OFFICERS from the Major Investigations Task Force (MIT) and the Denham Town Police have identified the two men whose bullet-riddled bodies were found dumped in downtown Kingston yesterday.

The dead men are Mark Gregory, 37, and Dean Banbury, 39, of Kingston 13 addresses.

The police, after receiving a call early yesterday morning, went to a location at the intersection of Harbour and Port Royal streets where the bodies were found.

The police said it appeared the men were killed elsewhere and then dumped in the area.

Residents of Bonito Crescent in Manchester are breathing a little easier, while expressing appreciation to the Mandeville police for what one resident called their brave action in removing three gunmen from their community yesterday.

According to the residents, the trio has been terrorising the community for the last three months.

Reports are that a contingent of police personnel was in the area and approached a house on Bonito Crescent,s where the gunmen had taken up residence, when they were fired on. The police returned fire and when the shooting ended, one of the alleged gunman was killed and two others were taken into custody.

'Puppy' killed

Superintendent Lacelles Taylor, the officer in charge of the Manchester police, said the dead man, Jerome Anthony Blessimy, also called 'Puppy', was in his late 20s and is believed to be from the Mountain View area of Kingston. The other two are said to be from Montego Bay, St James.

Superintendent Taylor said a gun and several rounds of ammunition were also recovered from the men.

Councillor for the area, Sally Porteous, said the Mandeville police were to be congratulated for their bravery, particularly in this instance. She said the residents of Bonito Crescent and adjoining communities have been living in fear for the last two to three months because of gunmen.

She appealed to residents to pass on information to the police about any gunmen, strange activities or persons in their community.

Appleton Jamaica Rum will be overpouring the cups of patrons this Friday at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre, as the highly anticipated Appleton May Daze Party series returns for its third staging.

Dubbed 'Appleton May Daze - The Movie', the promoters decided to take the party to the box office, turning its signature weekly themed event into five nights of movie fantasy. Each night, popular movies, such as Friday, Sex and the City, Dancehall Queen, Scary Movie and Stomp the Yard will be shown.

"We wanted to do something different," said party promoter Dwayne Harris. "The event is treasured for its out-of-the-box party themes, so this year, we had to do something no one has done before."

This Friday's theme is 'Ghetto Fabulosity', which is mirroring the popular '90s urban American movie Friday, starring Ice Cube and Chris Tucker. The promoters urge patrons to dress up as if they were the actors of that movie. "Whatever you think ghetto fabulous is, wear it!" says the other half of Good Company, Stephen Willie. "Appleton May Daze is a fun event, it's whatever you make it. So we thought that this would just be a fun theme to depict, and we are anticipating how best the patrons themselves will interpret it," he said enthusiastically.

Patrons who take up the challenge will not be disappointed, as they will have the opportunity to win an exciting prize, which the promoters were a bit tight-lipped about. Let's just say rumour has it that something special from Appleton Temptation Isle might be making the deal a little sweeter.

Gyptian

Yet another American rapper has unofficially lent his vocals to Gyptian's popular Hold Yuh song. Rapper MIMS released his remix of the song on YouTube.com last week.

Last month, female rapper Nicki Minaj, who is from rapper Lil Wayne's Young Money Camp, added her vocals to the song, rapping in a Jamaicanesque accent. The remix was premiered by Funkmaster Flex on New York's Hot 97, getting thousands of views on YouTube.com. Now MIMS, who is known for songs such as Like This, has also added his own touch to the song, which has been steadily gaining in popularity locally and internationally.

On the remix, MIMS raps: "Look my God/ mi never know you grip so/tight up, mi love how yuh tick so/whether slow wine or calypso/mi sey she rock so and she dip so/she sey mi wrist glow just like a disco/a mi who dem guy waan squeeze like a pistol ... Big tune dis, tell di DJ fi pull it."

He continues: "Nuff pretty gal dem a ring off mi celly/so if you wanna roll/just ping off me BlackBerry/and I already told yuh/if yuh need a soldier/yuh know who to roll wid/I just wanna hold yuh."

US Rapper MIMS. - file photos

This isn't the first time that MIMS has worked with local artistes, having released a remix for his hit single This Is Why I'm Hot,featuring Junior Reid and Cham. Since its release last week, MIMS has been promoting the single on his Twitter page, and on YouTube.com the remix, has got almost 8,000 views. The remix, which features Nicki Minaj, continues to do well on YouTube as well, getting over 300,000 views since its release in mid-April.

Hold Yuh was released two years ago and is produced by Ricky Blaze. The single has just started getting heavy rotation in the United States. On March 27, Hold Yuh debuted on the Billboard's Hot R&B charts at number 78 and has since peaked, at number 42. The song is also at number 9 on Billboard's Heatseeker Songs Chart, and number 1 on the Digital Reggae Songs Chart.

