Barbadian pop star Rihanna has announced details of her upcoming UK 2011 arena tour.
Haiti ruling party HQ set alight by election protesters
The headquarters of the ruling party in Haiti has been set on fire by protesters angry about the results of presidential elections.
Thousands of people took to the streets of Port-au-Prince after the first round results were released late on Tuesday.
They accuse the ruling party of rigging the first round in favour of its candidate, Jude Celestin.
He finished just ahead of pop star Michel Martelly, who looks likely to miss out on the run-off.
The former first lady Mirlande Manigat won 31% of the vote and Mr Celestin 22%. Mr Martelly polled just over 21% - about 6,800 votes short of Mr Celestin.
Demonstrations erupted in several cities soon after the results were announced, and in Port-au-Prince supporters of Mr Martelly started fires and set up barricades.
The protests surged again early on Wednesday. Witnesses said black smoke filled the air in areas where Mr Martelly's support was strongest.
Foreign aid workers said the Haitian national police were slow to respond, and that some officers were refusing to report for duty following the election results.
Most observers say the first round of the voting was grossly mismanaged.
The close result has led to calls that Mr Martelly also be included in the run-off.
A joint mission from the Organisation of American States and the Caribbean Community has said officials could consider putting a third candidate if the vote is nearly tied.
Mr Martelly had said he would not accept a place in the run-off if Mr Celestin is present.
He has until 10 December to appeal. (BBC)
Heat build momentum with fifth straight win
The Miami Heat are starting to look more like the elite team many envisioned in the off-season as they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 88-78 on Monday for their fifth straight win.
Dwyane Wade had a team-high 25 points and a career-high 14 rebounds while LeBron James added 17 points as the Heat continued to play inspired defense in achieving their longest winning streak of the season.
Miami (14-8) had a rough start to the campaign and fell well short of the expectations created when James and Chris Bosh signed with the Heat to join fellow All-Star Wade, but have found their rhythm since a players-only meeting a week ago.
In the opener of a four-game road trip, the Heat never trailed and held the Bucks to 34 percent shooting from the field.
“That’s what it’s about and that (defense) is the identity of the team,” Wade told reporters. “Offensively we can’t control if the ball is going to go in or not. We still have to get the stops.”
Corey Maggette had 20 points off the bench to lead Milwaukee, which fell to 7-13 on the season.
The Heat led by 13 points late in the third but the Bucks trimmed it down to 74-71 midway through the fourth. Miami answered with three straight baskets from James, Wade and Bosh, who finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
“There was a mental toughness to this win for us that I’m not sure we would have been able to pull this out earlier in the year,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Australian center Andrew Bogut had 11 points and 13 rebounds in his second game back for the Bucks after missing five contests with back problems. (REUTERS)
Tyson and Chavez named to Boxing Hall of Fame
Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and three-division winner Julio Cesar Chavez of Mexico were named yesterday to the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Russian-born junior welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu, Mexican trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain, U.S. referee Joe Cortez and American actor/screenwriter Sylvester Stallone also are part of the Class of 2011, the Hall of Fame said on its website (www.ibhof.com).
Bantamweight Memphis Pal Moore, light heavyweight champion Jack Root, welterweight-middleweight Dave Shade, British boxer-politician John Gully, promoter A.F. Bettinson and broadcaster Harry Carpenter will be honored posthumously.
They will be enshrined June 12, 2011, at the Hall of Fame Museum in Canastota, New York.
Inductees were selected by members of the Boxing Writers Association and a panel of international boxing historians. (REUTERS)
Prison fire kills 81 in Chile
At least 81 people were killed and several more injured in a fire that broke out after a riot at a prison in Chile, officials said Wednesday.
The fire started in one of the towers of the San Miguel prison, south of Santiago, the Chilean capital.
Fourteen people were hospitalized in critical condition, Health Minister Jaime Manalich told reporters. Four rescuers were also injured.
"This is a terrible tragedy," Manalich said, calling it the worst incident to strike the country's penal system.
The prison housed 1,961 inmates at the time of the fire, said Felipe Bulnes, the justice minister. The prison was built to hold only 1,000 inmates, CNN Chile reported.
The mayor of Santiago, Fernando Echeverria, said that the fire broke out after a riot among inmates.
The call came in at 5:48 a.m. (3:48 a.m. ET), the fire department said. The cause of the blaze was under investigation, the department said.
Meanwhile, a large crowd of inmates' relatives gathered outside the prison, worried about the fate of their loved ones.
"Why won't they give us information?" one woman asked.
The mayor told the families that the only ones affected by the fire were the prisoners on the fourth floor of Tower 5. All others were safe, he said. A list of the victims would be released to the families later Wednesday, he added. (CNN) Photograph: (Reuters)
Charlton Earns MVP Award After First Round TKO
The Champion Amateur Boxing Club Hosted its inter-club boxing show at the Wulff Road Boxing Square on Saturday and the best fight of the night saw Don Evans defeat Keanu Poitier on points 9-6.
