Video shows black Muslim shot by Boston police, FBI
US authorities today released video of a black Muslim man shot dead by police and the FBI in Boston, and accused of planning to behead police officers.
The grainy video was filmed by a surveillance camera fixed to a Burger King about 50 yards from the confrontation with Usaa-mah Rahim, a 26-year-old security guard, in a parking lot.
Police say Rahim was killed after he refused multiple demands to drop a military-style knife. Those demands are not audible, nor is the weapon clearly visible on the video.
The footage shows Rahim walking towards a bus stop, officers approaching him, then retreating and then Rahim falling to the ground.
District Attorney Daniel Conley said he was releasing the video to clamp down on "rumors and bad information" as he investigates whether Rahim's killing was lawful. It was just one piece of evidence among many, he said.
Rahim's family, who initially claimed he was shot in the back at a bus stop, was shown the footage last week before his funeral.
"This unraveled very quickly. I think they made the right call," Boston Police Commissioner William Evans told reporters Monday.
Court papers filed last week accused Rahim of buying three military-style knives from Amazon and deciding to "go after" the "boys in blue" because they were "the easiest target."
An alleged associate, David Wright, 25, has been charged with conspiring to obstruct a federal investigation.
Court papers said Rahim had been "planning to engage in a violent attack in the United States" since May 26 -- a little over a week before his death.
On June 2, he allegedly telephoned Wright at 5:00 am to indicate that he planned to attack police officers. He was shot dead two hours later.
Source-AFP
Five charged following million dollar drug bust in Dominica
Magistrate Bernard Pac-quette today Monday slapped EC$50,000 fine each on two men who pleaded guilty to a charge of supply of cocaine after police seized 66,000 grams of the illegal drug with a street value of EC$1.7 million last week.
Les-tron Henderson, 22, and Tevin Mark, 20, of Grand Bay, south of Roseau, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply the cocaine, but three others - Micah Leslie Williams, Marley Albert, and Sherwin Brown – pleaded not guilty and will re-appear in court on September 3.
The court was told that 59 sealed packages of the drug were found in a vehicle after the police questioned the occupants on June 3.
“That’s a very serious offense and to push that amount of cocaine in our society is serious,” Magistrate Pacquette stated.
“These are young people trying to hurt other young people. You have to know, when you are engaged in such activities you have to put your catch money aside for when the police catches you. That is serious and I have to send a message,” he added.
He told the two accused that they had to pay EC$10,000 immediately or serve six months in jail.
In addition, the remainder of the fine must be paid in EC$10,000 increments every six months and in default of any payment the men will serve six months in jail.
Transitional processing of TCI Passport applications
The Passport Office in the Ministry Border Control and Employment, has today given official notice that effective Tuesday 9th June, 2015 there will be a temporary suspension in the receipt of applications for the issuance of a new Turks and Caicos Islands passport.
Persons who need to travel urgently, and whose passports are near expiration, that is still valid for up to five months, will be required to apply for an extension to their existing passports in the normal way. Expired passports will not be extended.
The Passport Office notes that individuals whose applications are currently being processed and who were contacted to submit additional supporting documents in order to complete their passport application, are required to deliver the documents to the One Stop Shop/Customer Service Unit in Grand Turk and Providenciales by Friday, 12th June, 2015.
Failure to meet this deadline will require re-submission of the application using the new form under the new process that is to commence shortly.
Persons, who are holders of a passport that will remain valid for 9 months, or more, are required to submit an application for renewal using the new application form when the new process begins.
The Passport Office will no longer be accepting fees for expediting applications.
Receipt of new passport applications, using the new forms will commence on Monday, June 29, 2015. Forms will be available at the One Stop Shop at all locations, online at www.gov.tc as well as at the Immigration Department on the islands of North, Middle and South Caicos and the District Commissioner’s Office in Salt Cay.
Independent investigators to investigate fatal shooting – Granny Hill
The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force is seeking the help of outside sources to assist in their latest attempted robbery investigation that resulted in one of the would be robbers, shot and killed.
That young man has now been identified as Jeff Walkin.
Following the death of Mr. Jeff Walkin, Commissioner of Police Mr. James Smith of the RTCIPF has called the Commissioner of Police of the Royal Cayman Police Service to conduct an independent investigation. The independent investigators are expected to arrive in Provo this week.
“It is in the interests of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force and everyone involved in an incident where firearms have been discharged by police officers, that subsequent procedures should be open, transparent and the integrity of all actions is maintained,” said a press statement this afternoon from Public Relations Officer, Audley Astwood.
“The manner in which the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police responds to such incidents, and the professional standards applied, are of great interest to the Public, providing further reason to investigate such matters thoroughly and sensitively,” Astwood added.
