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.

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 31^st 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 31^st 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 31^st 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 29^th 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 

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.                                                                                          Back to top

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.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Back to top

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 

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 

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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                                                                                                        Jamaica at pivotal point in its development, says minister                 caribbeannetnews.com - Tuesday 18th March 2008  

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   

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 

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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