A Portmore teacher accused of sexually assaulting a student of the Bridgeport High School in St Catherine where he was employed, will return to the Spanish Town Resident Magistrate's Court on March 18.

Audley Campbell of Gregory Park, St Catherine, appeared before Resident Magistrate Caylis Wiltshire on the charge of carnal abuse. The Clerk of Court outlined that on the day in question, the 16-year-old complainant was at school. The accused grabbed her school-uniform belt and ran playfully with it and the student started to chase him.

Eventually, the teacher of two years took the teenager to his home where he had sex with her and she became pregnant.

The court further heard that following this, the child wrote about her ordeal to someone at the school. Campbell was picked up by the police on February 10 and formal charges laid against him.

In applying for bail, defence attorney Althea Grant told the court that her client had a good reputation and that even when he was being arrested, the complainant sent a text to say that she has been pressured by a relative to press charges.

The Crown did not oppose bail, however, the RM ordered Campbell to report to the Caymanas police two times weekly and also to surrender his travel documents.

a wha di f@*k some lickle p#@$y a deal wid

-- Edited by MZJ at 20:41, 2009-02-23

Portmore resident Barrington Patterson, who pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property, was sentenced to six months, hard labour in the Spanish Town Resident Magistrate's Court recently.

Patterson, originally charged with larceny of motor vehicle, pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property. After a social inquiry report revealed that he had 12 previous convictions for similar offences, he was sentenced by Senior RM Lorna Errar.

Investigating officer, Detective Corporal Aneita West-Grant of the Portmore police, outlined that the owner of the 1998 Honda motor car, valued at $580,000, had parked it at his gate in July 2006 and woke up and found it missing.

However, later that day, he spotted Patterson driving the vehicle and summoned the police.

A man who allegedly attempted to steal a cell phone belonging to a policeman was shot and injured during the incident yesterday.

Reports are that the incident took place sometime before 4 p.m. near the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre. A police source told the newspaper that the crook snatched the policeman's phone and attacked him with a knife when the cop tried to retrieve the cell phone.

The man was reportedly shot after wielding the knife at the cop. He was taken to hospital following the incident.

Details on the man's condition were not available up to last night.

A security guard, who refused to give a schoolgirl a seat in a pastry shop, was fined when he appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.

Julius Roderiques pleaded guilty to assault at common law and possession of an offensive weapon.

The complaint, who is a high-school student, told the court that on the day of the incident, she and her friend went to a pastry shop in Half-Way Tree to purchase pastry.

unruly manner

She alleges that her friend asked the man for a seat and he became annoyed and started to behave in an unruly manner. She said she went and asked him why he was behaving like that and he pulled a knife and threatened to punch her wig off her head.

The complainant said she threatened to call the police and went on her cellular phone and pretended as if she was speaking with one. She said she went outside and saw a security guard and told him about the incident. But the guard said he could not leave his post at the time. The complainant saw a policeman passing and he dealt with the matter.

not a gentleman

The accused, however, said that after the complainant's friend asked him for the seat and he refused, they began to abuse him and said he was not a gentleman. Roderiques admitted that he had the knife, which he used on the job.

After listening to both sides of the argument, RM Brown said he was not going to sentence him for the assault, but fined him $2,000 or 10 days for possession of an offensive weapon.

A trial date could not be set yesterday for 39-year-old labourer Michael McLean, who is charged with the brutal murder of six members of a family in St Thomas, because he does not want legal aid. McLean had told the court last month that relatives from abroad were going to send money to pay a lawyer. When he appeared in the Home Circuit Court yesterday his legal representation was not finalised. Supreme Court Judge Almarie Sinclair Haynes made an order for legal aid assignment but McLean told the court that he did not want it He is in custody and is to return to court on February 26 for legal representation to be settled. The Crown is alleging that the six deceased, who were relatives of McLean's girlfriend, were murdered between February 25 and 26, 2006. Some were chopped to death and in some cases, the throats were slashed. McLean is charged with the murder of Patrice George McCool, 28; Sean Chin, Jr, nine; Lloyd Marshall George McCool, three; Jihad George McCool, seven; Jesse Gilvie, nine; and Terry-Ann Mohammed, 40, all of Duhaney Pen, St Thomas. Say your piece! If you've got an opinion, share it with the world on our Message Boards E-mail this story

February 21, 2009 Do you have a problem? Is something bothering you? Write to Tell Me Pastor

In light of Thursday's attack on two of the newly acquired Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses, Transport and Works Minister, Mike Henry, has issued a release condemning the acts.

In Thursday's attacks, a fire believed to be the work of arsonists, caused an estimated $350,000 in damage to a new bus in the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre. The blaze started just after mid-day. Some hours later, a similar unit was stoned in Duhaney Park, St Andrew, again resulting in significant damage. Both buses plied the Duhaney Park route.

strong and decisive

The minister said strong and decisive security and regulatory measures would be employed to curb what has been emerging as a trend towards destabilising the public bus service. These measures include a clampdown by the Transport Authority, supported by the police and other law enforcement agencies, on illegalities within the sector, including the playing of lewd music and DVDs in buses and taxis, and the tinting on PPV vehicles.

"I have been issuing good advice to those transport operators who are intent on being decent and orderly service providers, to begin to separate themselves from the mischief makers," said Minister Henry. "For the others, we have something coming, as we are not going to sit idly by and allow the public transportation system, be it the JUTC or any other component, to be simply destroyed by thugs and others whose only interest is to gain at the expense of the public good."

LA GRANDE, Ore. An Oregon woman finally received an invitation to her nephew's high school graduation in New Jersey, but she may be a little late it was in 1987.

Theresa Schlossarek, of La Grande, found the invitation last week in her mailbox. The envelope, which had been opened, was postmarked June 2, 1987, from Toms River, N.J., where her brother, Hermann Ilnseher, lives.

Ilnseher said the lack of response from his sister was noticed but dismissed.

"We just thought that she lived so far away, she couldn't come," Ilnseher said. "She usually would send money, though, so we did joke about that later on, that maybe she could send some and add interest for the years passed."

Peter Hass, spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service's Portland district, called the delay "very unusual and very unfortunate."

Hass said the envelope could have been stuck in machinery or misrouted and delivered to the wrong address, which would explain why it arrived opened. But he said no matter the age of the mail, "if it's postmarked, we're obliged to deliver it."

