Category: CANA News

Police Constable Noel Maitland was on Thursday afternoon found guilty of murdering his girlfriend, social media influencer Donna-Lee Donaldson.

The verdict was returned on Thursday afternoon by the seven-member jury in the Home Circuit Court in downtown Kingston.

The jury deliberated for just under four hours time before returning the verdict. Justice Leighton Pusey presided over the trial, which lasted just over eight months. Maitland was also charged with preventing the lawful burial of a corpse.

Donaldson went missing on July 11, 2022, and her body was never recovered.

During the trial, the prosecution relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, arguing that it formed an unbroken chain pointing to Maitland as the only person who could have caused Donaldson’s death.

The Crown counsel also highlighted blood evidence recovered from Maitland’s Corporate Area apartment, the removal and disposal of furniture, and phone records tracking Maitland’s movements and communications after Donaldson’s disappearance.

Prosecutors also pointed to what they described as Maitland’s calculated behaviour in the days following Donaldson’s disappearance, including attempts to mislead investigators and members of her family.

The defence, however, maintained that the case was based on speculation and urged the jury to reject what it described as unreliable and incomplete evidence.

Maitland, in an unsworn statement from the dock, denied killing Donaldson, telling the court that he loved her and had no reason to harm her.

He will be sentenced on March 13.

Shamar Springer’s hat-trick heroics bowled West Indies to a memorable 15-run win to deny Afghanistan a series sweep in the third and final T20I here on Thursday.

With Afghanistan in control of the contest and eyeing a 3-0 series win, Springer dismissed Rahmanullah Gubraz, Rashid Khan and Shahidullah with the first three balls of the penultimate over to restrict Afghanistan to 136 for eight in pursuit of the Windies’ total of 151 for seven.

Springer joined fellow Barbadian Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd as the only West Indians to take hat-tricks in T20Is, while the victory at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium was the regional team’s first-ever at the venue.

Having already clinched the series with victories in the opening two matches, Afghanistan looked well on their way to another comfortable victory with Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran at the crease during an opening partnership of 72 in 10 overs.

But once pacer Matthew Forde made the breakthrough by having Zadran caught on the boundary by Springer for 28 off 27 balls, runs dried up for Afghanistan.

Gurbaz subsequently reached his half century off 44 balls with a single off spinner Gudakesh Motie, but his ensuing partnership of 22 with Sediqullah Atal required 24 balls.

At the end of the 14th over, Afghanistan was 94 for one, needing 58 more runs from the final six overs.

Springer accounted for Atal’s wicket with the next delivery for a pedestrian seven off 11 balls and when the usually dependable Darwish Rasooli perished for four, Afghanistan had creeped to 107 for three after 16 overs.

Mohammad Nabi hit Ramon Simmonds for a six over long off, but perished the very next ball attempting the same shot.

Gurbaz hit left-arm spinner Khary Pierre for two successive sixes to begin the 18th over, but Springer dismissed him with the first ball of the 19th over as he tried to hit him over midwicket for six, with Forde taking an athletic juggling catch on the boundary ropes.

With his next ball, Springer had captain Rashid Khan expertly caught by Pierre at deep backward point and he completed the milestone by hitting Shahidullah’s off stump as he attempted a defensive prod forward, to see Afghanistan collapse to 127 for seven.

Afghanistan required 20 runs off the last over, but Ramon Simmonds delivered an exceptional six balls that saw Mujeeb Ur Rahman being run out, while conceding just four runs.

Player-of-the-Match Springer ended with figures of 4-20 from his four overs.

Earlier, captain Brandon King led the way with the topscore of 47 and he received invaluable contributions from Forde, who made 27 from just 11 deliveries, while Springer scored an unbeaten 16 off nine balls.

As has been the case all series, the Windies struggled to get going in the Power Play, reaching 43 for one after six overs for the solitary loss of Johnson Charles for a run-a-ball 17.

Keacy Carty (10 runs off 19 balls), Justin Greaves (12 runs off 15 balls) and Quentin Sampson (three from seven balls) all struggled to get the ball away, with the Windies only reaching the 100-mark at the end of the 15th over.

It took the lofty hits of Forde and Springer, who combined to lash five fours and two sixes between them at the depth to get the Windies up to their eventual total.

Khan (2-13), Abdollah Ahmadzai (2-30) and Ziaur Rahman (2-45) each took two wickets for Bangladesh.

Leeward Islands Women defeated Windward Islands Women by seven wickets under the Duckworth/Lewis/Stern method in the 15th match of the T20 Blaze here at the Arnos Vale Playing Field on Wednesday.

Scores

WINDWARD ISLANDS WOMEN 69-9 in 20 overs (Abini St Jean 16, Holly Charles 15, Ashlene Edward 10; Shawnisha Hector 3-5, Jahzara Claxton 3-20, Davronique Maynard 2-15).

LEEWARD ISLANDS WOMEN 59-3 in 8.4 overs (Jahzara Claxton 23 not out, Reniece Boyce 14 not out; Afy Fletcher 2-23).

