Former US diplomat sentenced for helping DJ get visa

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (AP) — A former security officer with the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service has been sentenced to a year in prison for accepting gifts in exchange for helping a Jamaican Deejay gain a US visa.

Thirty-three-year old David J Rainsberger pleaded guilty earlier this year in federal court in Alexandria.Rainsberger, who said in court papers that he once served on then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s protective detail, admitted helping a well-known musician identified in court papers only by the initials DB get a visa in 2011 to travel to the US.The musician had previously been unable to obtain a visa because of accusations of criminal activity. In exchange, the musician gave Rainsberger luxury watches and other gifts.Prosecutors sought a sentence of about two years; the defence sought home detention.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

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Former US diplomat sentenced for helping DJ get visa

Jamaican diplomat gets new United Nations posting

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Friday, June 28, 2013 | 10:30 AM

UNITED NATIONS (CMC) – The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon has appointed Jamaican-born diplomat, Michelle Gyles-McDonnough, as the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System’s operational activities for development in Malaysia.Gyles-McDonnough will also serve as Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme in Malaysia, with additional responsibility for the Republic of Singapore and Brunei Darussalam, and will have overall responsibility and team leadership for the coordination of UN development activities in these three countries. Her appointment becomes effective July 1.The Barbados-based diplomat, served as UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative for Barbados and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean (OECS) for the past five years.“During her tenure, she significantly raised the visibility of the development challenges facing small island developing states and mobilized other development partners to work together with the UN to support Barbados and OECS member states to address the impacts of climate change,” according to a UN statement.It said she also played a role in making the transition to more sustainable energy future; strengthen capabilities to assess and manage disaster risks and impacts; and improve citizen’s security, well-being and life chances, among other key development areas.Prior to her posting in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Gyles-McDonnough was Programme Adviser in the Executive Office of UNDP, and Regional Adviser in Jamaica. She has also served in the United Nations as Coordinator for the Grenada Recovery Programme following Hurricane Ivan in 2004, and Chief — UNDP Caribbean Sub-Regional Resource Facility in Trinidad and Tobago. Gyles-McDonnough is married to Ambassador Lorne McDonnough, the chief executive officer of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Development Fund.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

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Jamaican diplomat gets new United Nations posting

Jamaican diplomat gets new United Nations posting

News

Friday, June 28, 2013 | 10:30 AM

UNITED NATIONS (CMC) – The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon has appointed Jamaican-born diplomat, Michelle Gyles-McDonnough, as the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System’s operational activities for development in Malaysia.Gyles-McDonnough will also serve as Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme in Malaysia, with additional responsibility for the Republic of Singapore and Brunei Darussalam, and will have overall responsibility and team leadership for the coordination of UN development activities in these three countries. Her appointment becomes effective July 1.The Barbados-based diplomat, served as UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative for Barbados and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean (OECS) for the past five years.“During her tenure, she significantly raised the visibility of the development challenges facing small island developing states and mobilized other development partners to work together with the UN to support Barbados and OECS member states to address the impacts of climate change,” according to a UN statement.It said she also played a role in making the transition to more sustainable energy future; strengthen capabilities to assess and manage disaster risks and impacts; and improve citizen’s security, well-being and life chances, among other key development areas.Prior to her posting in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Gyles-McDonnough was Programme Adviser in the Executive Office of UNDP, and Regional Adviser in Jamaica. She has also served in the United Nations as Coordinator for the Grenada Recovery Programme following Hurricane Ivan in 2004, and Chief — UNDP Caribbean Sub-Regional Resource Facility in Trinidad and Tobago. Gyles-McDonnough is married to Ambassador Lorne McDonnough, the chief executive officer of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Development Fund.

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1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper – email addresses will not be published.

2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.

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4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.

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Jamaican diplomat gets new United Nations posting