Moontown

MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Alex is gaining strength and a hurricane watch has been issued for the coasts of south Texas and northeastern Mexico.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Alex is expected to become a hurricane Tuesday. It’s center is on a track from Yucatan headed for the Texas-Mexico border and away from the oil spill area off Louisiana.

A hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within 48 hours.

Forecasters say maximum sustained winds Monday morning were near 60 mph (95 kph).

Tropical storm force winds extend up to 70 miles (110 kilometers) from the storm’s center. It is moving north-northwest near 7 mph (11 kph).

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

BELIZE CITY, Belize (AP) - Tropical Storm Alex was gaining strength Monday as it swirled across the Gulf of Mexico on a path toward Mexico’s northeastern coast that threatened to push oil from the massive spill farther inland.

Story continues below

The tropical storm’s center wasn’t expected to approach the area of the oil spill off Louisiana’s coast, said Stacy Stewart, senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. But Alex’s outer wind field could push oil from the spill farther inland and hinder operations in the area, Stewart said early Monday.

Forecasters also said Alex could become a hurricane later in the day or on Tuesday.

Its heavy rains were expected to begin lashing the Mexican states of Tamaulipas or Veracruz around midweek.

Alex’s heavy rains caused flooding and mudslides that left at least four people dead in Central America over the weekend, though Belize and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula appeared largely unscathed.

It made landfall in Belize on Saturday night as a tropical storm with winds at 60 mph (95 kph). But it weakened into a depression on Sunday as it crossed the Yucatan Peninsula. Once over the warmer waters of the Gulf of Mexico Alex quickly grew back into a tropical storm and had winds of up to 50 mph (85 kph) early Monday.

The hurricane center said rains from Alex will keep falling on southern Mexico and Guatemala until Tuesday and warned of life-threatening floods and mudslides.

The heavy rains prompted a landslide in northwestern Guatemala that dislodged a large rock outcropping, killing two men who had taken shelter from the storm underneath, according to the national disaster-response agency.

In El Salvador, Civil Protection chief Jorge Melendez said two people were swept away by rivers that jumped their banks. About 500 people were evacuated from their homes.

Authorities in both Guatemala and Belize were keeping an eye on rising river levels. One bridge in western Belize was swamped entirely, cutting off a remote Mennonite community.

Hundreds of Belize residents and tourists who had fled low-lying islands for shelters on the mainland began returning on Sunday.

The country apparently avoided major damage, and emergency coordinator Noreen Fairweather said on national radio that there were no reports of injuries.

“The weather came, but it was just normal rain, little gusts of wind and nothing much,” Belize City resident Miguel Chan told APTN. “We have had normal storms that were more heavier than this.”

There were no immediate reports of damage to Mexico’s resort-studded Caribbean coast.

Now all eyes are on the Gulf of Mexico.

When Alex became the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, officials immediately worried what effect it could have on efforts to contain the millions of gallons of crude spewing into the northeastern part of the Gulf.

A cap has been placed over the blown-out undersea well, directing some of the oil to a surface ship where it is being collected or burned. Other ships are drilling two relief wells, projected to be done by August, which are considered the best hope to stop the leak.

Alex was centered about 75 miles (115 kilometers) west of Campeche, Mexico, early Monday and was moving northwest near 6 mph (9 kph). The center said its rains could reach Tamaulipas or Veracruz late Tuesday or Wednesday.

A literal flood flowed from the sky Saturday, sweeping merchandise out of stores in St John’s, and forcing drivers travelling in the city and along highways in its environs to bring their vehicles to a complete standstill due to poor visibility and rushing water.

OBSERVER’s Shane Potter reported seeing a lot of shoeboxes being swept away by the flood and people cleaning up after the intense showers.

“Clerks (were) actually pushing water out of the stores, and of course inventory that got wet they’re also taking them out of the stores.