Schlossarek's nephew, Michael Ilnseher, now an assistant principal at an Atlanta-area high school, said he didn't remember his aunt not receiving an invitation.

"I never realized something could be lost for 22 years like that," he said.

A Turkish Airlines plane carrying 135 people has crashed while coming in to land at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, according to officials and reports.

The CNN Turk TV station said at least one person was killed in the impact and 20 injured. The Boeing 737-800, which had reportedly flown from Istanbul, split into three sections as it came down in a field close to the airport. Photographs of the crashed plane shown on Turkish television showed the fuselage split near the front of the wing and the tail section sheared off.

A Turkish Airlines official at Schiphol airport told Turkey's NTV channel that at least 50 passengers appeared to be safe. They were outside the stricken plane wading through luggage which had been strewn across the scene.

The airport, one of the main aviation hubs in Europe, confirmed the crash had taken place but gave no further details.

Airport police spokesman Rob Stenacker told Associated Press that emergency services were responding to a reported crash but could give no further details.

my opinion is that he made it marketable for the audiences in europe and the US, sean paul had old tracks on dutty rock and it sold,

"the other artist" had all new tracks for his album and we didnt hear anything about its sales

so what u think, is it a marketing strategy? or is it jst a dissapointment for u as a bootlegger who wont support him

-- Edited by gamepun at 20:10, 2009-02-24

She was supposed to wait for her father to pick her up from school. Instead, she decided to take a bus. When her father confronted her, it led to a heated exchange. Words darted from father to child, and a bitter relationship took a turn for the worse.

"She fight me," said James Chambers, his voice trailing off. He hesitated. "It's more than one or two times," he added, while explaining that his daughter was never wrong in her mother's eyes. This, he says, made the situation increasingly difficult.

"If her mother even blame her, it's behind my back and that gave her power," he said, anger apparent in his voice. "I don't really care for her. ... I can't do it anymore."

Attempts to get assistance from a counsellor failed, as he never went back. This was partly because the counsellor was trying to blame him for the developments, he said.

Chambers has found a way to resolve the issue. He has tried to forget the fights and arguments so that he can move on with his life. "It's hard to explain how I manage but it's like I forget it," he said. Though his daughter still lives with him, they do not speak.

Chambers has one bit of advice for parents struggling with unruly children: "If the child is out of control, leave the child alone. Some day they (children) will find out their mistake but one thing, when you (the children) find it out, don't come back to me," he said unapologetically.

Notnice

Some 'freaky' pictures have been making the rounds on the Internet with dancer Notnice, but he said they are not to be taken seriously.

Last week, three pictures were posted on two popular entertainment websites with the dancer fully clothed but supposedly engaging in sexual acts with a large-sized doll.

When contacted, dancer Notnice, whose real name is Kahlyl Williamson, said the set of pictures was a mere joke.

"That was just a play thing. A mi friend dem put it up on my myspace. A nuh nutten serious so mi nuh know why dem gone deh so. A try dem a try fi mek mi thing look small but mi thing bigger than that. Dem a try use dat fi get back at wi," said the author of dance moves like the 'Killer Swing' and 'Prezy Bounce'.

He said the pictures were taken last year while he was in Brooklyn.

"Dem people yah crazy. The girl in the background, my girlfriend, and mi a seh a so mi waan hol' some girl and do dem."

Notnice said: "Mi tek dem off my myspace page now. But a nuh like mi did have anything a hide. A nuh man mi deh wid. Mi straight like an arrow."

Nonetheless, Notnice said he does not believe the release of the pictures and the accompanying stories written about him will affect his career. But he still wants the misleading information to be removed from the website.

"Everybody know weh Notnice stand for. Dem know seh mi a garrison dancer. Mi nuh work off a people hype. Mi have two giants (Mavado and Bounty Killer) beside me, so no likkle fish caan stop me," Notnice said.

RiHANNA wants Chris to know that his apology is totally worthless in her eyes:

Singer Rihannas camp has declined to officially comment on Chris Browns apology statement, but sources say that the Umbrella crooner is appalled by Browns statement.

All of us, including Rihanna, dont understand how he can say hes sorry on the one hand, but still does not admit any guilt, a Barbados pal of Rihanna tells the Chicago Sun-Times. He should have expressed more contrition.

After a week of negative press for Chris subsequent to the alleged abuse of Rihanna, Brown released a statement saying he was sorry and saddened over what transpired, but did not go into detail about the altercation.

A source close to the Rihanna told the newspaper that RiRi is royally pissed off at what she calls Browns cavalier and arrogant statement.

Both singers are currently keeping a low profile. Chris is due in court March 5

After a tumultuous past couple of weeks where the internet and tabloids speculated about what transpired on February 8, Rihanna has finally emerged and issued a statement to her fans after being allegedly assaulted by Chris Brown.The statement, sent by her representative to People magazine, does not provide any details on the assault, nor does it doesnt shed any light on her immediate future. The statement simply provides a thank you to her fans that have supported her through these recent struggles.

"At the request of the authorities, Rihanna is not commenting about the incident involving Chris Brown," the statement says. "She wants to assure her fans that she remains strong, is doing well, and deeply appreciates the outpouring of support she has received during this difficult time."

This is the first time that anyone from Rihanna's camp has commented on the situation. 

This follows Rihannas photo apparently taken only moments after the assault which  was leaked to the internet on Thursday and caused an uproar. The very same day found Rihanna celebrating her 21st birthday as she was spotted in Los Angeles heading to the airport.

A man has been arrested and charged after being found with some of a large quantity of recently stolen cigarettes.

Errol Daley appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court to answer to charges of receiving stolen property. Daley was allegedly found with several cartons of cigarettes.

Allegations are that Daley was held with 138 cartons of cigarettes and allegedly told police that he purchased them in Jungle area of Arnett Gardens for $10,000. The 138 cartons are valued at $400,000. The cigarettes are part of a stock that was stolen from Carreras Group on February 10.

Police reports are that shortly after 10 a.m., a truck pulled out of Kingston Wharves and was heading for Carreras Limited in Twickenham Park, Spanish Town, St Catherine. The truck was intercepted along 9th Avenue, the driver was abducted and the truck taken. The driver was released sometime after 2 p.m. in Cherry Gardens, St Andrew.

Daley was granted $30,000 bail with one or two sureties to return to court on February 23 when the matter will again be mentioned.

An elderly woman was killed by fire while her brother was injured when the flames destroyed their two-bedroom house at Orange River district, Clarendon, on Saturday morning.

