Bodies of primary school children found in suitcases in New Zealand Loop Cayman Islands

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Cayman Compass

Police say discovery was made after suitcases purchased at online auction

Loop News

1 minutes ago

Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua

New Zealand police said on Thursday, August 18 that the remains of two primary school children were found in two suitcases in Manurewa, a suburb in South Auckland, New Zealand.

According to police, the remains were discovered after the suitcases, together with other property, were purchased at an online auction by occupants of a Moncrieff Ave address, who police say are not connected to the deaths of the children.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua said:

Early indications indicate that these children may have been deceased for a number of years before being found last week.

We also believe these suitcases have been in storage for a number of years.

Formal identification procedures are still ongoing, which means police are not yet able to comment on the identities of the children.

Once this is completed, our priority is to contact the next of kin.

The nature of this discovery provides some complexity to the investigation, especially given the time lapse between the time of death and their discovery.

When asked about the exact ages of the children, Vaaelua said that the children were between the ages of five and ten-years-old and had been in the storage facility for about three or four years.

Vaaelua also confirmed that, in connection with the identity of the owner of the storage unit, the police were following positive lines of inquiry in regards to the storage unit with the assistance of the storage company.

The police are also working with Interpol and the investigations are ongoing.

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Claxton Bay scrap iron workers warn: If we can’t eat, no one can

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

News

Scrap-iron worker Devon Hayde speaks with reporters on Thursday while other workers, protesting the six-month ban on scrap-iron exports, look on. Photo by Marvin Hamilton

SCRAP iron workers in Claxton Bay have accused the Government, Opposition and the Scrap Iron Dealers Association of doing nothing to help them with scrap-iron exports being banned for six months.

As such, they have issued a warning. A spokesperson for the workers who blocked Temple Street, Claxton Bay with tree branches, tyres and scrap iron on Thursday, called on the Prime Minister to address their plight.

Devon Hayde said if this is not done, the workers will intensify their protests.

“We will have to carry it (protest) further and more devious.

“If we can’t eat, none of all you can eat.”

The workers were speaking after meeting with Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) political leader David Abdulah at Temple Street.

Daniel Joseph said, “I have been working scrap iron for the last eight years of my life.” Joseph has four children and he does not know how he can afford to buy schoolbooks for them now.

“People have rent to pay. The landlord doesn’t want to know how (they will get their rent) in the next six months. They want us out their place.”

Looking at the other people around him, Joseph said the industry employs many young people.

“The devil finds work for idle hands.

“We are no criminals. We are coming out here, trying to get back an honest dollar. To try and get back out there and work hard.

“This is our way of life. This is what we know about. Hungry people is angry people.”

He slammed Pointe-a-Pierre MP David Lee for not helping them.

“He hasn’t reached here yet – driving a $2.5 million vehicle, and we’re hungry out here and he can’t reach here yet.”

Lee was questioned by police last week in relation to the purchase of a Mercedes Benz valued at $2.3 million which attracted a $1.4 million tax exemption.

It was alleged that Lee is not using the car and a party financier may have benefited. Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar defended Lee on this matter.

However, in a statement to the media on Thursday morning, Lee called on the government to have a heart for the workers and their families.

Lee said he had a meeting in Pointe-a-Pierre on Wednesday with some workers. He was accompanied by fellow MPs Rudranath Indarsingh (opposition shadow for labour) and Dinesh Rambally (opposition shadow for the office of the attorney general). Also present were executive members of the TT Scrap Iron Dealers Association led by president Allan Ferguson at my constituency office.

“Having listened to the 25-plus individuals, who were comprised of workers from all tiers of the industry inclusive of scrap-iron yard workers, dealers, scrap-iron truck drivers and collectors as well as industry stalwarts, it was clear that this rushed decision by the government, without any proper consultation of the industry, would have brutal consequences on citizens who will now struggle to put meals on the table, send children to school, and even repay loans.

“Having listened to the executive of the (association), it is clear that the government has acted totally recklessly by ignoring the fact that not only will tens of thousands be thrown onto the breadline, with this ban but it was done at a time when many of these workers were depending on this income to send their children back to school.”

Lee said the government’s move comes on the heels of the shutdown of the refinery in Pointe-a-Pierre. He described it as a “double blow of economic catastrophe” since many of the workers were part of the thousands who lost jobs when the refinery was closed.

