Archive for August, 2010
Crown has eye witness
(CNS): The murder trial of Patrick McField, Osborne Douglas and Brandon Ebanks for the murder of Omar Samuels, opened this morning (Monday 30 August) with the revelation that the crown has an eye witness to the murder. The 16 year old girl is the crown’s key witness who says she saw the accused men shoot Samuels outside a house in McField Lane where she had gone to visit a friend on 5 July 2009. Solicitor General, Cheryl Richards QC gave her brief opening statement about the crown’s case against the three defendants, shortly after eight women and four men were selected to serve on the jury.
Richards told the court that the identification made by the witness was key to the case. The crown’s prosecuting counsel said she was related to two of the defendants and lived in the same neighbourhood as the third so she was very familiar with the men. Despite the darkness at the time of the crime Richards said the house and porch where Samuels was shot was well lit.
The crown’s case is that McField, Douglas and Ebanks had quarreled with the deceased earlier in the evening and then later came to the house to find him where armed with guns the three men acted together to commit the murder. Although Samuels was shot only once in the leg police found five empty shell casing at the scene.
The one gun shot which Samuels received proved to be fatal and Richards said the pathologist confirmed that the bullet penetrated Samuels’ femoral artery causing him to bleed to death.
The three men accused of killing Samuels are all represented by Queen’s Counsel from the UK and local defence attorneys Nicholas Dixie, Ben Tonner and Clyde Allen. The crown’s case is being made by Cheryl Richards QC, the solicitor general, supported by crown counsel Trisha Hutchinson.
The trial continues this afternoon with a video link to the first witness.
Blackberry makes offer to India in face of ban
BBC): Blackberry-maker Research in Motion has said it is willing to work with India to support the country’s need for "lawful access" to encrypted services. RIM and the Indian government are holding last-minute talks ahead of a 31 August deadline, when a ban on the devices is due to begin. India wants the ability to monitor secure e-mail and instant messaging services provided by the firm. RIM maintains that it does not do "specific deals" with countries. The firm said that it had now offered to "lead an industry forum focused on supporting the lawful access needs of law enforcement agencies".
Cliamte change panel wait on verdict
(BBC): An international committee reviewing the "processes and procedures" of the UN’s climate science panel is set to report on Monday. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has faced mounting pressure over errors in its last major assessment of climate science in 2007.The review was overseen by the Inter-Academy Council, which brings together bodies such as the UK’s Royal Society. The findings are to be unveiled at a news conference in New York. The IPCC has admitted it made a mistake in its 2007 climate assessment in asserting that Himalayan glaciers could disappear by 2035. But officials at the UN organisation said this error did not change the broad picture of man-made climate change.
Diabetes unsweetens sex lives
(Healthy Living): Sex is an important part of life and healthy relationships. But diabetes can affect your sex life, a new study claims. The number of people with diabetes is increasing due to population growth, aging, and increasing prevalence of obesity and physical inactivity. According to American Diabetic Association 12.2 million or 23.1% of Americans above 60 have diabetes. Older adults with diabetes were found to be sexually active, but the disease does cause some problems with intimacy. Scientists at the University of Chicago Medical Centre conducted a study of 1,993 people, aged 57 to 85. The research was a part of the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project. The study involves in-home interviews, self-administered questionnaires, blood tests to evaluate diabetes status, and medication audits.
New multi planet solar systems found
(CNET): NASA’s Kepler spacecraft, hunting for distant worlds by measuring the slight dimming of starlight as planets pass in front of their parent suns, has found its first multiplanet solar system. The Kepler-9 system includes two Saturn-class worlds orbiting in gravitational lockstep close to their star and a possible third planet just a bit larger than Earth that whirls through a hellish "year" in just 1.8 days. The announcement came just a few days after a European team, using a different technique with a ground-based telescope, revealed the discovery of a solar system with up to seven planets, including another candidate planet slightly larger than Earth.
Film business boosts Jamaican economy
(Jamaica Observer): The naturally diverse beauty of Port Antonio continues to make it an ideal location for major overseas film projects that engage the local industry and contribute in a significant way to the economy of the town and the country. The 20th Century Fox summer blockbuster Knight and Day, staring Hollywood A-list actors Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, is the most recent example. In early February, JAMPRO’s Film Commission facilitated the shooting of a scene for the film at Frenchman’s Cove in Portland, which pumped US$1.35m into the local economy and created employment for 80 Jamaicans.
Miller: Drug law not working
(CNS): The represented for North Side, Ezzard Miller, has said that Cayman’s drug problem is not being helped by interdiction. The country needs to focus on reducing demand amongst the youngest kids, instead of spending so much on law enforcement as it wasn’t working, the MLA said last week. He said that the country had to focus on preventing today’s primary school children getting involved in drugs by spending money on them and ensuring that they have a better chance than the generations that came before them. Miller said it was almost impossible to turn older kids away from using or selling drugs once they became used to earning the kind of money the drub business generated.
Earl storms on as Danielle fades away
(CNS): Hurricane Earl which is now a category two hurricane was moving at 14 mph this morning as it headed towards the US Virgin Islands. Sustained winds are reaching 110mph with higher gusts and Earl is expected to become a major hurricane by tonight or early Tuesday as forecasters are predicting strengthening throughout the day. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 50 miles from the centre and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 175 miles. Meanwhile, Danielle is losing its tropical characteristics as it moves over the far northern Atlantic.
Accused gunmen opt for jury
(CNS): The three young men accused of killing Omar Samuels (28) last year have elected to have their case tried by a jury. The trial of Patrick McField (23), Osbourne Douglas (23) and Brandon Leslie (24) opens in the Grand Court on Monday morning before Justice Charles Quin. The three men are accused of shooting Samuels on 5 July 2009 in McField Lane, George Town. Although he was shot in the leg the bullet penetrated Samuels’ femoral artery causing him to bleed to death. The murder triggered what police described as a spate of tit for tat shootings, which lasted until March of this year when Damion Ming became the most recent victim of the gang violence.
More banks join government mortgage scheme
(CNS): Two more local high street banks have joined the government’s mortgage guarantee programme to enable more Caymanians to access mortgages. Butterfield and FirstCaribbean International banks will each offer an additional $5 million sum for home loans to local people who can afford a mortgage but cannot find the 25% cash to put down with the bank. The deal with the two banks was signed on Wednesday bringing the total of retail banks supporting the initiative to six. Since its inception the Government Guaranteed Home Assisted Mortgage (GGHAM) programme has helped 269 people get their own homes.