Dead is 82-year-old Ona Studdart, while injured is her 71-year-old brother, both of Orange River district.

According to police reports, about 12:05 a.m., the siblings were at home when Binger saw fire coming from his sister's room. He attempted to rescue her from the blaze but was unsuccessful.

The fire brigade was called and one unit from the May Pen Fire Department put out the blaze. Binger received minor burns and a fractured arm. He was taken to the Chapelton Hospital for treatment. The scene was processed and Studdart's charred remains removed from the rubble. The Chapelton police are investigating.

ason Smith was losing it. I [screwed] up; I think I killed this woman, the Atlanta narcotics cop told partner Arthur Tesler in the yard behind a small brick bungalow on Neal Street. You guys got to help me.

Inside, a 92-year-old woman lay dead, killed by a fusillade of police bullets. Officer Gregg Junnier, his face grazed by a bullet and bleeding, stalked through the home looking for suspects and contraband.

But there were no dealers, no kilo of cocaine. The tip that brought police to 933 Neal St. was as bogus as the story they used to sell a judge on the raid.

Desperation and self-preservation kicked in. Smith remembered the marijuana seized earlier that day. Better make it look like a drug house, he reckoned. He pulled baggies of pot from his sleeve, nodded to Tesler, and planted them in the basement.

The Nov. 21, 2006, killing of Kathryn Johnston, two days before Thanksgiving, outraged residents of the northwest neighborhood, shocked the nation and rocked Atlantas police force. It laid bare the corruption of an out-of-control narcotics squad that lied to get search warrants and planted drugs on suspects.

This time, Smith had authored the trumped-up affidavit. For all three, it was business as usual.

On Monday, the three former officers will be together again in federal court to be sentenced for conspiring to violate Johnstons civil rights. A sentencing memo from prosecutors to the judge, along with prior testimony and other court records, reveals how the officers concocted a sophisticated cover-up that fell apart when Junnier, the squad veteran and the son of a cop, turned on his colleagues. He crossed the blue line.

Getting the story straight

Two hours after the shootout, Junnier lay in a hospital bed with flesh wounds to his cheek and thigh. Smith and Tesler sidled up to him, waiting for his room at Grady Memorial Hospital to clear.

Junnier was irritated; Smith seemed more concerned about getting their story straight than how he was doing. Smith was mad because Junnier hadnt answered his cellphone at the hospital.

The three officers were members of a squad with free rein to operate in a netherworld of drugs, criminals and danger. The rules and truth were measured on a sliding, situational scale. They had to depend on each other. But they werent friends. And now trust was in short supply.

But they were in this together. They began to construct what federal prosecutors would call a diligent and devious effort to deflect their complicity.

Their sergeant and lieutenant had already questioned Smith and Tesler. Now the two told Junnier the story they were going with: that they got the warrant for the raid after Alex White, a reliable snitch they often used, purchased crack cocaine at the Neal Street home. Theyd told their superiors they drove White to the house in a patrol car.

Junnier was incredulous.

Take an informant to make a buy in a patrol car? he asked. Youre going to have to come up with something better than that.

At 40, Junnier had 18 years on the force, eight in narcotics. Hed followed his father into the brotherhood of blue. His wife was a nurse, and Junnier worked second jobs to send her to school. He skipped lunch with his partners so he could clock out quickly and go home to their son and daughter.

But part of his side income came from security jobs prosecutors say he ran while on duty, jobs in which the cops, for weekly cash payments, provided extra surveillance for businesses in high-crime areas. Authorities suggest Junnier and others cut corners not only to more easily catch criminals but to save time to work their crooked jobs.

Now the job was to get White, the informant, on board with their story. Later that night, Smith called Junnier to say things were set with White.

Hes cool with everything, he told his anxious colleague.

A 56-year-old man was shot dead by an alleged thug who reportedly robbed his common-law wife earlier in Alexandria district, St Ann, on Saturday night.

Dead is Wallace Johnson of Old Bethany district, Alexandria.

According to police reports, at 8:15 p.m., Johnson's common-law wife was on her way home when she was robbed by a man armed with a gun.

She told Johnson about the incident and he took a taxi to the location and confronted the alleged robber. During the confrontation, Johnson was shot in the abdomen. The police were called and he was taken to the St Ann's Bay hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A 42-year-old deportee, hailed as one of the major players in Montego Bay's lottery scam, was among several persons detained during several sting operations in St James for their alleged involvement in the scam and credit-card fraud.

The lengthy operations, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Les Green, head of the Serious and Organised Crime Unit, took place in Cambridge and other districts in St James.

ACP Green confirmed on Friday that the detained deportee and others were being questioned in connection with the seizure of large amounts of cash, computers and other items believed to be used in the scam.

Major player

The senior cop did not release the identities of those detained. He confirmed that the local police had contacted their US counterparts to assist in gathering information on the deportee.

"The operation was in relation to the lottery scam and credit-card fraud. We believe the deportee is a major player in this field," ACP Green said.

"The operation is ongoing and so far we have seized computers, a significant amount of local and foreign currencies, fraudulent credit cards, credit-card copying devices and other paraphernalia linked to the lottery scam and other fraudulent transactions," ACP Green added.

Up to press time, ACP Green could not say what charges would be brought against the suspects. "We have a lot of information and materials that we have to go through and this could take us some time," said ACP Green.

He said the Jamaican police had previously been in contact with several persons abroad who have been reportedly affected by the scam.

He added that yesterday's operations would also see them making further contacts with more US citizens who might have been swindled. Green, however, did not give further details but said investigations were continuing.

"Some of the persons detained will remain at the Montego Bay lock-up where they will be questioned, while some will be taken to Kingston for further interviews," ACP Green said.

-- Edited by Dj Omari at 00:34, 2009-02-09

Following the recent release of his Loaded album, dancehall deejay Busy Signal has been featured on the cover of the most recent issue of BACKAYARD magazine, a Jamaican entertainment magazine covering reggae, dancehall and reggaeton. Check it out below.

Broadcasting Commission bans lewd carnival music, gun lyrics

Contrary to what many believed would not happen, the Broadcasting Commission has now placed a ban on certain soca and hip-hop songs.

In a release issued yesterday, the commission declared; "The Broad-casting Commission is prohibiting transmission of any soca music content that displays, simulates or instructs about sexual activities or positions."