West Indies reached 151 for seven in their 20 overs after being sent in to bat by Afghanistan in the third and final T20I here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

WEST INDIES 151-7 in 20 overs (Brandon King 47, Matthew Forde 27, Johnson Charles 17, Shamar Springer 16 not out, Shimron Hetmyer 13, Justin Greaves 12, Keacy Carty 10; Rashid Khan 2-13, Abdollah Ahmadzai 2-30, Ziaur Rahman 2-45).

Federal authorities in the United States are monitoring reports of an American woman missing in Guyana.

On Thursday, several U.S. media outlets reported that Mary A. Jones, 69, a resident of New Jersey, failed to return home following a trip to Guyana.

According to police reports, Jones was last in contact with family members on October 3, 2025, and was officially reported missing on October 28, 2025.

In a statement, Gloucester Township Police said officers received the missing person report at on October 28.

Investigators later determined that Jones had traveled internationally to Guyana and was scheduled to return to the United States during the week of January 12, 2026. She did not return as planned, and her whereabouts remain unknown.

However, Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd said he was unaware of any formal request from the United States.

The government of Guyana has secured a GUY$7.2 billion concessional loan from the Government of Japan to significantly upgrade water treatment infrastructure at Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara.

The agreement, signed on Thursday, will co-finance a major climate-resilient water and sanitation programme with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), targeting improved water quality and services for thousands of residents in the rapidly expanding community.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd and Japanese Ambassador to Guyana Akima Umezawa signed and exchanged notes during a ceremony held in the ministry’s conference room.

In his remarks, Todd said Guyana and Japan have enjoyed ‘cordial inter-state’ relations for close to 60 years, noting that Japan has consistently supported Guyana’s development efforts during that period.

He described Diamond as a growing community that is becoming a major hub within Region Four, stressing the need for corresponding infrastructure upgrades.

‘If the community is growing then we would have to upgrade the infrastructure.

‘So we are very happy to partner with the Japanese government and the IDB on this concessional loan and signing of notes, which brings to bear the fact that Guyana is very focused on governing for the people of Guyana,’ Todd said.

Todd also pointed out that this is not the first time Guyana has benefitted from projects under the framework, with previous investments made in Regions Two, Three and Seven.

‘Bringing it to Region Four is important also because this is the most heavily populated region, and the upgrade improvements in the water treatment plant in Diamond fit well into our developmental plan,’ he noted.

Emphasising the importance of water security, Todd said improving access to safe water is critical to enhancing citizens’ quality of life. ‘If we are going to ensure that we improve the quality of life of every citizen, water is very vital,’ he said.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Umezawa said the project is aimed not only at creating safer and more sustainable drinking water, but also at enhancing a healthy living environment that supports Guyana’s overall development.

He disclosed that over the last two years, Japanese company Toshiba has constructed four large-scale water treatment plants in Guyana.

The strategy is about long-term vision, about fuelling economic development and ensuring every Guyanese home has access to quality water.

‘Therefore, this project represents more than just an infrastructure; it is a symbol of gaining the power to create your future with your hands,’ Umezawa said.

Scoreboard of the 21st match of the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup between West Indies and South Africa here at the High Performance Oval on Thursday.

WEST INDIES U19s

Tanez Francis c Bulbulia b Basson 14

Zachary Carter b James 114

*Joshua Dorne c van Schalkwyk b Basson 20

+Jewel Andrew c +Phahlamohlaka b Basson 0

Shamar Apple c Bulbulia b Basson 0

Jonathan van Lange c Bulbulia b Kruiskamp 29

Shaquan Belle b Rowles 18

Isra-el Morton c Majola b Rowles 2

Micah McKenzie b Basson 0

Jakeem Pollard c Bosman b Majola 2

Vitel Lawes not out 7

Extras (b2, lb7, w19) 28

TOTAL (all out; 47.5 overs) 234

Fall of wickets: 1-33, 2-115, 3-115, 4-115, 5-193, 6-206, 7-219, 8-223, 9-223, 10-234.

Bowling: Basson 10-2-23-5, Majola 7.5-0-57-1, Kruiskamp 8-1-45-1, James 7-0-35-1, Rowles 10-0-44-2, Bosman 5-0-21-0.

SOUTH AFRICA U19s

Jorich van Schalkwyk lbw b Morton 20

Adnaan Lagadien c Lawes b Belle 10

*Muhammed Bulbulia c Lawes b Belle 3

Jason Rowles b Lawes 46

Armaan Manack run out 17

Daniel Bosman c Francis b Belle 19

Paul James c +Andrew b Belle 7

+Lethabo Phahlamohlaka c +Andrew b Belle 26

Michael Kruiskamp c +Andrew b Belle 5

JJ Basson c +Andrew b Pollard 3

Bayanda Majola not out 9

Extras (b4, nb1, w9) 14

TOTAL (all out; 37.4 overs) 179

Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-40, 3-40, 4-82, 5-115, 6-132, 7-144, 8-160, 9-167, 10-179.

Bowling: Pollard 7.4-0-19-0, Belle 10-0-40-6, Morton 4-0-27-1, Lawes 10-0-60-1, McKenzie 6-0-29-0.

