Dancehall Queen turned artiste Queen Nikki, who is also popularly known as DHQ Nikki, has released her first-ever music project[Read More…]
The post Dancehall Queen Nikki Drops Debut Dancehall Project “Struggles and Pain” appeared first on Urban Islandz.
Black Immigrant Daily News
A policeman tries to put out a fire on Nelson Street, Port of Spain during protests by residents over the killing of three men by police at Independence Square, Port of Spain on Saturday. Photo by Ayanna Kinsale
ATTORNEY Om Lalla, who is representing the 15-year-old shot by police last Saturday, is requesting of the Office of Commissioner of Police that all evidence be preserved “with the highest security.”
In his four-page letter to acting Police Commissioner Mc Donald Jacob, and copied to director of the Police Complaints Authority David West, Lalla requested that all CCTV footage from the police, national security cameras and surrounding businesses be preserved. He also requested the same for body camera footage; ballistic reports, which include the amount of ammunition used and the officers who fired their weapons; the autopsy report from the Forensic Science Centre; evidence that the police vehicle was shot at; the station diary report, and the medical report of the victims.
Lalla said his client denied that he or anyone of the six people in the car had a gun on them or that a gun was even found in the car after the shooting.
Isaiah Roberts, 17, along with Fabien Richards, 21, and Leonardo Williams, 17, were killed after police officers said they were shot at after the car the three were in crashed into Republic Bank, Independence Square. Police said in a media release that a Smith and Wesson pistol was found in the car and seized.
Lalla’s client was one of three who survived. He was shot in the right arm and grazed on the abdomen and leg. He was hospitalised for four days before he was discharged. He and the two other survivors gave statements to police and were released without charges, pending further investigations.
The autopsy reports of the three killed said they were shot from behind.
Lalla said his client was in the car heading towards Port of Spain when a police vehicle confronted them. The teen said an officer asked the driver to stop but he failed to do so because he became frightened. The teen said he heard gunshots but the driver continued driving.
The letter said when they reached Port of Spain, the driver turned south along Chacon Street and was slammed into by another police vehicle heading west along Independence Square, causing the car to crash into Republic Bank.
“Upon crashing, the occupants of the vehicle who remained in the vehicle alive and unharmed, which included my client, heard the sounds of further gunshots and were hit by bullets. Three of the occupants of the vehicle died as a result.”
Lalla said his client is a witness, is now fearful for his life and is in urgent need of counselling. He lamented that since the incident no state official reached out to his client to facilitate this.
The teen cried at the funeral for his friend Roberts, who was buried on Friday. Richards will be buried on Monday and Williams on Tuesday.
“The shooting incident, according to the facts, represents a wholly unwarranted and blatant example of excessive force by the police which has resulted in serious injuries to my client and, regrettably, the death of other young men.”
Lalla said the matter should be investigated swiftly given the severity of the incident, adding that the anxiety by the country should not shirk the police’s responsibility.
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Black Immigrant Daily News
File photo
A driver found the body of an unidentified man in Mayaro on Thursday night with multiple injuries.
The police believe the man might have been the victim of a hit-and-run accident.
The report said the driver found the body at about 9.45 pm on the roadside in Grand Lagoon and called the police.
Cpl Douglas and other Mayaro police visited the scene.
A district medical officer also visited and ordered the body’s removal.
Investigations are ongoing.
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Black Immigrant Daily News
Justice Lisa Ramsumair-Hinds.
A man initially on over a dozen indictments for the murder and rape of a 19-year-old girl, the assault of her cousin, and the robbery and false imprisonment of a Curepe taxi driver in 2008 will be sentenced on July
Keston “Chucky” Allen, 35, was allowed to plead guilty to ten counts of felony murder, false imprisonment, robbery with aggravation, grievous sexual assault, larceny of a car, and rape which he did on Friday.
He returns to court on July 29 when it is likely he will be sentenced by Justice Lisa Ramsumair-Hinds who has ordered bio-social and probation officers’ reports to assist in his plea of mitigation which will be submitted in writing and to guide her in the sentencing process.
