Police Put Dent Into Auto Theft

 

Toronto police have put the brakes on a massive auto theft ring

 

Five men are facing dozens of charges in total, from Fraud, to uttering forged

documents, to property obtained by crime.

 

It’s alleged that two of the accused, who owned body shops in Toronto applied for

and received certification to become Structural Inspection Stations for their

respective businesses – Downtown Collision and Car Care Centre respectively.

 

Police rounded up the men as part of ‘Project Enterprise,’ which began in 2009.

 

The project was aimed at targetting the fraudulent issuing of structural

certificates for rebuilt vehicles, and the selling of those vehicles.

 

Photo of ‘Person of Interest’ in Toronto Homicide Released

 

Toronto police have released a photo of a person of interest in the City’s 2nd

homicide of the year.

 

24-year-old Mike Pimentel was stabbed and killed early New Years Day walking

from Liberty Village to a friends house.

 

Police say this woman likely knew Pimentel’s attacker.

 

If you know this woman, or can give more information in regards to this attack,

call police at 416-808-7400.

 

Arrest Made Following Discovery of a Woman’s Body in West End

 

Toronto Police have made an arrest in connection with the death of a woman in

the west end.

 

The lifeless body of the 31-year old victim was discovered in a rolled-up carpet in a

laneway near Clendenan Avenue.

 

23-year old Aaron Johnston has been arrested and charged with performing an

indignity to a dead body. He is due in court Thursday afternoon.

 

Arrest Made Following Discovery of a Woman’s Body in West End

 

Toronto Police have made an arrest in connection with the death of a woman in

the west end.

 

The lifeless body of the 31-year old victim was discovered in a rolled-up carpet in a

laneway near Clendenan Avenue.

 

23-year old Aaron Johnston has been arrested and charged with performing an

indignity to a dead body. He is due in court Thursday afternoon.

 

ORNGE Under Probe

 

The OPP launched an investigation into ORNGE, the province’s air ambulance

agency.

 

Police were called Thursday morning after officials with the Ministry of Health

discovered alleged financial irregularities in the company’s books.

 

More than 40 forensic auditors have been examining ORNGE’s financial records

ever since questions were raised about the agency’s spending practices,

executives’ salaries and their helicopter purchases.

 

Last month, Health Minister Deb Matthews replaced CEO Chris Mazza and the

entire board of directors. Mazza, was earning $1.4 million a year.

 

TORONTO, Ont. – Family Day is on Monday, Feb. 20. Below is a list of what’s

open and closed.

 

What’s open:

• Some supermarkets (call ahead to be sure)

• Most tourist attractions and museums, including Art Gallery of Ontario,

Royal Ontario Museum, CN Tower and Casa Loma

• Some ice rinks and arenas

• TTC operates on holiday schedule; GO Transit operates on Saturday schedule

• Eaton Centre, Square One, Vaughan Mills and Pacific Mall, as well as Bloor

Yorkville and Yonge Street shopping districts.

• Since it is provincial holiday, federal government offices will be open and mail

will be delivered.

 

What’s closed:

• LCBO and beer stores

• Municipal buildings, including Toronto City Hall

• Banks

• Schools

• Public libraries

• Post offices located in closed retail outlets

 

African Region

 

Mali Troops Go On Offensive Against Rebels

 

The president of Mali’s parliament says the country’s army has gone on the

offensive after a number of strategic retreats in the first weeks of fighting with

Tuareg rebels.

 

Dioncounda Traore spoke Thursday as he presented a plan to bring an end to the

fighting drawn up by Mali political parties and backed by the government.

 

Part of the plan involves the political parties trying to bring the fighters from the

rebel group to the negotiating table.

 

The National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad began attacking towns

in Mali’s arid northern regions on Jan. 17. Dozens have been killed on both sides

of the conflict and tens of thousands have been displaced.

 

Explosives Found At Protests In Senegal

 

Senegal’s minister of communication is defending the government’s decision not

to authorize recent opposition protests, saying police found a gun, several

molotov cocktails and explosives at demonstrations.

 

Senegal banned an anti-government protest that was supposed to take place

Wednesday and police opened fire with tear gas after demonstrators went ahead

with their rally.

 

On Thursday, the opposition vowed to stage a sleep-in in downtown Dakar to

demand the departure of President Abdoulaye Wade who is running for a third

term in the Feb. 26 election.

 

Minister of the Interior Ousmane Ngom said that Senegal has a long history of

democracy, but that the country has the right to restrict demonstrations if there is

a threat of violence.

 

Zimbabwe Civic Groups Dismiss Charity Groups Ban

 

Civic activists say moves to ban 29 humanitarian organizations in southern

Zimbabwe are a breach of the nation’s laws and affected groups need to ignore

banning orders by the president’s party.

 

In a new crackdown of non-governmental organizations, a provincial governor

appointed by President Robert Mugabe suspended the activities of the groups on

Wednesday, alleging they did not clear their operations with his office.

 

An alliance of independent civic groups said in a statement Thursday the governor

did not have legal powers to wage “this fresh onslaught” against humanitarian

work providing food, medication, water and vital services in the drought-prone

Masvingo province.

 

Mugabe’s party accuses private charities of supporting its opponents and has

repeatedly threatened to shut them down.

 

Somali Families Flee To Capital, Fearing Fighting

 

Thousands of Somalis are fleeing an insurgent-held town into the capital because

they fear a military attack by African Union troops allied to the weak Somali

government.

