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ST, CATHERINE, JAMAICA: Truck spills oil, crushes bus in nasty Port Henderson crash (VIDEO)

BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com  Tuesday, July 07, 2015 

A section of Port Henderson Road in Portmore, St Catherine, was closed off for hours yesterday after a truck carrying fuel slammed into a parked Hiace bus and overturned, spilling thousands of litres of oil along the roadway and into the sea.

It was still unclear up to press time last night what caused the crash, but residents reported that about 7:30 am the truck, which was transporting fuel for the Jamaica Urban Transit Company, was travelling along the busy thoroughfare when it might have got out of control.

The mangled remains of the bus that was crushed by a
 trailer that crashed along Port Henderson Road yesterday.

"I just opened my door and come out to the front when all of a sudden I saw this trailer coming at a high speed; when me see what was happening I tried to go across the road," said Orane McKoy, a 35-year-old fisherman.

"While the truck was speeding down the road me see the back start to wrap around to the front and from me see that me know it was going to crash," said McKoy

He said he managed to run to safety as the truck later slammed into a bus that was parked along the roadside.

Yesterday, Richard Lindo, the 69-year-old owner of the bus, said he was inside his shop, which is located close to the road, when he heard a loud explosion.

Overturned 16 wheeler

"When I came out to look I could not believe what I saw," said the obviously distraught shop operator who placed his hand on his head as he looked at the mangled remains of his vehicle.

He was, however, happy that no life was lost.

"If this incident had happened on any other day it would have claimed the lives of large groups of persons," said Lindo. He said where the bus was parked has been a popular spot where fishermen hang out in the days. more

CAUGHT: Cosby 'Fessed Up -- In 2005! : Bill Cosby Admitted To Drugging Woman with Quaaludes In 2005 Deposition

Associated Press Posted: 07/06/2015

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bill Cosby admitted in 2005 that he got quaaludes with the intent of giving them to young women he wanted to have sex with, and that he gave the sedative to at least one woman and "other people," according to documents obtained Monday by The Associated Press.

Bill Cosby

That woman and a second woman testified in the same case that they knowingly took quaaludes from him, according to the unsealed documents.

The AP had gone to court to compel the release of the documents from the deposition in a sexual abuse lawsuit filed by former Temple University employee Andrea Constand — the first of a cascade of sexual abuse lawsuits against him. Cosby's lawyers had objected on the grounds that it would embarrass their client.

Cosby settled that lawsuit under confidential terms in 2006. His lawyers in the Philadelphia case did not immediately return phone calls Monday. Constand consented to be identified but did not want to comment, her lawyer said Monday.

Cosby, 77, has been accused by more than two dozen women of sexual misconduct, including allegations by many that he drugged and raped them in incidents dating back more than four decades. Cosby has never been criminally charged, and most of the accusations are barred by statutes of limitations.

Cosby, giving sworn testimony in the lawsuit accusing him of sexual assaulting Constand at his home in Pennsylvania in 2005, said he got seven quaalude prescriptions in the 1970s. The lawyer for Constand asked if he had kept the sedatives through the 1990s — after they were banned — but was frustrated by objections from Cosby's lawyer.

"When you got the quaaludes, was it in your mind that you were going to use these quaaludes for young women that you wanted to have sex with?" lawyer Dolores M. Troiani asked.

"Yes," Cosby answered on Sept. 29, 2005.

"Did you ever give any of these young women the quaaludes without their knowledge?" Cosby's lawyer again objected, leading Troiani to petition the federal judge to force Cosby to cooperate.

Cosby later said he gave Constand three half-pills of Benadryl, although Troiani in the documents voices doubt that was the drug involved. The two other women who testified on Constand's behalf said they had knowingly been given quaaludes. more

AUSTIN, Texas : Three-Year-Old Boy Dies After Accidentally Shooting Self...A grand jury will investigate the case (VIDEO)

Reuters Posted: 07/06/2015 5:08 pm EDT 
AUSTIN, Texas, July 6 (Reuters) - A 3-year-old Texas boy who shot himself at a Houston-area home over the weekend died on Monday from the wound, officials said.