When THE STAR previously spoke to Gyptian, he was happy about the success of the song and was looking forward to the release of his next album, which is also titled Hold Yuh.

Christopher 'Dudus' Coke.

The motion filed by Minister of Justice and Attorney General Dorothy Lightbourne, seeking declarations arising from her decision not to sign the authority to proceed with extradition proceedings for west Kingston strongman Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, is to be heard today.

Supreme Court judge Roy Jones is hearing the application in chambers.

The Gleaner learned yesterday that a representative from the United States Department of State is likely to attend court to view or seek permission to intervene in the proceedings.

Lightbourne is seeking declarations as to the powers of the minister of justice under the Extradition Act.

Leader of the Opposition Portia Simpson Miller, Joseph M. Matalon, president of the Private Sector of Jamaica (PSOJ), and Coke are named as defendants.

Simpson Miller and the PSOJ are seeking to be removed as defendants.

POLICE from the Major Investigations Task Force (MIT) and Denham Police Division have launched an investigation into the death of two men, whose bullet-riddled bodies were found dumped in sections of downtown Kingston yesterday.

"At about 6:30 am police received a call and went to the location at the intersection of Habour and Port Royal streets, where the remains of the men were found," a police officer from the Kingston West Police Division told the Observer.

The police said it appeared the men were killed elsewhere and later brought to the location.Up to press time the names of the men were not released.

"The police have launched a full investigation into the matter and are calling any one with information to come forward," an officer at the Constabulary Communication Network said yesterday.

A Canadian national who was caught at the airport allegedly with four pounds of cocaine in his underwear, is to face the Corporate Area Resident Magistrates Court tomorrow.

The man, Sigisimund Bailey, a 57-year-old construction worker, has been in custody since his last court appearance on Friday.

He is charged with possession of, dealing in, and taking steps to export cocaine, arising from an incident at the Norman Manley International Airport on April 26.

Police reports are that Bailey had checked in to board a flight to Canada when he was searched and three rectangular-shaped parcels containing cocaine were found hidden in his underwear.

Bailey is yet to make a plea.

ROME, Italy (AFP) Inter Milan secured the first trophy in their historic treble quest as they beat AS Roma 1-0 at the Stadio Olimpico here yesterday.

Diego Milito scored the only goal of the game while Roma substitute Francesco Totti was dismissed late on in an often bad-tempered and fractious affair.

It was Inter's third cup triumph in the last six seasons -- in the fifth final between the two teams in that same period -- and their sixth in all.Now Jose Mourinho's men have two more league games to hold onto their Serie A lead -- they head Roma by two points -- and a Champions League final against Bayern Munich in Madrid on May 22 as they aim to become the first ever Italian team to win the treble.

The game got off to a dreadful start for the nerazzurri as Wesley Sniejder went down under a heavy challenge by on loan Inter defender Nicolas Burdisso and after hobbling around for a minute he had to be replaced.

Mourinho decided to throw on forward Mario Balotelli, changing his formation in the process to a 4-3-3 from a 4-3-1-2.

Despite the change Inter were very much in the ascendancy in the first half as Esteban Cambiasso dispossessed Mirko Vucinic in midfield and spread the ball wide to Samuel Eto'o, who slipped it inside for the charging Maicon but Julio Sergio blocked his near-post shot.

Moments later Maicon crossed and Thiago Motta rose highest in box but couldn't keep his header down.

On 16 minutes Eto'o played in Milito but his clinical finish was disallowed for a marginal offside.

Eto'o turned provider again on 21 minutes, clipping tha ball over the top for Balotelli whose control was exquisite before Burdisso slid in to block his left foot volley.

Roma finally came to life on 25 minutes with a rapid break as Marco Materazzi got caught out of position but Julio Cesar came out to get a vital touch on Rodrigo Taddei's cross and deny Luca Toni an easy tap-in.

Roma came close again as Simone Perrotta played it wide to Taddei and then met his return cross with a bullet header that flew just off target.

Inter then lost Ivan Cordoba to injury, replaced by Walter Samuel but they took the lead on 39 minutes.

Thiago Motta played Milito in down the inside right channel and despite having threee defenders converging on him, the Argentine scampered into the box and buried a shot into the top left corner.

TWO accused murderers were freed in the Home Circuit Court yesterday after the prosecutions main witness said he was beaten by the police into signing the statements implicating both men in the shooting death of his cousin.

As a result of the revelation, the prosecution had to offer no further evidence against the men Christopher Braham and Kirk Dyce prompting Justice Ingrid Mangatal to instruct jurors to return a formal verdict of not guilty.

Mangatal also ordered that the Bureau of Special Investigations conduct a probe into the allegations made by the witness, a newspaper vendor, who also told the court that he is unable to read.

