for independence from the north, officials say.
Official results are due next month but correspondents say the result is not in doubt.
However, the former rebels now running Southern Sudan have urged people not to celebrate yet.
President Omar al-Bashir has said he will accept the result of the vote, which was held after years of war.
The mainly Arabic-speaking, Muslim north has fought the south, where most are Christian or follow traditional religions, for most of Sudan's post-independence history.
In order for the referendum to be valid, more than 50% of voters must back secession and at least 60% of registered voters must take part.
Election officials have previously said that the 60% threshold had been passed.
Tunisia starts three days of mourning
Tunisia is beginning three days of mourning to honour those who died in the unrest that led to the fall of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.
At least 78 people have been killed since a wave of protests began last in January.
A new, interim government has faced continuing protests against Mr Ben Ali's RCD party remaining in office.
It has confirmed it will recognise banned political groups and provide an amnesty for political prisoners.
The announcement came as the government held its first cabinet meeting.
Cabinet ministers said earlier this week that all political prisoners had already been freed.
Human rights group Amnesty International welcomed that move, but said it had received information that several political prisoners linked to the banned Islamist party Ennahda were still in detention.
Tunisia's new cabinet has promised to hold free and fair elections within six months but has given no dates. The constitution says they should be held within six months.
There were demonstrations in Tunis on Thursday near offices of Mr Ben Ali's RCD party, as well as reports of rallies in the towns of Gafsa and Kef.
Demonstrators are demanding that all members of the RCD party be excluded from any future administration.
Last week four opposition ministers quit the cabinet just one day after it was formed, demanding the exclusion of RCD ministers.
Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi, interim President Fouad Mebazaa - the speaker of the lower house of parliament - and several ministers have quit the RCD to try to distance themselves from Mr Ben Ali.
The RCD has also dissolved its central committee.
It has been a week since Mr Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia following a wave of demonstrations.
The UN says as many as 100 people died as the police cracked down on the protests, which started to spread after a man set himself on fire in central Tunisia on 17 December.
Correspondents say political debate in the media and the street has opened up remarkably quickly in a country where political dissent had previously been strictly suppressed.
St Kitts-Nevis PM says Duvalier's return will pose more problems in Haiti
St Kitts and Nevis prime minister, Denzil Douglas, said that the return of Jean Claude Duvalier to Haiti and reports that former president Jean Bertrand Aristide is also planning to return could spell further political instability in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.
Douglas, a member of the CARICOM bureau of heads of government, said that supporters of both men were still very present in Haiti and for Aristide to return and with Duvalier on the ground and in the absence of credible successor plan for the last election, then of course Haiti can become embroiled in a blood bath.
"I want us to pray for Haiti and hope that the presence of Duvalier in Haiti at this time does not lead to continued conflict and unsettling situation there," he added.
On Tuesday, heavily armed police escorted Duvalier from his luxury hotel to a court, where he was questioned for hours, following which he was slapped with several charges, including corruption, theft and misappropriation of funds allegedly committed while he was in office.
Under Haitian law, the charges must be investigated by the judge, who will decide whether a judicial case should go ahead against the 59-year-old former leader.
Human rights group have also blamed Duvalier, also known as "Baby Doc", for carrying out various human rights abuses and that his administration had been involved in the disappearance of thousands of opponents.
Aristide was forced out of office in 2004 after accusing the United States and France of engineering his downfall.
Bandits grab millions from foreign diamond dealers
Five armed bandits escaped with millions in cash and valuables in a daring daylight robbery, committed on two Belgian directors of a diamond dealership, the VN Gualodice Inc, a Brazilian diamond dealer, and the security guard of the entity, located at Zinnia Avenue, Bel Air Park.
The robbery occurred around 11:30 hours yesterday and police have so far made no arrest.
The victims declined to comment on the robbery, even denying that it had occurred, when this newspaper made enquiries after arriving on the scene.
But according to the police, who issued a press release on the incident, the bandits arrived in a motor car and were taken into the building by the security guard Christopher Mc Adam of Cedar Court, Lamaha Gardens, Georgetown, after they claimed that they were there to transact business.
After entering the building, the men pulled out firearms and held up Mc Adam along with the two Company Directors, Alain Freidman and Vico Cohen, and Brazilian diamond dealer Samuel Lina, who was there transacting business.
The four victims were tied up by the perpetrators who then ransacked the premises and took away a total of $4M in cash, a quantity of diamonds, three laptop computers, a satellite phone and three cell phones, before making good their escape.
A security guard nearby told this newspaper that he saw a car parked outside the diamond dealership with a man inside who was talking on a cellular phone.
He said that the man was on the phone for about two minutes and then he drove away.
However, the guard said that he was unaware that a robbery was taking place until an employee of the entity drove up and stopped outside the location he was guarding.
He said that he was surprised when the man told him that a robbery was taking place.
According to the guard, the man remained in his car for 20 minutes and then went to the scene of the robbery. But the security guard said he did not see anyone leave the robbery scene.
Police arrived and took some information from the victims and then went in pursuit of the criminals.