“Like the association and scrap iron workers, we in the Opposition condemn any theft or destruction that has occurred with national infrastructure in the past, but it is a brazen lack of compassion and abdication of responsibility towards citizens that an entire industry is being punished for the actions of a few.

Another worker Keevon Perry said the association was not helping them.

“They have not reached here. So who is helping out us, the people?”

Perry said he was the breadwinner in his house.

“Without this job, there is nothing for us. No one is hiring us.”

He claimed the association was only seeing about itself and not its workers.

Hayde said many scrap-iron workers knew nothing about the meeting between the association and the UNC MPs.

“They went in one room and they had a discussion. We were out here in the rain and we got nothing from it.”

Hayde said, “Right now, we are appealing that we need our work back because we don’t have time any more.”

He said Claxton Bay is the hub of the scrap-iron industry.

“In the morning, you can see 107 (scrap-iron) vehicles leave Claxton Bay to work the whole of TT.”

He declared it is not right to now make 100-plus workers and their families suffer by closing the industry.

“You have to give us something right now, because it (protests) would not stop.”

Earlier in the day, police and fire officers cleared debris along the Southern Main Road in Claxton Bay after another group of residents protested the export ban. They vowed to continue their protests unless Dr Rowley announced the industry’s reopening.

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AG calls for greater swiftness in pace of electoral fraud cases at Magistrates’ Courts

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: INews Guyana

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC, has expressed concern over the pace that the Magistrates’ Courts in Georgetown in dealing with the dozens of electoral fraud charges that were filed against several former Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) officials and political activists over their involvement in attempts to sway the results of the March 2020 General and Regional Elections.

“I have expressed my concern about the pace at which these cases are being dealt with in the Magistrates’ Court, or the lack of pace,” Nandlall disclosed during this week’s edition of his programme, Issues In The News.

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC

Stemming from the March 2, 2020 elections, some 32 electoral fraud cases have been filed in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts against several political activists including APNU/AFC’s Volda Lawrence and GECOM officials including former Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield, his Deputy Roxanne Myers and embattled Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo.

Most of these charges were filed in late 2020 and early 2021.

According to Nandlall, he did not raise his concerns in the past because he wanted to allow the system to work but nearly two years later, those matters are still languishing in the court system.

“I’ve had conversations with the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar Ali-Hack) and the report is that Magistrates within the system are not proceeding with the matter with the seriousness and the expediency with which they should, having regard to the importance of the matter and having regard to the length of time that the matters are pending before them.”

“Magistrates have made applications to recuse themselves and some are simply not determining whether the case should be tried summarily, meaning in the Magistrate’s Court, or should be taken indictably before a Judge and a jury. That’s a decision that Magistrates have to make. It’s a procedural decision that has to be made to determine how the cases will move forward [but] Magistrates have not been making that decision. One Magistrate has made the decision that the matter be taken indictably and that particular matter is being appealed. But that is only one charge out of 32,” the AG contended.

Nandlall went on to outline that these matters are of utmost importance to Guyana and its people since the charges on which they are predicated, are grave and serious. He noted that when such alleged acts are committed, then it is the State of Guyana that is under attack and therefore, the State has a responsibility to ensure, in this case particularly, that the charges brought are heard and determined within reasonable time and in accordance with evidence and the applicable law.

To this end, the Attorney General disclosed that he has requested the Director of Public Prosecutions, whose office is prosecuting these matters, to push for the cases to be treated with the type of seriousness and alacrity warranted.

In the same breath, however, Nandlall clarified that by doing this, he is in no way stepping over any boundaries. He pointed out that as Legal Affairs Minister and Attorney General, he is answerable for matters in the justice sector and therefore, has a responsibility to speak out when cases are not being processed, heard and determined within a reasonable time as they deserve.

“I hope that what I say here is not twisted and misinterpreted to mean that I’m being unduly critical to any Magistrate or that I’m ascribing improper motive to any Magistrate or that I’m bringing the administration of justice into disrepute or that I’m trying to in any form or fashion influence the outcome of any case because I am doing no such thing. And I want to make that abundantly clear. I’m expressing views that I’m duty bound to express as the Minister positioned where I am,” AG Nandlall asserted.

Nevertheless, the election fraud cases were called up last month and have been adjourned until October 6.