The boy's grandparents were babysitting him and had put him down for a nap. They later heard a gunshot and found the boy had shot himself, police said.

"When they went in to check on him, he had apparently located a .380 semiautomatic pistol that was in the bedroom and had apparently accidentally shot himself in the head," Sergeant Ben Beall of the Harris County Sheriff's Office was quoted as saying by broadcaster KHOU.

A grand jury will investigate the case that took place in Spring, north of Houston, to see if anyone will face charges over the incident. more
(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Eric Beech)

THE GLEANER MINUTE: Flooding in Clarendon ... JUTC oil tanker overturns ... Serena beats Venus

Busy Signal arrested, released in T&T after failing to repay over US$37,000 due to a local promoter

Monday, July 06, 2015  

DANCEHALL artiste Busy Signal was released after being arrested in Trinidad Saturday night after failing to repay over US$37,000 due to a local promoter for the past two years.

Busy Signal

According to the Trinidad Express website , the singjay was arrested at his hotel shortly before he was slated to perform at Together As One concert. The entertainer was hauled before the Port of Spain High Court following an emergency hearing with Justice Rahim, who issued the warrant for Busy Signal's arrest.

The article stated that Busy Signal (given name Reanno Gordon) was paid US$37,088 in 2013 to perform at a concert for Peppers Entertainment in May of that year. Both the promoters and the entertainer had agreed to postpone the concert with the money that was paid to Gordon going towards his performance fee for the rescheduled event. Documents said that Gordon did not deduct this sum from a future concert and also did not repay the money.

Busy Signal

The promoter's attorneys Michael Rooplal and Carina Jailal had filed an application for a fugae warrant pursuant to the Absconding Debtors Act. The claim was based on Gordon's failure to return monies owed.

The promoters claimed for damages for breach of contract in the sum of US$37,088 and for interests and costs.

The entertainer was released after he entered into a consent order to pay US$15,000.

The balance is to be paid in the next 30 days. Gordon who was represented by attorney Fareed Ali.

IN JAMAICA: Exchange guns for education : Murdered soldier’s friends starting foundation to turn youth away from crime. WHAT DO YOU THINK? WILL IT WORK?

Monday, July 06, 2015

FRIENDS of Vaughn Moore, the soldier who was gunned down in the volatile community of Central Village earlier this year, are moving to launch a foundation to honour the life and work of the man who gave more than 15 years of service to his country.

The foundation will seek to target youth in inner-city communities who are involved in a life of crime,” Owen Smith, Moore’s lifelong friend, told the Jamaica Observer over the weekend.

Smith said that Moore, who was also property manager at Devon House, was a person who would always put service above self. He said members of the foundation hope to encourage youngsters who are armed with guns to hand them in to the authorities.

“In return, we are seeking to put up funds to get the carriers of these destructive weapons enrolled in various educational programmes. It is like a gun amnesty, but our aim is to not just call for the guns, we are seeking to make a change in the lives of those carrying the guns,” said Smith, who is the manager of the Jamaica Observer’s Transport Department.

Police report that on May 20 Moore was shot dead by gunmen in the community where he grew up. He had returned to the area to visit his mother.

Smith said Moore was the kind of person who always tried to help the youth, especially those in his community. “He was a hero, a leader both at community level and national level,” said Smith. “He was a disciplinarian who was willing to go the extra mile to help others.”

Smith said this was why steps were being taken to make the VAMOS (Vaughn Al Martino Moore Our Son) Jamaica Foundation a reality. “Discussions have started with representatives of the Jamaica Defence Force and other authorities about the initiative,” Smith said. more

Police: 22 y-o Devon Staples shoots off firework from top of his head, dies

CALAIS, Maine (AP) — A young man who was drinking and celebrating the Fourth of July tried to launch a firework off the top of his head, fatally injuring himself, authorities said Sunday.

