Shorts

Government minister Daryl Vaz said the Cornwall Barracks are in Portland is a total disaster following flood rains in the area this week.

"A mountainside has collapsed, clearing in its path an entire roadway, which now lies in a gully. The amazing thing is that no one was injured. Some residents, especially the young and brave at heart, have managed to traverse the rugged and hilly terrain through the landslide, under slippery and wet conditions to conduct business," Vaz said.

Rohan Deacon, the man who fled the island after he was charged with the 2013 murder of Roman Catholic priest, Father Charles Brown, is back in custody.

Deacon fled the country to Cuba but was held on arrival, and deported to Jamaica on January 4.

Brown's decomposing body was found in bushes with multiple stab wounds on the Plantation Heights main road in St Andrew.

A 23-year-old man of Amity Hall, St James is believed to have committed suicide.

The man has been identified as Shavann Reid, an auto mechanic of Gilsborough. His body was found hanging from a tree on Tuesday. It was removed by the Amity Hall police and taken to the morgue.

Senator Ruel Reid, the minister of education, is denouncing Tuesday night's shooting death of 16-year-old Cornwall College student, Mark Williams.

Minister Reid said the brazen killing of the teen demonstrates the blatant disregard that criminal elements in the country have for human life. Williams has been described as a bright, friendly and warm young man who had a passion for learning.

He was very involved in activities at school.

Thirteen persons have died on the nations roads since the start of the year. Kenute Hare, the director of the Road Safety Unit, said the majority of crashes are related to bad driving practises and very poor judgement. Some 320 persons died on the road last year.

According to Hare, the main cause of the crashes were due to excessive speeding, disobeying traffic sign/signals, swerving, failure to keep left, and following too closely or tailgating.

Hare wants motorists to change their behaviour and think of other road users.

He said road fatalities are not just statistics as these deaths cause a great deal of suffering for the people who have lost a loved one or who are left with life changing injuries.

The Urban Development Corporation (UDC) has announced plans for improvement to the Breezy Castle corridor in downtown Kingston.

Dr Damian Graham, general manager of the UDC, said the raising of both the national flag of Jamaica and the flag of Kingston is a symbolic continuation to the redevelopment activities planned for the area. Graham said the UDC is being guided by its current master plan, which includes the establishment of waterfront entertainment spots and hotels, marina and cruise ship pier.

A man who is wanted in the United States in relation to multiple counts of lottery scamming has been captured by the police. He is 23-year-old Mario Hines.

Hines' capture comes just months after eight other persons, including a policeman, who were believed to be part of the scheme were extradited to the US to face lottery scamming charges.

The Department of Justice, District of North Dakota, estimated that the number of Jamaican lottery scam victims is likely to be in the millions, with some estimates of annual losses in excess of US$1 billion.