According to the statements, the witness identified the accused men, whom he knew previously, and said that he saw them shooting to death Oniel Mullings on the morning of January 31, 2005 in the old capital of Spanish Town in St Catherine.

But the witness threw the trial in a tailspin at the start of his examination-in-chief.

The witness denied being on the scene of the incident and denied knowing the men.

The witness was later seen talking and laughing with a man and a woman who had accompanied the accused men to court.

TORONTO, Canada (CMC) -- Law enforcement authorities are seeking to deport 12 Jamaican nationals suspected of being members of a gang involved in drugs, murder and other illegal activities in Canada.

The Jamaicans, whom canadian authorities said are linked to the notorious Shower Posse gang that was formed in the 1980s, were arrested during a major operation across several Canadian cities on Monday.

The raids netted 78 people, guns, drugs, diamonds, casino cheques and substantial sums of money.

Media reports said that more than 1,000 police officers took part in the operations in a bid to crack the crime network that allegedly extends from Canada to the Caribbean.

The Globe and Mail newspaper said the arrests followed a nine-month investigation, titled 'Project Corral', that was triggered by a spate of shootings involving feuding gangsters in north-west Toronto.

"Several weeks ago, three people -- including one with a "cop killer" handgun -- were arrested in the Dominican Republic preparing to ship more than 70 kilogrammes of cocaine to Toronto," the paper reported, quoting police sources.

It said that the Toronto members of the Shower Posse brokered the sale of drugs shipped through the Caribbean to feuding Toronto street gangs and that two recent murders were linked to the network.

"The Toronto Police Service has never been able to get at the local members of the Shower Posse as they have in the past 24 hours, even though the gang has been understood to have been operating in the city for years," Inspector Mike Earl told the newspaper.

Two months ago, former Shower Posse boss Vivian Blake died at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Jamaica after suffering a heart attack.

Blake returned to Jamaica last year after spending eight years in a US prison.

He was reported to have been the mastermind behind the ruthless Shower Posse, which had established drug bases in more than 20 US cities, Canada and the United Kingdom and was reportedly responsible for more than 1,400 murders.

FINANCE Minister Audley Shaw Tuesday dismissed reports that some Air Jamaica employees had not received their redundancy and severance payments.

In refuting the reports in Parliament, Shaw said "cheques were issued to all 1,823 Air Jamaica employees".

"We are extremely gratified that the requisite redundancy and severance payments -- which approximated US$24 million -- were set aside to meet those payments in a timely manner. This Government is also gratified that approximately 1,000 employees are being rehired by Caribbean Airlines during the transition period," Shaw said.

The Government had last Wednesday indicated that all members of staff of national carrier Air Jamaica, whose jobs were to be made redundant, would receive their severance pay, totalling US$24 million, last Friday.

The move was a precursor to the transition process for the divestment of the operations of the national carrier to Trinidad and Tobago's Caribbean Airlines, which took effect on May 1.

In addressing the costs to the Government from the divestment, Shaw said the State would now be required to assume responsibility for the total debt of Air Jamaica, which as at February 28 this year amounted to US$939.99 million, or J$80 billion.

Delroy Grizzle, (L), is assisted by another man to restrain his common-law-wife, Falcoln Joseph who he says is possessed by demons.

AN unemployed man of the Seaview Gardens community is seeking help for his common law wife, Falcoln Joseph, who he says is possessed by demons

Delroy Grizzle told the Observer that Joseph, the mother of his one-month-old child, started acting strangely since last night.

"Boss a obeah them obeah me woman. She was at home last night and she just started acted like duppy dey pon har," said Grizzle, who used a rope and string to restrain the woman as she lay on the ground close to the intersection at Seaview Gardens and Spanish Town Road this morning.

WTF?? MOTHER COMES UNDER SCRUITY . . . FOR BREAST FEEDING HER 5 YEAR OLD!!!

Mrs Hurst, who is seven months pregnant, is so convinced of the benefits of breastfeeding that she also feeds other peoples babies as well.

The childminder said she is a firm believe that breast is best, adding that breast milk is amazing and full of protein, fat and sugar.

It not only boosts Jonathan's immune system, it keeps me healthy too, by lowering my risk of breast cancer, she told the Mirror.

I childmind my friends' babies and, provided I've got permission, I breastfeed them too. The parents love it - it means they don't have to worry about expressing milk - I've got more than enough to go round.

A leading parents' charity today voiced its support for Mrs Hurst, saying mothers who breastfeed older children face 'cultural opposition' to the practice.

The Portmore police are investigating an incident in which a man who was seen chasing a naked 14-year-old boy with a knife, was killed by a mob on Sunday.

The deceased man, who is still unidentified, was killed by residents in Greater Portmore, after he was allegedly seen chasing a boy who was screaming that he was being raped.