Devon Staples and his friends had been drinking and setting off fireworks Saturday night in the backyard of a friend's home in the small eastern Maine city of Calais, said Stephen McCausland, a spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety. Staples, 22, of Calais, placed a fireworks mortar tube on his head and set it off, he said.

The firework exploded, killing Staples instantly, McCausland said.

His death is the first fireworks fatality in Maine since the state legalized fireworks on Jan. 1, 2012, authorities said.

Calais is on the Canadian border near New Brunswick.

State fire marshals were also investigating several other Fourth of July fireworks accidents involving injuries in Friendship, Jefferson, Lebanon and Woodstock. They said most of the accidents involved burns and eye injuries. McCausland said further details were expected to be released later Sunday.

In 2011, lawmakers voted to repeal a 1949 law banning fireworks, reasoning the industry would create jobs and generate additional revenue.

IN JAMAICA (GOOD HEART) : Math whiz and Campion College Bound, 12 y-o Mikhail Morris wants to help students pass the subject

BY DENISE DENNIS  Sunday, July 05, 2015    

He's just a few months shy of his 12th birthday, but Mona Heights Primary student Mikhail Morris is already quite clear about the career he wants to pursue.

Mona Heights Primary School head boy Mikhail Morris (centre)
 shares a moment with his grandmother Loretta Graham and his
 younger sister Kalila Morris, following his graduation ceremony,
on Thursday. Mikhail is on his way to Campion College as
a result of his outstanding performance in the Grade Six
Achievement Test (GSAT).

Concerned about the challenge that mathematics poses for many of his peers, Mikhail said his dream is to become a teacher of the subject.

Mikhail, who is hailed by his teachers as a top student, is regarded as a math whizz. In fact, he scored 100 per cent in mathematics in the 2015 Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT).

"In the future, I would like to be a math teacher because I am very good at the subject," the confident young man told the Government's news agency, the Jamaica Information Service.

"I know that a lot of people do not do well in this area, so I would want to assist them with it," he added.

The head boy impressed guests at the school's graduation ceremony last Thursday, July 2, where he eloquently delivered the valedictory address.

His father, Clyde Morris, who is an information technology (IT) professional, said he knows that some persons would question Mikhail's desire to be a teacher, but as parents, they encourage him to do what he loves.

"We are not stressing him about that, because if that's what he loves, that's what he loves. He could become a math professor, you never know. We know there is so much that he can do," Morris said.

Mikhail Morris (centre), Mona Heights Primary School
 head boy and top-performing Grade Six Achievement
Test (GSAT) student, shares a moment with his proud
 parents Clyde Morris and Mitzie Graham-Morris, at his
 graduation ceremony on Thursday.

In addition to his perfect marks in math, Mikhail scored 100 per cent in English Language, Social Studies, and Communication Task, and 98 per cent in Science. These impressive scores earned him a spot at his secondary school of choice, the prestigious St Andrew-based Campion College.

Mikhail was also a member of the Mona Heights Primary Junior School's Challenge Quiz team which placed third in the competition. He had responsibility for the mathematics questions.

"We are very proud of him. We knew he was going to do well on the GSAT," Morris said.

He described Mikhail as quiet, disciplined and very focused on his school work.

"When he has work to do, you don't have to tell him to do it. He will pressure you to help him with it if he can't complete it himself," Morris said. more

CONGRATS: THE Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) programme numbers soar to the largest Jamaican contingent in its 15-year history

Sunday, July 05, 2015    

THE Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme hailed its largest Jamaican contingent in its 15-year history two Fridays ago as 34 of the 40 successful participants were treated to a send-off at the Japanese Ambassador's residence on Seaview Avenue in Kingston.

