'Dudus enquiry' in Jamaica adjourned to Monday following objection
The Commission of Enquiry in Jamaica into events surrounding the extradition of alleged drug kingpin Christopher "Dudus" Coke was adjourned to Monday following objections by George Henlin, attorney for Harold Brady, for him to testify before the commission.
Henley said that the reasons will be given on Monday when the hearing resumes.
Brady, as well as former Commissioner of Police Hardley Lewin and Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn appeared on Thursday on summonses.
Permanent Secretary the in Foreign Ministry, Evadne Coye, was cross-examined by attorney Oliver Smith, who is representing Solicitor General Douglas Leys. Coye will be further cross examined at a later date.
The Enquiry was told that Jeremy Taylor, who is in charge of the extradition department, will give his statement next Wednesday and will be testifying the following Monday.
President launches IYPAD in Guyana, says government cannot legalise marijuana
President Bharrat Jagdeo on Wednesday officially launched Guyana's year-long activities for the United Nations-designated International Year for the People of African Descent (IYPAD) and to work to ensure that kids have a brighter future.
Jagdeo told the gathering at the Guyana International Conference Centre, which included a large number of Rastafarians, "I can't promise you to legalise marijuana," refusing a call from the president of the Guyana Rastafari Council, Ras Leon Saul, for the government to do so, since he (Saul) said marijuana is the “Blessed Sacrament.”
Saul, who is also the chairman of the All African Guyanese Council, said, "When it comes to our sacrament, it is indeed a serious consideration to be made to free I and I up, free up the Rasta man."
He identified self-reliance, self determination and self governance as key ingredients in becoming genuine and better human beings.
Apparently referring to a call made by opposition leader, Robert Corbin, for African-Guyanese organisations to boycott the launching ceremony, Saul, a former journalist, appealed for unity rather than division.
"We have to stop divisiveness and stop the talk of boycotting ourselves,” he said.
The Rastafarian head spoke about the condition of the African-Guyanese, which prompted Jagdeo to pledge to assist in the best possible way.
Several activities have been planned for the year, including seminars, workshops, exhibitions, exchange visits, etc.
Jamaica and Cuba collaborate to fight drug trade and crime
Jamaica recently sent a delegation to Cuba on an exploratory/preparatory visit with that country’s Ministry of the Interior as part of the government’s effort to increase collaboration and cooperation in the fight against the illicit drug trade and other forms of transnational organized crime.
Minister with responsibility for Information, Daryl Vaz, who made the disclosure at Wednesday’s post cabinet press briefing, said that the visit was in keeping with the goal of the national security policy to reduce violent crime.
He said it was also part of government’s effort to dismantle organized criminal networks through strengthening bilateral and multilateral relationships.
Australian Open: Venus Williams & Justine Henin bow out
Venus Williams lasted just seven points of her third-round encounter in the Australian Open before retiring.
Andrea Petkovic won the first game before Williams, with seven grand slams behind her, felt the recurrence of a groin muscle injury and pulled out.
Justine Henin had earlier lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4 7-6 (10-8).
The Belgian 11th seed, champion in 2004, was outclassed in the first set and wasted a set point in the second as Kuznetsova prevailed in 124 minutes.
"I wanted to win so much and I'm really happy to win," said the 23rd seed.
Meanwhile, top seed Caroline Wozniacki saw off Dominika Cibulkova and 2008 champion Maria Sharapova beat Julia Goerges.
Friday's action on the Rod Laver Arena ended in anti-climactic fashion when Williams, 30, who had never previously retired in a grand slam, was forced to quit when 30-0 down in the second game against her German opponent.
After stretching to the right in an attempt to return service, Williams cried out and clutched her stomach. The injury had been picked up when the American defeated Sandra Zahlavova in her previous match.
The stand-out encounter of the day session saw Kuznetsova hand Henin her earliest exit at a Grand Slam event since Wimbledon 2005.
Former world number one Henin had seen her comeback season derailed when injuring her right elbow at Wimbledon. She did not play again in 2010 - and the problem seemed to affect her against Kuznetsova.
Henin hit 41 unforced errors but fought back gamely after losing the first set.
She twice came from a break down to level the second set and take an increasingly nervous Kuznetsova, who squandered two opportunities to serve out the match, into a tie-break.
The two-time Grand Slam winner could not take advantage of her first three match points, but eventually engineered a fourth bite at the cherry.
And when a Henin forehand landed wide she was able to celebrate only her third win in 19 head-to-head meetings with the Belgian.>
"I'm really pleased with way I played today, especially in the first set," said the 25-year-old. "After that it's tennis, you get nerves, I wanted to win so much and it was a great atmosphere."