Given the seriousness of these cases, the DPP Office has recruited several private legal practitioners to prosecute the matters. The case for the prosecution is being led by Darshan Ramdhani, QC, while Senior Counsel John Jeremie and Attorneys-at-Law Nigel Hughes, Ronald Daniels, Konyo Sandiford, Eusi Anderson, and Latoya Roberts are appearing on behalf of the three accused persons.

Lowenfield is facing three counts of forgery and three counts of misconduct in public office, while Mingo and Myers are facing separate charges for misconduct in public office.

Lowenfield’s election report claimed that the APNU/AFC coalition garnered 171,825 votes while the PPP/C gained 166,343 votes.

How he arrived at those figures is still unknown, since the certified results from the recount exercise supervised by GECOM and a high-level team from the Caribbean Community (Caricom) pellucidly showed that the PPP/C won with 233,336 votes while the coalition garnered 217,920.

The recount exercise also proved that Mingo had heavily inflated the figures in Region Four—Guyana’s largest voting District, in favour of the then caretaker APNU/AFC regime.

In August 2021, GECOM voted to terminate Lowenfield, Myers, and Mingo.

The firing of these officials was met with much satisfaction by the Government, which hailed it as a step in the right direction to restoring public confidence in GECOM.  (This story was first published by the Guyana Times)

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Salud confirma 380 hospitalizaciones por COVID-19

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Radio Isla TV

El informe preliminar de COVID-19 del Departamento de Salud (DS) reportó el viernes 10 muertos y 380 personas hospitalizadas.

El total de muertes atribuidas es de 4,891.

Hay 335 adultos y 45 menores hospitalizados. El monitoreo cubre el periodo del cuatro al 17 de agosto de 2022.

La tasa de positividad está a 28.77 por ciento.

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UPDATE: A$AP Rocky pleads not guilty to felony assault with a gun Loop Barbados

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Barbados News

[Update: August 17, 5pm]

Rapper A$AP Rocky has pleaded not guilty to felony assault with a firearm charges stemming from a 2021 confrontation in Hollywood.

He is accused of drawing a gun and firing it twice in the direction of a former friend during an argument in Hollywood in November 2021. He pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and was ordered to return to court on November 2.

Los Angeles Superior Court Victoria B. Wilson ordered the rapper, whose legal name is Rakim Athelaston Mayers, to stay away from the former friend.

— ASSOCIATED PRESS

[Original story: August 15, 10pm]

Rapper A$AP Rocky was charged with two felonies Monday for pulling a gun on a former friend and firing in Hollywood last year, prosecutors said.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged the 33-year-old New York native, whose legal name is Rakim Athelaston Mayers, with two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.

Prosecutors allege that during an argument on November 6, 2021, Mayers pointed the handgun at the victim, then in a subsequent confrontation drew the gun again and fired twice in the direction of the man, who sustained a minor injury. His name has not been released.

Mayers has not entered a plea to the charges. He is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday. An email seeking comment from representatives was not immediately returned.

“Discharging a gun in a public place is a serious offense that could have ended with tragic consequences not only for the person targeted but also for innocent bystanders visiting Hollywood,” said District Attorney George Gasc?n said in a statement.

Mayers and two other men fled the scene after he fired the gun, police said. He was first arrested for the incident at Los Angeles International Airport on April 20, and was released on bail the same day.

A member of the Harlem hip hop collective A$AP Mob, A$AP Rocky first made his mark in music with the single “Peso” in 2011. His 2013 debut album, “Long. Live. A$AP,” went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, as did its 2015 follow-up, “At. Long. Last. A$AP.” He has been nominated for two Grammy Awards.

He was the focus of international attention in 2019 after being detained for nearly a month in Sweden following a street brawl. He was found guilty of assault and given a “conditional sentence” that meant no additional time in jail.

By ANDREW DALTON

AP Entertainment Writer

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No talk shop! Rev Bowen wants documents laid after NIS Town Halls Loop Barbados

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Barbados News

Reverend Cassandra Bowen wants that when all the consultations and Town Halls with members of the Board of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) are completed “I would like to see something positive going forward and a solution that is feasible to everybody and most of all, those documents being laid in parliament.”

The documents were referring to outstanding audits.

Rev Bowen said that this cannot be a talk shop exercise for people to just feel like they are contributing. She made her voice and position well known when the first of a series of town halls got underway around Barbados to get the public’s input on the pre-crisis issue facing the National Insurance Fund.