As it pertains to dancehall music, the commission has issued another directive. The release also declared a halt to the airing of lyrics which glorify the gun, killings and other acts of violence.

double standard

This follows an earlier directive on February 6, prohibiting the airing of 'Daggerin' 'and other explicit sexual content in the broadcast media. A lively debate was triggered in some quarters, with many individuals accusing the commission of a double standard approach to dancehall, while turning a blind eye to the crude and sometimes overtly sexual dances during carnival parades.

However, the regulatory body had earlier this month, said it would act against "all types of musical broadcast output, including soca music and carnival music". Yesterday, the commission officially put this in place.

extends to any content

The recent ban also extends to any content from live coverage or recorded shows, dances or events which display children participating in activities that simulate sexual activities or positions, whether in street parades, stage shows or at any other event.

The commission's directives on 'gun lyrics' further stipulate that any recording, live song or music video promoting and/or glorifying the use of guns or other offensive weapons, offences against the person such as rape, murder, and mob violence or other offences such as arson should be taken off the airwaves.

In ending, the release urged that immediate steps be taken to prevent the airing of material to which the directives apply, or which has to be edited by using 'bleeping'.

R&B crooner T-Pain has been forced to cancel a performance in Guyana after receiving death and kidnapping threats.

T-Pain was scheduled to perform in the country Monday (February 23) but the show's promoter, Kerwin Bollers, revealed to The Associated Press today (February 22) that they had to call it off because they received credible threats towards the singer via e-mails and phone calls.

T-Pain would have been one of the more popular U.S. artists to perform in Guyana in years. Local authorities are currently investigating.

Hope they've got XXXXL jumpsuits in AZ, 'cause Charles Barkley is officially going to jail.

Barkley just pled guilty to 2 counts of driving under the influence and pleaded "responsible" to running a stop sign for the December 31 incident in Scottsdale.

Barkley was sentenced to 10 days in jail -- but will only do five if he completes an alcohol education program. Barkley was also fined $2,000.

Barkley will begin his sentence on March 21 -- but it's unclear if he will serve time in Arizona's famed Tent City Jail, where they make the inmates wear pink.

As for the gun cops say they found in Barkley's car on the night of the arrest -- no charges were ever filed.

Posted here

What happened at Camp Fire is the question everyone is asking? Some people are saying that Mavados entourage and Kartels entourage had a flare up while others are saying that members of the Bounty Killer-led Alliance attacked Beenie Man and members of his entourage. However, theres no way Mavados entourage and Vybz Kartels entourage could have been in any tussle as Vybz Kartel werent even billed for the show.

Just as we were about to contact, the Alliance camp an email was already sent to us from Julian Jones-Griffith whos the spokes person/management for the Alliance. Below is a copy his statement explaining what took place at Camp Fire.

Several people have called members of the Alliance today with news that Beenie Man was on the radio saying words to the effect that he and his entourage were beaten up by the Alliance or people attending Camp Fire with the Alliance in Ewarton last night (December 31, 2008).

If indeed Beenie Man did that, we would just like to state categorically that its untrue and we are in the process of acquiring the recording from the radio station and will not hesitate to take legal action against Beenie if our lawyers deem any of his statements to be slanderous and/or libelous.

The situation was this: Beenie was scheduled to close the show using his Ruff Kut band, every running order we saw said that. Mavado and Killer were to work before him using our own Anger Management band. For some inexplicable reason Beenie wanted to stir up proceedings and began insisting, he was going to run up on Ruff Kut after Elephant Man and before Bounty Killer and Mavado. The organisers of the event were having none of this and instructed Beenie to await his allotted time slot, as presumably they had agreed prior to the event.

Mavado was at an elevated position about 20 meters above the stage steps and at no time was he or anyone from his entourage anywhere near Beenie and the Camp Fire personnel and show security. It seems that Beenie Man and his cohorts got into a shoving match with the police who were securing the stage and following instructions that it was not Beenie Man's time to work.

Bounty Killer and his entourage could not even see what was happening from where he was and had no idea what was happening, only that he heard Beenie was trying to rush the stage. Over the years, this has happened on many occasions at stage shows in Jamaica with this particular artist so everybody just remained calm and let the situation play out.

Next thing we saw was Beenie and his entourage storm past us and out of the venue. Mavado and Bounty gave the Camp Fire patrons a great performance and we left the venue just as we could hear the MC unsuccessfully pleading with the crowd not to throw bottles.

The gun which was left behind by the robbers who held up the teacher Friday night in Spaldings. - George Henry

spaldings, clarendon

A male teacher from a prominent tertiary institution is now counting his blessings after he displayed an act of bravery when he was held up by gunmen in Spaldings, on the Manchester side of the fast developing town Friday night.

According to the teacher, he went to a supermarket in that town and cashed a cheque. He reported that he placed the cash in his pocket and was on his way home.

Suspicious

"On my way home, I realised some guys were actually in pursuit and I decided to prolong my journey by not turning off where I usually turn to go to my house. Subsequent to that, I realised two guys attempted to turn off with me," said the teacher.

He said when he realised something was suspicious, he walked towards a neighbour's house when two men attacked him, used an expletive and demanded he turn over his money.

Tussle

The teacher said he held on to one of the gunmen, punched him in his face and a tussle started between them. The teacher noted that while he was trying to free himself from attacker, they both fell to the ground. He said the gunman's accomplice tried to to take out the cash but without success.

Illegal weapon

"I was able to get back on my legs and shouted to my neighbours for help. it was at that point that they decided to run. I then went home and called a friend who accompanied me to the location where I was held up. When we got back to the location, my friend shone the light from his vehicle on the spot and I saw a gun on the ground," said the teacher.

The teacher reported that it was at that time that he and his friend summoned the Spaldings police, who arrived about 10 minutes later, retrieved the gun and took the illegal weapon to the station.

Inspector Clive Ramsey, the sub-officer in charge of the Spaldings Police Station, said that a thorough investigation is being carried out.

He pointed out that the police took a similar weapon from a schoolboy from a prominent high school a few weeks ago. He said, based on intelligence, there might be a proliferation of home-made guns in the Spaldings police area.

At least 135 dead, police hunt arsonists










By Tanalee Smith
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WHITTLESEA, Australia Police declared incinerated towns crime scenes Monday, and Australias prime minister spoke of mass murder after investigators said arsonists may have set some of the countrys worst wildfires in history. The death toll rose to 135.