Japanese Ambassador to Jamaica Masanori Nakano (right)
 with 34 of the 40 Jamaican young people selected for this
year's Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme.
(PHOTO: RORY DALEY)

Last year 24 Jamaicans were selected for the programme; in 2013 there were 18; 2012 saw 19; and the year before that, 15.

"The growth of this programme since 1987 reflects that in a world so culturally diversified, people do have a passion to know and learn about each other outside of their environs," Ambassador Masanori Nakano told his guests.

Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites echoed the Ambassador's words.

"The JET Programme is one of the most effective educational partnerships and its participants get to share brand Jamaica with Japan," he said.

Matthew Palmer, JET Programme co-ordinator, explained that the increase in numbers has been due to a greater effort on the part of the Japanese Embassy to spread the word about JET through local high schools and tertiary educational institutions. Six of the 40 were sent ahead in April, while the 34 at the reception will leave the island tomorrow.

Once in Japan, JET participants will spend a year assisting local English teachers at various institutions across the country. more

(SAD DAY IN JA): ‘I Forgave My Rapist!’ - Slow Justice System Frustrates Victims Into Abandoning Cases...The Jamaica Economic and Social Survey for 2014 shows that of the 2,447 reported rapes that took place between 2012 and 2014, only 1,120 have been cleared up.

Published:Sunday | July 5, 2015Nadine Wilson-Harris

He stole her innocence, caused her to leave her community and destroyed her trust in people, but when it was time for her church brother and neighbour to be prosecuted for raping her, Pamela* did the unexpected. She begged the judge to let him go free.

"I turned to my lawyer and I said, 'I just want to let it go. I want to move on. I want to live my life," Pamela told The Sunday Gleaner.

Her decision, though seemingly selfless, is one that concerns those tasked with bringing sex offenders to book. It is also one of the primary factors being cited for Jamaica's relatively low conviction rates when it comes to rape.

According to preliminary data from the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA), there were 1,228 sexual-offence cases reported to the unit in 2014, and 907 of them involved minors.

There were 651 cases of rape reported for that year, of which 342 have been cleared up. Up to March of this year, 38 individuals were convicted for rape. However, these convictions included cases that had been lagging in the court for years. The Jamaica Economic and Social Survey for 2014 shows that of the 2,447 reported rapes that took place between 2012 and 2014, only 1,120 have been cleared up. 

NOT UNCOMMON

"It is not uncommon for young women to forgive, especially those who are under 16," said CISOCA head, Superintendent Enid Ross-Stewart. "It is quite prevalent. A number of the young ladies, after a while, don't want to go any further with it, and it's for more than one reason," she said.

Diahann Gordon Harrison

Oftentimes, however, it's because of the length of time it takes to prosecute an offender. "Sometimes they get tired of coming to court. Sometimes they don't have money to continue, and the police will have to perhaps find them, take them to court, [and] buy them lunch, but their own pride sometimes won't allow them," said the CISOCA head.

It is feared that instead of being repentant and grateful for a second chance, some of these sex offenders go on to rape other women. A solution to the problem has been elusive for the most part, and despite pleading with these girls to reconsider, Children's Advocate Diahann Gordon Harrison said they oftentimes are very strident in their stance. more

IN JAMAICA: Motorised 'Handcarts' Hit The Streets -Police Concerned About Safety, As Hustlers Innovate

The police and the Road Safety Unit in the Ministry of Transport are becoming very concerned over the increasing practice of persons attaching motors to handcarts to have them move faster.

One of the many motorised 'handcarts' being used across
the island

In recent weeks, several of these motorised handcarts have been seen speeding across the streets of the Corporate Area, with music pumping, as the operators sell CDs and other items.

One of these motorised handcarts was also seen being used by workmen as a means of transportation for themselves and their tools.

