India in command against the West Indies in the opening Test
Centuries by Dhruv Jurel, Ravendra Jadeja and KL Rahul, have left West Indies with a herculean task if they are to avoid a heavy defeat against India in the opening Test match at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Jurel scored an impressive 125, Jadeja finished unbeaten on 104 and Rahul stroked an even 100, as the home side piled up a massive 448 for five at the close of play on the second day, giving them an already mammoth first innings lead of 286 runs.
India’s batsmen made the visitors toil in the sun all day with little success, with captain Shubman Gill chipping in with a half century against a tame West Indies bowling attack that lacked venom.
Resuming the day on 121 for two with Rahul on 53 and Gill 18, the duo dominated proceedings in the morning session during a 98-run partnership.
Rahul survived a scare in the day’s first over when his outside edge flew between the wicketkeeper and first slip and into the third man boundary, but apart from that was solid in defense and quick to latch onto anything short or wide offered by the bowlers.
They navigated the first hour with ease and Gill brought up his eighth half century in Test cricket with a single off left-arm spinner Khary Pierre.
Skipper Roston Chase got the much-needed breakthrough for the Windies when he had Gill caught at first slip by Justin Greaves as he attempted a reverse sweep, to leave India 188 for three.
Rahul, meanwhile, continued his march to three figures, sweeping Pierre for four to move into the 90s.
He eventually notched his 11th Test century and second at home with a single through midwicket off Chase, as India went to lunch in a strong position of 218 for three, a lead of 56 runs.
The West Indies reaped success again immediately after the break when left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican enticed Rahul into a cover drive that went straight to Greaves without any addition to the score.
In all, Rahul faced 197 balls and hit 12 fours.
Jadeja joined Jurel at the crease and the two crushed any hopes the Windies had of staging a fightback during a backbreaking 206-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Jadeja was in a no-nonsense mood early on, smashing Warrican for two massive sixes and driving Chase down the ground for four.
Jurel reached his half century by cutting Justin Greaves past backward square for a boundary and it didn’t take long for Jadeja to score his seventh fifty plus score in his last nine innings with a quick single off Warrican, as India went to tea at 326 for four.
West Indies took the second new ball in the day’s final session, but it made no difference as the two batters dominated proceedings.
It came as no surprise, therefore, when Jurel, playing in his sixth Test, scored his maiden Test century with a boundary off Chase past mid-off.
Jurel brought up the 200-run partnership with a straight six off Warrican, but after facing 210 balls and striking 15 fours and three sixes, he edged Pierre behind to wicketkeeper Shai Hope to give him his first Test wicket at 424 for five.
While there was little else for the West Indies to celebrate following his dismissal, Jadeja was all smiles when he became the third Indian to reach three figures in the innings, scoring his sixth Test century with a single off Warrican.
Together with Washington Sundar, they navigated the final few overs to ensure India kept the Windies in a stranglehold heading into Saturday’s third day.
Scoreboard of the second day of the first Test between India and West Indies here at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday.
Source- CMC
MSF says Haiti sinks deeper into a crisis as health facilities close
The non-government organization, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Friday said that as the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, sinks deeper into a crisis marked by violent clashes between armed groups and police forces, there has been an increase in the number of civilian causalities arriving at its facilities.
MSF, also known as Doctors without Borders, said that while nearly two in five Haitians are in urgent need of medical care due to widespread insecurity and violence, 60 to 80 per cent of Port-au-Prince’s health facilities are closed or non-functional for the same reasons.
It said that between January and June 2025, MSF teams assisted 2,600 victims and survivors of sexual violence, admitted 13,300 patients to emergency rooms and treated 2,267 victims of violence.
Among these, 26 per cent were minors, compared to 11 per cent in 2024 with MSF stating that most minors were under the age of 15, and one third were girls. Thirty per cent of all minors admitted for violence-related injuries suffered gunshot wounds.
“These figures reflect the alarming deterioration of the situation in Haiti, where civilians, including women and children, are increasingly exposed to danger every day,” says Mumuza Muhindo Musubaho, MSF head of mission in Haiti, adding “civilians must be spared by the parties to this conflict”.