There were no quick answers, but officials said panic and the freight-train speed of the fire front driven by winds of more than 90 kilometres per hour and temperatures as high as 47 C  probably accounted for the unusually high toll.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, visibly upset during a television interview, reflected the countrys disgust at the idea that arsonists may have set some of the 400 fires that devastated Victoria state, or helped them jump containment lines.

What do you say about anyone like that? Rudd said. Theres no words to describe it, other than its mass murder.

More than one dozen fires still burned uncontrollably across the state, though conditions were much cooler than on Saturday.

Evidence of heart-wrenching loss abounded. From the air, the landscape was blackened as far as the eye could see. In at least one town, bodies still lay in the streets. Entire forests were reduced to leafless, charred trunks, farmland to ashes. The Victoria Country Fire Service said some 2,200 square kilometres were burned out.

At Kinglake, a body covered by a white sheet lay in a yard where every tree, blade of gra** and the ground was blackened. Elsewhere in the town, the burned out hulks of four cars were clustered haphazardly together after an apparent collision. Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio reported a car in a small reservoir, the driver apparently steering there in desperation.

What weve seen, I think, is that people didnt have enough time, in some cases Victoria Police Commissioner Christine Nixon told a news conference. Were finding (bodies) on the side of roads, in cars that crashed.

But there were also extraordinary tales of survival.

On man leapt into his pool to escape the flames as they roared over his house, leaving it unscarred but razing the neighbours. Another woman sheltered with her children in a w****at burrow as the worst of the fire passed.

Mark Strubing sheltered in a drainage pipe as his property, outside Kinglake, burned.

We jumped in the car and we were only literally just able to outrun this fire. It was travelling as fast as the wind, Strubing told Nine Network television news.

He said he and a companion rolled around in the water at the bottom to wet their clothing as the flames started licking the pipe: How we didnt burn I dont know.

Elsewhere in Kinglake, Jack Barber fled just ahead of the flames with his wife, his neighbour, driving in two cars packed with birth certificates, insurance documents, two cats, four kittens and a dog.

We had a fire plan, he said Monday. The plan was to get the hell out of there before the flames came.

Their escape route blocked by downed power lines and a tree, they took shelter first at a school, then when that burned in an exposed cricket ground ringed by trees, where they found five others.

All around us was 30 metres flames ringing the oval, and we ran where the wind wasnt. It was swirling all over the place, Barber said. For three hours, we dodged the wind.

The wind surged and changed direction quickly time and again on Saturday, fanning the blazes and making their direction utterly unpredictable from minute to minute. Local media had been issuing warnings in the days leading up to the weekend, but many people guarding their homes with backyard hoses would have been outside when the wind changed, and thus could have missed the fresh warnings.

At least 750 homes were destroyed on Saturday, the Victoria Country Fire Service said.

Officials said both the tolls of human life and property would almost certainly rise as they reached deeper into the disaster zone, and forecasters said temperatures would rise again later in the week, posing a risk of further flare-ups.

Nixon said investigators had strong suspicions that at least one of the deadly blazes known as the Churchill fire after a ruined town was deliberately set. And it could not be ruled out for other fires. She cautioned against jumping to conclusions.

The countrys top law officer, Attorney General Robert McClelland, said that people found to have deliberately set fires could face murder charges. Murder can carry a life sentence.

Police sealed off Maryville, a town destroyed by another fire, with checkpoints, telling residents who fled and news crews they could not enter because there were still bodies in the streets. Armed officers moved through the shattered landscape taking notes, pool news photographs showed.

John Handmer, a wildfire safety expert at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, said research has shown that people in the path of a blaze must get out early or stay inside until the worst has past.

Fleeing at the last moment is the worst possible option, he said. Sadly, this message does not seem to have been sufficiently heeded this weekend with truly awful consequences in Victoria.

Even if a house is set ablaze, it will burn more slowly and with less intensity that a wildfire and residents have a better chance of escape, he said.

Victoria state Premier John Brumby on Monday announced a commission would be held to examine all aspects of the fires, including warning policies.

I think our policy has served us well in what I call normal conditions. These were unbelievable circumstances, Brumby said on Australian Broadcasting Corp. television.

Blazes have been burning for weeks across several states in southern Australia. A long-running drought in the south the worst in a century had left forests extra dry and Saturdays fire conditions in Victoria were said to be the worst ever in Australia.

In New South Wales state on Monday, a 31-year-old man appeared in court charged with arson in connection to a wildfire that burned north of Sydney at the weekend. No loss of life was reported there. He faces up to 10 years in prison.

The countrys deadliest fires before the current spate killed 75 people in 1983. In 2006, nine people died on South Australias Eyre Peninsula.

 

-- Edited by RiddimRyder at 11:13, 2009-02-09

http://www.celebully.com/dmx-goes-off-on-r-kelly-p538.html listen this clip wid dmx, sumthin wrong wid di bredda...... wat u think?

I just caught wind of some EARTH SHATTERING news. According to one of my sources over at J Records, R&B singer Jennifer Hudson will soon be recording a gospel album.

The album, we're told, should begin recorded this Spring.The insider explained MediaTakeOut.com, "[Jennifer] has always wanted to explore different genres and she's recorded gospel [tracks] before, so it makes a lot of sense."

Y'all know we love Jen as an R&B singer ... but we think we may LOOOOOOVE her as a gospel artist.

So definately, you will be able to watch Fully Loaded 2k8 online at yourwatchingtv.com .

Worldflavas , Yourwatchingtv and Solid Agency have been working together to make sure that this years live stream is bug free.

Final preparations are being made and this years event is promised to be one to remember.

After Bounty Killer's performance at Reggae Sumfest 2k8, The Entire Alliance and many other entertainers and sound systems will be taking the stage to deliver some explosive performances and as you may remember in past years, Fully Loaded is never drama free.

Remember if you won't be in Jamaica, Log On and catch the action.

Check out Bounty, Tony Mataron and Sky Juice

http://www.yourwatchingtv.com

http://www.worldflavas.com

BBQ Artist, Jerky, Gully Monkey a jus the name weh artist get

the reason why mi give aidonia that name [Yes A Me Mek It Up] is bcuz a bare BBQ him get book 4 cuz him nah get nuh show cuz him diss the Killa and him lyrics bad yes but sum ppl nah overstand yuh zeet!!

Jerky a jus Kartel name weh Mavado drop pon him cuz wen mi pree Mavado him and Flex a jus two f**kery man, suh dem jus luv pull off certain things. Mi cudda call Kartel bikey too cuz him use to work pon bike.

