Yardee! Gleaner News Blog

A 19-year-old man accused of trying to extort $6 million in cash, phone credit and high-end cellphones from telecommunications company Digicel, was offered bail in the sum of $600,000 when he appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court today.The accused, Leon Pryce, of Cross Pen, Spanish Town St Catherine, is alleged to have threatened to reveal incriminating information, which could damage the company’s image, locally and internationally, if his request was not met.Pryce reportedly demanded $4 million in cash, $1 million in phone credit and another $1 million in high-end cellular phones from the company.However, he was nabbed by detectives from the Organised Crime Investigation Division, (OCID), in a sting operation on June 21 after he met with representatives from the company and received a $4 million managers cheque.Pryce, who is charged with three counts of extortion, was offered bail by Resident Magistrate Judith Pusey, following an application by his attorney, Alexander Williams.Williams told the court that his client was not trying to extort payment from the company but that he had an arrangement to sell information, pertaining to fraud within the company, to Digicel.Pryce was ordered to return to court on July 30.

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A dispute between young lovers in Mansfield Heights, Ocho Rios, St Ann turned deadly early this morning after the relatives of one of the lovers got involved. Seventeen-year-old labourer, Brian Johnson, otherwise called ‘Half a Dog’, of Mansfield Heights is dead. He met his fate following a dispute with a 14-year-old girl, also from Mansfield Heights. The Ocho Rios Police have reported that the girl went to visit Johnson with whom she had a relationship. A dispute developed between the two and during the fracas, Johnson hit her. She left and informed her relatives, two of whom armed themselves with sharp instruments and went to Johnson’s home. On seeing them, Johnson ran but was chased and stabbed several times. He died on the spot.The relatives, ages 36 and 17 years, have since been taken into custody and are yet to be charged. Their names have been withheld pending further investigations.

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SEVERAL members of the constabulary, who have been deployed across the island to aid in government’s crime fighting thrust, say they are suffering from exhaustion.The cops, during a series of interviews, have issued a call for the Police High Command to address their plight.”We are calling on authorities to look into this matter urgently,” one policeman told the Observer.More than 20 cops were interviewed over a six day period. The officers all declined to give their names because they were not authorised to speak to the media.Their concerns were acknowledged by Chairman of the Police Federation Raymond Wilson.”It is a problem that we have been getting and continue to get them,” Wilson said.He also said that as a result discussions were held with several divisional commanders.He added that he was planning to take the issue to the police commissioner.Wilson however made it clear that the reports came before the State of Emergency declared on May 24 and the subsequent operations by the security forces in Tivoli Gardens.

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MONTEGO BAY, Trinidad (CMC) - Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar today cautioned regional governments that Trinidad and Tobago does not operate like “an ATM card” while stating that the oil-rich twin-island republic was not prepared to fund the regional security budget.Persad-Bissessar spoke to reporters as she headed into the closing session of the four-day Caricom heads of government summit here.In terms of the regional security budget, she said that a proposal had been put on the table for a passenger security fee to be charged on all airline tickets, with a view to raising the US$40 million needed. However, that proposal did not enjoy the full backing of member states, Persad Bissessar said.“So that’s where we are stuck because some nations are not of the view that we would want to put a passenger fee onto every ticket,” she said, adding that while Trinidad and Tobago was not asked to fund the regional budget “should the money not be forthcoming it would shut down several agencies that function at the moment such as IMPACS (the Implementation Agency for Crime and Security) the RSS (Regional Security System,) and so on.“It will seriously compromise our security agenda for the region … but Trinidad and Tobago is not prepared to fund that entire programme.”She also said that her government was reviewing a proposal for the establishment of a regional radar system that had been proposed to Caribbean leaders by the previous Patrick Manning government.She pointed out that three offshore patrol vessels (OPV), the first of which was due to arrive by May last year, had not yet been received and it would be difficult for Trinidad and Tobago to proceed with the purchase at this stage.“It was raised yesterday and I indicated to them that it is not that we want to pull out because the security of our borders will also be impaired, but it is because the OPVs, there have been serious delays in delivery dates for those.“We spent about five billion dollars (US$833 million). There has been no delivery date in sight. I am told by [security advisor] Captain [Gary] Griffith in fact that one of the vessels that you cannot even fire a shot from it … they are not suitable.“The goal post keeps moving in terms of delivery dates so it is not that Trinidad and Tobago doesn’t want to have the radar system. I am advised that without the boats you cannot have the radar,” she added.The Prime Minister said she was looking forward to a successful outcome to the summit, adding that Trinidad and Tobago has been firm on its positions.