MSF said that on September 20, at least 17 wounded people were treated at the MSF hospital in Drouillard following a drone attack carried out the same day in the Cité Soleil neighbourhood.
Among these patients were two men who were already dead on arrival, and another man who died while being transferred, 10 women – one of whom died en route to MSF’s trauma hospital in Tabarre – and three children who tragically did not survive their injuries. Two more women injured in this attack died at the nearby Isaïe Jeanty maternity hospital, where MSF is also working.
“This violence is occurring in the context of a territorial conflict, with communities directly on the frontlines, trapped between the threat of explosive drones and the brutal violence of armed groups that loot and burn homes, destroy neighbourhoods, terrorise communities, and increasingly use sexual violence as a weapon of control, punishment, and extortion,” MSF said.
It said on average, about 18 per cent of patients followed through MSF’s general healthcare project in neighbourhoods controlled by armed groups report that they avoid using public transportation to reach medical facilities outside these areas, fearing they might be targeted.
MSF said that the restricted movement of residents, combined with the widespread closure of hospitals since 2024 due to armed attacks, looting, the exodus of medical staff, and difficulties in supplying medicines, has drastically reduced and centralised the availability of healthcare, leaving a large share of people without access to vital services.
It said that this situation also places extreme pressure on the facilities that remain operational, notably MSF’s trauma hospital in Tabarre, which has increased its bed capacity by 50 per cent, with 26 per cent of trauma cases linked to violence.
Only one major public hospital is still functioning in the capital, Hôpital universitaire de la Paix, and it is regularly overwhelmed.
“This devastating context fuels a profound sense of abandonment among Haitians. And, it must be said, the severe decline in healthcare availability – a crisis within the crisis – also leaves the few remaining humanitarian and medical actors with the impression of being overwhelmed by ever-growing needs,” Musubaho said.
MSF said it remains fully committed to supporting the people of Haiti and is working closely with the Ministry of Public Health and Population, adding “it is imperative that civilians, healthcare workers, and medical facilities be protected”.
Source- CMC
Earthquake rattles three Caribbean islands
An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.8 rattled several cities in the Caribbean on Friday, but there were no immediate reports of damage of injuries.
The Trinidad-based Seismic Research Centre (SRC) of the St. Augistine campus of the Universty of the West Indies (UWI) said that the quake occurred at 10.59 am (loccal time) and was at a depth of 142 kilometers (km).
It said that the quake was felt 33 km north east of Kinstown, the capital of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, 67 km, south, south west of Castries in St.Lucia and 128 km south of Fort-de-France, the capital of the French island of Martinique.
Source- CMC
U.S Government shutdown continues
The federal government on Thursday entered its second day of a shutdown amid an impasse on Capitol Hill over competing congressional spending bills.
The Senate floor was open Thursday, but the chamber was not voting due to Yom Kippur. The Senate is, however, expected to vote again Friday on both the Democrat funding bill that includes health care provisions and the short-term government funding bill.
As of now, however, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he is not expecting the Senate to engage in weekend work.
President Donald Trump said Thursday he had a meeting scheduled with OMB Director Russ Vought to determine which agencies he "recommends" be cut — either temporarily or permanently.
"I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent," Trump wrote on his social media platform.
He called the shutdown an "unprecedented opportunity."
Source- ABC
White House hasn't received Hamas response as deadline looms
The White House has not received Hamas' response to the peace plan they put out on Monday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday.
They still “expect” Hamas to accept the plan, Leavitt said.
In the meantime, Gaza's Hamas-run Ministry of Health said Thursday that Israeli forces killed 77 Palestinians and wounded 222 others in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours.
That brings the Palestinian death toll in Gaza since the ongoing war began to 66,225, according to the health ministry.
Among those killed over the past day were two people trying to collect humanitarian aid, while another 44 were injured, the health ministry said.
Source- ABC
Sean Combs' ex-girlfriend says she was never sex trafficked
One day before Sean "Diddy" Combs' sentencing, the rap mogul’s former girlfriend is pushing back on prosecutors’ claims that she was sex trafficked or involved in prostitution.
