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Past News
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Saturday August 27th, 2011
Local Regional
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Local News |
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Police Commissioner Cyril Carrette Insists that
Allegations of Spy Operations Headed by 6 Officers Under
Direct Instruction from Prime Minister Skerrit, are
Unfounded, Volatile and Malicious Lies
Reporter:
Shamalie Louis- Saturday August 27th 2011 |
Police Commissioner Cyril Carrette yesterday told Q95
news that allegations of a spy operation headed by 6
officers from the Dominica Police Force, working under
the direct instruction from Prime Minister Skerrit, were
unfounded, volatile and malicious lies. Carrette refuted
claims that any trained law enforcement officials were
involved in illegally attaining private information via
wire tapping, intercepting of emails or any other means.
He called on those spreading what he labels as baseless
propaganda, to come forward if they possess any proof of
a covert spy operation. Carrette says any information
that the police may have from meetings of opposition
members, for example, would have been obtained by legal
means.
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Chief Magistrate Evelina Baptist August 25th Found Maxim
Raffoul Guilty of Possession of Cannabis and Possession
with Intent to Supply; Sentenced to Pay $4000.00 by 31st
January 2012 or Face 10 Months in Prison
Reporter: Marilyn Isles- Saturday August 27th 2011 |
Appearing before Chief Magistrate Evelina Baptist
earlier this morning, Maxim Raffoul was charged with
possession of cannabis, and possession with intent to
supply. Police having obtained a warrant to search
Maxim’s residence in Laudat yesterday morning, ceased a
total of 202 grams of cannabis. When the police asked
him to whom did the cannabis belong, Raffoul is
allegedly quoted as saying “That is weed, it’s mine”.
Representing Mr. Raffoul in court, Attorney Julien
Prevost informed the court that the cannabis was for Mr.
Raffoul’s personal use, stating that it was in fact a
plant. Raffoul was found guilty at the Roseau
Magistrates Court this morning on two counts, the first
being possession of cannabis for which he was fined
$1,500 and ordered to pay by 31st January
2012 or face 4 months imprisonment; the second charge
was for possession with intent to supply, and he was
ordered to pay a fine of $2,500 also by 31st
January 2012, or face a 6 month prison sentence.
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Minister for Public Works Energy & Ports Rayburn
Blackmoore says a French Geotechnical Team will Conduct
Investigations into the Road Slippage at Antrim; and it
will Take Five Weeks before Further Asphalting can
continue
Press Release: Saturday August 27th
2011 |
A geotechnical team from Martinique is expected to
arrive in Dominica on August 29th 2011 to
conduct a detailed investigation of the road slippage at
Antrim. Minister for Public Works, Energy & Ports
Rayburn Blackmoore, confirmed last week that there has
been tremendous movement in the area, making it
extremely difficult to apply asphalt concrete pavements.
He said that while they are awaiting the arrival of the
geotechnical team, they have decided to apply base
material in order to facilitate the smooth flow of
vehicular traffic, in the area. Honourable Blackmoore
stated and I quote, “The team will commence work the
first week in September. The expectation is that it will
take them about five weeks to complete their
investigation. That will entail boring holes to get to
the depth of that weakness and they may have to leave
some kind of equipment to really measure the movement
over a period of time,” end of quote. Government has
secured approximately €79, 000 for the purpose of that
investigation.
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Edison James UWP President & Foreign Affairs
Spokesperson Condemns Prime Minister Skerrit’s Pledge to
Aid Outgoing Dictator Moammar Gaddafi; Asks Skerrit to
Disclose why he Committed Dominica to Help that Dictator
Reporter: Shamalie Louis: Saturday August 27th 2011
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Former Prime Minister Edison James UWP President and
spokesman on matters of foreign affairs, through an
official UWP statement, says he shares in the joy of
millions of Libyans who are celebrating the fall of
dictator Muammar Gaddafi who ruled Libya by force of
arms for over 42 years. Mr. James says it is deeply
regretful that the government of Dominica has pledged
its full support and assistance for that ruthless
leader. James calls on the public to condemn any pledge
by Prime Minister Skerrit to aid or abet Gaddafi. James
also asks Mr. Skerrit to clarify his personal loyalty to
the Gadhafi, what are the implications for Dominicans,
and to what extent he has already committed Dominica to
the outgoing Gadhafi Regime.
