Plane Carrying Black Lawmaker Fired On in Somalia

Days after U.S. snipers shot and killed three Somali pirates during their rescue of a U.S. captain, the plane carrying U.S. Rep Donald Payne (D-NJ) was fired on as it was leaving an airport in Somalia, reports CNN. But Payne was unharmed in the incident. “We understand that his plane was fired on … as he left … but that they have left safely and that no one was hurt,” a spokeswoman from his office said. Read the rest.

Jamaica Sees Deadly Easter Weekend
Between last Thursday and Easter Sunday, 11 people were killed in Jamaica, according to the nation’s police. Among the deaths are a 14-year-old girl and a 57-year-old store owner who were shot in connection with a disagreement over a mineral spa, reports the BBC. In total, during the month of April, there have been 33 murders in the island nation. In 2008, Jamaica saw more than 1,600 murders.

Winner declared in Ghana presidential election.

After two peaceful votes, opposition candidate John Evans Atta Mills narrowly won Ghana’s presidential election runoff vote over Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. According to the nation’s electoral commission, Mills won about 50.2 percent of the vote while Akufo-Addo garnered 49.77 percent. The commission also decided that there wasn’t any evidence of vote rigging, but Akufo-Addo is thinking about challenging the results in court, reports the BBC. Neither candidate failed to get over 50 percent of the vote in the first round of elections early in December, which made the runoff necessary.   Mill addressed supporters outside of his party’s headquarters, vowing to be a uniting force. “The time has come to work together to build a better Ghana. I assure Ghanaians that I will be president for all,” he told the crowd. He also congratulated his opponent for “giving us a good fight.” Ghana’s current president, John Agyekum Kufuor will step down this week after serving two terms (which is the maximum).The elections in the west African nation have been praised worldwide for its peacefulness, which is in sharp contrast to the violent elections and campaigns in Zimbabwe and Kenya.

Jamaica sees 13 murders in 2009.

The New Year has gotten off to deadly start in Jamaica, which has seen 13 murders just in the first two days of the year, reports Caribbean Net. The Caribbean nation saw over 1,600 murders in 2008, making it have one of the highest murder rates per capita in the world. Jamaica’s National Transportation Program and Peace Management Institute had hoped for a crime-free January. A 20 year old, Kimani Manderson, was the first one killed, shot at Salt Spring minutes after the New Year. Crime has been a concern in the nation and Prime Minister Bruce Golding plans to make it a priority. “We are going to intensify even further efforts to turn back the tide of criminal activities plaguing the land,” Golding said.

 The estranged brother-in-law of Oscar-winning actress/singer Jennifer Hudson’s was indicted Tuesday in the murders of Hudson’s mother, brother and young nephew. William Balfour, 27, who was married to Jennifer Hudson’s sister, Julia, was indicted on three counts of first-degree murder and one count of home invasion, according to Cook County State’s Attorney’s office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton. Balfour went into a bloody rage because he was upset that Julia was dating another man, prosecutors say. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges Jan. 20. Police say that Julia Hudson argued with Balfour at the Hudson home. Darnell Donerson, 57, and Jason Hudson, 29, were shot to death in the home, but Julia was not there. Julian, 7, was found dead three days later in an SUV on the West Side. Police found a .45-caliber pistol in bushes near the place where the SUV was parked in late October. Ballistics tests linked the weapon to the murders, according to police sources.

Philly seems to be doing all it can to live up to its infamous reputation as “Kill-adelphia.” Three shootings in the City of Unbrotherly Shove Sunday left three people dead and another three in critical condition. All of the victims were males, and all were shot on the street, The Philadelphia Daily News reports. In a related incident, a South Philadelphia man, angry because a father and son were talking during a Christmas showing of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” whipped out a .380-caliber gun and shot the father, police said. Charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and various weapons violations in that case was 29-year-old James Joseph Cialella Jr. There have not been any arrests in the three shootings that left three dead. In recent years, Philadelphia has earned the dubious distinction as one of the bloodiest cities in America, averaging more than a homicide a day. So far this year, there have been 329 homicides in Philadelphia, compared to 392 in all of 2007, The Daily News reports.

 The number of murdered Black teens has shot up dramatically over the past eight years, a new report shows. Since 2000 and 2001, homicides of African-American teens have risen an alarming 39 percent, according to the study by Northeastern University. The findings are particularly troubling because the spike in Black murders occurred as the homicide rate in other U.S. communities steadily declined, The Wall Street Journal notes. The pattern is even starker among youths. “It’s hard to pin down cause and effect,” said James Alan Fox, one of the authors of the study. He said that there are several likely reasons for the surge, not least of which were severe cuts in local law-enforcement programs that successfully countered murder rates during the 1990s. Most of the killings of Black youths were perpetrated by other Blacks. In addition to a reduction in police programs, poor parental supervision (largely attributable to single-parent homes), inferior schools and widespread gang activity are all responsible for the problem, Fox said. “Cuts in support for youth have a much greater impact on Black families who don’t have alternatives,” he said.

