Category: CANA News

Manchester City forward Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw scored a rare beaver-trick to help her side thump Aston Villa 6-1 and maintain their lead at the top of the Women’s Super League (WSL) here on Sunday.

The Jamaican international netted in the 37th, 45th, 85th and 90th minutes, and along with strikes by Aoba Fujino (62′) and Vivianne Miedema (73′), saw City end the year on a winning note and restore their six-point lead over defending champions Chelsea.

Shaw’s opening goal was her 100th in all competitions for City – the first time a female player has reached that landmark for the club in the professional era. Villa started well at Joie Stadium but could not keep pace after Shaw dominated their defence in the penalty area, getting in front of her marker to meet Miedema’s perfectly executed pass for the first, then turning sharply to make space for her second to make it 2-0.

Fujino added a third in the second half, before Villa pulled one back when Lucy Parker headed in from a corner in the 70th minute.

Their celebration was short-lived when Fujino teed Miedema for City’s fourth three minutes later.

Shaw then saw an audacious curling effort smack off the post in the second half, before completing her hat-trick in the 84th minute after substitute Kerolin laid on a simple finish for her.

And just as Villa may have thought it could not get any worse as the clock ticked down, Shaw thumped in her fourth in stoppage time.

With her performance, Shaw now has 12 goals from 11 matches in the WSL, seven more than her nearest challengers.

Shaw has already secured legendary status at City and is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in world football.

Her goalscoring rate is astonishing – she now has 103 goals in 120 appearances for City in all competitions, with 74 in the WSL.

Democratic legislators in the US Congress have urged Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to provide all members of Congress and the public with the full, unedited video of the September 2 strikes on a suspected drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean. ‘As some of the few members of Congress who have seen the complete, unedited video of the strikes on September 2 against a maritime vessel, we write to stress our grave concerns surrounding their circumstances. As we have expressed directly to you, Secretary Rubio, General Caine, and Admiral Bradley, it is critical that you provide full transparency to Congress and to the American people,’ they wrote.

Two Jamaican fishermen caught with more than 167lbs of marijuana on a boat south of this British overseas territory earlier this year have been jailed after pleading guilty to illicit drug trafficking.

Eric Junior Cunningham, 42, was sentenced to 24 months and Radmond Junior Samuels, 33, to 18 months following a ruling delivered by Justice Emma Peters late last month.

The police report that on March 25, the Cayman Islands Coast Guard intercepted the boat that was 32 nautical miles south of Grand Cayman. Cunningham was operating the vessel while Samuels was the passenger.

The coast guard officers found nine packages of ganja, a GPS device and satellite phone.

Both men initially pleaded not guilty in May but changed their pleas three weeks before their scheduled September trial.

Cunningham admitted he had agreed to smuggle the drugs after being promised payment of US$5,000, which he never received.

According to a social inquiry report, he is a farmer who had suffered significant hardship, including damage to his home during a previous storm and its complete destruction in Hurricane Melissa .

Samuels had told police he had been threatened by a man known as ‘Bigs’, who pressured him to take part in the operation. His background included the early loss of both parents, limited education and ongoing health issues.

Peters accepted that neither man played a leading role in the drug operation, but noted that transporting drugs by sea remains a critical link in the supply chain. Cunningham’s role as the boat operator placed him in the ‘significant’ category, while Samuels’ limited involvement and intimidation placed him in the ‘lesser’ role.

The judge said the sentences were the lowest she could impose while still meeting the need for deterrence, stressing that those tempted by the promise of quick money must have a reason to resist.

‘The miserable trade in illegal drugs is such that, whatever the drug and wherever the operation, those who are at the top of the illegal organisations that profit from the trade are often able to hide away, exposing themselves to the most limited extent possible, as they send out others below them to take the risks,’ Justice Peters said as she delivered her sentencing decision last month.

‘Whilst those middle managers or workers will, of course, profit from the criminality in some way, it is undoubtedly the case that those at the top are making the most whilst exposing themselves the least.’ She said the two men before her were fishermen, who were targeted for the sole purpose of getting these drugs to the Cayman Islands.

Since the evidence against the men was overwhelming, they only received a 20% discount for the guilty pleas. However, with time spent on remand since their arrest and the possibility, based on good behaviour, of release after they have served 60% of their sentence, the men can expect to be returned to Jamaica early next year.

The court also ordered that the seized drugs be forfeited and destroyed.

Barbadian striker Thierry Gale scored a sensational winner to give Bolton Wanderers a thrilling 2-1 victory over Exeter City in the EFL League One here at the Toughsheet Community Stadium on Saturday.