An officer at the St Catherine South Division confirmed the incident, which occurred in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

Police said about 2:24 a.m., residents heard screams of rape on East Border Avenue and went to investigate. During their probe, it was reported that the residents saw a man with a long knife chasing a naked boy who was screaming.

Taking matters into their own hands,reportedly, the citizens accused the man of molesting the teen and attacked him. The man was killed by the residents who insisted that he was gay.

rumours

Since the killing, rumours have circulated that the boy was abducted by the man. There is also talk that the boy fell asleep on a bus during his journey to Portmore on Saturday night and missed his stop.

Posted by YardFlex at May 5, 2010 02:03 PM

In the next five years there may be a US$1-billion lottery for Jamaicans to participate in, according to Supreme Ventures Limited's (SVL's) president, Brian George.

The head of the gaming company that operates the Lotto and Super Lotto games locally said the global nature of the lottery industry, coupled with the waning interest in some games, means that lottery operators must find new ways to stimulate business.

By George's reckoning, lottery markets have become so mature that the jackpots must be bigger to stimulate sales.

Games such as the Powerball and Megamillion in the United States are each promising a US$300 million jackpot, which means that the market will be demanding even larger jackpots soon.

"So what we are saying is that 20 years ago if you heard about a $20 million jackpot you had lines down the street," George said. "Now people don't care. It takes in the United States about US$300 million to get the market truly excited. Now that is beginning to become saturated so it may take another substantial coalition of lotteries to be able to get people really excited."

Lottery operators across the world are therefore looking at ways to ensure the growth of the market. The decision to undertake a global lottery is expected to conclude within the next five years.

"That is the direction that we have to go in, because it is the direction that the world has gotten to so we have no choice but to do that," George said.

Already, SVL has created its own consolidated lottery game -- Super Lotto -- which which entails three lottery operators in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and the Eastern Caribbean combining to do business across the Caribbean. That game's jackpot started at US$2 million ($178 million) when it started last August and as at yesterday stood at $376 million (US$4.2 million).

Interest in the Super Lotto has waned, according to George, since the length of time it takes to realise a winner is far more protracted than in the regular Lotto.

"Winners don't come every day," said George. "It's not like a Lotto game where you might have a winner every three weeks, every two months or every four months. In this thing we can go months without a winner and I think the market has to settle down and understand that. I think once we get our first winner we will begin to see people's interest again."

Several men in custody at the Spanish Town lock-up yesterday threw urine and filth at police personnel in an attempt to prevent being transferred to another facility.

The incident is said to have begun about 8 a.m. when it was announced that 10 of those in custody would be transferred to the Horizon Remand Centre on Spanish Town Road, Kingston.

As the news of the pending removal started to circulate, several of the men were said to have decided that they would not budge. ''The man dem take away the keys and locked themselves inside their cells and refused to move. As a result we called for more officers to assist in the transfer exercise. Some prisoners continued to behave violently, throwing faeces at the police,'' a corporal told THE STAR.

He said that one of his colleagues was doused from head-to-toe with human waste and had to run from the cell, leaving behind his holster.

In an attempt to prevent the situation from escalating, one of the prisoners was said to have been beaten by the police and brought to the nearby Spanish Town Hospital to seek medical attention.

''Prisoners must understand that the police are the ones that run the cells. So when time comes for them to be transferred they must obey,'' a police constable remarked.

Another of his colleagues told THE STAR that the men did not want to leave as they are more comfortable there because they can get more visits, unlike going to Horizon where they would be under constant pressure.

A man was shot dead in a drive by shooting on Lincoln Crescent in Kingston this afternoon.

At about 1:00 pm the man who appears to be in his early thirties was walking along the road when men in a vehicle drove up to him and shot him several times, a resident on the scene told the Observer.

Cops now on location in the area known as the Black Ross corner say they are searching for clues but cannot give any information about the brazen attack.

The man has not yet been identified.

Anti-gang operations in the parish of St James have led to the recovery of six firearms and the fatal shooting of three alleged gunmen.


The guns recovered are:
one 12 gauge shotgun;
one AK 47 assault rifle;
one .45 pistol;
two .9mm pistol; and
one .38 revolver.


The shotgun was taken from the body of Damian Reid, also called Que Que of Sammy Bush, Norwood, who was one of those implicated in the December 2, 2007 shooting death of Sergeant Allan Lindsay in the tough Dallas area of Glendevon.


On Monday, Reid was shot and killed in an alleged shoot-out with members of a joint police/military team who were carrying out an operation in Sammy Bush, Norwood.


The Bureau of Special Investigations (BSI) has since been called to probe the shooting.