Toss: West Indies Under-19s elected to bat first.

Result: West Indies Under-19s won by 55 runs.

Player-of-the-Match: Zachary Carter.

Umpires: Graham Lloyd, Shaun Haig.

TV Umpire: Nitin Bathi.

Reserve Umpire: Cory Black.

Match Referee: Prakash Bhatt.

The government on Thursday announced several new diplomatic appointments including that of journalist Kenton Chance as the ambassador designate to the Republic of China on Taiwan.

Chance, who is the managing editor of the St Vincent based IWitness News also serves as the Kingstown correspondent for the Barbados based Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

According to the state owned Agency for Public Information (API), the new government of Dr. Godwin Friday also named new diplomats to New York in the person of Ronald Matthews as Consul General to New York; Vynette Fredrick as the Ambassador to the United Nations while Brereton Horne has been named High Commission to the United Kingdom.

The government also named Idisha Jackson as its Ambassador designate to Cuba.

The government came to office on November 27, 2025 after ending 25 years of the Unity Labour Party that was headed by Dr. Ralph Gonsalves.

The Deputy Governor Franz Manderson of this British overseas territory says the Cayman Islands Government is gearing up for a potential surge in migrants from Cuba amid the possibility of further economic deterioration in the island nation. According to Manderson, US military action in Venezuela and its control over the sale and distribution of seized Venezuelan oil, potentially cutting off the supply of oil to Havana, may well encourage illegal migration from Cuba.

Speaking before the Public Accounts Committee, Manderson spoke briefly about the preparations for the potential arrival of Cubans, using this situation as an example of how risk management is becoming an important element for the civil service.

He said a ‘skilled team’ was working to identify and mitigate the internal and external risks that this jurisdiction faces.

The deputy governor said that one of the most topical issues now is illegal migration. ‘What is going to happen if Cuba no longer gets any oil and the people start to suffer?. Is there going to be a mass migration?’ he asked, noting that a team within the home affairs ministry is now working on that.

‘How are we going to be able to handle, God forbid, if a few thousand Cubans arrive here in a short period of time?’ he asked as he implied there could be an impending crisis.

Manderson , who wa an immigration officer during the 1994 migrant crisis, when more than 1,100 Cubans arrived, said that proved to be hugely expensive for the Cayman Islands and a political headache, as the authorities grappled with the challenge of what to do with them.

Governor Jane Owen recently said that Cayman’s security services are making contingency plans for the possible influx of Cuban migrants in the wake of the American seizure of Venezuelan oil tankers.

On 3 January, the US launched a military strike on Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores. They were transported to New York, facing charges of ‘narcoterrorism’. With much of Venezuela’s oil now in the hands of the US, and given the Trump administration’s hard-line attitude towards Cuba, it’s likely that the island will be cut off from its main fuel supplier.

Owen said she recognised that people are concerned about this, and the potential impact is being monitored very carefully.

She added that a committee dealing with mass migration will meet this week to discuss how Cayman will manage the very real possibility of a surge in migrant numbers.

Police Commissioner Kurt Walton echoed her comments, saying that the Cayman Islands Coast Guard and Customs and Border Control are working together and sharing intelligence with regional partners to anticipate possible scenarios and avoid improvisation in the face of a humanitarian crisis that could develop within days.

Local human rights watchdog group, Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ), is calling for urgent reforms to the Access to Information Act to ensure that transparency and accountability in public administration are not undermined.

This follows a new review by JFJ that found persistent problems with how public authorities are implementing Jamaica’s Access to Information Act.

The study assessed the handling of 111 standardised information requests submitted to 101 public bodies between February and November 2025.

The report also found that nearly 38 per cent of the Access to Information Act requests received no response at all, breaching the law’s requirement for disclosure within 30 days.

Of the 69 requests that were answered, the average response time was 38 and a half days, with only about 31 per cent completed within the legal deadline.

It also showed that fewer than half of all requests were acknowledged within seven days, a benchmark recommended by Parliament.

More than 22 per cent were never acknowledged.

The report stated that performance varied across agencies, adding that ministries recorded the highest fulfillment rate at 78 per cent, while public bodies responded to just over 60 per cent of requests.

It went on to state that municipal councils performed the worst, fulfilling only 43 per cent, with more than half of requests receiving no response.

The review also found inconsistencies in handling transfers and deadline extensions, with several late responses issued without any formal extension requests.

Among the requests that were fulfilled, nearly 64 per cent resulted in full disclosure, while 23 per cent were partially disclosed and 13 per cent were denied.

Common reasons for denial included claims that no records existed or that requests were overly broad.

Jamaicans for Justice says data from the government’s ATI Unit also shows a declining trend in responsiveness nationwide, with grant rates falling sharply between 2019 and 2023.

As a result of the findings, JFJ says there is a need for the creation of a joint select committee to review the Act.

It also wants the rollout of a digital request platform, stronger oversight powers, mandatory proactive disclosures and a national public education programme on citizens’ rights under the ATI system.