Many applauded the Reverend who is also an educator as she called for greater education especially at all levels of schooling to avoid producing adults who are ignorant about NIS deductions, contributions, pensions, and other financial and social instruments that are crucial in their future. She confessed that she wishes she had the foresight to see down the road when she was younger. She made an earnest plea for webinars, seminars and workshops to “educate, educate, educate”.

Having been raised by her grandmother, Rev Bowen said she learnt a hard lesson about pensions and the NIS very early in life. She said it was “unfair” that her grandmother got her pension stopped because she took in her four grandchildren who were living in an orphanage in Trinidad. She alleged that the NIS deemed her gran unfit to continue to qualify for the pension she was receiving because she could afford to take on the burden of her grandchildren.

Rev Bowen came to the first Town Hall at The Combermere School with her points listed on a piece of paper and for almost each and every point, she got a rousing round of applause from the crowd present. Including when she argued that someone should be fired for the misuse of NIS funds and there should be a restriction placed on government borrowing from the NIS Fund. She also agreed that contributions are down and the brain drain amongst the younger citizens is high and will continue to climb. Recently retired and receiving a “gratuity”, as she laughed at her pension amount, she too confessed that under other circumstances she would migrate, “I want the same problem with different people”.

NIS CEO Kim Tudor told Rev Bowen that the NIS Board would like to see her notes because she made salient points and hit home the fact that “you have to look at it broadly”.

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Bedrijven kloppen bij Rumas aan voor arbeidskrachten

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: De Ware Tijd Online

Tekst en beeld Valerie Fris PARAMARIBO — “De afgelopen periode heb ik via de media begrepen dat bedrijven moeilijk aan

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Two cars crash on Esterley Tibbetts Highway, DUI suspected Loop Cayman Islands

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Cayman Compass
Loop News

3 minutes ago

The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) reported that, just after 7:35pm on Wednesday, August 17, police and other emergency services were dispatched by the 9-1-1 Communication Centre to a report of a two-vehicle collision that took place along the Esterley Tibbetts Highway, West Bay.

One of the vehicles, a Toyota Mark X, had four occupants while the other, a Honda Accord, had two occupants. Both vehicles were extensively damaged and the road was partially closed for a period of time as investigators and officers from the Cayman Islands Fire Service cleared the roadway.

The occupants of the Toyota Mark X were all transported to the Cayman Islands Hospital by ambulance where they were treated by the attending doctors for what appeared to be non-life-threatening-injuries, and later discharged.

The driver of the Honda Accord, a 25-year-old-woman of Bodden Town, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and careless driving. She was transported to the Cayman Islands Detention Centre where a breath test was administered, which showed a reading of 0.184.

The collision is being investigated by the Traffic and Roads Policing Unit with the RCIPS. Investigators are encouraging anyone with information regarding this collision to call the Traffic and Roads Policing Unit at 649-6254 or the George Town Police Station at 949-4222. Anonymous tips may also be submitted through the RCIPS Confidential Tip-line at 949-7777 or via the RCIPS website at https://www.rcips.ky/submit-a-tip.

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WATCH: Four Saint Lucians For Undergraduate Studies In Hungary – St. Lucia Times News

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The content originally appeared on: St. Lucia Times News

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Four young Saint Lucians are heading to Hungary to pursue undergraduate studies as part of a 3-year co-operation memorandum signed between the Ministry of Education Saint Lucia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hungary.

Danielle Dubois reports:

SOURCE: Ministry of Education

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Video leaves fans of top dancehall artiste asking questions Loop Jamaica

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The content originally appeared on: Jamaica News Loop News

He is regarded as one of the top entertainers in dancehall music today but did you know that before entering into a life of music this artiste had other ambitions?

Can you guess the artiste?

A one-minute video posted on social media showing a young student on a junior school challenge quiz programme speaking about his plans to take a totally different career path has left some fans surprised.

Other social media users were left asking questions as they would, later on, come to witness the entertainer growing up to lay down a new set of rules in the music industry.

“Who would have thought,” said one social media user after watching the video.

Another user said even though the artiste took a different path, certainly, his ability to deliver thought-provoking lyrics must have come from the curricular activities that he was involved in as a student. Also, there were hints, the artiste, a student at the time, did point out in the video that one of his hobbies was in fact singing. One of the career paths that he said he was aiming for was medicine.

Watch the video below as the artiste, a student at the time, introduces himself and gives his full name.

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