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PARAMARIBO — Bij een inval van de Narcoticabrigae aan de Nieuwzorgweg te Pontbuiten is Gerson N. gearresteerd. Vermoed wordt dat
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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, 6 October 2022 – At least one hundred Geography students are meeting this morning with local professionals whose careers are based on the subject of Geography.
Second-form students from each high school, both public and private are targeted, according to the Acting Director of the Urban Development Unit, Rhon Boddie.He said, “The objective of the event is to offer Geography students an insight into possible professional careers in which Geography is essential, through presentations fromprofessionals in the work environment.”
The students will get first-hand accounts from professionals who work in Air Traffic Control,Planning Department, Statistics Department, an Airline Pilot, Boat Captain, Forecaster and anan officer from the Urban Development Unit.
The hope is that with this awareness, the students when selecting their subjects upon being promoted to Form three, would be encouraged to select Geography at the CXC level.The half-day event is hosted by the Urban Development Unit as part of its week of activities that will end tomorrow Friday with a Demonstration project in the Independence Square.
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A fire at Date Tree Hill, St Peter has destroyed the home of 69-year-old Isuma Corbin.
The two bedroom, timber and wall house owned by Corbin was engulfed in flames around 9:30 am, today, Sunday, October 9. Another house nearby received heat and water damage.
Four fire tenders and eight fire officers under the command of Station Officers Scantlebury, Sub Officer Williams and Leading Fire Officer Foster responded and extinguished the house fire. There were no injuries.
Investigations are ongoing.
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Five thousand sixty-eight point five (5,069.5), that is the averaged daily number of flights arriving, departing, or transiting through Taiwan in 2019. That equals to 1.85 million flights in the whole year, with a total of 72 million travelers on board. Among them, few would have noticed a shocking fact: they are flying through the Taipei Flight Information Region (Taipei FIR), which is completely overlooked by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) solely on political grounds.
Yes, ICAO has been sacrificing aviation safety since 1971 only to serve a wildly false political claim – that Taiwan is part of China and thus cannot participate in international organisations. That is a false claim because the People’s Republic of China has never governed Taiwan for one single day. Such a self-imposed doctrine based on non-facts is not only absurd but harmful: by excluding Taiwan, ICAO effectively creates a loophole in its supposedly seamless network of over 300 FIRs, contradicting its own goal of enhancing global civil aviation safety.
Being left out from ICAO meetings, mechanisms and activities, Taiwan has been forced to rely on information shared by friendly countries, such as St. Kitts and Nevis, but that sometimes comes belatedly. Take one example on aviation security measures. In September 2016, ICAO formulated its New Policy Direction on Air Cargo Security, requiring unapproved account consignors to be phased out by June 30, 2021. Without any direct access to related information from ICAO, Taiwan only became aware of this policy in September 2019, when it obtained second-handed information from friendly countries. Taiwan did manage to meet the requirement by the deadline in 2021. Despite being left out in the dark for years, the country has spared no effort to keep up with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs). We have been doing our upmost to surmount political discrimination and maintain the highest standards of aviation security and safety in the Taipei FIR, not because we love to, but because we have to.
The ICAO’s political discrimination against Taiwan is in the detriment of regional and global aviation development and safety. Such an unjust exclusion of a relevant and contributing stakeholder must not continue. It is high time that Taiwan be invited to participate in ICAO meetings, mechanisms and activities, so as to have a direct and timely access to crucial ICAO information, and exchange aviation experiences with other countries in a meaningful and constructive way. Taiwan deeply appreciates the increasing support from friends and allies in the international community for its participation in ICAO. Once again, and in line with the ICAO 41st Assembly session’s theme “reconnecting the world”, we call on ICAO to reconnect with Taiwan in a collective effort to promote global aviation recovery and achieve the goal of a seamless sky.
H.E. Michael Chau-Horng Lin
Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis
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Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, Thursday October 6th, 2022 – Republic Bank (EC) Limited, brought culture, creativity and community to cricket fans at the Warner Park Cricket Stadium, during the St. Kitts and Nevis leg of CPL T20. As The Official Banking Partner of Caribbean Premiere League T20 (CPL T20), for eight (8) years, the Bank has constantly elevated its level of fan engagement every year and 2022 is no exception.
Fans were treated to a heart-stirring, pulsating and truly authentic welcome by traditional characters including drummers and masqueraders. For international visitors it was a rousing introduction to the vibrance and creativity of the local culture and for our fellow citizens, their patriotic spirit was set alight, gearing them up to give the Patriots, all their energy.