Dog Face now a jus Kartel diss fi Mavado, kartel a jus liad from day 1 and him luv mek up things, suh mi cyaan bother talk out fi him thing

Suh who offended by me givin dem artist a name too bad but the name just reflect him datz why it guh suh, suh bill b4 unnu tek the music and gaza or gully thing too serious and get kill!!!

-- Edited by Thug Lord at 06:03, 2009-02-24

-- Edited by Thug Lord at 14:47, 2009-02-24

The Christiana Police are seeking a gunman who fled in terror when he was rebuked by a tongues-speaking would-be victim, whom he attempted to rob on Saturday night.

According to reports about 9 p.m., a news correspondent for central Jamaica was on his way home on Blackwood Close when a man armed with a .38 revolver pointed the gun at him and demanded he hand over his money and cellphone.

"He passed me and then turn back and approach me in a crouching position, pointing the gun at me. I rebuked him in the name of Jesus and started speaking in tongues when he ran away," said Davis.

Customers at a nearby Petcom service station, including a licensed firearm holder and the police, searched the area but the gunman had already bolted.

According to the police, the gunman involved in the latest incident has been accused of holding up persons in the area recently.

A former boyfriend of Nova Henry has been taken into custody by police investigating the fatal shootings of Henry ex-girlfriend of former Chicago Bull Eddy Curry and her baby daughter, sources said today.

The man, who has not been formally charged in the January slayings, was grabbed by Chicago police without incident Friday night on the citys South Side, sources said.

The break in the high-profile case came after cell-phone records and physical evidence helped link the man to the killings, sources said.

Police confirmed today that a man has been taken into custody in connection with the double murder but they have not confirmed his identity.

Henry, 24, and Curry's daughter, Ava, were found shot to death on Jan. 24 in their Near South Side condo, while Henrys 3-year-old son was found unharmed in the home. Curry, a one-time Bulls star who now plays for the New York Knicks, also is the father of the boy.

Henry and her former boyfriend a lawyer who had represented her in a paternity case with Curry had quarreled on the day she was found slain, according to a preliminary report on the shootings.

A possible cause of the dispute is that her ex-boyfriend claimed Henry still owed him money for his legal representation in her dispute with Curry, sources said.

Henrys ex-boyfriend originally was arrested in Michigan City, Ind. a day after the deadly shootings, and charged with trespassing at a hotel. He was questioned extensively by Chicago police at that time, but later released.

Court records indicate Henrys ex-boyfriend had once choked her and also had threatened to shoot a family member.

TREASURE BEACH, St Elizabeth - Tranquility Bay, the controversial offshore reform school for rebellious children, mostly from the United States, closed its doors last month as a result of a fallout in business. The last 'inmate' reportedly left the island on January 5.

TUFTON... I have had discussions with him about exploring the possibility of using it for training.

Now, Member of Parliament for South West St Elizabeth Dr Christopher Tufton wants the government to acquire the facility and convert it into an educational/training institution.

Tufton told the Observer that he had approached the Education Minister Andrew Holness about the matter.

"I have had discussions with him (Holness) about exploring the possibility of using it (Tranquility Bay) for training," Tufton said last week.

The Tranquility Bay complex was controversially used for 12 years by the United States group World Wide Association of Speciality Programmes and Schools (WWASP) as a 'boot camp' for non-Jamaican teenagers until its closure early last month.

A comment by Holness over recent days at Spot Valley in St James that the ministry had identified premises in St Elizabeth as a site for the Education Ministry's proposed Alternative Student Intervention Programme for disruptive children, fuelled speculation in St Elizabeth that he was referring to Tranquility Bay.

Holness could not be reached for comment as the Observer went to press. But a ministry spokesman told the Observer that the minister's comment at Spot Valley was not related to Tranquility Bay in Treasure Beach, but to a facility further east on the St Elizabeth/Manchester border. The ministry spokesman said he had no knowledge of any plans for Tranquility Bay.

Mandeville businessman Tony James, whose family owns Tranquility Bay, told the Observer last week that the property was up for lease or sale.

Originally built 20 years ago by the James family, the Tranquility Bay complex cited on two and a half acres of beachfront land often referred to by locals as Old Wharf was originally used as a hotel - Old Wharf Hotel. It was leased for a period by the United States army before the Ken Kay-led WWASP took it over in 1997 as a privately-run educational reformatory targetting children - mainly from the United States - who were considered disruptive or indisciplined. Fees were said to have run from US$25,000 to $40,000 annually per child.

At it's height, Tranquility Bay, directed by Kay's son Jay Kay, was said to have had close to 300 children with as many as 250 people - mostly Jamaicans - on the employment roll. But allegations in the international media that children were psychologically, if not physically abused, and that living conditions were unsanitary and generally unsatisfactory, marred its name.

Business steadily declined in recent years and it was finally closed last month.

A few years ago the facility was slapped with a number of lawsuits from parents, with some claiming that the 'help' they had been promised with their rebellious teens had been extreme.

In 2001, the facility was again thrown into the spotlight after a 17-year-old Alabama teen jumped from a 35-foot-high balcony shortly after arrival. The police told the Observer then that the teen, who had arrived in the island the previous day, asked to be excused from her class in order to dispose of a piece of paper. She then reportedly ran through the door and jumped off a balcony to her death.

The teen, newspaper reports said, was awaken from her bed and taken to the island as her family had arranged her surprise removal to Tranquility Bay. The Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) officer for St Elizabeth later told the Observer that the post-mortem had found that the teen had died from head injuries received from her fall. Her skull, the CCN officer said, was fractured in two places. Bars were subsequently added to all balconies at the facility.

In addition, in 2005, two teenagers ran away from the facility after Hurricane Emily sideswiped the island. The students were later found with the help of the police and a private investigator.

A police constable was yesterday taken into custody for questioning by the Bureau of Special Investigation (BSI) following the shooting death of his 30-year-old common law wife Clovetta Wynter at their 2 East, Greater Portmore home.

The house in Portmore where Clovetta Wynter was yesterday fatally shot. (Photo: Byran Cummings)

Residents told the police that about 12:15 am yesterday they allegedly overheard the couple arguing.

"Is six months since them move come there. They were a quiet couple," one resident told the Observer yesterday.

According to the Constabulary Communication Network (CCN), Wynter allegedly took up the constable's service revolver and advanced towards him during a dispute at their home. The constable reportedly held on to the weapon in a bid to wrest it from the woman, and during the struggle a round was discharged, the CCN said.

