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caribbean roundup U.N. Secretary-General To Vacation In Trinidad and Tobago; Powell In The Bahamas PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) _ U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan will vacation in Trinidad and Tobago over the holidays and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will take some time off in the Bahamas, officials said. Annan will arrive on the smaller island of Tobago on Sunday and will leave for Trinidad on Jan. 2, a Trini-dadian government official said on condition of anonymity. He will spend two days in Trinidad and leave for New York on Jan. 4. Annan, who is from Ghana, will be traveling with relatives, the government official said. Meanwhile, Powell is expected to vacation in the Bahamas next week, officials said. Powell was released re-cently from Walter Reed Army Medi-cal Center in Washington three days after his cancerous prostate gland was removed. South African Leader Arrives For Bilateral Talks NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) – South African President Thabo Mbeki arrived in the Bahamas on for a four-day visit to boost bilateral ties before heading to Haiti’s bicentennial independence celebrations. Mbeki, 61, was greeted by Prime Minister Perry Christie at Nassau In-ternational Airport and units of the Royal Bahamas Defense Force. An honor guard played the South African and Bahamian national anthems. He laid a wreath at the grave of a South African killed during World War II who had trained with British forces in the Bahamas. Later, a police band was scheduled to perform for Mbeki in downtown Nassau. South Africa’s foreign minister and other officials were traveling with Mbeki. Over the course of his visit, he has meetings planned with Christie and other officials in an effort to strengthen ties between South Africa and the 15-member Caribbean Community, of which Bahamas is a member. He is expected to hold a news conference on Tuesday. South Africa and the Bahamas established diplomatic relations in 1994, the same year South Africa ended apartheid. Mbeki’s visit to the Bahamas ends on Wednesday. Haitian president Attends Christmas Mass Amid Rising Tensions PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) – President Jean-Bertrand Aristide attend-ed Christmas Mass on Thursday, re-ceiving a blessing from a nun amid rising tensions in his impoverished na-tion. Aristide and his wife, Mildred Tro-uillot Aristide, sat in St. Theresa of Baby Jesus church in this poor suburb south of the capital as a nun gave the former priest a blessing to guide him through difficult times. "We ask God to bless the president so that he may fulfill his duties,’’ Sister Messeroix Leda said. The church’s priest, Rodolphe Aty, spoke about the kindness among neighbors at the service. Outside the church, Aristide – who is still popular among Haiti’s poorest _ hugged and kissed people, many of whom gave him Christmas gifts made of pottery. Crowds of teenage boys shouted "Five years!’’ to support the president’s promise to serve out his term, which ends in 2006. "We came to see him. He’s our president, and he takes care of us,’’ said a thin and shoeless Mautus Donald, 15, who said he and his 7-year-old brother woke up early and walked an hour and a half to see Aristide. The Mass comes after Aristide supporters allegedly opened fire Monday on anti-government protesters in the westcoast town of Gonaives, killing eight, according to private Radio Vi-sion 2000. While police confirmed the toll, they could not give details of the shoot-ing or whether the people killed were pro-Aristide, anti-government or by-standers. The government could not be reached for comment. The rising tensions and protests against Aristide’s rule have come as the government prepares for celebrations marking Haiti’s 200th anniversary of independence from slave-holding France on Jan. 1. Haiti is the world’s oldest black republic, but as the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, its bicentennial is bittersweet. The government says many of the protests are meant to spoil the state-sanctioned celebrations. The Caribbean nation has been in turmoil since Aristide’s Lavalas Family party swept 2000 elections, which some observers said were flawed. Since mid- September, at least 31 people have been killed during anti-government demonstrations and scored have been injured. Aristide has since lost many of his supporters amid growing poverty in his nation. In recent weeks, three Cabinet members have also resigned. Some say the government has used police and partisans to repress increasing anti-government demonstrations. Aristide, Haiti’s