It is the State’s case that Allen and three others accosted the taxi driver in St Augustine on October 19, 2008, and ordered him to drive. The incident began at 12.30 am when the taxi driver was leaving a party when he offered a woman a drop. It turned out the woman was Allen’s accomplice since he and another man entered the car and she said they were with her.
The taxi driver was ordered to drive and 15 minutes later, they saw the two cousins and he was ordered to stop. The cousins were robbed of their cellphones and money and then were bundled into the stolen taxi and taken to an abandoned house in the Mt Lambert area. The girls begged to be let go.
At that house, the teenager was raped and told “she was a waste of time” after the act. Her cousin, who was 22 at the time, had her period but was sexually assaulted. Allen and his accomplices also forced one of the girls to perform oral sex on the taxi driver who later managed to escape and find his way to the St Joseph police station.
Allen and the others went in search of the taxi driver but were unable to drive his car because it was a manual. When they got to the Mt Dor, Champ Fleurs, area, they shot the women. When police found the car, the teenager was dead while her cousin received gunshot wounds about the body but survived the ordeal.
Allen was later arrested and identified by the older woman and the taxi driver.
Allen entered plea discussions with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and on June 22, it was agreed he would plead guilty to the ten counts while he will be discharged of the others.
On Friday, prosecutor Danielle Thompson said the State agreed to a starting-point sentence of 22 years for kidnapping and 25 for the rape count. She also gave the State’s position on the other counts. The count of felony murder will be at the discretion of the judge.
Also at the hearing, Thompson read from the victim impact statements of the teenager’s mother, the other victim who was sexually assaulted and shot, an aunt, and the taxi driver.
The cousin spoke of the ordeal and said her younger cousin “did not deserve to die like that.” The mother of the 19-year-old said her daughter’s death was traumatic. The girl was her only daughter. She was so torn by her death she did not want reminders of her at home and gave away her things in an effort to cope with her loss.
She said her daughter’s intention was to go to university and was, at the time, doing hairdressing to save for her further studies.
“I real miss her.” She said she still breaks down in tears at Christmas time. “I know nothing I can do can bring her back but I just want justice for her as all I have of her is her memory.”
The taxi driver said he too was traumatised and did not work for a year because he was afraid the men who abducted him would find him.
“I could have lost my life.”
The girls’ aunt, who also provided an victim impact statement, said it seemed that God had answered the family’s prayers when Allen was arrested.
Representing Allen was public defender Michelle Gonzales.
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Popcaan’s legal team made good on the promise to sue the Jamaican government after its Police force, the Jamaica Defence[Read More…]
The post Popcaan Sues Jamaican Government For Defamation Over Drug Possession Claims appeared first on Urban Islandz.
Black Immigrant Daily News
NPTA President Kevin David
The Education Ministry said student registration forms for the Vacation Revision Programme 2022 are available for download on its website for submission to district offices or online. It reminded parents that registration began on Wednesday and continues until next Friday.
The forms can be found at https://www.moe.gov.tt/vacation-programme/
In a release on its website, the ministry said students would be tutored by trained teachers from government primary and secondary schools in mathematics, English language arts and English language writing in small classes with an average of 15 students. Teachers will be specifically trained by the Curriculum Planning and Development Division (CPDD) to provide the tutoring needed and there will be guidance and counselling available for students as well as parenting sessions for parents.
It said school uniforms would not be required for the classes, with schools to advise on dress code. Breakfast and lunch will be provided and daily attendance would be monitored.
The ministry said 32 secondary schools have been identified in Trinidad as sites for the programme.
These are Barataria North, Brazil, Blanchisseuse, Carapichaima, Chaguanas North and South, Diego Martin North, East Mucurapo, El Dorado East and West, Five Rivers, Malick, Manzanilla, Matura, Mayaro, Moruga, Morvant Laventille, Mucurapo West, Pleasantville, Point Fortin West, Princes Town East, Rio Claro East, San Juan North, Sangre Grande, Siparia East and West, South East Port of Spain, Success Laventille, and Tranquillity.
NPTA President Kevin David, speaking to Newsday via phone said there had been no complaints from members to date.