It was later discovered that Wynter had been shot in the neck.

The constable took her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead, the CCN said.

The BSI has since launched an investigation in the matter.
Yesterday, some residents expressed shock at the news of Wynter's death. They did not know much about the couple, but said they believed Wynter worked as a store clerk.

The resident said that what was also shocking was that the incident happened on the constable's birthday and two days after the woman had reportedly lost her job.

Yardflex got it hot off the press that Gyptian has fired his manager...again. Don't know what was the reason for the falling out, but at this rate if he continues on the same track he won't have any candidate who can fill the bill. We will keep you in the know as soon as we get more on this one.
------------------------------------------------------
US fly the gate for Shabba Ranks
Big up to Mr Shabba Ranks, dis one did more than overdue. Shabba Ranks can now travel again and we understand that he has a massive tour planned for the Caribbean. Speaking of which he had a gig in Miami the other day and reports are that him "teck it whey big time". Yeah man the venue pack and outside whey people couldn't get in did just as pack! Shabba a di real big man right now.

There was high drama yesterday morning just outside the Rusea's High School, Lucea, Hanover, when three robbers, who had held up a ninth-grader, in a bid to escape, jumped into the sea and swam hundreds of metres before being chased and captured by the police.

Eyewitness reports are that the male student and a friend were taking a short cut through an open lot adjoining the school compound, when they were held up. One of the boys ran off leaving the other who was subsequently cut on his upper arm by one of the men. The boy eventually ran into the schoolyard bleeding.

Students, vendors and other citizens who realised what had happened, chased the men hurling stones and other missiles at them. The men fled and jumped into the sea. In an attempt to prevent them from returning to shore, the students who had just commenced their Jamaica Day celebrations, lined the coastline.

Traffic in the area piled up for close to an hour as curious persons converged to get a glimpse of the men. The Lucea police were called and a boat went for the men.

Rohan Reid, Constabulary Communication Network's liaison officer for Hanover, said two of the men had swim far out to sea while the third, who apparently became tired, had turned back and was found sitting on a piece of coral reef a few hundred metres out.

The men, who are from Haughton Court addresses, have not yet been formally charged. Reid said two teenagers, a 16 and a 19-year-old, were among those captured. It is said that there were also other robberies in the same vicinity recently.

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=12149057&ch=4226720&src=news

The mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence says police are still failing black Britons, 10 years after a key report branded the Met police "racist".

Doreen Lawrence said some mothers of black murder victims had told her they felt they were not being treated as well as those of white victims.

She told the Guardian many in authority had become "complacent" and little had changed since her son's death in 1993.

Ministers say police are working to gain the trust of all communities.

Mrs Lawrence's comments come days before the 10th anniversary of the publication of the Macpherson Report, which blamed "a c****ination of professional incompetence, institutional racism and a failure of leadership" for the mistakes in the investigation of her son's murder.

Stephen, 18, was stabbed to death in Eltham, south-east London, in a racist attack by a gang of white youths.

No-one has ever been convicted of the murder.

Ten years on I think a lot of people have become complacent. They feel 'We've done that, got the T-shirt, let's move on'. The reality is we haven't Doreen Lawrence Stephen Lawrence's mother

Mrs Lawrence told the Guardian that although there had been some positive changes in Britain since then, many black people still felt let down by police.

"Some mothers say they don't feel as if they've been treated in the same way [as white victims' families]," she said.

"Families are out there still feeling the way I did when Stephen was killed."

She accused the government of losing interest in racial justice and blamed the high numbers of black people being stopped and searched by police on racism.

Government figures show that in 1999, black men were six times more likely to be stopped and searched, but in 2008 they were seven times more likely to be targeted.

Diversity targets 'scrapped'

Government and other bodies now avoided using the word "race", Mrs Lawrence argued, and instead use terms such as "diversity".

"Ten years on I think a lot of people have become complacent. They feel 'We've done that, got the T-shirt, let's move on'," she said.

"The reality is we haven't."

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail reports that diversity targets brought in for police forces after the publication of the Macpherson Report are to be scrapped.

Forces were told to meet central targets which required them to recruit ethnic minority officers in direct proportion to the make-up of their local community. They will now be able to set their own targets locally.

Stephen Lawrence was murdered by a gang of white youths

Steve Otter, the Association of Chief Police Officers' lead officer on race and diversity, told the Daily Mail: "There is no doubt that the targets set in 1999 were very ambitious and the scale of the challenge they posed has acted as a catalyst for change across the police service.

"As with all targets, crude measures can drive output but come to the end of their usefulness eventually."

He said using the term "institutionally racist" to describe the police now was "both unfair and unhelpful".

"It fails to take any account of the very real progress which has been made," he added.

Policing Minister Vernon Coaker said the government was still determined to work with the police service to offer "fair and equal opportunities" to all members "regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or background".

"We have already come a long way: over the last 10 years minority ethnic officer representation in the police service has doubled," he said.

The policing Green Paper, published last year, set out the government's "equality and diversity vision", he added.

"It is to have a police service that has the trust and confidence of all communities and a service that reflects all the communities it serves."

IT'S a common confession which family counsellor Marge Roper says she hears from young ladies who fear they have become pregnant - "The condom broke when we were having sex."

But should you become one of these unlucky set of persons, there is hope for you, not just in preventing pregnancy, but also STDs.

So if you find your self in one of these oh! oh! situations, whether it is because the condom broke, or because you were too caught up in the moment and made a mistake, don't worry.

While we're not condoning any behaviour that warrants repetition of this mistake, we realise that errors happen and your energy ought to be refocused into doing something instead of worrying.

Here is what we recommend you do.

Step 1
Take a few minutes to get yourself together and head out to the nearest pharmacy. Some pharmacies open 24 hours, but if the 'accident' happened during the night, it won't kill you to wait till morning to get there.

Ask the pharmacist for emergency contraception, sold here under the Postinor 2 brand. Follow directions and take it within the next 72 hours for optimal results.

Step 2
Make an appointment with your gynaecologist or medical practitioner and make a visit to same within a week of having unprotected sex. Explain your concerns about catching an STD. They should be able to help you. Also request tests for diseases like Gonorrhoea and Chlamydia.

Step 3
If you noticed that your period hasn't come a week after it was due, then get your hands on a home pregnancy kit. Even if you took the emergency contraceptive, there are still chances that you could have gotten pregnant.