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DURBAN, South Africa (AP) — Carles Puyol soared high to head in the goal that sent Spain into the World Cup final for the first time with a 1-0 win over Germany today.In a rematch of the 2008 European Championship final that Spain won by the same score, Puyol leaped in the center of the area in the 73rd minute to score from Xavi Hernandez’s corner kick, finally giving Spain the lead after having dominated from the opening whistle.Spain’s best previous World Cup finish was fourth in 1950, when the final round consisted of a four-team group.In Sunday’s final at Soccer City, Spain will meet the Netherlands, which has also never won football’s biggest trophy.Spain controlled throughout with its precision passing game, playing just the way it hoped to, but had trouble finishing until Puyol’s late strike.For much of the game, three-time champion Germany merely sat back and waited patiently to snuff out Spain’s attack, hoping to launch a counterattack that rarely took off.It was a sharp change from Germany’s last two outings, when it scored four goals each in impressive victories over England and Argentina.Spain had never beaten Germany at the World Cup in three previous tries but this was just the way the European champions wanted to play, having also won their last three games by a goal each.At Euro 2008, Spain snapped a 44-year major title drought, and the team has lost only two games since November 2006 — the last coming in its World Cup opener against Switzerland.On a comfortable evening inside Moses Mabhida Stadium, Queen Sofia of Spain looked on from her seat between South Africa President Jacob Zuma and FIFA president Sepp Blatter.The match got an early jolt when a fan carrying a vuvuzela ran onto the field four minutes in — suspending the match briefly until security officers forcibly removed the intruder.Slumping Liverpool forward Fernando Torres was dropped from Spain’s lineup and Pedro Rodriguez was given his first national team start, complementing David Villa in attack. Torres scored in Spain’s 1-0 win over Germany in the Euro 2008 final but hasn’t found the net in this tournament.Germany coach Joachim Loew picked Piotr Trochowski to replace suspended winger Thomas Mueller, who has scored four goals in South Africa.Spain set the tone early with its quick passing and Pedro set up Villa with a well-placed through ball in the sixth minute, but Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer did well to leave his net and block Villa’s shot.In the 13th, Spain threatened again when a dangerous header by Puyol from the edge of the box missed high.With Spanish players swarming around in bunches in midfield, Germany struggled to launch its counterattack, its passes either too short or too long to break through the defense.Needing one more goal to equal former Brazil standout Ronaldo for the career World Cup record with 15, Miroslav Klose had the ball stripped at the edge of Spain’s area in the 24th before he could even contemplate a shot.The first serious threat from Germany didn’t come until the 32nd minute when Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas dived to his left to push wide a long, low shot from Trochowski.Always seeking to make an extra pass, Spain passed up a few decent looks at the target and the match began to even out.Germany playmaker Mesut Oezil strode through the center of Spain’s defense in first-half injury time but was muscled off the ball by Sergio Ramos. Wishing for a penalty, Germany fans jeered when Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai refused to blow his whistle.A few seconds later, Spain produced the last chance of the half when a long, low shot from Pedro rolled right into Neuer’s waiting arms.The second half started much like the first, with Spain taking the initiative.Xabi Alonso sent a long shot wide in the 48th, then pulled in a little closer for another more dangerous attempt two minutes later, forcing Neuer to dive to his left, but the ball again sailed wide.In the 55th, Spain’s attack stalled at the edge of Germany’s area and Villa sent another long-range attempt off target.Three minutes later, Spain produced two more chances — one right after the other.First, Neuer saved an attempt from Pedro, then Andres Iniesta slid a cross through the box but Villa couldn’t reach it for what would have been a sure goal.Germany hardly even approached Spain’s area until Lukas Podolski passed to second-half substitute Toni Kroos in the area in the 69th and Casillas stopped Kroos’ shot by the post.Desperate for a goal, fans began to blow harder on their vuvuzelas and they were rewarded by Puyol.Spain then nearly doubled the lead when an effort from Pedro faltered in the 82nd.

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PETROJAM is reducing the prices of its petroleum by approximately $2 per litre, effective tomorrow. Marketers will add their respective margins.The new prices are as follows:87 gasolene: $78.61 per litre (down $1.93)90 gasolene: $80.27 per litre (down $1.93)Diesel: $76.43 per litre (down $2.50)Kerosene: $78.48 per litre (down $2.15)Propane (LPG): $27.61 per litre (down $0.56)Butane (LPG): $35.73 per litre (down $2.25) Price movements reflect changes in the US Gulf Reference prices.

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HARBOUR View residents scored a long-awaited victory on Tuesday when they secured a consent judgement, which, among other things, compels the National Water Commission (NWC) to repair the community’s long dilapidated treatment plant.The residents and JET filed a judicial review action in February this year, seeking declarations that the Kingston and St Andrew Health Department, the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) had failed to carry out their statutory duty. They also sought a court order for the problematic plant, which threatens public health, to be fixed and the beach cleaned.The consent order, the final details of which were hammered out at the hearing on Tuesday, states that the Kingston and Andrew Health Department had “acted in excess of its powers under the provisions of section four of the Public Health (Nuisance) Regulations, in first giving the NWC by its Notice of February 13, 2009 six months to abate the discharge of untreated and/or partially treated sewage into the sea and on to land and the beach and secondly in extending the period to abate said nuisance by a further six months”.At the same time, the judgement prescribes that the NWC:• take all necessary steps to prevent the release of untreated and/or partially treated sewage effluent into the sea and on to land and the beach from its sewage plant in Harbour View;• take all necessary steps to clean up and repair the damage done to the environment consequent on the over 25 years of discharge of untreated and/or partially treated sewage from its sewage treatment plant in Harbour View;• submit by August 9 this year an application to NEPA and the NRCA for the relevant permits and licences, including a construction permit and a discharge licence; and• construct, operate and maintain a sewage collection and treatment facility capable of managing the volume of sewage effluent by the communities which are intended to be served by its sewage plant in Harbour View.Beyond that, the utility company is to within six months of the relevant approvals construct a partial interim facility in the community which meets an interim effluent standard set by NEPA and the NRCA until a new sewage plant is up and running. The NWC is also to provide a progress report on its efforts while providing a guided tour to the claimants — notably JET and a community representative — every 42 days during the construction of the interim facility with the first tour to take place on August 18. Thereafter, a guided tour is to be provided every 90 days.

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A police operation which is part of a move to stamp out extortion in downtown Kingston, led to the nabbing of nine men yesterday….

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Investigations are continuing into the accidental shooting of a policeman by one of his colleagues at the Freeport Police Station barracks room on Monday night.

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A man who hid ganja in a piece of jerk chicken he took to a prisoner was charged by police. Junior Walker, 23, a labourer from Spanish Town, St Catherine, pleaded guilty to ganja possession in the Spanish Town…

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