The Managing Director of Republic Bank in the Eastern Caribbean, Michelle Palmer-Keizer explains, “It is all about celebrating the fans who keep the spirit of Caribbean Cricket alive! Our Bank sees the arts and culture as ways in which that spirit can be expressed and shared to unify the fans at the venues. When we support our local performance artists, we also support their communities at the grassroots level. On the surface, you may see a masquerader or stilt walker or dancer, but we see the costume designers, the choreographers, the makeup artists all being uplifted by the avenue we have created. Supporting our culture and creativity supports a community at the grassroots level.”
The St. Kitts and Nevis performance companies were deeply appreciative of the opportunity to showcase their best talent to an international cricket audience. Theirs is not the only talent on island that the Bank intends to elevate. Republic Bank’s commitment to Caribbean Cricket will be demonstrated in St. Kitts and Nevis when their Five For Fun Youth Cricket Programme in collaboration with Cricket West Indies will come to St. Kitts and Nevis in 2023.
The new concept of an Under 12 short-format cricket, designed for both boys’ and girls’ participation at the primary school level, was piloted in St. Lucia in 2021, in collaboration with the Cricket West Indies (CWI). In 2023 it will be scaled regionwide. Ms. Palmer-Kezier explains, “This time around, we will be going bigger and broader with our Youth Cricket Programme in order to nurture the next generation of cricket superstars regionwide.”
Adding to the delight of St. Kitts and Nevis cricket fans, throughout event, were giveaways and impactful engagements by The Bank’s promotional team. Some fans were randomly selected to go live on CPL’s coverage at the Republic Bank Fan Stand to share their energy with a worldwide viewing audience. Attendees were also treated to branded merchandise, refreshments and more. All of this helped to make witnessing the Patriots give it their all, that more memorable.
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PARAMARIBO — Het tekort aan meubilair op scholen zal binnenkort zijn verholpen, garandeert het ministerie van Onderwijs, Wetenschap en Cultuur
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Everton ‘Beachy Stout’ McDonald, the popular Portland businessman who is accused of murdering his two wives, is to stand trial for the murder of the younger of the two women on September 18, 2023.
The date was set when McDonald and his co-accused, Astor ‘Tiny’ Barnes, appeared for a plea and case management hearing on Thursday in the Home Circuit Court in downtown Kingston.
Both men are charged relative to the July 2020 murder of Tonia Hamilton-McDonald, who was the accused businessman’s second wife.
During the hearing, it was agreed that three months prior to the start of the September trial, a trial readiness hearing is to be held on June 16.
It was also agreed at Thursday’s hearing that the duration of the jury trial – McDonald’s choice – will be approximately seven weeks, during which the prosecution will call 25 witnesses.
In relation to the defence, McDonald intends to have seven witnesses to testify on his behalf. His co-accused, Barnes, will call one witness, while he is to testify and be subjected to cross-examination by the prosecution.
McDonald was again remanded in custody relative to Tonia’s murder, while Barnes had his bail extended.
Meanwhile, the case in relation to the murder of 50-year-old Merlene McDonald will not be tried jointly with Tonia’s murder, as was previously suggested by the prosecution.
While a date for the trial of that murder has not been settled on, a plea and case management hearing has been set for January 25, 2024.
Prior to that date, the prosecution and the defence will meet to decide, among other things, the mode and duration of the trial.
McDonald was, likewise, remanded in custody in relation to that matter by presiding Judge, Justice Vinette Graham-Allen.
On February 1, 2021, Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the crime and security portfolio, Fitz Bailey, announced that McDonald had been charged with the murder of his first wife.
The 50-year-old woman was shot in her driveway after parking her car at her Boundbrook, Port Antonio, Portland home in May 2009. She later died from her injuries.
Years later, McDonald’s nephew, who had reportedly told police that his uncle confessed to him that he orchestrated the death of Merlene, was murdered.
Everton McDonald was on remand for the murder of his second wife when he was slapped with a murder charge relative to his first wife’s killing.
Thirty-two-year-old Hamilton-McDonald, otherwise called ‘Sassy’, a businesswoman of Dolphin Cove in Dolphin Bay, Portland, was found dead with her throat slashed on Monday, July 20, 2020.
Her body was found just outside a Toyota Axio motorcar that was found engulfed in flames on the Tailington main road in Sherwood Forrest, Portland.
The police at the time said they had information that suggested that McDonald paid over $3 million to have Hamilton-McDonald killed.