“So it’s almost like an after-hurricane clean-up campaign (that took) place with that thunderstorm that passed,” Potter said.

Between 2 and 3 pm people reported seeing a funnel-like cloud extending downward over the ocean between Antigua and Montserrat.

“This storm cloud is just like so weird. My dog ran into my house, like the animal is reacting to something in the weather. The dog ran in the house and run under meh chair in there like cuddled up,” said a Sutherlands woman, who like other residents, called OBSERVER Radio’s Snake Pit programme to relate their experiences.

The curious spectacle over the ocean was followed quickly by heavy rain, which quickly overwhelmed the drains in St John’s. In some areas, water reached knee high.

One woman said she had to pull over as, even on full speed, her windshield wipers couldn’t clear the windscreen fast enough for her to see to drive.

The Met Office at the VC Bird International Airport was swamped by calls, and in his brief conversation with antiguaobserver.com before the rain started, Meteorologist Orvin Paige said the atmosphere around Antigua and the Met Office had been giving warning signals for days.

“(An) upper-level trough system to our north and northeast has been providing some unstable conditions, and what happened (Saturday) as expected … the temperature got pretty high … 32 degrees. And with the amount of solar energy in this would have added some fuel to the already unstable conditions which ignited the thunderstorms,” Paige said.

The storm disrupted electricity, Internet, and cell phone services for some people and the service from both cable television providers was also affected.

The disruption left Football World Cup fans unable to watch the end of the Ghana-US final 16 game in which a 2-1 victory for Ghana ended the US’ hopes of advancing to the final eight.

Meantime, after weeks of close calls, weather experts on Saturday began tracking Alex, the first named storm of the 2010 Hurricane Season.

A set of clouds spanning from the Caribbean Sea across the Yucatan Peninsula and into the Gulf of Mexico developed wind speed of up to 45 miles per hour at the 3 pm reading. The minimum speed for a tropical storm is 39 miles per hour.

Director of the Antigua & Barbuda Meteorological Services Keithley Meade said that people here should take note of how early in the season Alex formed.

“I remarked some weeks ago that the presence of an early system just around the western Central America was some indication that the atmosphere was pretty conducive to the direct development of storm systems, so now we’re seeing the effect of it. …

”As we can see, the atmosphere is off to a flying start, and as such we can expect, as predicted, an active season,” Meade said.

Up to seven major hurricanes of Category 3 and above with wind speeds of at least 111 miles per hour are predicted for the 2010 season. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted that many as 23 named storms could develop, with as many as 14 becoming hurricanes.

Weather experts believe that there may be about seven major hurricanes between June 1 and November 30, 2010. (Antigua Observer)

By Martina Johnson

Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer

Gaston Browne. Steadroy “Cutie” Benjamin. Jacqui Quinn-Leandro. John Maginley. Baldwin Spencer. Parliamentarians on both sides of the aisle anxiously await decisions in their cases when the Court of Appeal begins its sitting tomorrow.

In the case of Browne, he is challenging a High Court ruling made last year where he was ordered to return three acres of land to the government because the land was improperly transferred to him.

High Court Judge David Harris had told Browne that although he still has a contract with the government for the land sale he would not be able to possess it until he consults with the National Parks Authority in accordance with the law.

Browne has decided to challenge this ruling, and has submitted in his legal argument that he should not have to consult with the National Parks Authority because it was not usual for that to be done, notwithstanding the law which makes it mandatory.

Parliamentarian and attorney-at-law Benjamin is also challenging an order made by Justice Harris last year in a fraud case that has plagued him since 2008.

Dr. Jaqui Quinn-Leandro

The politician, who faces charges in the Magistrates’ Court under the Forgery Act for his alleged involvement in a passport fraud scam, had made an application for judicial review, but the court did not rule in his favour. Thus, the way was paved for the trial to move forward in the court.