It was about 12:58AM on Saturday 6th June that police were called to Granny Hill, following reports of two males being armed with firearms who tried to rob a male.
Police officers on patrol nearby responded and were confronted by two masked males who pointed firearms at the officers. As a result of that confrontation, one of the masked males, who has now been identified as Jeff Walkin, sustained a gunshot injury.
Astwood said emergency services were contacted and efforts were made by Medics to administer medical treatment while being transported to Cheshire Hall Medical Centre, however Jeff Walkin was pronounced dead some time later at Cheshire Medical Centre.
RTC News understands Walkin was a 19 year old of Haitian/TI parentage.
The other masked male escaped on foot.
Police are appealing for the public’s assistance into this incident and are urging anyone who has any information that could assist them in their investigation, to please come forward.
Astwood says reporting suspicious activities might help the Police identify a suspect or a crime trend.
For activities in progress, he suggests you call 911. Otherwise, call the Police at 941-3327 or use the untraceable, anonymous Crime Stoppers Miami number at 1-800-(TIPS) or 1-800-8477. No names or numbers are requested and only the information provided is passed on to the Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Force.
United Airlines Adds Service to Providenciales from Houston this Summer
The Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board is delighted to announce that United Airlines will be increasing flight services to Providenciales this summer. Commencing this past Saturday June 6, United Airlines introduce direct service from Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to Providenciales International Airport (PLS). The Boeing 737-900 service is seasonal and will operate on Saturdays only.
United Airlines currently operates up to eight flights per week from its New York hub, Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), to Providenciales.
Commenting on the additional flight, Mi-la-gros Uri-ar-te, United’s Director of Onshore Latin America & CRB Sales, said: “We are delighted to be announcing increased service to Providenciales. The Houston flight complements our existing service to Newark, which we serve eight times weekly from Providenciales during summer. Our increased services this summer will give travelers more flexibility and more choice when flying to the island."
Minister of Tourism, Honourable Porsha Stubbs-Smith expressed pleasure that United Airlines acknowledges Turks and Caicos as one of the foremost destination in the Caribbean
“The addition of United’s new flight from Houston, further underscores the appeal of our islands to the traveling public and the confidence our airline partners have in us as a destination,” said Honourable Stubbs-Smith.
With Providenciales recent distinction as TripAdvisor’s ‘World’s Best Island’ still gaining international attention, the Turks and Caicos Tourist Board is keen to improve connectivity to the destination.
“The new Houston route will undoubtedly expand connectivity to the destination and make the Turks and Caicos more accessible and attractive to potential visitors from the Southwest and Western regions of the United States a sign of great things for the future of our tourism market,” said Ralph L. Higgs, Director of Tourism.
Similarly, the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA) expressed excitement in adding a new flight from another major gateway to the schedule at the Providenciales International Airport.
“We are confident that flights to the Turks and Caicos will continue to increase during and outside of the normal tourism season,” said TCIAA’s Terminal and Marketing Manager, Lavern Reynolds.
Tourism officials are committed to fostering the new Houston route and are engaged in ongoing conversation with United Airlines, to increase services to the Turks and Caicos. The Tourist Board and its partners are taking an active role in ensuring that the Turks and Caicos tourism product is sustainable, resilient, and beneficial to investors, visitors and local residents alike.
The People’s Democratic Movement emerges stronger from its 40th Convention
The People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) emerged stronger after its annual convention held on Grand Turk, the nation’s capital. Three days of events saw the party electing its officers, working in the community, speaking to the future and honoring the service of those who served the party during its existence.
Party Leader, Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson, solidified her position as leader when delegates overwhelmingly elected to keep her and Deputy Leader Hon. Sean Astwood to communicate a message of confidence and stability. The PDM elects its officers every year at the business session of its annual convention.
Election of Officers of the party took place during the business session of the convention, which saw party leader, Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson and Deputy Leader Hon. Sean Astwood returned unopposed after a motion was moved by Hon. Goldray Ewing that the positions be retained. Delegates in attendance supported this motion, with 51 out of 54 delegates openly voting to support their continued service in an unprecedented vote of confidence in their leadership.
Party Leader and Leader of the Opposition stated, “I am humbled by the outpouring of such overwhelming support for my leadership, and through God’s grace, he will lead us on to victory at the next general elections.”
She added that it was reassuring that party members expressed support not just in herself but also in her team and the work that they have been doing over the past year.
“We have been vocal and proactive when it comes to representing our people, we have defeated bad legislation designed to hurt the pocket books of the people, and the delegates seem to remember and appreciate this work”, she said.
Deputy Leader Hon. Sean Astwood was also retained. Although he was stricken by illness earlier in the year, Astwood appeared strong and vibrant and participated in all sessions and events of the 40th Convention.