After defeating Tyrone Oliver on points, 13-9 Lester Brown was named the Most Improved Boxer.
Richard Charlton took home the Most Valuable Boxer award after he defeated Davante McPhee by first round TKO. It was the only technical knockout victory of the tournament.
In the other fights Don Rolle won over Peterson Wra on Points 7-6 and Jermaine Allen defeated Larnardo Sweeting 10-7.
There were also two exhibition matches that featured Kenzell Armbrister versus Tavares Deveaux, and Lester Brown accepted a challenge from Garvin Rolle. No scores were released for those matches.
Next week Saturday December 18th and Sunday the Champion Amateur Boxing Club will host the 15th Ray Minus Sr. Boxing Show Awards presentation and Christmas Party followed by an evening of Carnival for all Boxer on Monday December 20th.
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange refused bail
The founder of whistle-blowing website Wikileaks, Julian Assange, has been refused bail by a court in London but vowed to fight extradition to Sweden.
Mr Assange denies sexually assaulting two women in Sweden. He was remanded in custody pending a hearing next week.
A judge at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court refused bail because of the risk of the 39-year-old fleeing.
A Wikileaks spokesman said the arrest was an attack on media freedom and pledged to continue publishing.
After the court appearance Mr Assange's lawyer Mark Stephens said he would be applying again for bail.
He claimed the charges were "politically motivated" and said the judge was keen to see the evidence against Mr Assange, an Australian citizen.
Mr Stephens said Wikileaks would continue to publish material and added: "We are on cable 301 and there are 250,000 secret cables."
A Downing Street spokesman said Mr Assange's arrest was "a matter for the police" and there had been no ministerial involvement.
Prosecutors in Sweden have insisted the extradition request is a matter of criminal law and they "have not been put under any kind of pressure, political or otherwise".
Five people, including journalist John Pilger, film director Ken Loach and Jemima Khan, the sister of Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith, offered to put up sureties.
But district judge Howard Riddle refused bail for Mr Assange and he was remanded in custody until 14 December.Judge Riddle said he believed Mr Assange might flee and he also feared he "may be at risk from unstable persons".
One of the charges is that he had unprotected sex with a woman, identified only as Miss A, when she insisted he use a condom.
Another is that he had unprotected sex with another woman, Miss W, while she was asleep. Mr Assange, who was accompanied by Australian consular officials, initially refused to say where he lived but eventually gave an address in Australia.
Wikileaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson said it would not stop the release of more secret files and told Reuters on Tuesday: "Wikileaks is operational. We are continuing on the same track as laid out before.
"Any development with regards to Julian Assange will not change the plans we have with regards to the releases today and in the coming days."
Secret locations
He said Wikileaks was being operated by a group in London and other secret locations.
US State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said it was possible the US would make an extradition request for Mr Assange but he said it was premature as the criminal investigation into Wikileaks was still ongoing.
Police contacted Mr Stephens on Monday night after receiving a European arrest warrant from the Swedish authorities.
An earlier warrant, issued last month, had not been filled in correctly.Mr Assange has come in for criticism in the past week for the revelations made on Wikileaks.
Foreign Secretary William Hague has criticised the website for publishing details of sensitive sites, including some in the UK, saying they could be targeted by terrorists.
Grand turk fire to the old Timco building
A major invesigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding a freak fire which occurred in the island capital of Grand Turk in the early hours of Thursday December 2nd, 2010.
Well-placed sources told The SUN that officers from the United Kingdom’s Scotland Yard, who last week came to this country to help investigate and stem the surge of serious crime, have been asked to probe the fire at what is popularly known as the TIMCO building on Front Street, Grand Turk.
The sources, who have asked not to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the situation, said that arson cannot be ruled out at this preliminary stage.
Drake to Host Hometown Juno Awards
Rapper Drake has been hired to host the Juno Awards, Canada’s music awards, next year in his native city Toronto on Sunday, March 27, 2011..
Drake stomped into hip hop last year with his debut album “Thank Me Later” after playing a physically disabled student in the Canadian teen TV series “Degrassi: The Next Generation.”
“I am beyond honored to be hosting this monumental Juno Awards in the greatest city on Earth,” said Drake in a statement.
“I want to bring a youthful energy to the show and encourage people to be excited about what Canadian music has to offer,” he added.
Drake last year performed a duet at the 2010 Junos with fellow Canadian music sensation Justin Bieber, before taking home trophies for best rap recording artist and best new artist.
Nominations for the 2011 Juno Awards, to air live on the CTV network, will be announced on February 1, 2011.
Drake on Wednesday also snagged four nominations for the upcoming Grammys, including best new artist and best rap album.