The diminutive 23-year-old forward, who came on as a second half substitute, found the back of the nets in the 82nd minute to ensure his side secured all three points at home and extend the Trotters’ unbeaten home record to 16 matches in all competitions. While the hosts started the game on the front foot, it was actually City who took the lead against the run of play in the 20th minute when Jack Aitchison capitalised on a costly error from Bolton’s goalkeeper Sharman-Lowe to calmly guided the ball into the empty net and spark jubilant celebrations among the travelling Grecians.

Bolton eventually drew level in the 70th minute, with Sam Dalby quickest to react to tap home the rebound after a Bolton effort struck the post.

With the game seemingly headed for a draw, Kyle Dempsey picked out Gale on the left wing with a pinpoint cross, and the Barbadian showed skill to get past his defender before curling a superb shot into the far corner to spark wild celebrations.

It was Gale’s fourth goal of the season and his first since returning from injury.

The Chief Executive Officer of the RJRGleaner Communications Group, Anthony Smith, has died.

He died on Sunday morning after a brief period of illness.

Smith joined the RJRGleaner Communications Group in 2022, as Deputy CEO for print and digital and was appointed CEO in January 2024.

He was an engineer by training and held executive roles in telecommunications in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, including at Cable and Wireless.

The government says it is stepping up efforts to make communities greener by expanding a nursery and landscaping programme that supplies plants to public buildings and new homeowners.

During the recent Budget Debate, Housing Minister Maria Browne outlined how the programme is being used to support environmental improvement alongside housing and infrastructure projects.

Plants grown through the initiative are being distributed to government offices and public facilities, while people receiving new homes are also provided with plants to help establish greener surroundings.

The aim, is to encourage tree planting and landscaping as part of everyday development, rather than treating it as an afterthought.

By integrating greenery into housing developments and public spaces, the government hopes to improve air quality, reduce heat, and create more pleasant living and working environments.

The nursery and landscaping programme will continue into 2026 as part of a broader push to combine housing, infrastructure and environmental management in national development plans.

England Roses wrapped up their Vitality Netball Series against Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls in emphatic fashion by romping to an 81-30 victory in the final match here at the Copper Box Arena on Sunday.

The win followed Saturday’s comprehensive 80-37 win in the opener and helped England exact revenge after Jamaica won the inaugural series last November 2-1.

With Jamaica missing several key players, Roses head coach Jess Thirlby used the opportunity to make some changes, giving Emma Rayner her debut while moving star player Funmi Fadoju from her usual position of goal keeper or goal defence to wing defence. The Roses wasted little time in imposing their dominance on Jamaica’s inexperienced team, opening up a 23-point advantage by half time before eventually pulling away by adding 43 points in the second half.

Despite the lopsided victory, Thirlby was still full of praise for the Jamaicans.

‘I think they’re such a spirited team, they put everything out against us, started really well, and we really respect any Jamaican side.

‘.So, yes, Jamaica will be stronger again, both for having come here with some of their new talent and for those players that will return,’ Thirlby said.

Meanwhile, Sunshine Girls head coach, Sasher Gaye Henry-Wright said the result meant significant improvements had to be made going forward.

‘I think we were impatient in terms of everybody wanting to move at the ball at the same time and not making those strong drives and the cut and change direction.

‘We have to give credit to England.but I think we have to go back home, we have to look back at our training, the physical aspect, the tactical preparation,’ Henry-Wright said.

‘I’m grateful for the experience and the opportunity for the girls and for all of us, but we have a lot of homework to do.’

The Government is moving to transition its post-Hurricane Melissa relief efforts from physical distribution to a voucher system by early in the New Year. This was disclosed by Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister Dr. Rocky Meade during a recent r sitting of the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee of Parliament.

He said following the passage of the hurricane, the Government needed to employ quick emergency procedures to deliver relief to the country, with a heavy focus on food.

‘Now that we have done that quite a bit. we’re hoping. to have a change in how we assist the country. We want to give more purchasing power to those who are in need so that, as the businesses come back up, they can actually get the things they want and not just a package that we assume that might be, [where] they may have too much of one thing and not something else,’ the Permanent Secretary stated.

‘So we’re hoping to put purchasing power in their hands. The details of that are being worked out by the MLSS (Ministry of Labour and Social Security). so they are looking at what I will loosely call a voucher system. But it doesn’t necessarily mean a piece of paper that has the word voucher on it. . It’s really putting purchasing power in the hands of citizens. We have had some meetings on how that could work, and the details of that are also being worked out,’ he added.