Following a probe, the businessman, Barnes and 56-year-old Denvalyn ‘Bubble’ Minott, a fisherman of Ranch Hill in Portland, were all jointly charged with murder, as well as conspiracy to murder Hamilton-McDonald.
Minott pleaded guilty to the murder in September 2020, and was subsequently sentenced to 19 years in prison, and ordered to serve 10 years before being eligible for parole consideration.
Indications are that after the 2020 killing, the 2009 case was revisited by the police, and following the submission of a file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), a ruling was handed down for McDonald to be charged with murder and conspiracy to murder in relation to his first wife’s death.
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Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit asserting that everyone wants their demands met in a hurry, highlighted the need for patience in an address to Sunday’s annual conference of delegates of the ruling Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP).
But Skerrit, the special guest speaker at the event, observed that the strain of the current global economic circumstances is putting pressure on the Caribbean.
And he explained that this prevents governments from meeting their people’s demands at the pace they want.
“On behalf of the SLP, and I said to you that I am here as a family member speaking to us all, and so on behalf of the SLP I am asking for the patience of party supporters,” Skerrit stated.
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In this regard, he observed that the country’s problems did not occur overnight.
As a result, the Dominica Prime Minister asserted that the solution to the problems could not come overnight.
Nevertheless, he declared that the SLP would put Saint Lucia first, as it always has.
“Everyone will be on the bus – some will get on first, others will get on later. But there is pace for everyone on the SLP bus in Saint Lucia,” Skerrit stated.
“You must trust your driver Philip J. Pierre to take you safely to your destination,” he noted.
In addition, the Dominica PM told SLP supporters that they are responsible for supporting Prime Minister Pierre and his team.
And he assured that people are more likely to be patient when asked to wait if they feel that MPs have a relationship with them and the individuals think the MPs care.
Headline photo: Section of the audience at SLP annual conference at the Micoud Secondary School
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This week’s featured development as Newsmaker of the Week just ended is the demolition of approximately numerous houses that were being built on lands reportedly captured and sold by unauthorised persons in Clifton, located in the Greater Bernard Lodge development area in St Catherine.
The demolition of the houses, ordered by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, created a firestorm, with numerous persons verbally attacking the Government for the move, while others agreed that it is time the authorities take a stand on the illegal capturing of land to build squatter settlements.
On the day of the destruction of the houses, home owners were left in tears, looking on helplessly as men on tractors worked to demolish the structures.
One woman, in a viral video, wept openly as she explained that she had paid a man $800,000 for her plot of land.
As the sitting of the House of Representatives drew to a close on Wednesday, it was announced that Prime Minister Andrew Holness would make a statement, leaving many to pontificate on the subject matter of such importance that the nation’s political leader would address Parliament on.
Then he outlined the trouble at hand facing the highly-touted Greater Bernard Lodge development area in St Catherine, which is being touted to become Jamaica’s first smart city.
When completed, the development is to be comprised of a mix of residential housing, commercial and light commercial activities in several blocks, as well as farming activities. It covers a total of 5,400 acres, with the majority (3,027 acres) being reserved for agriculture.
Holness said the informal community of Clifton which is made up of mostly former sugar workers and their descendants, took shape in the middle of the Bernard Lodge lands and predated the development plan.
He noted that since at least 2009, successive governments have taken the decision to regularise the community which falls in the St Catherine South constituency of Member of Parliament (MP) Fitz Jackson.
According to the prime minister, gangsters have captured lands in proximity to Clifton and have been preying on the residents.
Regarding the wider development, Holness said the National Security Council has taken a “great interest in looking at all elements of security in the area”.
He said following surveillance and the submission of a report, “we have discovered that in proximity to Clifton, there is an area that has been captured”.
Specifically, Holness said it has been determined that gangsters have been selling lots of land to people in the captured area.
“The National Security Council in reviewing the development plan, has observed an insidious and growing threat in the area, where alleged gangsters were capturing lands in the area adjoining the Clifton community, creating their own informal subdivision, and selling the lands under the false pretext of ownership or building on it themselves,” said Holness.
The prime minister said the Sugar Company of Jamaica (SCJ) Holdings Limited, which owns the lands, had given warnings and served notices for individuals to cease and desist. But, he said “the capturing and illegal construction has continued to the point where some 30 structures have been identified.”
Holness stressed that while the Government wants every Jamaican to own their own home, it must be done in an orderly and legal way.
“This illegal capturing and building on public or private land will not be tolerated,” he warned, adding that “we will not allow criminal gangs to create communities in the country”.