 

Hundreds of cars and trucks packed with mattresses and other household items

created traffic jams in the capital of Mogadishu on Thursday.

 

The exodus comes a day after Somali and African Union troops extended their

reach beyond Somali capital to launch an offensive on Elasha Biyaha. The rebel-

held settlement is inhabited by Somalis who fled Mogadishu violence in 2007.

 

Resident Mohamed Abdullahi says everyone who can is leaving because they fear

the AU might attack the town.

 

Nigeria Jailbreak: Gunmen Storm Kogi State Prison

 

Armed men have broken into a jail in Nigeria using bombs and heavy gunfire,

freeing 119 inmates,officials say.

 

A prison service spokeswoman told the BBC that the armed men killed a prison

officer during the attack,in Kogi state,on Wednesday evening.

 

Most of the prisoners were awaiting trial and none were high-profile detainees,

according to officials.

 

No group said it carried out the attack, but suspicion has fallen on the Islamist

militant Boko Haram group.

 

The group has carried out similar jailbreaks before, including a massive 2010

attack on a prison further north in Bauchi state.

 

In that incident Boko Haram freed about 700 prisoners, many of whom were

members of the group.

 

Boko Haram has gone on to stage increasingly deadly attacks in the north of the

country.

 

Last month it also freed some of its captured members during a series of

bombings on police stations in the northern city Kano.

 

Caribbean Region

 

Unemployment rate in Barbados at 12.5 %

 

Barbados-Latest data from the Barbados Statistical Service, and supported by the

Central Bank of Barbados, put the rate of unemployment at 12.5 per cent up to the

end of September 2011.

 

With the overall rate of joblessness said to be in the order of 12.5 per cent,

Barbadians have been filing for unemployment claims by the hundreds.

For the month of December alone, close to 500 new and returning people made

claims.

 

Caricom To Consider Hassle-Free Travel For Haitians Through Region

 

Haiti’s President Michel Martelly has asked fellow CARICOM leaders to consider

allowing Haitians who hold a United States or Schegen visa to travel hassle-free

through the region.

 

Mr Martelly discussed the plan during Monday’s meeting with a CARICOM

Bureau of Heads of Government delegation.

 

At present, Haiti is the only CARICOM member state whose citizens require entry

visas in the 15-nation community.

 

The mission of the Bureau of Heads, was led by Suriname President and

Chairman of CARICOM Desi Bouterse, St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr

Denzil Douglas, and CARICOM Secretary General Ambassador Irwin LaRoque.

 

The leaders also discussed areas of cooperation including agriculture, health,

aviation, security and job creation.

 

Food and Nutrition Security In The Caribbean

 

The Food and Agriculture Organisation [FAO] held its Stakeholders Reporting

Session at UN House onWednesday evening entitled “Towards Food and

Nutrition Security in the Caribbean.”

 

Sub-Regional Coordinator for FAO, Florita Kentish, spoke of the organisation’s

mandate and the fact that reports show that 7.6 million people in the Caribbean

do not have enough food to eat.

 

Meanwhile…acting Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food,

Fisheries and Water Resource Management, Lennox Chandler said dietary change

is essential the country, especially in terms of undoing trends among the youth

who consume diets of junk food high in sodium chloride and trans-fat.

 

Insufficent evidence againt Police Commisioner

 

In Guyana, Jamaican and Guyanese investigators did not find sufficient evidence

to prove a clear case of rape against Police Commissioner, Henry Greene, but they

had allegedly recommended that he be dismissed.

 

Demerara Waves Online News reports that the investigators found several

inconsistencies by the 34 year old woman who has accused Mr Greene of rape.

 

Among the inconsistencies, was the duration of the sexual intercourse, which

ranged from 45 minutes to four hours.

 

The investigators reportedly recommended that Greene be removed from office

because of indiscretions while being the Police Commissioner. The team frowned

on the fact that he had sexual intercourse with someone who had gone to him for

assistance.

 

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Opposition Leader Dr. Keith Rowley said

Wednesday that he had filed a motion of no confidence in the 20-month-old five

party coalition People’s Partnership administration in

Trinidad and Tobago.

 

“We have had enough. So this morning I have filed in the Parliament of Trinidad

and Tobago a motion of no confidence in the Prime Minister of Trinidad and

Tobago,” Rowley told a news conference.

 

He said he had requested that the matter be debated as soon as possible.

 

“Under the regulations this motion requires 12 day notification period and it takes

priority over all other bills. So when the Carnival is over, on behalf of the people of

Trinidad and Tobago, the opposition will come to the Parliament to conduct the

nation’s business by moving a vote of no confidence against the prime minister,”

he added.

 

Rowley said that the opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) legislators

believe that the country has enough of the “mal administration that this

government and in fact we need to call the government to order.

 

“The motion of no confidence will generate a debate in which we will talk to the

country about our government, our business,” he said.

 

Political observers say that while Rowley is aware that the motion will be

comfortably defeated in the parliament given the government’s 29-12 majority, it

will allow opposition legislators to bring issues,such as the police raid on the

newsrooms of two national media establishments, before the public.

Rowley has already acknowledged that the Attorney General Anand Ramlogan

would have to inform the public why the government is now seeking to distance

itself from the Anti Corruption Investigating Bureau (ACIB) housed within the

Office of the Attorney General and which led the latest raid on the newsroom of

the Newsday newspaper.

 

“I want to ask the Attorney General when did the ACIB, which was the muscle of

his political activities,when did they became an embarrassment,” he said, in

reference to a statement by Ramlogan following the police raid.