Today, the jury will ponder the fate of the Atlanta mass murderer. The trial that has lasted for 12 weeks, exhausted a jury that has listened to more than 140 witnesses and seen more than 1,000 pieces of evidence – in a case that has dragged on for more than three and a half years, reached its penultimate moment Monday, reports The Atlanta Journal Constitution. To determine the fate of convicted Atlanta courthouse shooter Brian Nichols, the prosecution tried to nail shut the case for the death penalty, while he defense pleaded with the jury to give mercy to a man who killed four people in a March 11, 2005 murder spree: Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes; court reporter Julie Ann Brandau; sheriff’s deputy Hoyt Teasley and U.S. Customs agent David Wilhelm. The jury begins deliberating this morning on a verdict for punishment.

Student says singer’s brother-in-law tried to leave town.  The only person who police have publicly connected with the Jennifer Hudson family murder case reportedly tried to leave town the day of the killings. Mississippi college student Rashia Whitlock tells investigators that William Balfour, Hudson’s estranged brother-in-law, called Oct. 24 at 4 a.m. Balfour said he and his “boys” were “getting ready for something real big that’s going to go down tomorrow,” Whitlock tells The Chicago Sun-Times. Read the rest here.

Jennifer Hudson family to be buried today. A week after they were found shot to death, three members of singer Jennifer Hudson’s family will be buried in Chicago. Funeral services for Hudson’s mom Darnell Donerson, brother Jason Hudson and nephew Julian King will be held today. No one has been charged in the killings, but a man who was once close to the family remains in custody. William Balfour, estranged husband to the singer’s sister, is being held on a parole violation and is believed to have information about the deaths. Meanwhile, police reportedly are investigating whether the murder weapon may have once belonged to Jason Hudson. Police say his gun was stolen from the house a few months ago and could be a match for the gun used in the killings. Click here to read about Balfour’s response to taking a lie detector and get more updates on the Hudson family tragedy here.

Tanzania announces crackdown on albino murders. On the same day a 10-year-old albino girl was murdered and mutilated, the government of Tanzania announced a crackdown on those who kill albinos and sell their body parts, reports the AFP. Sorcerers buy the body parts of albinos intending to use them in good luck potions. The girl was murdered just a few hours after the country’s president, Jakaya Kikwete, announced a heightened crackdown on these killings saying they have “stained the country’s good image.” And the notion that albino body parts can bring good luck is just ridiculous and lazy, he said at a rally put on by the Tanzania Albino Society (TAS). “It is utterly stupid for some people to believe that albinos have magic powers and their parts can make the rich,” he said. “People should be provided with education to understand that it is only through hard working that they can prosper in life and not through selling albinos’ body parts.” But murders of albinos in the east African nation, 26 just this year (mostly women and children), are a problem. Last year it was even reported that some people were digging up graves of albino infants to remove body parts of ritual potions. And TAS leader, Ernest Kimaya, doesn’t think authorities are doing enough to stop the tragedies. “We are yet to witness any convictions and incidents; murder of albinos are on the rise,” he said. “I have a case of one albino woman who has been hiding for more than three months after her sister was killed. This is a very serious case. We are calling upon the government to address the problem.” Kikwete said 47 thought to be involved with albino killings have been arrested this year. There are about 150,000 albinos in the country; some families murder albino babies when they are born. An albino appointed to the nation’s parliament on a special seat is confident the murderers will be captured. “The criminals involved in these superstitious networks should know that their days are numbered,” Al Shaymaa Kwegyr said.

Europeans will give the Caribbean over $212 million. In an effort to help development in the region, the European Commission (EC) is set to donate over $212 million (165 million Euros) to the Caribbean, reports Caribbean News Net. The money will be placed in the European Development Fund (EDF) Regional Program for the Caribbean.  The aid was discussed during a European Partnership Agreement (EPA) meeting in Antigua. The money will go towards the Caribbean’s e-commerce, cultural industries and trade among other areas, according to CARIFORUM-EU-EPA negotiator Karl Falkenberg. And, according to Antigua’s Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer, the cash flow won’t stop there. At a recent meeting, Caribbean countries will also get some of the two billion Euros reserved for the World Trade Organization. “Recognizing that the traditional pool of EDF resources available to the region will have to be augmented, the EC and its member states have committed making available to CARIFORUM countries an equitable share of the 2 billion Euros set aside for ‘Aid for Trade.’ Signing the EPA will immediately pave the way for engaging the EC in respect of access to those funds.”

Family wants football legend’s jewelry.

A judge has ordered one of the men who O.J. Simpson was recently convicted of robbing to produce a Hall of Fame ring worth about $50,000. Lawyers for Fred Goldman, father of Ron Goldman, who was murdered along with Simpson’s ex-wife, want collector Alfred Beardsley to give up the bling. Though Simpson was acquitted after being accused in the 1990s murders of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson, a civil jury found him liable. Fred Goldman has sought, by pursuing Simpson’s assets, to collect on a hefty financial settlement awarded to the family. The Hall of Fame football player was recently convicted of robbing and kidnapping Beardsley and his partner in Las Vegas last year.