Category: CANA News

The Major Investigations Division and the Criminal Investigations Branch are probing the death of Judge Ruth Lawrence after a post-mortem performed on her body revealed that she died from poisoning.

Lawrence was a judge in the northern parish of Trelawny.

According the police, on October 2, during the post mortem. The pathologist found that Lawrence died from the consumption of a toxic chemical.

There were also no marks of violence on the body.

The 59-year-old jurist was reportedly found in distress in the bathroom by her husband, who later transported her to the hospital in the parish capital of Falmouth, where she was pronounced dead.

West Indies trail India by 378 runs in their first innings after reaching 140 for four at the close on play on the second day of the second Test here at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday.

INDIA 518-5 dec’d in 134.2 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 175, Shubman Gill 129 not out, Sai Sudharsan 87, Dhruv Jurel 44, Nitish Kumar Reddy 43, KL Rahul 38; Jomel Warrican 3-98).

WEST INDIES 140-4 in 43 overs (Alick Athanaze 41, Tagenarine Chanderpaul 34, Shai Hope 31 not out, Tevin Imlach 14 not out, John Campbell 10; Ravindra Jadeja 3-37).

India reached 427 for four at lunch against the West Indies on the second day of the second Test here at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday.

INDIA 427-4 in 116 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 175, Sai Sudharsan 87, Shubman Gill 75 not out, Nitish Kumar Reddy 43, KL Rahul 38; Jomel Warrican 3-83).

India declared their first innings on 518 for five against the West Indies after lunch on the second day of the second Test here at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday.

INDIA 518-5 dec’d in 134.2 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 175, Shubman Gill 129 not out, Sai Sudharsan 87, Dhruv Jurel 44, Nitish Kumar Reddy 43, KL Rahul 38; Jomel Warrican 3-98).

The United States has delivered 20 armored vehicles to Haiti’s new Gang Suppression Force (GSF), marking the first shipment of equipment to the 5,500-member UN-backed mission tasked with curbing the country’s gang violence.

The force, created to replace the Kenya-led mission, is still in its formative stages even as deadly attacks continue across Haiti.

These vehicles will strengthen the capacity of the GSF and the Haitian National Police (PNH) to counter the deadly gangs terrorizing the people of Haiti,’ the U.S. Embassy in Haiti said in a recent statement .

‘They reaffirm the United States’ commitment to the country’s security.’

The GSF replaces the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS), whose mandate expired on Oct. 2 after limited progress against armed groups that now control about 90% of the capital. The new force, made up of military and police officers, aims to support anti-gang operations and create conditions for a return to democratic governance.

The U.S. Permanent Mission to the UN said discussions are underway with member states, including Caribbean Community (Caricom) nations, as part of the GSF’s formation and deployment planning.

Meanwhile, in Guatemala, 150 military officers, including 19 women, are training to join the force.

Guatemalan Colonel Alfredo Sáenz said the United Nations has not yet requested their deployment, but confirmed the troops are preparing to assist if called.

‘This demonstrates the strong commitment we have as military police to serve as ambassadors in uniform, peacekeepers, and soldiers of hope for the Haitian people,’ Sáenz said.

Guatemala is the first country to pledge new personnel for the GSF. It previously sent 150 soldiers to the Kenya-led MSS mission, which remains stationed in Haiti and is awaiting the transition.

Washington says it remains committed to helping Haiti confront its gang crisis and the U.S. has offered multi-million-dollar rewards for information leading to the arrest of Haiti’s most powerful gang leaders, many of whom have been designated as terrorists by U.S. authorities.

‘Together we will defeat the gangs terrorizing the region,’ the U.S. Mission to the UN stated. ‘The GSF will have consistent funding, appropriate personnel, and the authority to take on this task.’

U.S. officials emphasize that gangs continue to destabilize Haiti while publicly claiming to seek peace.

The Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) says it is in the process has provided updates on water supply restoration and infrastructure recovery efforts, as the island recovers from the impact of Tropical Storm Jerry

According to Anazette Reynolds, Corporate Communications Manager at APUA, surface water reservoirs are experiencing significant replenishment from recent rainfall.