"It is illegal, it is not recognised under the law and we must encourage persons to desist from placing any of these things on the public roads, because it poses more danger than anything else," head of the island's traffic division, Senior Superintendent Calvin Allen, told The Sunday Gleaner.

"The only thing we can do is applaud their creativity, but in terms of the Road Traffic Act and what it stipulates to be used on our roadways, that is not an instrument or equipment that is recognised or allowed," added Allen, as he noted that motors have also been attached to some bicycles.

"These bicycle men as well who are trying to be creative, that's a no-no, we not tolerating it at all," said Allen.

These motorised handcarts are fitted with a fuel tank and a motor but use the normal breaking system, where the driver applies pressure to one of the rear wheels or the road surface in order to stop.

"It is cause for concern; we don't want these risks out there at all. I am afraid of these risks, because 177 people dead already (on the roads) is far too many persons," said head of the island's Road Safety Unit, Kenute Hare. more

IN JAMAICA (GOOD NEWS FOR EDUCATION): Hanover Charities Award $25 Million In Scholarships to 90 Students

Published:Saturday | July 4, 2015Claudia Gardner

APPROXIMATELY $25 million in scholarships was distributed by the Hanover Charities, an entity affiliated with the Round Hill Hotel, during its official annual awards presentation ceremony on Wednesday at the Hanover-based hotel.

Scholarship awardees pose with board members of
Hanover Charities following a grant awards ceremony
on Tuesday.

Ninety scholarships were granted to youngsters from the parish who needed assistance to further their education in disciplines such as law, education, social work, nursing, communications, and agriculture. Sixty-four students were similarly awarded last year.

In her address, chairman of Hanover Charities Katrin Casserly said the funds were raised during the resort's Sugar Cane Ball, which the 58-year-old organisation staged in February this year.

"I am extremely proud to report that we raised yet another record amount of more than $30 million in just one weekend," Casserly said. "It is increasingly difficult to raise funds in this ever-changing economic climate, and as such, this achievement has made us even more proud. It is incredibly rewarding for board members and the fundraising committee that we are able to distribute more than $24 million, which will be going directly to your organisations."

Boosting Of Agri-Business

Casserly said the organisation has paid particular attention to the boosting of agri-business in Jamaica, and as such, sought to tackle more large-scale agricultural projects in addition to the annual grants, which are distributed to schools and other institutions in the parish.

"For one, we have partnered with Farm Up Jamaica, a not-for-profit charitable organisation focusing on organic farming across the island. They employ and educate farmers as well as students in new techniques," Casserly said.

"Our first pilot project is the already successful schoolyard garden and drumming classes at the Watford Hill Primary School," she added. "The programme is not only about planting vegetable gardens in a school, it is also about the commercial side of farming, where you educate the children about how to sell their produce." more

THE GLEANER MINUTE: Online monitoring ... Tunnels found in Tivoli ... Security concerns at UWI

LONDON, United Kingdom : German-born Jamaican Dustin Brown beats Nadal at Wimbledon

Thursday, July 02, 2015 | 2:33 PM 

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Rafael Nadal was sent crashing out of Wimbledon by dread-locked German qualifier Dustin Brown on Thursday, his fourth successive humiliation at the All England Club.

Nadal, the 2008 and 2010 champion, slumped to a 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 second round defeat against the world number 102 who hit 13 aces and 58 winners.

Dustin Brown

It was the 29-year-old's first ever defeat to a qualifier at a Grand Slam and came in the aftermath of losing his French Open crown where he had been champion nine times.

The loss followed his 2012 second round exit to world 100 Lukas Rosol, a first round beating by the 135-ranked Steve Darcis in 2013 and last year's fourth round defeat to Nick Kyrgios, who was at 144.

Down at his lowest ranking for a decade -- at 10 in the world -- Thursday's defeat was yet another symptom of the great Spaniard's game being in a terminal state of decline.

For Brown, who once drove to tournaments in a camper van to save money, it was his second win against Nadal having won on grass in Halle in 2014.