The prime minister told the House that directions had been given to the security forces to have a strong presence in the area to treat with any threats from any criminal element that may want to interrupt or exercise control or present any obstacle to the Government rectifying the situation.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness (file photo)
He said: “The JDF has deployed a forward-operating base metres away from this area and are conducting regular patrols, and has created a security blanket, including regular drone surveillance, to see whether there will be any movement by criminals in the area.
“Tomorrow (Thursday) the Government will act to demolish those structures that have been illegally erected,” stated Holness, adding that the Government will take steps to deal with structures that have been completed and are occupied.
“To be clear, they will not be allowed to stand,” he said.
Then the day of reckoning came on Thursday morning, when a joint police-military team offered supervision to demolition crews at the section of the Clifton community where the supposed illegal homes were being built.
Many of the unfinished homes were eventually destroyed, leaving behind rubbles of the structures that once stood in all their glory.
One of the homeowners was a 23-year-old woman who was grief-stricken as she spoke to the media.
“Mi all guh look work just fi come pay workman and everything. See it deh, everything gone. Mi nuh know weh fi duh nuh more,” said the woman as tears streamed down her face during a media interview.
She explained that her hairdresser had introduced her to a man who she, in turn, gave her tax registration number (TRN), identification card and the $800,000 for the land to build on. She also said she received a receipt from the individual.
In regards to the demolition, the young woman wailed that, “Nobody nuh gimmi nuh likkle warning, nutten dem nuh gimmi.”
She added that: “Mi just a pass and soldier a tell mi seh dem a lick dung di place.
“Mi jus’ haffi hurry up fi gah work… A $300 mi gah (go) a work wdh a mawning time, ’cause mi nuh have it. Mi a save fi build house yah suh, suh mi nuh know weh fi duh,” said the woman as she sobbed further.
Some of the affected individuals claimed that several civil servants were victims of the demolition exercise, or had unfinished houses on other areas of the land.
Parliamentarian Fitz Jackson, in whose South St Catherine constituency the Clifton community falls, told Loop News on Thursday that a probe is to be carried out into reports that people with documents to show that they were given approval by the authorities to be on sections of the Bernard Lodge property, were also affected by the demolition exercise that took place.
On social media, there were a mixture of perspectives on the issue, which generated heated, passionate discussions.
To the young lady crying in the media interview that has since gone viral, one Facebook user, Moe Moe Vari Bae, did not join the masses who criticised her for purchasing the illegal land.
“People really need to stop criticising the young lady,” the woman wrote.
“She (the grief-stricken homeowner) has a lot of ambition to build her own home… A nuff young people a try them way out. At least give her a notice or something… Nuff more out deh live pan capture land. Ppl (people) have no heart smh,” Moe Moe Vari Bae contended.
Not all felt any sympathy for the woman whose structure was demolished.
Fitz Jackson (file photo)
“Girl you can’t be so na?ve. ppl will take advantage of you,” stated Sabs Gee, another Facebook user.
Arnold Powell shared: “In 2022 yuh buying land without a lawyer and in which day and age yuh getting any land for $800K? Sorry for you, but not sorry.”
To the wider demolition exercise, social media user, Jermaine Robinson, commented: “I’m here wondering if this could have been handled differently.
“I understand the Government’s position, but couldn’t they have confiscated the houses and converted them to the Social Housing Programme, then pay the people for the materials used to build the houses?” he questioned.
“At least there wouldn’t be a total loss of the resources that went into building these houses. I hate to see scarce resources go to waste!!” Robinson indicated.
The conversation also took on the usual political tone.
Opined Shari Mason: “The constituency is a PNP (People’s National Party) constituency, so we know why the demolition was done. No heart Mr Holness!”
To that comment, Luke Henry said: “Law and order must be maintained in Jamaica! No to squatting, houses demolished, argument done. Congrats PM.”
But facing criticisms for the exercise that destroyed the unfinished homes, Holness journeyed to Clifton in Bernard Lodge to meet with the residents, who he promised an opportunity to obtain a mortgage and a legitimate home.
“The Government didn’t come acting to take away anybody’s land,” Holness told the residents in the community on Friday.
“Now, some of the houses that are already here, what we have said when we gave the direction to move with demolition is that if structures are incomplete, demolish those.
“… And you know why? Those structures are actually on agriculture land. If you look at it – and you have to be truthful – they are on the farm land, right,” he indicated and asked rhetorically.