Reynolds cautioned that water distribution will not be immediate despite the showers. ‘We aren’t able to immediately distribute water,’ she explained during a public briefing.

‘The water will first need to undergo a treatment process in line with [World Health Organisation] standards, and then we can begin distributing water.’

APUA has established clear priorities for power restoration efforts that directly impact water service recovery. Priority feeders include those serving critical facilities such as hospitals, the airport, water facilities, and St. John’s City.

Once electricity is restored to these facilities, water maintenance technicians must conduct comprehensive safety inspections before operations can resume.

These checks ensure no moisture has compromised high voltage panels or other critical equipment on site – a crucial step given the wet conditions following the storm.

Reynolds urged residents to exercise caution around electrical infrastructure. The public should always assume that any downed power lines are energized and report them immediately.

Meanwhile, the Miami based National Hurricane Centre says the system is ‘disheveled’ and may not let much longer ask tropical cyclone.

In it’s latest update the center of Tropical Storm Jerry was located near latitude 25.8 North, longitude 63.2 West.

Jerry is moving toward the north near 16 mph and this general motion is expected to continue on Saturday.

A turn toward the northeast is forecast on Sunday, followed by an eastward motion on Monday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph with higher gusts and weakening is forecast during the next few days.

Meanwhile,swells generated by Jerry are affecting the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Bahamas. These swells will likely causing life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Caribbean-American Democratic Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke has described as a ‘sham’ the indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James by the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia.

The indictment on Thursday charges James with one count of bank fraud and one count of making false statements to a financial institution in connection with her purchase of a property in Norfolk, Virginia.

The charges come two weeks after Presisenr Donald Trump sought the successful indictment of former FBI director James B. Comey.

‘Let me be clear: this accusation, like the man who ordered it, is a sham,’ Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who represents the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) on Friday. ‘The American people know it. The US Attorney whom Donald Trump forced to resign for refusing to carry out this case knows it. Even the president’s hand-picked attorney leading this case knows it.

‘But she, like every other instrument of the Trump regime, would rather abide by the president’s good graces than the United States Constitution,’ added the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. ‘While I am utterly disturbed by this unjustifiable and baseless attack against Attorney General James, I am not at all surprised by it.

‘This farce is nothing but the product of a years-long revenge crusade against the first woman who made Donald Trump face the consequences of his actions’ Clarke continued. ‘Where so many have failed to hold him accountable for his lifetime of wrongdoings and lawlessness, Tish (Letitia) James succeeded. To a convicted criminal like the president who is wholly consumed by his narcissism, ego, and limitless insecurities, that in his twisted thinking was a transgression that could not be forgiven or forgotten.

‘In a vacuum, these charges and the punishment they carry are absurd and disturbing,’ she said. ‘In the context of the rampant criminality this administration excuses and embraces without a second thought, they become simply laughable. But we know that, historically, neither authoritarian regimes nor the small men atop them can tolerate those with a total devotion to justice.’

The congresswoman said that, ‘when the rule of law is all that stands in the way of the absolute control they crave, they cannot bear those whose very being gives it life.

‘In Donald Trump’s America, this attack was always going to come. It will fail,’ she said. ‘When all these falsehoods fall apart in a court of law, Americans across the country will know the true character of Letitia James and salute her for her service to New York and the United States.’

US House of Representatives Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries also described as ‘baseless’ James’s indictment, stating that it is ‘part of Donald Trump’s corrupt weaponization of the criminal justice system against anyone who has sought to hold him accountable.

‘Attorney General James has courageously been at the forefront of successfully challenging the Trump administration’s lawless and deeply unpopular overreach,’ said Jeffries, whose 8th Congressional District in New York encompasses parts of Brooklyn and Queens, with heavy concentration of Caribbean immigrants.

He said James, ‘at all times, followed the facts, applied the law and been guided by the Constitution.