first freely elected leader, was deposed in a 1991 military coup and restored in a 1994 U.S. invasion. He stepped down in 1996 due to a term limit and was re-elected in 2000. He has refused opposition calls to step down, saying he will serve out his term until 2006. Antiguan Legislator Charged With Murder In Shooting Death Of Woman ST. JOHN’S, Antigua (AP) – A magistrate recently charged an opposition legislator with murder in a scuffle that led to the shooting death of a woman, his lawyer said. Sherfield Bowen, 44, appeared in St. John’s Magistrate Court where he was formally charged with murdering Tessa Barthley, his attorney Dane Hamilton said. Bowen was not required to enter a plea. Barthley, 22, was shot in the neck Dec. 16 and put on life support. She died Tuesday of a heart attack, hospital officials said. Bowen, a Parliament member and former member of Antigua’s governing party, was initially charged last week with intent to commit murder. He was released on EC$75,000 (US $28,000) bail. The magistrate said he had no jurisdiction to revoke the High Court’s de-cision to grant Bowen bail, so he will remain free. The date of his next court appearance was not immediately available. Prosecutors were not available for comment. Barthley showed up at Bowen’s law office last week and the two argued. In the midst of a struggle, Bowen’s gun went off, said police, who had loaned Bowen the gun for his protection. Malvo’s Jamaican Parents Thank Jury For Sparing Him From Death KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) – The mother of convicted sniper Lee Boyd Malvo thanked the Virginia jury that spared her teenage son from the death penalty, but recommended a sentence of life in prison instead. "I knew he would get life because of the length of the trial,’’ said Una James, who seemed relieved when reached by phone. "I thank God that they spared his life, I thank them for that.’’ The jury spared Malvo, 18, from joining his mentor John Allen Muham-mad on death row after his lawyers argued that he was an impressionable boy who fell under Muhammad’s murderous spell in the three-week reign of terror that left 10 people dead in and around Washington, D.C. in October 2002. The jury in Chesapeake, Virginia took 8 1/2 hours over two days to decide Malvo’s fate. The judge must impose life without parole when Malvo is formally sentenced March 10. Malvo’s father said the jury chose the lesser of two evils. "It’s better than taking his life,’’ said Leslie Malvo, who first heard of the jury’s decision when reached in Kings-ton by The Associated Press on his cellular phone. "Maybe in time, lawyers can appeal.’’ Meanwhile, some Jamaicans shared Leslie Malvo’s sentiment on the busy streets of the capital’s Half-Way-Tree commercial district. "It’s better than him being executed,’’ said Radley Smith, a 60-year-old construction worker. "I believe he should have a chance because he was so young.’’ He added that Muhammad deserved to be executed. But taxi driver Travis Collins, 31, had no sympathy for Malvo. "He got what he deserved because he did some wicked things,’’ Collins said. "I’m not sorry for him.’’ Last month, Muhammad, 42, was convicted of murder in nearby Virginia Beach, and the jury recommended he receive the death penalty. The judge has yet to impose sentence. In 1998, James and Malvo moved from Jamaica to Antigua, where they met Muhammad. Malvo joined his mother in the United States, but ran away in October 2001 to join Muham-mad. Governing Party Leader Convicted On Corruption Charges WILLEMSTAD, Curacao (AP) – Curacao’s governing party leader was convicted of fraud, embezzlement and corruption charges and a judge sentenced him to a year in prison. Anthony Godett, leader of the Workers Liberation Front, will serve only nine months of the sentence on the condition that he doesn’t commit a crime in the two years after his release, Judge Willem Foppen said in his 52-page verdict in a criminal court. If he does, he will be forced to serve the additional three months. Godett, who says he is innocent, has two weeks to appeal and his lawyer Eldon Sulvaran said he is considering it. Until then, Godett remains free. Godett was convicted of facilitating fraud in the construction of a new parking lot at the Dutch Caribbean island’s airport and collecting money from builders in return for favors when he was commissioner in charge of development and public housing. Godett was also convicted of re-ceiving 200,000 Netherlands Antilles guilders (US$112,000) in bribes for helping give a contract to the company of a fellow party member during privatization of the postal service last year.
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