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Police Commissioner Cyrille Carette says No New Leads in
the Firebombing Incident of the Home of Prominent Lawyer
Glen Emanuel, and that Emanuel is Not Assisting
Investigators; but Emanuel says Carette is Lying
Reporter: Shamalie Louis:
Saturday August 27th 2011 |
Police Commissioner Cyril Carrette says investigations
into the firebombing incident which occurred at the home
of Attorney Glenworth Emmanuel are ongoing but no new
leads have been found by police. The presence of person
of Interest Earl Grant, on island, could not be
confirmed by the police chief. Denny Shillingford,
another person of interest in this case has confessed to
committing the crime, and stated that earl Grant
assisted him, and in fact and paid him for the
firebombing of Mr. Emmanuel’s residence. Mr. Grant left
island after these allegations surfaced. Denny
Shillingford is currently on remand at the State prison
on some unrelated charge. Police Commissioner Carrette
says initially Lawyer Glenworth Emmanuel was
uncooperative but he is hopeful that investigations will
now progress more smoothly. Meanwhile Mr. Emanuel says
Mr. Carette is lying, and that he has in fact assisted
the police all along to the best of his ability.
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National Accreditation Board Chairman Steve Hyacinth
says Collaboration with the Caricom Secretariat in
Hosting a Three-Day Training Program for external
assessors is Going Well
Press Release:
Saturday August 27th 2011 |
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The National Accreditation Board in collaboration with
the CARICOM Secretariat is currently hosting a three-day
training programme for external assessors. This marks
the second phase in the training of trainers’ workshop
on quality assurance. According to the Chairman of the
National Accreditation Board, Steve Hyacinth, one of the
goals of the board is quality assurance. Among the roles
of the National Accreditation board and the anticipated
impact of the workshop, as outlined by Mr. Hyacinth, is
to register all institutions offering tertiary level
education in Dominica, and to ensure that certain
minimum standards are met, in order to provide
accreditation for degree and specialized programs. He
stated further, and I quote … “to fulfill this mandate,
the board recognizes the need to train a cadre of
external assessors in quality assurance. The first phase
of this training took place last year, on the 29th and
30th of November.
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Housing Minister Reginald Austrie Confirms PRC has Made
Funds Available for Construction of 41 Houses in
Kalinago Territory; says Carib Council, Parliamentary
Representative & Department of Carib Affairs Involved
Press Release-
Saturday August 27th 2011
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During an interview with GIS News this week, Housing
Minister Reginald Austrie confirmed that the Government
of the People's Republic of China, PRC, has made
available a first tranche of funds for the construction
of forty one houses in the Kalinago Territory. Last
year, Government announced that the PRC Government had
offered to finance the construction of the houses for
the island's indigenous people. The Housing Minister
said the sites have already been identified and tenders
sent out. He is reported to have said and I quote … “The
project has been approved and in fact, while we speak,
we have received about half a million dollars for
commencement of the project. The total value of the
project is about 1.4 million. The sites have been
identified but on some of the sites, there is a lot of
infrastructural work to be done like in Gullet River,
and in Sineku, we have to do the roads and
infrastructure at considerable costs”. The minister says
4 houses are ready to be built in Mahaut River and
Salybia, 5 in Bataca and 2 in Concord. Minister Austrie
is quoted as saying “we are involving the Carib Council,
the Parliamentary Representative and the Department of
Carib Affairs, so any decision that is taken as far as
development in the Carib Territory in concerned,
particularly in housing, we have unanimous support and
approval from the Carib people, because we ensure that
we are involving all the entities, all the stake holders
in the Carib Territory.”