Astwood stated, “Through God’s mercy and grace I am back with the fold to continue to fight.”
He also thanked those in attendance and across the country, “God answered the prayers of thousands of persons across this land to heal my body and I am forever in their debt.”
Also elected was a new National Chairman, Doug Parnell, who had remained out of frontline politics for the past three years due to an illness with his five year old son.
Parnell commented,” I thank the party for affording me the time to be with my family during a very challenging period for us and I am honored that the convention has shown such strong support for me.”
Parnell’s son was diagnosed with childhood leukemia in July 2012 and has been receiving treatment in Miami. He is in complete remission and cured of the illness.
The newly elected national chairman vowed to support the team in Parliament and get the party’s machinery in top shape.
“I will do my best to support this awesome and hard working team we have in Parliament and help the leadership prepare the party for its upcoming election campaign,” he said.
Although speculation on Parnell running for elected office has excited the party’s base, Parnell said, “Whether or not I am a candidate will not affect my support for the PDM and its leadership; I am a PDM and I encourage all those supporters to share my excitement and rally behind this team. ”
The party attended worship service on Sunday at Salem Baptist Church and was exhorted by Pastor Chad Archbold to remember where real true power comes from.
The PDM held their 40th Convention in the Capital
The 40th National Convention of the People’s Democratic Movement was held on Grand Turk June 4-7, 2015, under the theme ONE PEOPLE, ONE DESTINY, ONE MOVEMENT! This historic event saw activities centered on honoring the political giants that founded the party, and leaders that guided the party during its 40-year existence and the future of the movement and its relevance for the nation.
A candlelight vigil was held on Thursday night to remember the country’s sole national hero The Most Excellent Hon. JAGS McCartney. On Friday, Leader of the Opposition Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson and her fellow MPs Hon. Edwin Astwood, and Hon. Derek Taylor committed to a day of service to the community by painting the children’s park in North Back Salina.
Friday night was the Legends Ball where party delegates, stalwarts, former leaders, Members of Parliament, party supporters and well-wishers and Rt. Hon. Dorothy McCartney dined together in an elegantly decorated ballroom adorned with a magnificent display of party colors. The keynote speaker Dr. Hubert Fulford delivered a speech focused on inclusiveness and the oneness of the PDM. He said that the convention’s theme in its 40th year captured accurately the motivations behind Jags’ dream for the nation.
The night also saw speeches delivered by former leaders, Douglas Parnell, Floyd Seymour and Derek Taylor, who all echoed the call for party unity ahead of the next general election. But it was the speech delivered on behalf of the youth by Creshell Bain that captivated the audience enjoying the evening’s event, as she exhorted the youth to look to the stability and inclusiveness offered by the PDM as some of the traits that will make the youth strong and successful.
Introduced and described by former Deputy Speaker Dwayne Taylor as a fierce fighter on behalf of the people, leader of the party Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson spoke to the future of the party and its relevance to the people today. She highlighted a list of demands issued by JAGS McCartney in the Junkanoo Club on June 6, 1975, and said that the aims and objective of the PDM remain steadfast in the full pursuit of those demands issued by JAGS but reminded the attendees that, without forming the government, those demands are just a wish list. She implored all in attendance to bind together as ONE PEOPLE, with ONE DESTINY and declared that together the PDM remained ONE MOVEMENT!
Saturday, June 6, 2015, was the party’s business session, where delegates learned in more detail of the work of the party around the islands and received the reports from party officers.
Election of Officers of the party took place during the business session of the convention, which saw party leader, Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson and Deputy Leader Hon. Sean Astwood returned after a motion was moved by Hon. Goldray Ewing that the positions be retained. Delegates in attendance supported this motion, with 51 out of 54 delegates openly voting to support their continued service in an unprecedented vote of confidence in their leadership.
The following persons were additionally elected to office: -
Mr. Douglas Parnell - National Chairman
Mr. Karl Bain - 1st Vice Chair
Mrs. Patricia Saunders - 2nd Vice Chair
Mr. Princie Harris - Party Whip
Mr. Kelvin Williams - Assistant Treasurer
Ms. Gladyss Kennedy - Assistant Secretary General
Pastor Terrence Smith - Party Chaplain
Mr. Llewellyn Handfield - Trustee
Mr. Charles Garland - Trustee
Hon. Derek Taylor - Trustee
Deputy Premier Returns From Caribbean 2030 Conference In UK
Deputy Premier and Minister of Education, Youth, Sport & Libraries, Hon. Akierra Missick recently returned from the United Kingdom after attending a conference in London, England, 1-3 June 2015.
The Wilton Park’s meeting, which was centered around the theme ‘Caribbean 2030: New Thinking For A New Generation’ was designed to tap into the thinking of future Caribbean leaders.