It also gave him a third round clash against Serbia's Viktor Troicki.

"I had actually never been on Centre Court before," said Brown.

"They asked me before the match if I wanted to go on the court. I didn't know what was going to happen, so I just said I'll just go on when I play.

Jamaican Dustin Brown

"I thought I would freak out a little bit but I don't know if it was the match in Halle, it felt very familiar. It wasn't obviously that big of a court but being on grass, being with him on the court and having won the last match it made me feel more comfortable."

He added: "It's easy for me to play my game against someone like him because I have nothing to lose."

Nadal had the luxury of the first break for a 3-1 advantage in the opening set which was quickly cancelled out by Brown in the fifth game. more

IN JAMAICA: Questions raised over 18 bodies found at May Pen Cemetery...

BY PAUL HENRY Coordinator - Crime/Court Desk henryp@jamaicaobserver.com  Friday, July 03, 2015 

PATHOLOGIST reports from evidence presented to the Tivoli Commission of Enquiry seem to have run counter to evidence by the security forces as to the time of death of some 18 bodies found in May Pen cemetery.

Dudus

Lt Col David Cummings testified yesterday that the bodies in the cemetery seemed to have been dumped there before the start of the security operation on May 24, 2010 to apprehend Christopher 'Dudus' Coke.

The police had also suggested, prior to this, that the bodies were those of people killed in Tivoli Gardens prior to the start of the operation because they refused to co-operate with criminals loyal to Coke.

But yesterday, Lord Anthony Gifford, the Queen's Counsel appearing for the Office of the Public Defender, put to Cummings that the pathologist reports suggested that the 18, with the exception of one, were killed on the 24th and the 25th of May 2010. He said he didn't know.

Cummings agreed with commission chairman Sir David Simmons that it would be highly unlikely for a private vehicle with bodies to leave Tivoli to dump them in the cemetery, given the fact that the security forces controlled the area.

Cummings gave evidence earlier yesterday that a surveillance system was found by soldiers inside the community of Tivoli Gardens after the security forces launched the May 24, 2010 operation to apprehend Coke.

Cummings, who was in charge of the Jamaica Defence Force's Engineer Unit at the time, testified that the system was found at a home at 15A DC Avenue after Coke left the community.

He explained that the surveillance system, connected to a large flat screen, allowed for the monitoring of the entire Tivoli Gardens area and the various approaches to the community.

Cummings, who gave the testimony during his evidence-in-chief led by attorney Linton Gordon, said the equipment was turned over to the police. But Simmons commented that he hadn't heard of this from the senior members of the police force who already gave evidence.

Cummings said soldiers who were with him also found extradition papers in relation to Coke at his "Presidential Click" office in the community. He added that the document was marked "Federal Grand Jury of New York". more

JAMMing for more reggae...Danny Browne restarts local content quota debate. THE call has come for a mandated quota of Jamaican content on local radio and television. What Do You Think?

BY RICHARD JOHNSON Observer senior reporter johnsonr@jamaicaobserver.com  Friday, July 03, 2015    

THE call has come for a mandated quota of Jamaican content on local radio and television.

Leading the way is chairman of the Jamaica Music Society (JAMMS), Danny Browne.

Chairman of the Jamaica Music Society Danny Browne
(left) with President of the Jamaica Federation of
Musicians Desi Young at Wednesday’s International
Reggae Day conference at the Jamaica Pegasus.
(PHOTO: JOSEPH WELLINGTON)

Speaking at the conference to mark International Reggae Day at Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Wednesday, he cited countries such as Canada, Australia, France and Nigeria which all have local content quotas - as high as 80 per cent.

"None of these countries has given the world at least three distinct genres of music like Jamaica, yet they have quotas to protect their music," Browne argued.

"It would support the development of local culture and national identity. It would also promote diversity and boost the local recording industry. Currently, as much as 70 per cent of the content on local radio is from abroad. While I am not against foreign content, I don't believe it should be at the peril of our local music industry," he said.

