Tired of overflowing bins, potholes and exploding buses, Rome’s long-suffering residents are planning a protest in an effort to save their city from further decay. The aim is to send a message to the city’s administration, which since June 2016 has been led by the Five Star Movement, that enough is enough.

“We want to restart from here and tell those who have been governing Rome for two and a half years that we citizens see and understand everything and we’re not at all happy,” Emma Amiconi, a spokeswoman for a group of six women who are organising the demonstration, told Corriere della Sera. “Citizens want to live in a city that [guarantees] essential services so that we have a minimum of decorum.”

A Facebook campaign has attracted more than 15,000 members and a mass sit-in is planned for 27 October in front of the city hall. A video has been created that juxtaposes Rome’s celebrated architectural features, such at the Trevi fountain, with its many woes, including images of wild boars rummaging through uncollected rubbish.(theguardian)…[+]

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett says 2018 is poised to be another excellent year for Jamaica’s cruise ship sector, with vessels from the world’s largest cruise companies expected to call at the island’s main ports. Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian cruise lines have all committed to having some of their biggest ships calling at Falmouth, Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, solidifying Jamaica as a first-choice cruise destination.

A total of 1.92 million cruise passengers visited the island last year, up 11 per cent from 1.65 million in 2016. In addition, spending per visitor increased to US$91.67, from US$90.24. “We did very well in 2017, and there’s every reason to believe that 2018 will be another banner year for the cruise-shipping sector,” Bartlett said in a recent interview with JIS News.

“When you look at Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, you are looking at the companies that control close to 80 per cent of the cruise market space,” he pointed out. Bartlett said that Jamaica has all the ingredients to dominate the global cruise-shipping market and should do very well throughout the season.(JAMAICA OBSERVER)…[+]

Trinidad. In the case of Japhet Bennett v The Queen, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) today overturned the conviction of Mr. Japhet Bennett. Mr. Bennett had been found guilty of the 2009 murder of Mr. Ellis Meighan Sr. in Belize City and was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2013. During the trial, Mr. Marlon Middleton, Mr. Meighan’s brother-in-law, had denied parts of his statement to the police that had identified Mr. Bennett as standing over the body with a gun. The jury, however, found him guilty of murder despite a submission by his attorney that there was little evidence to convict Mr. Bennett. The CCJ, by a majority decision, allowed Mr. Bennett’s appeal.

In 2009, Mr. Middleton had given a detailed statement to the police two days after Meighan was shot and killed. He claimed that he was riding his bicycle in the vicinity of the shooting when he heard gunshots. Mr. Middleton said that he then sped towards the area and saw a body on the ground. He saw a man, who he recognised as Mr. Bennett, standing about two feet away from the body with a gun in his hand. His statement also revealed that Mr. Middleton had been approximately forty feet away from the body, in a well-lit area, with nothing obstructing his view. Additionally, he stated that he had known Mr. Bennett for about four months and had seen him one week before the shooting.

At trial, Mr. Middleton denied that he had seen Mr. Bennett at the scene of the crime. The prosecution pointed out that Mr. Middleton had given a contradictory statement to the police and that that statement was made of his own free will and was accurately recorded by a police officer, in the presence of a Justice of the Peace, and signed by Mr. Middleton. The trial judge admitted the statement into evidence and it was read aloud to the jury. There was no other evidence linking Bennett to the shooting…[+]