Caribbean 2030 was held in association with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Caribbean Policy Research Institute Foundation and the Caribbean Council.
The agenda for the three-day meeting included presentations and group discussions on drivers for change and new thinking, the key challenges and opportunities for the Caribbean and managing risks and improving resilience.
Hon. Missick stated; “Receiving the invitation to speak at Wilton Park was an honour. I presented on the improvement of education standards in the Caribbean, which focused on continuous teacher development and support, parental involvement in learning and developing an adaptive curriculum approach to learning.
“Discussions were very rewarding, delegates were not always in agreement but solutions always remained the common goal.
“In the end the TCI was applauded for our approach to good governance and policy development, namely the developments and strengthening of institutions such as the Human Rights Commission, Complaints Commission, Integrity Commission and Public Financial Management Ordinance.”
Wilton Park is considered one of the world’s leading institutions for in-depth discussion of international policy issues and challenges.
Caribbean 2030 was held in association with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Caribbean Policy Research Institute Foundation and the Caribbean Council.
Serena Williams wins 20th Grand Slam
Serena Williams won a dramatic French Open final against Czech 13th seed Lucie Safarova to claim her 20th Grand Slam title.
The American, ranked number one, needed two hours and one minute to win 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-2 at Roland Garros.
Safarova, playing her first Grand Slam final, led by a break in the decider but Williams won the last six games.
The 33-year-old becomes the third player - male or female - to win 20 major singles titles.
Only Germany's Steffi Graf on 22 has won more since the open era began in 1968, with Australia's Margaret Court collecting 24 between 1960 and 1973.
Victory at Wimbledon in July would see Williams hold all four major titles at once, having managed the feat already in 2003.
There had been doubts over whether the 2002 and 2013 French Open champion would even make it to court for Saturday's final after a debilitating bout of sickness.
Williams had visibly struggled in Thursday's semi-final, coughing and looking close to tears, and then cancelled all media commitments, only practising two hours before the final.
The rest appeared to have had the desired effect as she took the first set with a break in game four and powered on in the second.
She had won all eight matches she had played against Safarova and, serving at 4-1, 40-15 in the second set, there appeared no possibility of the American faltering.
However, three double faults in the game brought Safarova unexpectedly back into the contest, and the Czech kept herself alive again four games later with a backhand winner.
Safarova, 28, was now much the sharper in terms of footwork and she dominated the tie-break before moving ahead with a break at the start of the decider.
Williams was now struggling to keep calm, screaming at herself after errors and picking up a warning for her language from the umpire, but she proved once again why she is the undisputed number one.
Safarova double-faulted for the first time in the match to bring Williams level at 2-2 and the top seed ratcheted up the pressure.
Another heavy return helped her break for 4-2 and a left-handed forehand followed in the next game as Williams reached for every shot in the book, sealing victory with her seventh break of the match.
Most Open era Grand Slam match wins |
||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Victories | Titles |
|
Martina Navratilova |
306 |
18 |
|
Chris Evert |
299 |
18 |
|
Steffi Graf |
278 |
22 |
|
Serena Williams |
273 |
20 |
|
Venus Williams |
224 |
7 |
|
Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario |
210 |
4 |
Source-BBC
Police in shooting incident at Granny Hill
Officers of the Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Force are investigating the circumstances surrounding an Attempted Robbery and shooting in Five Cays overnight.
About 12:58AM (Saturday 06 June 2015), police were called to Granny Hill following reports of two males being armed with firearms who tried to rob a male.
Police officers on patrol nearby responded and were confronted by two masked males who pointed firearms at the officers. As a result of that confrontation, one of the masked males sustained a gunshot injury. The other masked male escaped on foot.
Emergency services were contacted and efforts were made by Medics to administer medical treatment while being transported to Chesire Hall Medical Centre. The male suspect was pronounced dead some time later at Cheshire Medical Centre.
The male suspect identity is known to police but his identity will not be disclosed until next of kin has been notified.
A crime scene was established along Granny Hill and police are conducting a full investigation into this incident.
Due to the serious nature of this incident, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. James Smith has contacted the Royal Cayman Police Force to conduct an independent investigation into this incident. The special investigators will be arriving in Provo this Monday June 08th 2015.
Police are appealing for public assistance into this incident and are urging anyone who has any information that could assist police, to come forward.
Reporting suspicious activities might help the Police identify a suspect or a crime trend. For activities in progress, call 911. Otherwise, call the Police at 941-3327 or use the untraceable, anonymous Crime Stoppers Miami number at 1-800-(TIPS) or 1-800-8477. No names or numbers are requested and only the information provided is passed on to the Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Force.