“Initially there were sort of mixed feelings about having their children attend these classes, but most of them are very pleased to know the ministry has set up something to cater for the loss of learning. We’re very much encouraging our parents and our students to go out. There are a lot of challenges that face us, any sort of information that can assist in bettering themselves should be encouraged.
“Although we are concerned whether the programme will provide that necessary support to cater for that loss of learning, we urge all parents to ensure that all their students who are required to not only attend the classes, but also ensure the students participate in the programme itself.”
Chief Education Officer Dr Peter Smith, speaking on Word 107.1 FM on Thursday, said the programme is one of the first initiatives to bridge the learning loss gap caused by the pandemic.
“This programme is designed to allow students to devote more time to acquiring competencies and skills that will be essential for them to make that successful transition into secondary school. Parents are asked to look at their children’s performance report for the composite standard score. Any time that score is less than 208.653, it would mean that the student would have scored less than 50 per cent, so those are the students we are looking to target at this point in time.
“If your child scored less than this, enrol them in the vacation revision programme.”
Attempts to reach TTUTA President Antonia De Freitas for comment were unsuccessful up until press time.
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Black Immigrant Daily News
Mourners outside Simpson’s Funeral Home, Eastern Main Road, Laventille during the funeral for Isaiah Roberts who was killed by police on Independence Square, Port of Spain last. Saturday. Photo by Sureash Cholai
THE mother of Isaiah Roberts, one of three killed by police last Saturday, remembered him as a “kind soul” during his funeral on Friday.
Roberts’ mother Akilah John, who is not in the country, penned to her son a letter which she had read by Kaffie Pierre at Simpson’s Funeral Chapel, Eastern Main Road Laventille.
In the letter she said, “My heart feels shattered. My pain is unbearable knowing I won’t see your beautiful, handsome face again. I miss you so much already, words can’t explain. Your smile, your laugh, your smell, even when you smelling bad. I’m sad for the people who won’t get to know your kind soul, your creativity, your mischief and, most of all, that amazing sense of humour.”
She wrote that Roberts will always be a part of her as her “unique, precious sensitive boy” and is saddened that not many will know how sweet a child Roberts, her only child, was.
“I was lucky to have you as my son. You are my little world no matter how old you were getting. I can’t say it enough how proud I was of you, my little black gold. The greatest job I ever had was the job of raising you.”
During his homily, Pastor Wayne Baptiste, reading from Psalm 90, told the congregation time is fragile. He prayed that God would teach the family and others to number their days and recognise how few they are and how to spend them.
Roberts’ aunt Samantha John gave the eulogy and recalled Roberts to be the life of the family. She said her nephew was studying auto mechanics at Servol. Some of his classmates attended the funeral along with one of his teachers.
“He was an amazing driver who could drive better than his mother. He was an amazing, caring, loving young man who was the life of the household, who made us laugh,” John said.
She added that her nephew was the type to wash, cook and clean and would put his mother to bed at 7 pm by taking off her bedroom light and telling her he loved her before going to lime next door with one of his friends.
One of those friends, a 15-year-old boy, was one of three survivors of the police-involved killing, who was shot in the arm and grazed on the abdomen during the alleged shootout with police. He and two others were released from police custody pending further investigations.
Roberts, 17, along with Fabien Richards, 21 and Leonardo Williams, 17, were killed after they, police said, opened fire on police officers after crashing into Republic Bank, Independence Square.
Their autopsies said all three were shot from behind. Police said they recovered a Smith and Wesson pistol at the scene.
Outside the funeral home, survivors and other mourners wept for the teen – the first of the three to be buried. Richards will be buried on Monday and Williams on Tuesday.
While members of the Inter-Agency Task Force provided transport and escort for the relatives from the funeral chapel to the burial at the San Juan public cemetery, some mourners were overheard questioning why they were there. The officers were in their urban camouflage wear, which is similar to that worn by the Guard and Emergency Branch (GEB).
Four GEB officers involved in the incident are on desk duty as the investigation continues.
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Black Immigrant Daily News
Tekst en beeld Arjen Stikvoort PARAMARIBO — “Dit is een geweldige geste van de Staat Israël.” De coördinator van het
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Black Immigrant Daily News
Jean-Louis Francisque, président du syndicat mixte de gestion de l’Eau et de l’assainissement de la Guadeloupe a annulé l’arrêté de mutation de Franck Brachet.