However, Benjamin subsequently applied for and won the opportunity to appeal the order and the hearing is down for this sitting in the Court of Appeal. Two other persons were convicted and sentenced in the case. They have already completed serving two-year sentences.

The battle that has the most far-reaching implications is the case now commonly called the Elections Petitions Case which involves Quinn-Leandro and Maginley — representatives of the United Progressive Party (UPP) – and their leader Baldwin Spencer.

In consolidated civil appeals, the three politicians are fighting against the historical March 31 decision of Justice Louise Blenman who overturned their election to Parliament owing to the significant late start of polling in each of the three constituencies they represent.

The hearing of the appeal is slated for June 30 through July 2.

Meantime, there are a number of other civil matters down for appeal, as well as criminal cases from both the High and Magistrates’ courts. (Antigua Observer)

Akile Simon akile.simon@trinidadexpress.com

THE Police Service Commission will have to, over the next two days, decide on whether acting Police Commissioner James Philbert should step aside and allow one of three deputy commissioners-elect to act as the country’s police commissioner until Parliament approves a nominee for the post.

The commission’s term expires on Wednesday and its chairman, Christopher Thomas, says the commission intends to discuss the acting top cop appointment, after ’issues’ were raised shortly after Parliament gave approval for acting Deputy Commissioners Stephen Williams and Maurice Piggott, along with former Canadian chief of police, Jack Ewatski, to be appointed.

Thomas agreed over the weekend that once the three receive their instruments of appointments from the PSC, they would become senior to Philbert, who is an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP).

One of Philbert’s fellow ACPs, who asked not to be named, yesterday called on the Integrity Commission to act in accordance with the law and appoint one of the three deputies, who are to be officially confirmed in their posts this week, to act as police commissioner.

Williams, first on the order of merit list in the deputy CoP category in the just-concluded selection process undertaken by the Justice and Safety Institute (JASI) of the Pennsylvania State University, will become the most senior officer within the service when presented with his instruments of appointment, followed by Piggott and Ewatski.

According to the senior officer, ’The Commission has several options before it, which include asking him (Philbert) to step aside, and pay him off for the remaining period of his acting tenure, which expires on September 30, and appoint Williams to act as commissioner.’

He said if Philbert is allowed to stay on until his contract expires, or a CoP is appointed, there would be tension within the executive because Philbert would have to give instructions to his new deputies.

At the time of Philbert’s appointment, there were no deputy commissioners, nor were there any existing laws which specifically dealt with the appointment of officers to act in the offices of CoP and DCoP. Senior Counsel Dana Seetahal, however, has stated that Philbert has ultimate control of the service, since he was appointed to the post before provisions were made to deal with acting executive appointments.

Exercising its discretion under the law, the Commission then appointed Philbert, the most senior officer within the service, to act as the top cop until a suitable replacement was found.

Section (3) of Legal Notice number 103 of 2009 gave the PSC the authority to appoint a person holding or acting in the office of a Deputy Commissioner of Police, to act as police commissioner if:

(a) The Commissioner is absent from Trinidad and Tobago or is on vacation leave or is unable by reason of illness or any other reason, to perform the functions of the Commissioner of Police; or

(b) The office of the Commissioner of Police is vacant for whatever reason and the appointment of his successor is pending.

Philbert, 61, was first appointed to act as Police Commissioner on June 27, 2008, after his predecessor Trevor Paul, retired from the job. Attempts to reach Philbert yesterday were unsuccessful.

Carolyn Kissoon South Bureau

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said yesterday that litter bugs and anyone caught breaking the laws with respect to the environment would face strict penalties in future.

Persad-Bissessar said not enough attention has been paid to the environment and laws protecting it would be enforced.

’We would look at strengthening the litter warden system and strict penalties with respect to those who continue to break the law. As long as they break the law, we would have to enforce the law. But I don’t think we have paid enough attention to the environment and so we will have a legislative package to deal with that,’ she said.