Posted by YardFlex at May 5, 2010 02:25 PM

POLICE in Toronto, Canada have branded the shower posse a mafia-style, drug and gun cartel and are urging Canadian immigration to ship 12 gang members arrested in a major operation Monday, back to Jamaica.

A report in the Toronto Sun said cops in that city were 'tired of dealing with terrorised neighbourhoods'.

Toronto police chief Bill Blair said the Jamaicans should be sent home without trial.

"If you really want to make this city safer, instead of letting these alleged gangsters get bail or lenient sentences, send these Shower Posse slugs back to Jamaica now and don't ever let them back in," Blair said.

The gang members are facing drug and weapons charges.

Toronto police describe the notorious gang as an 'international organised crime group that has tentacles into the street drug scene which sees them profiting from their criminal activities.'

"In other words, a lot of lives could be saved if they were deported. For those not born here, we do have the rules in place to do this. And we owe it to the good people in the terrified neighbourhoods they help destroy," Blair said.

Some 19 firearms, body armour, cocaine, crack, marijuana, hash oil, 10,000 ecstasy pills, diamonds and $30,000 in cash, was seized on Monday.

The Shower Posse is said to have branches in over 20 US cities, Canada and the United Kingdom for about three decades.

CANADIAN police Monday arrested about a dozen suspected members of the Shower Posse in a set of raids on Toronto gangsters in which 78 people were arrested and near 20 guns, more than $30,000 cash, $10,000 in casino cheques, drugs, diamonds and body armour were seized.

A report in yesterdays online edition of the Toronto Globe and Mail said more than 1,000 police officers from several forces rounded up members of a crime network that allegedly extends from Windsor to Sault Sainte Marie, and even back to Caribbean islands.

According to the Globe and Mail, big fish suspects were held in the operation that concluded a nine-month investigation, titled Project Corral, triggered by a spate of shootings involving feuding gangsters in north-west Toronto.

Several weeks ago, three people including one with a cop killer handgun were arrested in the Dominican Republic preparing to ship more than 70 kilograms of cocaine to Toronto, the Globe and Mail reported police as saying.

According to the newspaper, police said the alleged Toronto members of the Shower Posse brokered the sale of drugs shipped through the Caribbean to feuding Toronto street gangs, notably the Five Point Generalz and the Falstaff Crips.

The police said their investigations led, ultimately, to the Shower Posse, a Jamaican gang formed in the 1980s with links to the ruling Jamaica Labour Party.

Two months ago, former Shower Posse boss Vivian Blake died at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston after suffering a heart attack. Blake, who had been ailing for some time, returned to Jamaica last year after spending eight years in a US prison. He was fingered as the mastermind behind the ruthless Shower Posse, which had established drug bases in more than 20 US cities, Canada and the United Kingdom and was reportedly responsible for more than 1,400 murders.

Yesterdays Globe and Mail story reported Staff Inspector Mike Earl as saying that the Shower Posse in Canada worked behind the scenes.

Theyre not there front and centre, but theyre organised and theyve been around a long time, Earl was reported as telling a news conference.

He said the Toronto Police Service has never been able to get at the local members of the Shower Posse as they have in the past 24 hours, even though the gang has been understood to have been operating in the city for years, the Globe and Mail reported, adding that Earl said he would not speak to how the members operated or how police cracked the network.

However, he did say, somebody who has been around for 30 years is a lot smarter than someone whos been around for two, the Globe and Mail report read.

No shots were fired during the round-ups, the newspaper said. It also reported the police as saying that two recent Toronto homicides are linked to the network cracked during the investigation. However, the cops didnt say if charges are pending.

Prosecutors plan to charge the most serious suspects as organised crime members, a designation that would mean stiff sentences if there are convictions, the Globe and Mail said, adding that some of the accused arrested in other cities, including Ottawa and Sault Sainte Marie, were being transported to Toronto.

POSTPONED INDEFINITELY!!! KEYSHIA COLE AND DANIEL GIBSON DROP WEDDING PLANS!!

Federal investigators focused Tuesday on the possible involvement of the Pakistani Taliban in the failed Times Square bombing as they pieced together clues and charged a suspect who was pulled off an airplane as he headed to his native Pakistan, according to court documents and law enforcement sources.

Faisal Shahzad, a 30-year-old U.S. citizen arrested late Monday at John F. Kennedy International Airport, admitted his involvement in the plot, authorities said, and told FBI agents he received bombmaking training in a region of Pakistan known as a militant hotbed. Shahzad, who became a naturalized citizen last year, is from a military family in Pakistan, where he spent five months before returning in February to his home in a leafy, quiet neighborhood of Shelton, Conn.

His reported confession, combined with a series of phone calls he received from Pakistan after purchasing the Nissan Pathfinder used in the attempted bombing, has led investigators to zero in on the Pakistani Taliban connection as "a leading theory," a federal law enforcement official said.