Step 5
After three months have passed after the 'accident', go for another round of STD testing. Your gynaecologist or medical practitioner should test you this time for HIV, Herpes and diseases like Syphilis.

A prisoner who escaped from the Old Harbour police lock-up in St Catherine on February 14 is now back behind bars.

William Lewin, 23, otherwise called Don T of Succaba Pen in Old Harbour, St. Catherine was recaptured during a special operation by the police in Havana Heights in May Pen, Clarendon yesterday.

Lewin was awaiting trial for illegal possession of firearm and shooting with intent at the time of his escape.

The Constabulary Communication Network reports that between 3:30 and 5:00 yesterday morning, a police team carried out an operation at Havana Heights.

During the exercise, a house was searched and Lewin found.

Two women who were found in his company were also taken into custody and will be charged with harbouring a fugitive.

A PRO-LIFE crusader last Thursday argued that a provision in the draft abortion bill bore similar marks to German dictator Adolf Hitler's plan to exterminate Germans who had physical or mental disabilities.

Reverend H. Earl Thames told members of the joint select committee considering the report of the Abortion Policy Review Advisory Group that Section 5c of the proposed law comes "perilously close" to Hitler's extermination of deformed people.

The draft legislation provides for pregnancy to be terminated after 22 weeks in special circumstances. It indicates that abortion would be allowed where there is substantial risk that the child would suffer serious physical or mental abnormality if it were to be delivered.

Group taken to task

The Coalition of Lawyers for the Defence of the Unborn also took the advisory group to task on the permissibility of abortion in circumstances such as the risk of the child being handicap.

Attorney-at-law David C. Henry, who made a presentation on behalf of the group, charged that the draft bill was "manifestly disingenuous and insidious".

"This smacks of Nazi Germany in which the practice of eugenics was mastered," he said, adding that the proposed law was moving in a direction that could determine the survival of "the superior race, so to speak".

Debating the report on abortion from a Judeo-Christian perspective, Reverend Thames declared that both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible showed that God's plan for human lives started from conception.

According to the clergyman, God said to Jeremiah: "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee ... and ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." He said this indicated that God had a specific plan for the prophet's life even before he was born.

Abortion should remain unlawful

He argued that no doctor, psychologist or theologian could determine God's plan for a human life. In that regard, he said abortion should remain unlawful, except in the most extreme cases such as proven threat to the life of the mother.

Reverend Thames said in the case of rape or child abuse, there should not be an automatic abortion, but attempts should be made to preserve the life of the child and counsel the mother to consider adoption. "If the mother insists on an abortion, this should not be treated as a criminal offence, but as the subject of further counselling," he added.

At the end of its deliberations, the joint select committee considering the report of the abortion policy review advisory group will make its recommendations to Parliament.

The Houses of Parliament are expected to exercise a conscience vote on the controversial proposed bill.

Police personnel from Operation Kingfish and the Mobile Reserve are now searching for several men who they say shot at them during an operation at sea in St. Thomas last night.

One man, believed to be a Haitian was reportedly killed during the alleged shootout.

The police say they were at sea near Morant Point when they intercepted two boats.

They say the occupants on the boats shot at them.

They reportedly returned fire and one man was hit.

He was later taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The police say the other occupants on the boats escaped.

At least one bird strike affects planes that fly in Jamaica's airspace every month but the island's Airports Authority says it has sufficient mitigation strategies to reduce the possibility of fatal crashes, a senior official has said.

"The authority can control local birds to an extent, but for migratory birds, there is limited control over them, as they fly at their own speed and time and try to go anywhere to find food," Mark Williams, vice-president at the Airports Authority, told The Gleaner last week. "But we have managed to control what would attract them, by taking away the food from the airport areas."

Williams said the presence of birds on the runway posed a challenge for aircraft, but the Airports Authority has taken steps to bring the problem under control and manage potential tragedy.

Simulation exercise

Such steps included an annual simulation exercise in rescue and recovery that is done biannually in association with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emer-gency Management, the Jamaica Fire Brigade, police, army, along with other state agencies.

The phenomenon of bird strikes grabbed international attention when a US Airways plane crash-landed in New York's Hudson River on January 15 after both engines were shut down by flocks. All 155 persons on-board survived.

More than 7,400 bird strikes were reported in the United States in 2007, according to data from the Federal Aviation Administration. Since 1990, there have been more than 80,000 such incidents. At least 219 persons have been killed as a result of bird strikes since 1988.

Jamaica's major national airport, Norman Manley, does have an airport emergency plan if a bird-strike tragedy occurs, which would be activated with assistance from other agencies, in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, said Williams. There was an airport emergency drill last month, the official revealed.

ContingencY PLANs

Other contingencies comprise safety inspections, hourly patrols of the movement area to ensure that it is safe for landing and take-off. But if bird strikes occur while aircraft are in the air, all is in pilots' hands.

"Even with a bird strike, the plane doesn't necessarily have to crash, as the engines are built in such a way that with an engine failure, the plane can still take off, and fly with one engine. Only if both engines fail, there won't be a safe landing," the Airports Authority official explained.

Williams said some of the preventative strategies included ensuring that gra** was maintained at a height of six inches within the runway and taxi strips, and nine inches outside of these areas to prevent birds from hiding. He said gra** cutting is done mostly at nights to prevent birds feeding on insects, especially in the vicinity of runways and taxiway strips.

Fishing in the aircraft approach path is prohibited because of birds' attraction to fish. In the event fishers are observed in the vicinity, harbour police are immediately notified to remove them from the area. Relatively low-tech measures are used to drive away birds, such as horns, sirens and shotguns.

Supreme Court Judge Bryan Sykes has ordered a subpoena for Assistant Commissioner of Police Granville Gause to appear in court on February 27.

The subpoena was ordered when the matter involving Rameish Simpson, who was rescued by minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister James Robertson was mentioned in the Gun Court.

Gause is to inform the court about some outstanding statements that should have been submitted in court last Friday.

Again remanded

Simpson, from Yallahs, St Thomas, was again remanded until the next mention date. He faces charges of shooting with intent and illegal possession of firearm. It is being alleged that Simpson fired at the police on January 3. However, there are reports that Simpson was also shot and injured during the incident and Robertson took him from St Thomas to the Kingston Public Hospital. Robertson was subsequently served with summonses for obstructing the police and using abusive and calumnious language.