Cop’s ear bitten off in clash with motorist
[Jamaica Observer] – An off-duty policeman who reportedly witnessed a motor vehicle accident in St Andrew on Saturday is now in hospital after he was attacked by a motorist.
OBSERVER ONLINE has learnt that the policeman’s ear was bitten off and his gun allegedly stolen. The Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Corporate Communications Unit has confirmed the attack on the off-duty policeman.
The unit said Sunday that the incident occurred after the policeman witnessed an accident and attempted to assist. They were, however, unable to provide further details.
Reports reaching OBSERVER ONLINE are that the policeman witnessed the motor vehicle accident on Hope Road some time before midnight. One of the motorists involved fled the scene and the policeman reportedly gave chase, intercepting the motor vehicle at West King’s House Road.
This was when the policeman was reportedly attacked, beaten, one of his ears bitten off, and his gun allegedly stolen. His alleged attacker fled the scene, abandoning the motor vehicle.
St Lucian police discover body of man who died trying to save his cow
CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC) – The police are investigating the discovery of a decomposing body of a man in his 30s, that was floating in the sea near Cul de Sac, two miles west of here late Saturday.
The police say they were summoned to the scene and after collecting the corpse, conveyed it to the Marine Police Headquarters where it was thereafter handled over to a local funeral home.
The man has been identified as Cleteus Estephane,a father of four. Reports suggest that the man was last seen attempting to save a cow caught in flood waters during the passage of a tropical wave on Friday.
However, along with the animal, he was swept away the ranging waters. The animal survived.
Bystanders report that several unsuccessful attempts to were made save the man’s life by sending him a rope, but he later disappeared. According to police reports, this was the second incident to have occurred during Friday’s deluge, but a pregnant woman who was swept down a manhole, was saved by a man who dived in and managed to rescue her.
He too was feared dead after disappearing for sometime, but was later found underground clutching onto a grill.
Haiti parliament headed for no clear majority
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AFP) — Haiti’s notoriously unstable politics was plunged into fresh uncertainty Sunday after preliminary results showed that no party won a clear majority in parliament.
It comes with the poorest country in the Western hemisphere already on a knife edge after one of the candidates in the presidential runoff called the first-round results of the October 25 elections a farce, fanning growing opposition protests.
Haiti suffers from chronic instability and has struggled to recover from a devastating 2010 earthquake that killed more than 250,000 people and crippled the nation’s infrastructure.
Its parliament was dissolved on January 13 after lawmakers’ terms were not extended, and the legislative chambers have remained empty.
The legislative elections, held on August 9 and October 25, were more than three years behind the constitutional schedule because of a crisis between the executive, led by President Michel Martelly, and the opposition.
Haiti’s 5.8 million voters were tasked with choosing two-thirds of their senators, or 20 posts, and all the 119 members in the Chamber of Deputies.
But no single party gained enough votes for a majority, official results out late Saturday showed.
Parties have 72 hours to challenge the preliminary results. Adding to the air of uncertainty, electoral authorities had canceled the first round of balloting in nearly a quarter of constituencies because violence on the August 9 polling day prevented a fair vote.
The final results are scheduled to be published on November 22, but the final composition of the Haitian parliament will not be known until the end of the year, after voting in those constituencies hampered by violence on August 9.
There are also fears about the December 27 presidential runoff, which sees Jude Celestin, of the Lapeh party, up against ruling-party candidate Jovenel Moise.
The 53-year-old Celestin told a news conference on Friday that the first-round results were a “ridiculous farce,” after his opponent garnered 32 per cent to his 25 per cent.