Meade further stated that the Ministry will be providing guidance on the needs list and the prioritisation of beneficiaries, adding, ‘We are hoping to pivot to that modality of providing relief by the New Year.’

He said the team from the Ministry recently made a presentation on the initiative to Prime Minister, Dr. Andrew Holness, who asked them to ‘tweak a couple of things’.

‘I can assure you there has been progress, and they (Ministry) have a product. But for some tweaks, [it] will be ready [for] rollout in January. I am reasonably confident that by the New Year, we’ll be able to roll something out,’ Meade stated.

A United States federal jury has convicted the former Director of the USVI Office of Management and Budget, Jenifer O’Neal on all counts in a high-profile bribery and corruption case, following a landmark trial in St Thomas.

O’Neal, was found guilty alongside former Police Commissioner Ray Martinez after jurors returned unanimous verdicts last week.

Prosecutors said O’Neal, a native of Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands, knowingly took part in a scheme that involved bribery, honest services wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy linked to contracts funded by federal relief money.

The case centred on dealings with cooperating witness David Whitaker, whose business relationships with senior government officials formed the core of the government’s evidence.

According to prosecutors, O’Neal approved and advanced inflated invoices connected to government contracts while receiving personal benefits in return.

The jury heard evidence that an invoice valued at US$216,000 was inflated by about $70,000, with prosecutors arguing that O’Neal knew the figure was fraudulent.

When informed that the extra funds were needed for Martinez’s restaurant, O’Neal responded ‘lol,’ before instructing a subordinate to move the invoice forward, prosecutors said.

The court also heard evidence relating to a lease payment for a coffee shop owned by O’Neal.

Prosecutors said O’Neal raised concerns about traceability and did not want the payment to be directly linked to her.

A wire transfer later showed the payment was made by Whitaker, with funds prosecutors said originated from the inflated invoice. ‘Nothing about Jenifer O’Neal’s actions was accidental,’ Assistant US Attorney Cherrisse Amaro told the court.

O’Neal faced charges including honest services wire fraud, bribery concerning programmes receiving federal funds, and money laundering conspiracy. She was convicted on every count.

Her defence argued that the government’s case relied too heavily on Whitaker, questioning his credibility and denying that O’Neal knowingly joined any conspiracy.

Her attorney described Whitaker as operating by ‘lie, steal, repeat,’ while maintaining that O’Neal’s actions were lawful and misunderstood.

In rebuttal, prosecutors said the evidence went beyond witness testimony and included text messages, recordings and wire transfers. ‘The government does not pick the criminal co-conspirators,’ trial attorney Alexandre Dempsey said. ‘The criminals pick each other.’

Sentencing for O’Neal has been tentatively scheduled for June 2026.

She was allowed to remain out of custody pending sentencing, with the final penalty to be determined under federal sentencing guidelines.

The Jamaica Urban Transit Company Limited (JUTC) says investigations are still ongoing into the circumstances that led to a female student being reportedly thrown from a moving school bus in the eastern parish of St Mary earlier this month.

The incident reportedly left the 14 year of student from the Marymount High School in the neighboring parish Portland – with injuries to her knees and face, and unable to walk for nearly two weeks.

In a release on Saturday, the JUTC confirmed that the incident occurred on its Rural School Bus on December 1.

It said preliminary reports indicate that shortly after midday, the bus driver was alerted by students that a passenger had been pushed from the vehicle.

The driver immediately stopped the bus, assessed the situation, and ensured that the student received urgent medical attention, the release stated.

It added that a JUTC dispatcher promptly transported the student to the Annotto Bay Hospital, where she was treated for injuries and subsequently released.

The dispatcher also made efforts to engage the student’s parents and provide updates on the situation, according to the JUTC.

‘JUTC takes this opportunity to reiterate that the safety and wellbeing of students remain a top priority. The matter was immediately reported to the Jamaica Constabulary Force, and the bus was examined by the Island Traffic Authority. Initial assessments confirmed that there were no mechanical defects with the bus door,’ the state-run bus company said, adding ‘The incident remains under active investigation by both the police and JUTC’s internal security team, and further inquiries are ongoing.’

It said it is cooperating fully with all authorities and will continue to support the investigative process to ensure that all facts are thoroughly established.

‘The company remains committed to maintaining a safe, secure, and reliable Rural School Bus Programme and continues to work closely with schools, parents, and law-enforcement agencies to uphold student safety,’ the JUTC said.