‘The malicious prosecution of Attorney General James has no legitimate basis in law or fact, was brought by a corrupt political hack and will not survive scrutiny in a Court of Law,’ Jeffries said.

James said her indictment is ‘nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.’

‘He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job as the New York State Attorney General,’ she said, describing as ‘baseless’ the charges against her as ‘baseless’.

She said Trump’s ‘own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost.

‘The president’s actions are a grave violation of our Constitutional order and have drawn sharp criticism from members of both parties,’ she said. ‘His decision to fire a United States Attorney who refused to bring charges against me – and replace them with someone who is blindly loyal not to the law, but to the president – is antithetical to the bedrock principles of our country.

‘This is the time for leaders on both sides of the aisle to speak out against this blatant perversion of our system of justice,’ continued James, stating that she stands ‘strongly behind’ her office’s litigation against the Trump Organization.

The New York Attorney General said her office had conducted a two-year investigation into the Trump Organization ‘based on the facts and evidence – not politics.’

She said that ‘judges have upheld the trial court’s finding that Donald Trump, his company, and his two sons are liable for fraud.

‘I am a proud woman of faith, and I know that faith and fear cannot share the same space,’ James said. ‘And so, today, I am not fearful; I am fearless, and as my faith teaches me, no weapon formed against me shall prosper.

‘We will fight these baseless charges aggressively, and my office will continue to fiercely protect New Yorkers and their rights,’ she affirmed. ‘And I will continue to do my job.’

Spearheaded by Ravindra Jadeja’s three-wicket haul, India grabbed two late wickets to derail West Indies’ spirited batting effort in the final session and seize control at the end of play on the second day of the second Test here on Saturday.

Chasing India’s massive first innings total of 518 for five declared, West Indies were comfortably poised at 106 for two before Jadeja and fellow spinner Kuldeep Yadav removed Alick Athanaze and Roston Chase for the addition of just one run, to see the visitors limp to 140 for four at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, still 378 runs in arrears.

The Windies will rely heavily on Shai Hope, who is unbeaten on 31 and Tevin Imlach, who is 14 not out, if they are to avoid the follow-on on Sunday’s third day.

India owed their advantage to left-arm spinner Jadeja, who did the early damage by claiming three of the four wickets to fall.

After West Indies’ openers John Campbell and Tagenarine Chanderpaul did well to see off the new ball threats of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, Jadeja’s early introduction after just eight overs gained immediate results.

Campbell paddled Jadeja’s first delivery to the fine leg boundary, but could consider himself unlucky when his well hit sweep shot lodged in the grill of Sai Sudharsan’s helmet stationed at short leg as he took evasive action, to be out caught for 10 with 21 runs on the board. Chanderpaul and Athanaze took their team to the tea interval without further alarm at 26 for one and steadied the innings during a 66-run partnership for the second wicket.

Athanaze was especially impressive against the spinners, hitting Yadav for a four and a sixth in his third over and then blasting him for two more boundaries to take the score past 50.

Chanderpaul got in on the act too, clobbering Jadeja for two fours in the ensuing over.

He survived after being given out on 26 and the score on 73 when he was adjudged lbw, but his review showed Jadeja’s delivery would have missed leg stump.

But just when the pair looked well set, Chanderpaul edged Jadeja to first slip where KL Rahul took a juggling catch to dismiss him for 34.

Hope was aggressive from the start of his innings, hitting Bumrah and Jadeja for boundaries in consecutive overs.

Together with Athanaze they took the Windies past the 100 mark before disaster struck for the West Indies in the space of eight balls.

Nine runs short of a well-deserved half century, Athanaze attempted to hit a half volley from Yadav onto the onside, but it ballooned off the bottom of the bat to midwicket for Jadeja to take the simplest of catches.

And without troubling the score, skipper Chase was back in the pavilion after he tried to flick Jadeja through the leg side, but only managed to get a leading edge which went straight back to the bowler.

Hope and Imlach ensured there would be no further losses for the Windies in the final session during an unbroken partnership of 33 to see out the day.