Next up for Kuznetsova is French Open champion Francesca Schiavone after she beat Romania's Monica Niculescu 6-0 7-6 (7-2).
The sixth seed cruised through the opener but then had to fight back from 5-2 down in the second set to force a tie-break.
Wozniacki, in her first Grand Slam as world number one, overcame a spirited challenge from Cibulkova to reach the last 16 with a 6-4 6-3 win.
The Dane survived a scrappy opening set as both players struggled to hold on to their serve before breaking to lead 4-2 in the second.
She again lost her serve but hit straight back to edge out the dangerous yet increasingly-erratic Slovakian.
Cibulkova produced 31 winners with her powerful groundstrokes but stumbled to 41 unforced errors, while the more steady Wozniacki made just 11 winners but only 11 unforced errors throughout the 92-minute encounter.
The 20-year-old, who conducted a bizarre press conference after her match in which she answered her own questions , will next play the unseeded Latvian Anastasija Sevastova, who beat Vesna Manasieva 6-1 6-3.
Sharapova looked in trouble against Germany's Goerges but came back to take a three-set thriller 4-6 6-4 6-4.
Goerges outplayed the former world number one throughout the first set and pushed her to the limit in the second.
When Sharapova secured two early breaks to start the deciding set, Goerges refused to give in, fighting hard to get one break back and putting the 14th seed under serious pressure. But the Russian kept her composure to serve out the match.
Eighth seed Victoria Azarenka enjoyed a smooth passage to the fourth round with a 6-3 6-3 win against Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa.
China's in-formLi Na awaits the Belarusian next after she thrashed the unseeded Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-2 6-1.
China's economy grew 10.3% in 2010
China's gross domestic product (GDP) grew a faster-than-expected 10.3% in 2010, official statistics show.
Growth figures for the fourth quarter also defied expectations of a slowdown, rising to 9.8% from 9.6%.
But inflation eased to 4.6% in December from a 28-month high of 5.1% the month before, as food price pressures waned. Inflation for 2010 as a whole was 3.3%.
Aware of the unrest sparked by past periods of high inflation, China's leaders make curbing it a priority.
Rising prices
They have raised interest rates twice in the past four months and raised banks' required reserves in a bid to control food and housing costs.
Analysts say the apparent easing of inflation reflects a relatively high base figure recorded in December the year before, and that the government needs to do more.
The December inflation figure was higher than markets had anticipated, as was fourth quarter growth.
The huge sums of money pumped into the world's second largest economy by state-run banks are hindering moves to bring inflation under control, they add.
However, Ma Jianting, head of the National Bureau of Statistics, reiterated the Communist Party line that inflation was being fuelled by overly loose monetary policy in developed countries.
Dongming Xie, of OCBC Bank in Singapore, told the Reuters news agency: "Growth momentum remains strong. However, inflation is the key focus of the market. It will be a challenging year for China to battle inflation.
"December inflation is higher than our expectations. Food prices continued to go up in the first half of this month due to seasonal demand," he added.
Tightening measures
Following the data release, short term market interest rates shot up almost 2%, while share prices on the Shanghai stock exchange fell 3%.
Market participants fear that the strong data will increase the authorities' determination to cool the economy in the near future.
The People's Bank of China has so far shied away from raising interest rates quickly - despite surging inflation - because of the pain it would cause to existing lenders.
Instead, the central bank has relied mainly on raising banks' reserve requirements in order to curb the volume of lending.
The central bank did so for the seventh time on Thursday, a day after it set a tough new quarterly lending quota for the main state banks.
But this approach did not stop banks overshooting the official 7.5bn yuan lending cap for 2010 by an estimated 45%.
A rise in the state-controlled exchange rate may also be another tool to slow down the economy, although analysts only expect Beijing to allow a 5% appreciation this year.
The yuan has strengthened 0.8% against the dollar in recent days, although this may be politically motivated to coincide with President Hu Jintao's visit to the US.
Rebalancing act
The inflation and growth data were officially published by the National Bureau of Statistics on Thursday, although they had been leaked a day early by Hong Kong-based Phoenix television.
Investment in construction and other fixed assets rose 23.8% in 2010, with the biggest state-controlled commercial lenders giving out $36.4bn in new loans, much of it for property development.
Sales of land-use rights to developers increased by 70% last year, helping property prices rise 6.4% compared with 2009.
Industrial output meanwhile rose strongly in 2010, suggesting there is growing demand again for Chinese-made goods.