Persad-Bissessar made the comment during a brief stop at the San Fernando interchange at Cross Crossing, where Member of Parliament for San Fernando West, Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan, spent the day on a clean-up campaign. (See Page 7)

Minister of Works and Transport, Jack Warner, accompanied Persad-Bissessar, who planted a tree at the interchange.

Teamwork: Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar assists young Beetham resident Micha Alexander in shovelling debris at the start of the Clean and Beautify Trinidad and Tobago project at Beetham Gardens, Laventille, yesterday. -Photo: MICHEAL BRUCE

Persad-Bissessar journeyed throughout the country yesterday as she launched her Clean Up and Beautify Trinidad and Tobago (C&BTT) campaign.

Persad-Bissessar said Community-based Environment Development and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) and the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP) workers would be charged with the responsibility of sustaining the programme.

’I want to thank all of you - the corporate sponsors and the individuals - who came out and heeded our call to clean up and beautify this great land of ours. Today is the beginning, it is not the end and we must continue this work together. I am so pleased with the patriotism that has been demonstrated,’ she said.

Persad-Bissessar ended her tour in her Siparia constituency, where she released fish into the Petrotrin dam at Clarke Road, Penal.

’We cleaned up the Petrotrin dam and we have some fishes to place in dam to keep the environment clean and keep the ecosystem going,’ she said.

Warner congratulated Persad-Bissessar for her initiative to clean up and beautify the country.

’All where we have passed we have seen people indulging in clean-up campaign in beautifying the country. And I think this initiative of the prime minister has been a tremendous success. It could not have been a success without the collective effort of all of you and I want to say thanks to all of you on behalf of the Ministry of Works and Transport,’ he said.

He said if the clean-up campaigns were sustained, it would be a dream come true

Jensen LaVende jlavende@trinidadexpress.com

NATIONAL SECURITY Minister Brigadier John Sandy said yesterday that he would like to see a local taking over the Commissioner of Police (CoP) post.

’I personally would like to see a local commissioner. I don’t think that any police officer, from Constable, would not want to sit in that chair,’ Sandy told members of the media at the launch of the nationwide Clean Up and Beautify Trinidad and Tobago programme at 17 Street D, Beetham Gardens, Laventille.

When asked about the level of crime and its increase under a local CoP, Sandy asked ’what guarantee’ there was that a foreign CoP would reduce crime.

’What we want to do is to diminish crime in Trinidad and Tobago. Whatever we need to do to achieve that we are going to do it,’ Sandy said.

He added, ’Most people, no matter what profession they are in, they look at ascendancy. If that is tarnished in any way it could affect the individual who wants to reach the top, it’s a natural thing. A foreign CoP could demoralise the police officers.’

SECURITY CHAT: Minister of National Security, Brigadier John Sandy, second from left, and adviser to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on national security, Gary Griffith, chat with members of the protective services involved in yesterday’s Clean Up and Beautify Trinidad and Tobago campaign at the Beetham Gardens, Laventille. -Photo: MICHAEL BRUCE

When asked about the process of selecting a CoP and whether or not it should be changed, Sandy said he had asked about it and was told by attorneys that it would take more than a year to change legislation. He said the process would take such a long time because Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar wants to consult with all the relevant authorities.

Sandy added that ’one ministry did not do their homework’, when asked his views on the names of two candidates vying for CoP being part of the selecting process undertaken by the Justice and Safety Institute (JASI) of the Pennsylvania State University.

Sandy said one idea being considered, both to address the issue of the selection process and the acceptance of a foreign CoP, is to remove the open invitation currently in place and replace it with an invitation for nationals of T&T who may be living abroad.