Holness also advised that if the house has a roof or decking, it would not be demolished. The owners, he said, would have to, however, explain to the authorities how they came by the land, and the Government will try to facilitate them.
For his part, MP Jackson assured the residents that there will be a halt on all further demolition of unfinished structures, to facilitate dialogue with SCJ Holdings and other authorities.
During Holness’ visit there were tense exchanges, as some residents refuted claims by the prime minister in Parliament on Wednesday that gangsters had been selling the lands under the pretext of ownership, or building on them.
“When we examined the situation, we only acted when we were certain that certain steps were taken. So we had the evidence of the posting of stop orders,” Holness said before he was interrupted by a resident, who exclaimed, “That’s a lie!”
The prime minister maintained that the SCJ had posted stop orders “twice”. He added that he was informed that the SCJ had been “trying to find people who were doing the structures that were incomplete, (but) nobody would come forward.”
Again, the resident disputed that account.
Despite those assertions by the residents, Holness indicated that, “The Government has to allow you this flexibility (to discuss with SCJ Holdings), and this is why we say you will be able to access a mortgage.
“You’ll be able to buy your house, pay over time the same way you’re doing it now…”
He again assured the residents that they will not be left behind in the Greater Bernard Lodge Development.
“So you are in this community now without a road that is properly paved, without a road that has water and sewer line in it, in a community that is not planned.
“I’m saying to you let us change from this way of settlement to a different way of settlement, where things are orderly, and we won’t leave you out,” declared Holness.
Still, some social media users were critical of the prime minister’s visit to the Clifton community after the demolition was completed.
“So the man who ordered the destruction is also comforting the people who are affected by his instructions? Laughable,” commented Ainsley Walker, a Facebook user.
Natalee Simpson posted: “Going to the residents after the demolition will achieve what? Why you didn’t meet with them before and work on an agreement because the house frames were already up. This is cold behaviour PM!”
Peta Gaye Clarke, however, did not agree with those remarks.
“I notice (and) waited (on) some a unu… unu nuh get facts before unu chat… The ppl (people) dem wrong and if the PM neva guh dat wudda be a different story,” wrote Clarke.
Kerry Mentor commented: “I have no sympathy for these people, because the land set for agriculture and the land could never sell so cheaply, so the PM’s presence is just to show he understands, but I would demolish everything if I was PM.”
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Miami, FLORIDA (October 9th, 2022) — Public and private sector players are being encouraged to better safeguard their networks and systems against increasing threats from international cybercriminals.
C&W Business, the business-to-business arm of C&W Communications, will host two online forums this month aimed at helping governments, large businesses and individual entrepreneurs better protect their organisations and companies from online threats.
The webinars will feature controversial hacker-turned-computer security specialist Hector Monsegur – the man behind the Anonymous/LulzSec hacker collectives, as well as informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
“Cybersecurity involves preventing, detecting, and responding to cyberattacks that can have wide-ranging effects on individuals, organisations, local communities, and entire countries. As the Caribbean’s leading service provider, we see it as our responsibility to inform, advise and educate about the varied elements of online security,” said Nicolas Collette, Vice President, B2B, C&W Communications.
“Hector once ruled the ‘hacktivist’ scene breaching security systems of major corporations and governments around the globe, and he will share the mindset of a hacker and how organizations can proactively protect themselves. He will also present the inside secrets of how hackers choose their targets, why hacking appeals to people, how hacking tools work, and how you can protect yourself and loved ones from vulnerability.”
Monsegur, also known by the online pseudonym Sabu, became an informant for the FBI after facing a sentence of 124 years in prison for his role in the LulzSec hacker collective intervening in the affairs of organisations such as News Corporation, Stratfor, UK and American law enforcement bodies and the Irish political party, Fine Gael.
Monsegur now works as an ethical hacker conducting penetration tests – authorized simulated cyberattacks on computer systems performed to evaluate the security of the system.
“Global cyber-attacks increased by 32% in 2022 when compared to 2021, with an all-time high being recorded in the second quarter of this year. The Caribbean and Latin America has also seen the largest increase in attacks, with research suggesting one out of twenty-three organisations impacted weekly – a 43% increase when compared to 2021,” added Collette.
“The cybercriminals are not slowing down and we must be proactive in our approach to safeguarding our networks to withstand any eventuality. With the right technologies in place, most attacks, even the most advanced ones, can be prevented and we are happy to be providing this timely forum for the exchange of knowledge and best practices in reducing and preventing cybercrime in our region.”
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