In a more encouraging sign, retail sales rose by an inflation-adjusted 14.8% during the year.
Consumption in China absorbs a worryingly low proportion of economic output, with a much bigger share used up in investment.
Economists say that in order for the economy to rebalance smoothly, consumption will need to grow much more quickly than the overall growth level for many years.
Loudmouth Ryan's Jets are walking the walk
We're down to the final four teams bidding for Super Bowl glory in the NFL and the combatants for the 6 February title showdown in Dallas will be decided this weekend.
On what is always one of the best days in the American football calendar, the NFC Championship Game will feature one of the most storied rivalries in the NFL as the Green Bay Packers visit the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field (what a fitting name for a venue given the magnitude of this game).
Later on Sunday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers welcome the New York Jets to Pennsylvania for what is sure to be a hard-hitting AFC Championship Game. It is fitting in this wildest of NFL seasons that the top seeds in each conference (the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots) are no longer in the playoffs.
Despite some shocks along the way, there is so much tradition and NFL pedigree on display this weekend. The Bears-Packers rivalry dates back to 1921 and they boast 21 NFL titles between them. And no team has won more Super Bowls than the Steelers, who have a record of six wins and one loss in the greatest show on earth.
Yet as we approach the weekend's action, America's attention is firmly focused on the New York Jets - whose only Super Bowl success came in 1968 - and much of that is down to their larger-than-life head coach, Rex Ryan.
After guiding the Jets to the AFC Championship Game for the second year in a row, Ryan is within 60 minutes of everything he ever dreamed of - a personal appearance at Super Bowl Media Day.
Ahead of last week's defeat of New England, Ryan stoked up a war of words that ended up featuring players from both clubs. And while he supported his own men for speaking out, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick benched star wide receiver Wes Welker for the opening drive of the game for poking fun at Ryan.
Ryan is clearly a players' coach. He loves to goof around on the sidelines with his players and I get the impression he operates an open-door policy in New York. He doesn't quite let the lunatics run the asylum, but he does grant his players a fair amount of freedom to express themselves - both physically and vocally.
But do not be fooled into thinking this is a man only capable of demanding a response from his players on an emotional level.
Ryan is a defensive genius when it comes to the tactical side of the game. Putting together a dominant defence is in his blood. His father, Buddy, was a head coach at various clubs but he really made his name as defensive coordinator of the 1985 Super Bowl-winning Chicago Bears. Anyone with even a passing interest in the NFL will remember how physically dominant that unit - which featured the likes of Richard Dent, Mike Singletary and William "Refrigerator" Perry - was.
Rex learned strong defence from his father. But he also learned that, so long as you can walk the walk on Sundays, it's OK to talk the talk the rest of the week. Buddy was never short of a colourful and controversial quote and the only time he ever shut up was when he famously almost choked to death on a pork chop.
In advancing to the AFC Championship Game, Rex's defence has confused, pressured and bullied two of the game's greatest quarterbacks in Peyton Manning, of the Indianapolis Colts, and New England's Tom Brady.
Away from the X's and O's of the game, Ryan has a firm finger on the pulse of his team. He knows what makes his guys tick.
On the eve of that famous win in New England, Ryan invited former defensive end Dennis Byrd to address the team. Byrd was a promising young defensive end for the Jets before his career came to a shuddering halt in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs in November 1992.
Byrd was attempting to sack Chiefs' quarterback Dave Krieg when he smashed into team-mate Scott Mersereau. The play ended the careers of both men. Byrd broke his neck and was left paralysed. After months of extensive physical therapy, he was able to walk again but could not even begin to contemplate a return to the gridiron.
Knowing how sorely Byrd missed the game, Ryan invited him to Boston, where he told Jets players to make sure they enjoyed every play because they would never know when it might be their last.
Byrd delivered a stirring speech that led to a standing ovation led by wide receiver Santonio Holmes, who later Tweeted: "I have just heard the most inspirational speech of my life. I have never been more ready to perform in my life."
As Ryan hoped, his Jets were truly inspired and played like men possessed the very next day. That shows this is a head coach who knows how to push all the right buttons.
The Jets face a stiff challenge in Pittsburgh on Sunday night and they are playing in a game that could genuinely go either way. But this is a team packed with talent on both sides of the ball.
Quarterback Mark Sanchez is only in his second season in the NFL yet he already has an incredible four road wins in the playoffs to his name, running back LaDainian Tomlinson has found fresh legs in the Big Apple after looking stale with the San Diego Chargers and the receiving duo of Holmes and Braylon Edwards can be among the best in the league when on form.
