Regional Briefs

Calypsonian jailed as magistrate sings one of his compositions

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent (CMC):

A magistrate has sentenced a 70-year-old calypsonian to four years in jail after he was found guilty of wounding his younger brother in the latest of violent acts against his siblings.

Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett sang part of tune by Bernard ‘I Reality’ White, who a week earlier had pleaded guilty to a charge that on August 14, he wounded his 59-year-old brother, Fitzroy, by stabbing him about the body with an ice pick.

During the trial, the court heard that the two men had an ongoing dispute over a property that belonged to their deceased mother. They live in different apartments on the same property.

The accused also told the court that his younger brother was jealous of his success with women.

Bernard, who has been a calypsonian for over 40 years, said that because of his involvement in the arts, he had taken home more than 70 women over the years.

After the conviction, the senior magistrate sang part of a calypso and asked Bernard if that was one of his compositions, to which he replied yes, and sang along with the magistrate.

Bernard, who has had several convictions for crimes against his brother, said he had drawn inspiration for he song from an affair he had had with a married woman.

 

 

 

Digicel withdraws lawsuit against Antigua

The Antigua and Barbuda government says the Irish-owned telecommunication company Digicel has agreed to withdraw a lawsuit objecting to the plan to share the 850 megahertz spectrum with the state-owned Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA).

In May, Digicel, which is one of two foreign telecommunications companies publicly against the move by the Gaston Browne government, defended its decision to secure a High Court order preventing the government from confiscating any of the 850 MHz spectrum it has been allocated.

Digicel said that it had taken the legal action because it wanted to shield its customers from “significant service disruption and a negative impact on coverage”.

The government had said it is hoping that the High Court would bring about a resolution to the opposition by Digicel and FLOW, formerly the British telecommunication giant, Cable & Wireless, to share the island’s spectrum with APUA.

A statement issued after the weekly Cabinet meeting on Thursday, noted that a settlement has been achieved with Digicel over sharing the 850 megahertz band and the 900 megahertz band with APUA/PCS.

“Digicel will transfer two megs of the 850 band and nine megs of the 900 band to APUA. Digicel will also discontinue its lawsuit against the Government and APUA. The APUA will now seek a final settlement with Cable & Wireless/FLOW for transfer of three megs of the 850 band. APUA/PCS will then be able to offer more services to its growing customer base,” the Cabinet statement noted.

 

 

Guyana signs MOU to manage mercury importation

The Guyana government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the management of the importation of mercury into the country as it moves to adhere to the August 2019 deadline.

National Resources Minister Raphael Trotman said that the MOU will work to protect human life and preserve the environment.

“The journey to a mercury-free Guyana is a long but necessary one,” said Trotman, who has responsibility for the mining.

“By working collaboratively, we will create a platform to build synergies and leverage resources for the national implementation of the Minamata Convention as we proceed and progress on our green state trajectory,” Trotman said, noting that regulators were still on that pathway of making mercury history in Guyana.

Meantime, responding to reports of mercury being filtered through Guyana to other countries, Trotman assured that the national registry to be created through this MOU would act as a safeguard against such activities.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mercury, also known as quicksilver, and most of its compounds are extremely toxic. Inhalation of its vapour will result in harmful effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, lungs and kidneys, and may be fatal.