Addressing the extension of the contract of acting Commissioner of Police James Philbert, Sandy said he ’doubted very much’ Philbert would be given another extension when his fourth one expires in September, but said such a matter was left up to the Police Service Commission (PSC) to decide. (Trinidad Express)

West Indies’ Sulieman Benn (left) bowls as umpire Simon Taufel looks on during the second day of the Test cricket match against South Africa in Bridgetown, Barbados, yesterday. Benn took four wickets. - AP

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

Sulieman Benn continued his impressive form in this series, but South Africa gained control of the third and final Test against West Indies yesterday at Kensington Oval through resolute batting.

The beanpole left-arm spinner captured four wickets for 59 runs from 31 overs, as South Africa, replying to West Indies’ first innings total of 231, reached 285 for six at the close on the second day.

The main stumbling blocks in the way of Benn and the rest of the West Indies attack were A.B. de Villiers and Ashwell Prince, although South Africa captain Graeme Smith made 70 and Jacques Kallis scored 43.

After West Indies seemed to have gained a bit of an edge, when South Africa slipped to 145 for five just after lunch, de Villiers with 73 and Prince with an unbeaten 55 rescued their side.

For almost four hours, West Indies offered few alarms to the pair and they put together a record stand of 134 for the sixth wicket.

The hard-working Benn made a welcomed breakthrough for West Indies about 15 minutes before theclose, when de Villiers tried to cut his 189th ball for a seventh four and was caught behind after batting just over four hours.

Benn had already given West Indies a boost in the final half-hour before the interval, when he had Smith, the South Africa captain, caught at forward short leg, this after Smith and Jacques Kallis had put on 62 for the fourth wicket.

Debutant fast bowler Brandon Bess had collected his maiden Test wicket, when he provided the early scalp for West Indies, having night-watchman Paul Harris caught at first slip for 11.

After lunch, Benn outfoxed Kallis with the last ball of the first over, when the South African vice-captain offered no stroke to an arm ball and was bowled.

West Indies failed to press the advantage and Prince joined de Villiers to carry the Proteas to tea on 203 for five.

LONG, HARD TOIL

Kemar Roach felt he had de Villiers caught behind on eight, when the batsman appeared to feather an edge to keeper Denesh Ramdin, but umpire Steve Davis ruled not out.

West Indies considered a review of the decision, but video replays shown later were inconclusive and proved that they were correct in deciding not to challenge Davis’ verdict.

After tea, West Indies continued the long, hard toil for wickets, as de Villiers and Prince posted theirindividual landmarks.

Just when it appeared West Indies would endure a wicketless toil in the evening session, Benn again proved his value to the side when he removed de Villiers, much to the delight of his team-mates, and carried his aggregate of wickets to 13.

West Indies trail 0-1 in the series, following a 163-run defeat in the first Test in Trinidad, and a draw in the second Test in St Kitts.

WEST INDIES 1st Innings 231

(D. Bravo 61; J. Botha 4-56)

SOUTH AFRICA 1st Innings

(overnight 46 for two)

G. Smith c Richards b Benn 70A. Petersen c Chanderpaul b Roach 1H. Amla c Nash b Benn 5P. Harris cGayle b Bess 11J. Kallis b Benn 43A.B. deVilliers c wkpr Ramdin b Benn 73A. Prince not out 55+M. Boucher not out 4Extras (b5, lb5, w5, nb8) 23TOTAL (6 wkts, 104 overs) 285

To bat: J. Botha, D. Steyn, M. Morkel

Fall of wickets: 1-17 (Petersen), 2-41 (Amla), 3-60 (Harris), 4-122 (Smith), 5-145 (Kallis), 6-279 (de Villiers)

Bowling: Roach 20-6-43-1 (nb1, w2); Bess 9-0-65-1 (nb7, w3); Shillingford 25-2-85-0; Benn 31-7-59-4; D.J. Bravo 17-8-21-0;Gayle 2-1-2-0

Position: South Africa lead by 54 runs with four first innings wickets standing

Umpires: S. Davis, S. Taufel

TV umpire: Asad Rauf

Match referee: J. Crowe

Reserve umpire: C. Duncan (Jamaica Gleaner)