Guest at Magdalena Resort robbed while sleeping
[Trinidad Express] – THE room of one hotel guest at the Magdalena Resort and Spa in Tobago was robbed yesterday morning of approximately $6,000 in items, $1,500 in cash, a $4,000 laptop among other valuables.
Police reports indicated that a number of air conditioning units at the resort are not operational, and the guest from Trinidad had left a door to her room open, when a lone intruder was said to have entered the room.
When she awoke she observed her items and cash were missing.
A report was made to the Old Grange Police Station. PC Phillip is continuing investigations.
US athletes refused to drink Gatorade bearing Usain Bolt image
[Jamaica Observer] – IT is so! The United States athletics team were even intimidated by a drink with Jamaican sprint sensation Usain Bolt’s image on the label.
For long, rumours circulated that members of the United States team, which participated in the World Championships in Beijing, China last month, refused to even take a sip of the sport energy fluid Gatorade, all because Bolt advertises the product and the producers of the commodity proudly display the Trelawny-born’s photograph on certain bottles.
Now, the Jamaica Administrative Athletics Association (JAAA) has confirmed earlier talk that the USA squad members flatly decided against even taking a sip.
“That’s a fact. It happened that way,” the JAAA’s Media Officer Dennis Gordon told journalists during a Jamaica Observer Press Club discussion at the newspaper’s offices in St Andrew on Friday.
Teams from Jamaica and the USA stayed at the same Kuntai Hotel in Beijing, approximately one hour from the Bird’s Nest Stadium, and the rivalry spilled over from the track to the hotel, leading to the Jamaicans being called hooligans, Jamaican officials said.
“The hype going into the 100m final suggested that (Justin) Gatlin would have triumphed. On the bus, they were chanting USA! USA! Coming back, after Bolt’s victory, our athletes took them on and were singing ‘We are the champions of the world’, and it never went over well with them,” Gordon pointed out.
Bolt, 29, who is the fastest man in history and the greatest sprinter of all time, had struggled with injury all season leading up to Beijing, while Gatlin went into the championship on the back of a 29-race unbeaten streak and high on confidence of toppling the Jamaican supremo.
“The athletes who were at the hotel watching had an outburst and they (Americans) complained that they don’t want to share hotel with us anymore because we are hooligans,” revealed Gordon.
“But the night when (Ashton) Eaton broke the world record in the decathlon, they (the Americans) assembled in the hallway and greeted him with one big cheer and we were not offended,” he added.
“So they said that all the Gatorade that had Bolt’s picture on it, they are not going to drink it. So we said, give it to us. I don’t know what they did, but they didn’t drink it,” said Gordon.
Meanwhile, after a series of interviews in the mixed zone following the 100m triumph, Bolt took his last sip of a bottle of Gatorade and playfully threw the empty bottle in the direction of a Jamaican media worker, and indicated at the same time that the Americans refused to consume the replenishing drink.
A young female Chinese volunteer snatched the empty bottle that the fastest man ever had just drank from. She was ecstatic.
Bolt, who also has international endorsements with Puma and Hublot watches, is said to receive between £2 million and £3 million a year from Gatorade, and is said to receive a bonus every time he is pictured sipping the drink.
Al-Rawi served with elections petition at funeral
[Trinidad Guardian] – In what has been described as gross disrespect to the dead, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi was served an election petition while attending the funeral service of PNM stalwart Errol Mahabir on Friday.
Al-Rawi, who expressed displeasure at the manner in which the petition was served, said he was shocked when a man walked up to him and thrust the document in his face.
He said he was in the middle of expressing his condolences to Yvonne Mahabir, the widow of the late former PNM deputy political leader and minister of petroleum and mines in the cabinet of Dr Eric Williams, when the process server came holding the document. He informed Al-Rawi that he had a document to serve concerning an Elections and Boundaries Commission matter.
Al-Rawi said he told the man that he was in a church. He explained he was a public officer and he was not in hiding so he did not understand why he had to be served this document at the funeral service.
However, Al-Rawi said, the man informed him he had to immediately serve the document, which was the election petition by the United National Congress with respect to San Fernando West.
Advising the man to wait for an appropriate time to serve the document, Al-Rawi said he was utterly amazed when the process server threw the document at his feet and left saying, “You are now served.”
Saying he was disturbed that the man would show such gross disrespect at a funeral service, Al-Rawi said he was never more surprised by the man’s behaviour. He said in all his years of practice in litigation matters, he has never witnessed such an incident, especially in the middle of a funeral.
The AG revealed that following the funeral service he contacted former attorney general Anand Ramlogan, Gerald Ramdeen and Kelvin Ramkissoon. All of them were listed as lawyers in the election petition. However, both Ramlogan and Ramdeen claimed they were unaware that the petition was served at the funeral. Both men denied giving any instruction to serve the document at the funeral. Al-Rawi said he also contacted Ramkissoon who expressed surprise that his name was listed on the election petition.
Ramkissoon also denied giving any instruction for the document to be given at a funeral, Al-Rawi added.
The AG said while he accepted that members of the UNC were anxious to serve the election petition, he was certain that the people of T&T would appreciate more decorum and class in conducting the affairs of political parties.
He also said that several members of the UNC, including deputy political leader Dr Roodal Moonilal, were present at the funeral when the document was served.
Recently I left Tobago with bad feelings. Previously I stayed at Johnsons with 0 problems. Since am American unfamiliar with the crime in Store Bay area I feel that the owners should have warned me as well as other guests to lock patio doors, be careful etc. Although they had Police information about a local there I was helping to find work they waited until my time of departure on September 16, 2015 to show me an acquaintance holding a bag and walking in the hallway. Since the young man never stole anything from me I feel that was insufficient evidence to arrest him. The fact is the owner asked me to see him before I check out, He waited 2 days with information that endanger my life. As a person who am a Crime reporter (see Facebook) I would not be involved in crime. Thereafter, a few days later Johnson spokeswoman Christa called my attorney claiming I was harboring criminals. My attorney explained my position as a victim with a kind heart. Thereafter, Ms. Christa called mom’s caregiver, Melissa Raymond in Trinidad stating I was harboring criminals. Since am American with courtroom experience who evidenced Johnsons guard “liming” with these persons must take responsibility. One guard said that he came upstairs and saw me asleep alone in the apartment. The fact is I cooked and invited 2 highly important women to eat along with the young man, took my meds thought I locked my door And took the apartment key with me in the bedroom. Now, am told that Mr. Nathaniel Cortez jumped over balconies, stole a woman’s laptop, cell and money a few apartments on the 3rd floor, stole a bicycle+.. As a Crime Reporter, an American and a guest I feel that Johnson’s manager had a duty to call me immediately about possible danger. 2 days before I left I went to his door asking him if I did anything wrong. His response was “tell me when you are leaving”. This is wrong on his part. I have stayed many times at the Tropkist with 0 problems. Seems like Johnson want me to do their dirty work for them.