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Regional News |
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Jamaica at pivotal point in its development, says
minister
caribbeannetnews.com
- Tuesday 18th March 2008 |
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Minister of Energy, Mining, and Telecommunications,
Clive Mullings, has said that Jamaica is at a pivotal
point in its development, largely defined by an enhanced
capacity to access and disseminate information. Mullings,
who was addressing the recent opening session of the
Jamaica Community Access Point (CAP) Network Conference,
attributed this development to the contribution of
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in
enhancing government business and enriching people's
lives. "Worldwide access to information and
communications technology is critical to poverty
reduction, because it provides the opportunity for new
sources of income and employment for the poor. It also
will assist in improving the delivery of health and
education services, and the competitiveness of our
economy," he told the audience. Against this background,
the Telecommunications Minister said it is essential
that a realistic approach be taken to bridging the ICT
gap, as this divide impacts "not only on matters such as
income inequality and education, but also on issues such
as location, whether rural or urban and infrastructure,
as it relates to our e-readiness as a society". Mullings
said the government is well aware that one of the
downsides of the technology revolution is the potential
for increasing the disparity between the "e-haves and
the e-have-nots". "E-inclusion is critical to the
mandate of our government and we will continue to
maintain an emphasis on e-connectivity and access for
all members of the society. E-government,
e-connectivity. are going to be terms that are going to
be a part of the language of societies the world
over.the paradigm has changed and we need to ensure that
we are at the forefront of that change," he stated. The
Minister said however, that there are great prospects
for modernization, particularly in areas such as the
deployment of the submarine optical cable network in the
Caribbean.
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Protestors converge on St Kitts over allegations of
animal abuse caribbeannetnews.com
- Tuesday 18th March 2008 |
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Holding signs reading, "Ross University: Stop Torturing
Animals", members of People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals (PETA) will hold a series of protests against
the alleged maiming and killing of animals in
laboratories at Ross University School of Veterinary
Medicine. PETA wrote to officials at Ross - which is
owned by Chicago-based DeVry, Inc. - outlining students'
concerns and explaining that other veterinary schools
have switched from using animals to modern, humane
alternatives, but the school's president has failed to
take action. PETA pointed out that the experiments might
also be in violation of St Kitts' cruelty-to-animals
law. The first protest will be held at the university on
Monday, and other protests will follow at RLB
International Airport and the Government House: Because
St Kitts law forbids causing "unnecessary suffering" to
animals, PETA asked Attorney General Dennis Merchant to
investigate the allegations and prosecute any offenders,
but that request also went unanswered. "Ross veterinary
students are forced to cut open dogs' stomachs and other
organs, sever donkeys' nerves and ligaments and conduct
other unnecessary procedures on animals before they kill
them", says PETA Research Director Kathy Guillermo.
"Ross should be teaching students how to heal animals -
not mutilate and kill them."
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Chavez
goads US over terrorism blacklist and sanctions
caribbeannetnews.com
- Tuesday 18th March 2008 |
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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez dared the United States
on Friday to impose sanctions on his OPEC nation as a
terrorism sponsor after US officials said they were
investigating his support for Colombian rebels. The
probe could prompt the Bush administration to put the
self-styled socialist revolutionary on the list and
impose sanctions on the major oil supplier to the United
States. "They threatened to put us on the list of
terrorists that they've got there. Great, let them make
their list and shove it in their ... pocket," Chavez
said with a pause for comic effect. The United States,
which clashes with Chavez over everything from oil
prices to arms sales, has pledged to investigate
Colombian allegations this month that a rebel's computer
files show Chavez offered the FARC $300 million (150
million pounds). The leftist, anti-US Chavez expresses
sympathy for Marxist FARC rebels and has called for the
United States and the European Union to stop labeling
the group as terrorists, causing friction with
neighbouring Colombia, a US ally. This year, Chavez has
negotiated the release of six high-profile hostages held
by the FARC. He says accusations he sponsors Latin
America's oldest insurgency are part of a US plot to
destabilize his OPEC nation. Five countries are
currently on the US list: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan
and Syria. Venezuela is an ally of Cuba and Iran and has
improved ties with the three other countries since
Chavez came to power in 1999. It is not clear if
blacklisting Venezuela would disrupt US purchases of its
crude. President George W. Bush criticized Chavez this
week as a demagogue who wastes record oil income in a
country where there have been periodic food shortages in
recent months. "The empire boss is desperate," Chavez
said at a political rally in response to Bush's
statements.
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