"It's a leading line of inquiry," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the international probe is in its early stages. "There are only a few organizations in Pakistan that could provide training, and the Pakistani Taliban is . . . one that has an ax to grind with us." Pakistani Taliban claims of responsibility for Saturday night's attempt, which investigators had played down, are being reevaluated, said the official, who added that al-Qaeda involvement "is a leap at this point."

The focus on a group that had been considered uninterested in launching attacks outside Pakistan or Afghanistan pointed up the gravity of an incident that authorities characterized as a potentially deadly strike against the United States, albeit with an unsophisticated homemade device that failed to detonate. Even as officials praised the rapid law enforcement response, the incident resurrected the controversy over the Obama administration's handling of the attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day. Critics said the suspect in that case should have been placed in a military, rather than civilian, court.

Speaking at a news conference at which the government announced five felony counts against Shahzad, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said, "It is clear that this was a terrorist plot aimed at murdering Americans in one of the busiest places in our country." Shahzad was charged with attempting to detonate the sport-utility vehicle that was set ablaze on a tourist-crowded block in Midtown Manhattan and trying to kill bystanders and destroy property.

The charges in federal court in Manhattan came on a day of familiar political and law enforcement rituals. Obama administration officials, seeking to navigate the perilous politics of terrorism, detailed their intensive involvement in Shahzad's apprehension and emphasized that he was providing useful intelligence to authorities. Some Republicans questioned whether key clues had been missed.

"Like the Christmas Day bomber, we were lucky that both of these folks were incompetent -- they couldn't trigger the explosives," said Sen. Christopher S. Bond (Mo.), the ranking Republican on the Senate intelligence committee.

Multiple U.S. law enforcement officials said Shahzad had attracted no significant law enforcement attention before the attempted bombing. "He was not on the radar," one official said.

Also triggering debate was the decision to read Shahzad his "Miranda" rights against self-incrimination. The Miranda issue rose to prominence after the Nigerian suspect in the Christmas Day incident, Omar Farouk Abdulmutallab, stopped cooperating with authorities after being read his rights. Some Republicans, including Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), said Shahzad should not have been afforded that constitutional right "until we find out what it's all about."

But administration officials said Shahzad, who, like Abdulmutallab, was initially responsive to questioning under a "public safety exception" to the Miranda rule, continued to cooperate after his rights were read to him. They also pointed out that Shahzad is a U.S. citizen and must be tried in civilian, not military, court.

Officials canceled Shahzad's scheduled appearance in Manhattan federal court amid his reported dialogue with agents. It was unclear whether a lawyer had been appointed for him; he is scheduled to face a judge on Thursday at the earliest.

The Times Square incident was the latest in a series of attempted terrorist attacks against the United States over the past year. As with some other suspects, it was difficult to reconcile the grim portrait of Shahzad painted by authorities with the accounts of those who know him. Shahzad's neighbors described him as a pleasant family man who enjoyed taking care of his yard and playing with his two daughters.

U.S. investigators found Shahzad after a two-day investigation combining old-fashioned shoe-leather detective work, sophisticated searches through telephone and electronic records, and the latest linkups among federal immigration, travel and border databases.

Authorities said they had identified Shahzad by Sunday night as " "a person that we would like to talk to," FBI Deputy Director John S. Pistole said. Tracing the origins of the Pathfinder was a crucial part of the probe. The car's vehicle identification number had been removed from a dashboard plate. But authorities were able to find the seller by using a decal on the tailgate to trace the car to a Connecticut used-car dealer, who early Sunday gave them sales records on two cars matching the Pathfinder's description.

Authorities then found the vehicle's registered owner in Connecticut. Police officials said that was a major break in the case. Another key step was finding an e-mail from Shahzad to the car's seller. Although Shahzad used a fake name, he included a number from a disposable cellphone, which investigators used to determine his identity.

Investigators served a search warrant Tuesday at Shahzad's home and visited a gun shop in Shelton where he bought a 9mm Kel-Tec rifle in March. Court documents said investigators found an unspecified gun in a car that Shahzad left at the airport.

The probe also extended to Pakistan, where officials said FBI agents were expected to push their Pakistani counterparts for access to intelligence about the Pakistani Taliban and its possible involvement in the plot. Pakistani officials pledged cooperation.

A Pakistani intelligence official said Tuesday that authorities had arrested at least two people in the southern port city of Karachi in connection with the Times Square plot. But a U.S. law enforcement official said the arrest was "not at our behest."

The Pakistani Taliban has waged a campaign of bombings and assassinations against the Pakistani government in recent years. Until now, U.S. and Pakistani intelligence officers didn't think the group had the reach necessary to execute attacks outside its home region, and it has traditionally shied away from the sort of global jihad espoused by al-Qaeda.

