Leaders agree on plan to ban assault-style weapons

Caribbean Community leaders have agreed on plans to introduce bans in their countries on assault-style weapons mostly manufactured in the US to curb spikes in gun violence and weapons smuggling in the 15-nation Caricom bloc

The decision came late Tuesday at the end of a two-day summit in Trinidad on crime The bans would require a mix of legislation and changes in licensing regulations

The Caribbean leaders had called a roundtable on the issue amid complaints from several governments about an increase in gangland violence, bolstered by the availability of high-powered, military-style weapons smuggled mostly from the US Jamaica, Trinidad, The Bahamas, St Lucia and Barbados have all complained about an increase in gun murders in recent years

“Caricom heads have agreed today to take a decision to ban the use and presence of assault weapons in the civilian population of our nations,” host Prime Minister Keith Rowley told reporters at the end of the summit, attended by a majority of heads of government

The move came just a few weeks after several member nations announced plans to join with Mexico to sue American gun manufacturers over the weapons smuggled into their countries

Bahamian Prime Minister and Caricom Chairman Phillip Davis told the summit that in his country 98 6 percent of recovered illegal firearms could be traced to the United States, in Haiti 87 7 percent and in Jamaica 67 percent

“Jamaica had a staggering homicide rate of 52 9 per 100,000 inhabitants,” he said, as compared with the global average of about 7 5 per 100,000

However, Davis did not have figures on what percentage of the seized guns were assault-style weapons as

Jamaica’s health ministry reports increase in respiratory illnesses

Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Wellness has reported that there is an increase in respiratory illnesses in the country

It also reminded citizens that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over opposed to handguns or other weapons that would be unaffected by this week’s proposed ban Rowley said countries in the Caribbean would need legislation to support the ban, and he called on opposition parties throughout the region to support any parliamentary action by their governments

He noted that the Caribbean leaders have asked US President Joe Biden for dialogue on the weapons issue

Jasmine Hartin pleads guilty to shooting death of Belizean police ofcer

Canadian socialite Jasmine Hartin has pleaded guilty to manslaughter by negligence in the 2021 shooting of senior Belizean police officer Henry Jemmott

Hartin, 34, the ex-wife of British billionaire Lord Michael Ashcroft’s son Andrew appeared at the Supreme Court in Belize City on Tuesday

Emotional Hartin said outside of the court: “I just want Henry’s family to have peace now and I want this whole thing to be behind all of us so we can heal ”

She will be sentenced on May 31, 2023

Reports are that Hartin shot 42-year-old Superintendent Henry Jemmott while the two had a drink near Ashcroft’s hotel on the island of Ambergris Caye in May 2021

The body of Jemmott was found with a gunshot wound behind his ear

According to reports Hartin shared that the cop allowed her to handle his Glock 17 handgun to practice loading and unloading it when it “just went off ”

“I don’t remember ever touching that trigger on the gun so I don’t know what happened, to be honest,” Hartin said in a June 2022 interview

“I was trying to get the clip out and it just went off — I don’t remember ever touching the trigger So I’m not sure if it was a faulty weapon or not I really can’t tell you how it went off,” she continued

According to the ministry, the COVID-19 virus (SARSCoV-2), influenza B, influenza A, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are the most common respiratory viruses in Jamaica and have contributed to the current rise in respiratory infections

It further said that Influenza (flu) and RSV usually cause seasonal increases in respiratory illnesses in Jamaica and other countries yearly

The health ministry reported an increase in weekly visits to public health facilities for influenza-like illnesses It also revealed that admissions for severe acute respiratory illnesses have increased in the past two weeks

As it relates to COVID-19, the ministry said that the seven-day average positivity rate as at April 15 was 6 8%, and shared that the highly transmissible Omicron is the COVID-19 variant that is presently circulating in Jamaica

The health ministry added that currently prevalent respiratory viruses can result in continues onA5