Defensively, Shaun Ellis is applying plenty of pressure from the defensive end position, linebacker Bart Scott is about as fired up as any player in the playoffs and Darrelle Revis remains the best cornerback in the NFL by a country mile.
There are two things I know for sure: Ryan will motivate them into a pre-game frenzy and, once the opening kickoff sails into the frigid Pittsburgh air, he will create schemes that give his players the very best chance to succeed.
Of course, whether that will be enough remains to be seen. And that uncertainty is the beauty of these NFL playoffs.
Mary J. Blige, Sean Paul Aussie Gigs to Benefit Flood Relief
Organizers of a series of shows in Australia featuring Mary J. Blige, Sean Paul and Maxi Priest have vowed to donate proceeds to a relief fund for victims of the country’s devastating floods.
The state of Queensland suffered a state of emergency this month as heavy rain caused massive flooding throughout the region – at least 25 people have died and thousands of residents have been forced to flee their homes. The floodwaters have now also affected the state of Victoria.
Blige and Priest are among the stars due to perform at Brisbane’s Raggamuffin music festival on Jan. 30, and organizers have now renamed the gig Reggae For Recovery – Flood Relief Benefit Concert.
They’ve promised to donate money from ticket sales to the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal, reports WENN.
Event bosses have also pledged 10 per cent of proceeds from other Ragamuffin shows in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide to disaster funds.
Promoter Andrew MCManus says, “Let’s hope we can raise a substantial amount of money to ease some of the pain and to aid in the rebuilding of Queensland.”
Eminem Nixes Award Show Gig after Producers Wouldn’t Say if he Won
Eminem has reportedly refused to perform at the BRIT Awards after organizers refused to tell him if he’d won one of the two awards he is up for.
The rapper was set to make a special appearance with Rihanna on their track “Love The Way You Lie” at the award ceremony next month, but has pulled out after producers wouldn’t tell him if he’d won in the categories he is nominated in, Best International Solo Male Artist and International Album – according to website M Is For Music.
Rihanna has already been confirmed as a performer at the awards, which will also see live appearances from Cee Lo Green, Adele, Arcade Fire, Mumford And Sons, Take That, Tinie Tempah and Plan B.
Eminem, meanwhile, is scheduled to appear at the Grammys, where he is nominated for 10 awards surrounding his last album “Recovery.”
The BRIT Awards 2011 take place on Feb. 15 at London’s The O2 venue.
Kelly Price Encourages Jazmine Sullivan to Hang in There
Kelly Price, a veteran voice in the industry, commented recently about Jazmine Sullivan’s decision to take a break from music. Price gave a few words of wisdom, being that she’s seen it all and been through it all since her start as a teen in the music business.
“The very first thing I said when I heard that is she needs some different people around her,” Kelly Price tells Singersroom.com. “She is one of the most incredibly gifted people that we’ve had in this new wave of singers. She’s one the most memorable vocalists in this era of singers.”
She continued saying:
“It does get difficult because she does have to contest with the fact that she has a voice that is in fact a ‘voice. It’s not typical, it’s not common, it’s very unique; she’s not cookie-cutter; you can’t duplicate what she does just by going and picking some other kid off the street and say I want you to do what Jazmine Sullivan does.”
Price obviously understands the challenges and even the stresses her young peer is going through right now. Her encouragement is for her to just keeping doing what she does best and be comfortable being the woman she is living in her own skin.
“She needs to sing what’s in her heart; she needs to sing what’s in her soul.”
Hu says China not seeking arms race or domination
Chinese President Hu Jintao has said China has no interest in pursuing an arms race or exerting military dominance over other nations.
"We do not engage in arms races or pose a military threat to any country," the Chinese leader said in a speech to US business leaders.
Mr Hu called for US co-operation on economic and security issues.
On the third day of his US state visit Mr Hu met leading US politicians and was quizzed on a number of issues.
"China will never seek hegemony or pursue an expansionist policy," Mr Hu said during a speech at a lunch with senior US officials and business leaders.
The Chinese leader added that the US and China relationship had historically enjoyed a "smooth and steady growth" when the two nations considered each other's interests.
Earlier on Thursday, House Speaker John Boehner, a leading Republican, said he raised the need for tougher intellectual property protections and improved human rights at a meeting with Mr Hu on Capitol Hill.
Mr Hu said on that China still needed to do "a lot" over human rights, following a meeting at the White House with US President Barack Obama.
Source:CNN