But the group's ties with al-Qaeda and other foreign militants have expanded of late, and so have its ambitions. In a video issued this week, Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud promised more strikes against the United States, and said that suicide bombers had infiltrated American cities.

MARRIAGE PROBLEMS??? ACTRESS NICOLE ARI PARKER CHANGES HER NAME!!! (DETAILS INSIDE)

D'OH!!! GROUPIE KAT STACKS GETS PREGNANT . . . AND BOW WOW MIGHT BE THE FATHER!!!

O . . . EMMM . .. GEEE!!! LIL WAYNE'S BABYS MOTHER ALLOWS HIS 11 YEAR OLD TO WEAR LINGERIE!!! (PICS)

Last Thursday, Jag One Production (JOP) recording artiste Aidonia, accompanied by label mate Suhverto and members of his management team, departed the island for Europe.

The savvy lyricist, who is now on a three-week tour titled 'Wi Sick', officially kicked off his campaign last Friday with a performance in Amsterdam where he rocked the thousands in attendance at a concert billed 'Aidonia Live On The Sands'.

On Sunday, the team departed for Bielefeld, Germany, and brought the house down with another explosive set as Aidonia and Suhverto reeled off the hits from the camp's catalogue to a packed house of non-English speakers.

Despite this being his first time on European soil, young gun Suhverto said, "So far, it has been a wonderful experience and an eye-opener to see how foreigners embrace our music, and the reception I received. I definitely intend to leave my mark here in Europe."

Now in Hamburg, Germany, the artistes will also perform in Rotterdam, Germany, Italy, Austria, Sweden, Norway, France, Switzerland and Spain before heading back to the Caribbean for a stint in Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, and later head up north to Canada.

Deejay L.A. Lewis is planning not to have sex for a year.

The artiste, widely known for his graffiti in the Corporate Area, says that he will be taking time away from the bedroom to pursue his career on a more serious level.

Lewis claims that he started his no-sex campaign three weeks ago with the support of his girlfriend/ babymother who lives abroad. When THE STAR spoke to Lewis, he claimed to have had sexual intercourse for the last time before his abstinence stint in early April. For Lewis, he said his friends are also behind him to help him through the "rough times" and to stick to his "spiritual mission".

"I will be doing a whole heap of projects and mi just waan ease off the sex thing so I can focus on work. Mi need some time to miself. Yuh know, being an entertainer you always have females deh round, yah understand, but is time for me to penetrate a work and tek tings seriously," he said.

According to Lewis, he is viewed by the public as a comedic act and he wants to show that he can accomplish things on a more serious level. Also, Lewis said he hopes to be an example to teenage girls who are dropping out of school because they got pregnant.

He said, "Mi waan draw out the young kids mek dem see a entertainer sey he's gonna abstain for a year."

Lewis said that he made contact with the National Family Planning Board yesterday and wants to do some work with the organisation in high schools around the island.

Lewis said he chose a year to be abstinent because he wanted to set a good example and also because he wanted to challenge himself. As to how persons will know he hasn't had sex for the year he added, "This is L.A. Lewis. My life is always under the microscope. Every move mi mek people a know ... if mi bruck it, is me and God haffi talk 'bout it."

Some of the projects Lewis will be doing during his 'sex-free time' are his own dictionary with his created words such as 'sobolious', as well as an upcoming album. He is also focusing on his clash with deejay Mr G at The Settlement on June 12 at the Caymanas Polo Club.

YouTube is removing a popular spoof starring Adolph Hitler.

For years a scene from Downfall in which Hitler (Bruno Ganz) meets with his generals near the end of World War II has become a popular vehicle for expressing frustration for everything from Microsoft Windows to Kanye West. The spoofs have been seen by millions of viewers worldwide.

Constatin Films, which owns the rights to 2004 German film, complained of a copyright infringement and has asked YouTube to remove the scenes from its site. The popular video-viewing site is complying with the request.

While fans may be disappointed in the removal of the clips, activists are content.

Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, told The Associated Press the league was "delighted" the offensive videos were being pulled.

"We feel that they trivialize not only the Holocaust but World War II," said Foxman. "Hitler is not a cartoon character."

YouTube, which is owned by Google, has maintained a policy to remove any videos that may infringe on copyright at the copyright holders request. Downfall spoofs may still be seen on YouTube as it may take days for the site to remove all the videos.

A SLIGHT LOOK AT 1 POPULAR VIDEO THAT WILL BE OFF SOON

Apple also said users had downloaded more than 12 million applications from the iTunes app store and that 1.5 million books have been downloaded through Apples iBookstore. The iBookstore sells books only for the iPad, but Apple said it expected to sell books for the iPhone this year.

