Sixteen tourists injured in truck accident

A truck carrying 16 tourists have overturned in Giraudel. Police are reporting that at least two are in critical condition and all 16 were transported to the Princess Margaret Hospital.

Early reports indicate that the driver lost control while negotiating a hill on his way to Roseau. Witnesses say that the truck driver hit into a wall surrounding the home of Francis Sevarin before it flipped.

Police were quickly on the scene and ambulances and private vehicles took the injured Hospital.

Karessa is the 2009 Calypso Monarch

Gregory “Karessah” Riviere is the 2009 Calypso Monarch winning the competition from a strong field of ten finalists. The Pastor Rod proved to be the winning song for the night. First runner up was Observer followed by Tarina and Scrunter.
Thousands of Dominicans were treated to a wonderful show at the Pottersville savanah.
The calypso finals is the last major competition leading up to the street jump up on Monday and Tuesday.

Baltimore man sentenced in illegal drug importation

A 45-year-old Baltimore man was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison yesterday for conspiracy to import cocaine and heroin into the United States from Barbados, Dominica and elsewhere, according to the Maryland U.S. attorney's office.

In his plea agreement, Derrick "Prince" Gilliard admitted arranging the importation of more than 150 kilograms of cocaine or heroin, though he was convicted of importing much smaller amounts.

According to the government's sentencing memorandum, which calls Gilliard a "seasoned drug smuggler and businessman," he recruited couriers, typically young women, to take large amounts of money out of the country and return with kilograms of drugs, which were distributed in Baltimore and New York City.

The couriers made at least 200 trips to the islands from 2001 through February, importing at least 600 kilograms of cocaine and heroin into the United States; they were paid between $8,000 and $12,000 per trip.

A 45-year-old Baltimore man was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison yesterday for conspiracy to import cocaine and heroin into the United States from Barbados, Dominica and elsewhere. Derrick "Prince" Gilliard admitted arranging the importation of more than 150 kilograms of cocaine or heroin, using young women who made more than 200 trips from the islands.

Kayan Toussaint is 2009 Miss Dominica

Miss Dominica 2009 is Kayan Toussaint of Pointe Michel. She won from a field of seven beautiful ladies. She also won awards for Best in Swimwear and Best in Evening Gown. An ecstatic Miss Dominica told the adoring crowd that “she prayed through each round, held her breath, and hoped for the best.”

She also said that she will use her role as queen to fight child abuse in Pointe Michel. Placing second was Amye James of Grand Bay and in third place was Attainea Toulon of Roseau.
Miss Photogenic and Miss Amity was awarded to Wendy Glenville; Best Carnival Costume and Best in Carnival Costume went to Kayla Benjamin and Amye James was awarded with Best Evening Gown and Best Question Response.

Photo of Bruised and Battered Rihanna Released

Los Angeles police have launched an internal investigation to determine who leaked a picture that appears to show a bruised and battered Rihanna.
The close-up photo -- showing a woman with contusions on her forehead and below her eyes, and cuts on her lip -- was published on the entertainment Web site TMZ Thursday. TMZ said it was a photo of Rihanna.
Twenty-one-year-old Rihanna was allegedly attacked by her boyfriend, singer Chris Brown, on a Los Angeles street before the two were to perform at the Grammys on February 8.
"The unauthorized release of a domestic violence photograph immediately generated an internal investigation," an L.A. police spokesman said in a statement. "The Los Angeles Police Department takes seriously its duty to maintain the confidentiality of victims of domestic violence. A violation of this type is considered serious misconduct, with penalties up to and including termination."
A spokeswoman for Rihanna declined to comment.

MV Vision of the Seas makes second call to Dominica

The MV Visions of the Seas of Royal Caribbean Cruise Line recently made its second call to Dominica. The ship made its inaugural call to Dominica on January 28, 2009 together with the MV Eurodam.

This is the second of six calls the ship will make to Dominica during the 2008/2009 cruise season.

At its most recent call, and during a brief ceremony held aboard with government officials, tourism stakeholders and representative from Discover Dominica Authority and the Dominica Air and Sea Ports Authority, Anders Ingebrigtsen, the ship’s captain referred to Dominica as ‘an island of plenty nature’ when he addressed the gathering.Continue

A Call to End the Death Penalty in Dominica

In the recent past, Dominica has seen an alarming acceleration in the murder rate. During 2008, eight murders were reported up from 3 in 2007, and so far in 2009, 3 Dominicans have been brutally murdered.

In 2008, 23 people were murdered in St. Kitts (Population 46 000); 45 persons were murdered in St. Lucia and over a thousand each in Trinidad and Jamaica. While the number of people murdered in Dominica are small compared to the rest of the region, the trend is no less alarming.Continue