He called on colleagues to step forward and lobby media heads to have local content quotas mandated.

"Look at Reggae Month, it should be mandated that only local content is played on radio during February — purely reggae — and then you revert to your regular playlist at the end of the month. Without this the designation of Reggae Month is weak and baseless," said Browne. more

A WOW STORY : Bobbi Kristina Brown's Past Year: Abused, Isolated and Desperate, the Tragic Secrets Whitney Houston's Daughter Was Hiding (VIDEO)

by MELANIE BROMLEY Wed., Jul. 1, 2015

Three weeks before she was found unconscious in the bath, Bobbi Kristina Brown phoned one of her best friends, Alex Reid.

She was distraught and scared, and was hiding from her live-in boyfriend, Nick Gordon. Her refuge of choice—inside her deceased mother's closet.

Bobbi Kristina & Nick Gordon

"She was sobbing. Nick had hit her and she was scared," explains Alex, recalling the conversation with Krissi in an exclusive interview with E! News. "She was very upset. She didn't know what to do. It was as if, she didn't have anyone else to turn to. It was heartbreaking."This is the first time Bobbi Kristina's best friend has spoken. California-based Alex would speak to Whitney Houston's daughter often, sometimes daily. The two girls first met during Grammys week two years ago and immediately bonded.

"I love her. I would never have betrayed her and spoken out before now, " says Alex through tears. "But as she lies there, I feel there is no one else to speak on her behalf. I feel like I have to be a voice for her now."

Hiding from Gordon was just one of the heartbreaking incidents that Bobbi Kristina confided in her friend about: "Krissi was physically abused by Nick on a number of occasions and she told me about some of them," Alex says. "I never witnessed anything…she would FaceTime me every time she was distraught, when something has just happened or show me a bruise."

Meanwhile, there are still a number of unanswered questions about what really went on in those final hours before the 911 call from Bobbi Kristina's Atlanta home on Jan. 31. A police investigation is still ongoing. And Alex is determined to find out what happened to her best friend: "There are things that I know that no one else does," she tells us. "And I hope that by speaking out I can help the investigation in some way." more

Paris Fireworks - World Leaders 'Shelly', Gardner Set For Hot 100m Diamond League Clash

 The line-up for the women's 100 metres at Saturday's Diamond League meeting in Paris will be very hot, with five of the women already dipping under 11 seconds this season.

This group is headed by joint world leaders Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica and the United States' English Gardener, who have recorded 10.79 seconds.

With 10.79 seconds to spearhead this very strong line-up, Fraser-Pryce's last two runs have been brilliant, as after her close win over the Ivory Coast's Murielle Ahoure at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meeting in Eugene, Oregon, where both clocked 10.81 seconds, she followed up that with an even more impressive run at the Jamaica National Championships last Friday.

There, she recorded a runaway victory in 10.79.

Similar Times

On the same day, Gardner, competing in the semi-finals of the United States trials in Eugene, also logged 10.79 seconds to show that she is also in top form. At that same venue, Gardner clocked 10.84 seconds in edging out Jamaica's Elaine Thompson in a 100m 'B' race at the Prefontaine Classic.

After her fast clocking to win at the trials, Fraser-Pryce's coach, Stephen Francis, stated that he was not pleased with the time as he thought she did not execute well in the last 30 metres.

While both athletes have the joint fastest time, the field is loaded with speed as Ahoure, who lost to Fraser-Pryce in a photo finish when both clocked identical 10.81 seconds, will be coming to avenge that defeat, while the likes of Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare (10.87) and Dutch wonder girl Dafne Schippers, with a season best of 10.97, will also be backing themselves to win.

Also included in the field is Natasha Morrison, who finished second at the National Senior Championships in a personal best 11.03 seconds last week and will want to make her name on the big stage.