BBC Caribbean News in Brief

Arrow flown to Antigua

International soca star Alphonsus ‘Arrow’ Cassell has been airlifted to neighbouring Antigua for further medical attention.

Arrow had been hospitalised in his homeland Montserrat, where he was being treated for a chest infection.

The exact nature of his illness has not been disclosed.

The 55-year-old was taken to the Mount St John Medical Centre after family members held a vigil for him.
Arrow shot to international fame with his hit “Hot Hot Hot” in 1982.

Montserrat’s former chief minister, John Osborne, is also suffering ill-health and has been receiving medical attention in the United States.

Reports from Brades, the island’s administrative centre, say residents are very concerned about the deteriorating health of these two prominent figures.

Inmate recaptured

An inmate who escaped from St Lucia’s Bordelais prison on Sunday, has been shot and recaptured.

Twenty-year-old Merkin Marquis was found hiding in the hills of the east coast village of Dennery.

He is now under police guard at hospital.

Marquis was jailed for one year for possession of marijuana and causing grievous harm.

His was the second escape in less than a month.

Dudus’ back in court

Alleged Jamaican drug lord, Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, was due back in court in the US yesterday to face drugs and weapons trafficking charges.

He was extradited to the US in June, after he waived his rights to an extradition hearing.
The government was forced to declare a state of emergency in May after Mr Coke’s supporters clashed with police in an attempt to block his extradition.

One of Christopher Coke’s attorneys, Steve Zissou, said a trial date would likely be set at Tuesday’s hearing.

Children need more
Reports by two children’s organisations say much more must be done to help the poorest families if more children’s lives are to be saved.

The aid agency, Save the Children, says there have been four million preventable child deaths worldwide over the past 10 years.
In the Caribbean, Haiti is one of the countries where charities have been working to improve children’s lives.