Wyclef Jean shot while In Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Hip-hop singer Wyclef Jean says he was grazed by a bullet in the hand when he stepped out of his car in Haiti to make a phone call.

The Haitian-American performer says he had just left the car Saturday night when he heard gunfire. Jean says the next thing he noticed, there was blood on his shirt and sneakers.

He told told us in a telephone interview Sunday that he has no idea who fired or whether the rounds were targeting him.

He says a doctor treated him at a hospital and he is taking antibiotics.

Neither police nor hospital officials could immediately be reached.

Jean says the shooting happened in the capital of Port-au-Prince. He says a driver and the hip-hop singer known as FanFan were with him.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - Hip-hop star Wyclef Jean was recovering Sunday after receiving a gunshot wound to the hand while campaigning for a fellow performer who is running for president.

The shooting happened in the Delmas section of the capital, Port-au-Prince, after 11 p.m. local time Saturday (11 p.m. EDT; 0300 Sunday GMT) said Joe Mignon, senior program director for Jean's Yele Foundation. Jean was treated at a hospital and later released, Mignon said.

Jean's brother, Samuel, confirmed the musician was shot. Neither he nor Mignon had additional details, and a spokesman for the Haitian National Police could not be reached immediately for comment.

Jean, a native of Haiti who rocketed to fame as a member of the hip-hop trio The Fugees, is in his home country to support fellow musician and friend Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly, one of two presidential candidates in a run-off vote taking place Sunday.

Last week, Jean participated in a Martelly concert in downtown Port-au-Prince that sought to win over voters.

"We are happy that Wyclef is okay but we continue to pray for him and for a peaceful and fair election today in Haiti," the Rev. Al Sharpton, who has worked with Jean on educational issues and bringing aid to Haiti after the devastating January 2010 earthquake, said in a statement.

The statement also quoted Jimmy Rosemond, who it said was accompanying Jean on his current trip to Haiti.

"It is clear that enemies of progressive change in Haiti are behind the shooting of Wyclef - those that don't want to accept that a monumental change is inevitable for the betterment of the Haitian people," Rosemond said. "This incident will not deter those of us that see the election as crucial to the country's future."

The Crowning Event of Black History Month

SAVIOURS'DAY 2011

Jamaican scientist lands blow in cancer fight

Dr Lawrence Williams, a research scientist at the Scientific Research Council (SRC), has been awarded an international patent on a compound isolated from the Guinea Hen Weed as a protein complex of dibenzyl trisulphide.

The SRC said the protein complex has the ability to kill a wide range of cancers.

The Jamaican's discovery has the potential to fight various kinds of cancers, a few of which are: melanoma, lung cancer and breast cancer. The molecule also has implications for the treatment of ageing diseases.

The SRC noted that, with more than 13 years dedicated to this research, Williams has revealed that the complex is superior in killing cancer cells relative to the pure compound found in the Guinea Hen Weed-dibenzyl trisulphide.

"This remarkable breakthrough comes at a time when the world is crippled by the effects of cancer, as it is one of the leading killers globally," the SRC asserted.

The SRC said it joined the remainder of the international medical fraternity in celebrating the scientific breakthrough.

"This is good news for Jamaica, given its ability to contribute to health, longevity and as a major foreign exchange earner. Williams' discovery could change the face of medicine as we now know it," the SRC declared.

Williams said that the next stage is conducting clinical trials of the compound and the development of a pharmaceutical agent.

The SRC, one of Jamaica's chief proponents of scientific research and development, commended its team member on his "outstanding contribution to science".

Rights to the patent are shared with Dr George Levy, a Jamaica-born medical doctor living in the United States.