Selon nos informations, le syndicat CFTC des territoriaux avait tiré la sonnette d’alarme a plusieurs reprises en relevant une incohérence administrative.
Leurs mises en garde portaient sur le grade administratif de Franck Brachet, ancien Directeur Général des Services du Syndicat Mixte de Gestion de l’Eau et de l’Assainissement de la Guadeloupe.
Lors de l’ouverture du poste l’une des conditions était d’être titulaire du grade d’ingénieur hors-classe.
Franck Brachet n’était qu’ingénieur en chef.
Hier (7 juillet) Jean-Louis Francisque, président du syndicat mixte de gestion de l’Eau et de l’assainissement de la Guadeloupe a donc annulé l’arrêté de de mutation de Franck Brachet.
Pour rappel trois cadresont occupé à le poste de directeur général depuis la création du SMGEAG.
Jean-Gabriel Quillin a présidé le syndicat mixte quelques heures suivi de Richard Samuel puis Franck Brachet .
Cet annulation a fait réagir Olivier Nicolas, premier secrétaire du Partie Socialiste de Guadeloupe sur Twitter
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Black Immigrant Daily News
A summery fruit salad and spicy pork tenderloin might not seem the most natural pairing — until you consider the precedents of pork chops with apple sauce and Italian prosciutto with melon.
For centuries, cooks have been pairing sweet fruits and savoury meats. And there’s something about the subtle inherent sweetness of pork tenderloin that makes it a prime candidate. That’s why we experimented with this recipe from our book “Milk Street Tuesday Nights,” which limits recipes to 45 minutes or less.
This colourful dish is a study in contrasting flavours and temperatures, with sweet cool fruit balancing the warm spice of succulent pork. We draw on the fresh and spicy fruit salads of Mexico to create a dish of seared and spiced pork paired with cool, crunchy melon and cucumber. Ground cumin and ancho chilli powder add a savoury depth to the salad and the spice rub.
For an optional salty, tangy accent, offer crumbled queso fresco at the table for sprinkling.
Be sure not to cut the cooked pork without first letting it rest. Resting allows the juices to redistribute throughout the muscle fibres so they don’t flow out when the meat is cut. That keeps the pork juicy.
Chili-Rubbed Pork with Cucumber-Melon Salad
Start to finish: 35 minutes
Servings: 4
5 tsps ancho chili powder, divided
2 tsps ground cumin
1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed of silver skin and cut crosswise into 3 pieces
2 tsps lime zest, divided, plus 3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tbsps light agave syrup, divided
2 cups cubed seedless red watermelon (about 8 ounces)
2 cups cubed cantaloupe (about 8 ounces)
1/2 English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into bite-size pieces
5 tbsps roughly chopped fresh mint, divided
2 tbsps grapeseed or other neutral oil
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Method
Heat the oven to 450?F with a rack in the middle position. In a medium bowl, mix 2 teaspoons of the chili powder, the cumin, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add the pork and toss to coat, massaging the seasonings into the meat. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a 10-inch oven-safe skillet over medium, toast the remaining 3 teaspoons chili powder, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and add 1 teaspoon of the lime zest, 2 tablespoons of the lime juice, 2 tablespoons of the agave and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir to dissolve the salt, then add the watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber and 4 tablespoons of the mint. Toss, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
In the same skillet over medium-high, heat the oil until beginning to smoke. Add the pork and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Move the skillet to the oven and roast until the centre of the thickest piece reaches 140?F or is just barely pink when cut into, 9 to 12 minutes. Transfer the pork to a plate and let rest for 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining 1 teaspoon lime zest, the remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice, the remaining 1 tablespoon agave and the remaining 1 tablespoon mint. Cut each piece of pork in half lengthwise, then crosswise into bite-size pieces. Add the pork and any accumulated juices to bowl and toss to coat.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the melon salad to a serving platter, then top with the pork. Pour the liquid from the melon salad into a small bowl and serve with the melon and pork.
By Christopher Kimball
NewsAmericasNow.com