Earlier, after resuming on 318 for two, India dominated the opening sessions while adding exactly 200 runs for the loss of three wickets.

Yashasvi Jaiswal only added two runs to his overnight score of 173 before being run out by Chanderpaul at mid-off after he set off for a run but was turned back by his captain Shubman Gill.

Gill, who started the day on 20, shouldered the responsibility of getting his side up to a massive total, scoring his 10th Test century on his way to ending unbeaten on 129 from 196 balls, inclusive of 16 fours and two sixes.

He received good support from Dhruv Jurel who made 44 and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who made 43, before declaring the innings before tea.

Jomel Warrican was the Windies’ best bowler with 3-98.

The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) says one fisherman is believed to have drowned and 16 others were rescued at sea following a boat fire off the coast of Clarendon on Friday.

In a statement, the JDF said that around midday, members of the Coast Guard spotted a vessel ablaze just south of Portland Point. The soldiers responded quickly, extinguished the fire, and searched the surrounding area, where they discovered 16 people aboard three small canoes.

The rescued individuals were taken aboard an offshore patrol vessel, given hydration, and transported to the mainland for medical evaluation.

Authorities reported that one crew member remains missing and is presumed drowned. The crew reportedly included nine Dominicans and eight Jamaicans.

The JDF is urging mariners along the island’s southern coast to remain alert for any signs of the missing fisherman and to report sightings immediately to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre.

A well-known underwater photographer and conservationist, is appealing to the community and visitors to stop eating fish caught on local reefs, especially the rapidly disappearing parrot fish.

According to Courtney Platt, Cayman’s reef fish, along with the coral they feed on, are in crisis.

‘If you can afford to eat anything else, then please choose to eat anything else,’ he told the Cayman news service in a recent interview at the start of the campaign to remove local fish from the menu, at least until the numbers recover.

Platt, who has been documenting Cayman’s underwater world for more than four decades with iconic images, said the situation under the sea is now dire.

‘ It needs every one of us living here or visiting to think long and hard about consuming reef fish before they disappear from our waters.

Platt says this is not an alarmist position; ‘fishermen constantly talk about how the fish have declined, a result of years of take that was simply unsustainable. If fishing what little remains continues unabated, there is no doubt that it will be gone completely in just a few years, and with it will go the coral reefs and our beautiful world-renowned beaches.’

Platt said that when he first began diving in the Cayman Islands in the early 1980s, there was an abundance of fish, but a combination of factors, including overfishing, has led to a horrifying decline that will be hard to recover from. But the country must start reversing the trend.

While all the reef fish that people commonly eat, such as snapper, barracuda, triggerfish and grouper, are disappearing, the plight of the parrotfish, which is critically important to replenishing Cayman’s beaches, may be of the most concern.

Platt described one of the three main species of these fish, the blue parrotfish, as the ‘unicorns of the sea’ because he has not seen one in many years. They have become like mythical creatures, as many people have never seen one.

In 2015, Platt captured what is now an exceptionally rare image of three species of parrotfish that were once found in abundance in local waters, which was the last time he said he saw a blue parrotfish.

He said all parrotfish are ‘super important to our beaches’ which are eroding due to a disasteous combination of over-development, climate change and over-fishing of parrotfish. Not everyone is aware that parrotfish literally poo sand. But their numbers are in perilous decline, and most are small because the fish are caught before they can reach maturity. As a result, the natural beach service they provide is being lost.

Platt says he plans to use his extensive catalogue of beautiful images to tell the story of the decline, to explain how it can be reversed, why it should be, and above all to urge people to stop eating reef fish.

He said it was horrendous to realise how few people are aware of the problem and how little they know about how serious the decline in local fish stocks has become.

He added that he wants to raise awareness to such an extent, that people will want, for the sake of their environment, to stop consuming the locally caught fish and eat something else instead.

Pratt noted that a good alternative dish is lionfish, an invasive species that has become prolific, and aggressively competes for food and space with Cayman’s native fish, threatening reef biodiversity.