Apple also said there were now 5,000 iPad-specific apps available for the device. The top-selling applications in the App Store have remained relatively unchanged since the device went on sale last month. Apple's own productivity suite including Pages, Numbers and Keynote, all analogous to Microsofts Office products, remain the top grossing apps along with the games Pinball, Real Racing HD and Scrabble.

Steve Jobs said in a statement that the milestone of one million devices is "half of the 74 days it took to achieve this milestone with iPhone."He also said that "demand continues to exceed supply." Earlier this month, Apple announced in a press release that it was going to postpone the international launch of iPad by one month, until the end of May."

Over the weekend the iPad 3G went on sale. There were reports over the weekend that the 3G model quickly sold out as shoppers waited in line to buy the latest offering.

Faisal
Shahzad, 30, was arrested Monday night in connection with a car bomb
parked in New York's Times Square.

(CNN) -- The suspect in the failed Times Square car bombing
is a Pakistani who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in April 2009 and
had not been on national security radar.

Faisal Shahzad, 30, of
Bridgeport, Connecticut, was arrested Monday night at John F. Kennedy
International Airport in New York as his flight to Dubai was about to
take off, law enforcement officials said.

Shahzad had traveled
to Dubai before. He took a flight there in June 2009 and stayed out of
the United States until his return on Feb. 3, officials said.

A
woman who said she had lived next door to Shahzad in Shelton,
Connecticut, told CNN on Tuesday that the man she knew didn't say much
and claimed to work on Wall Street in New York.

"He was quiet. He
would wear all black and jog at night. He said he didn't like the
sunlight," Brenda Thurman said.

She said Shahzad, his wife and
two children and his wife's two sisters lived next to her for about
three years, moving out in July 2009. People whom she believes were
plainclothes law enforcement officers appeared to be staking out the
house Monday, Thurman told CNN affiliate WTNH-TV.

The neighbor said she often saw Shahzad
leaving the home in the morning and returning in the evening. She also
saw him in his yard with his children, a boy and a girl, and the family
usually wore traditional Muslim attire, she told WTNH-TV.

She
said she never suspected he might be involved in a possible terror
attack.

"I didn't think he was capable of doing something like
that. ... I'm very shocked," she said.

Thurman said her daughter
often played with Shahzad's daughter, but she herself didn't have much
contact with the family.

Shahzad's wife spoke English, but was
apparently so insecure about her language ability that she told people
she did not, Thurman said.

"I never knew she spoke English until
it was time for her to move," Thurman said.

Shahzad's wife told
Thurman in July 2009 that the family was moving to Missouri. A few weeks
after they left their home, the lender foreclosed on the property and
changed the locks, the neighbor said.

Shahzad had made
international calls in recent weeks, but said he acted alone in the
attempted bombing, investigators said.

Cell phone calls
conducted for the purchase of the vehicle used in Saturday's bombing
attempt helped lead police to the suspect, law enforcement sources said.

Sources said investigators got cell phone information from the
daughter of the Nissan Pathfinder owner. She sold the vehicle to Shahzad
on behalf of her father.

She had been talking on the phone to
Shahzad in arranging the purchase of the SUV, which was advertised for
sale on Craigslist.

The Nissan Pathfinder was parked in Times
Square containing propane tanks, fertilizer and gasoline on Saturday
night. After police retrieved the vehicle identification number of the
Pathfinder, they located the registered owner of the vehicle.

The
sources said the owner's daughter had met with Shahzad at a Stratford,
Connecticut, grocery store, for the sale. Shahzad took the car for a
test drive in the parking lot and bought the vehicle for $1,800 in cash.

Bridgeport, where Shahzad resides, is a
working class city of 130,000 on Long Island Sound, 66 miles northeast
of New York City. Per capita income there is 26 percent below the
national average, and 27 percent of its residents are foreign-born, more
than twice the national average, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Congenital disease caused deformity; lower two-thirds of his face replaced

The patient, identified only as Rafael, spoke with difficulty at a news conference at Seville's Virgen del Rocio Hospital, where he had undergone the 30-hour surgery.

"I want to thank the donor's family and the medical team," said Rafael, who was flanked by his mother and sister at the briefing, after which he was released from the hospital.

The hospital said that for privacy reasons it would not release his last name or age.

Doctors replaced the bottom two-thirds of Rafael's face because of a congenital disease that left it deformed with benign tumors.

After the operation, Rafael recognized himself in the mirror and liked what he saw, Gomez Cia said. "Not only did he not see himself as a monster, but rather he also thought he looked younger."

Last month a hospital in Barcelona carried out the world's first full-face transplant. It was the 11th known face transplant worldwide. Others have been carried out in France, China and the United States.

Rafael's was the second partial face transplant performed in Spain.

video link >>>>>  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/36943433#36943433