Virginia Huynh — the ex-girlfriend identified as "Victim 3" in the indictment and "Gina" during the trial — told Judge Arun Subramanian in a letter that she was "pressured to feel like a victim" by prosecutors and she believes Combs should be released to his family.
"I told them I was not but they insisted that I was, even when I expressed my truth otherwise," she wrote, referring to prosecutors. "I understand they concluded that I had been sex trafficked and involved in 'forced prostitution.' I did not agree with that conclusion. I was not trafficked. I did not engage in prostitution with him or others."
Prosecutors initially planned to call Huynh as a witness during Combs' trial this summer, but later said they were unable to reach her. Other witnesses testified she was in a relationship with Combs while he was dating Cassie Ventura, and one witness said he witnessed Combs being violent to her in 2015.
"'Gina,' though she will not be testifying, is a main character in this trial," prosecutor Christy Slavik told the court in June.
In August, after Combs’ conviction, Huynh wrote the judge a similar letter requesting that Combs be released, arguing he was no longer violent and deserved to be with his family.
"Our relationship, like many, was not always perfect, we experienced ups and downs, and mistakes were made but he was willing to acknowledge his mistakes and make better decisions in the future," Huynh wrote.
Combs' submission to the court also includes letters of support from mentees, former employees and friends from jail.
Miles Guo, an exiled Chinese billionaire convicted of defrauding investors of hundreds of millions of dollars, wrote a letter based on their time together behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
"I have had multiple conversations with him and they have been very peaceful, enlighten, and motivational. I see Mr. Combs is a very kind, sensitive, and genius person. He really cares about his name and his reputation," Guo wrote, adding Combs wants to create an AI platform with him to "help the people."
Maribel Flaquer, whose son served time alongside the music mogul, urged the judge to release Combs, writing, "I truly believe this experience and [Combs'] mentorship have changed the trajectory of Raymond’s life."
In July, a jury found Combs guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution in connection with his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, and guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution in connection with another ex-girlfriend, who testified under the pseudonym "Jane." Combs was found not guilty of racketeering conspiracy, the most serious charge. He was also found not guilty of both charges of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion in connection with Ventura and "Jane."
Combs is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday. Combs plans to speak in court in the "most dignified and respectful fashion possible," according to a court filing last week.
Federal prosecutors argue Combs deserves at least 11 years in prison, while Combs' attorneys are seeking time served. Combs has been in custody since his September 2024 arrest.
Source-ABC
Grand Turk gets Youth Media Expo
Grand Turk was recently buzzing with creativity as students at H. J. Robinson High got a closer look at careers in the media and communications industry.
The Youth Media Expo connected them with professionals in areas like podcasting, filmmaking, social media, and government communications.
Danae Dennie has more.
TCI ELECTED CHAIR OF THE CARIBBEAN ASSOCIATION OF PROBATION AND PAROLE
The Turks and Caicos Islands has been elected as the new Chair of the Caribbean Association of Probation and Parole (CAPP), following the Association’s 2nd Annual Conference held in Saint Lucia on September 4–6, 2025. Director of Rehabilitation and Community Supervision, Mr. Jaron Harvey, and Senior Probation Officer, Ms. Marcella Williams represented the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) at the regional gathering. The conference brought together probation and parole professionals from across the Caribbean to share best practices, strengthen partnerships, and chart the future of community corrections in the region.
By assuming the chairmanship, TCI will help shape the regional agenda with a key focus on advancing offender rehabilitation, youth crime prevention, and professional standards across the Caribbean. TCI will also have the opportunity to host the 3rd Annual CAPP Conference in 2026.
During the conference, a presentation was delivered that highlighted the significant strides being made in the Turks and Caicos Islands to expand probation and parole services and to implement a national prevention agenda for at-risk youth. The presentation showcased TCI’s progress in strengthening supervision practices, introducing new rehabilitation programs, and building multi-agency partnerships to reduce re-offending and improve public safety. The conference agenda centered on pressing issues facing the region, including the management of sex offenders, gang-involved individuals, and the development of effective crime prevention strategies.
Speaking on the election, the Hon. Otis Morris, Minister of Public Safety and Utilities, stated: “This is both an honour and a responsibility for the Turks and Caicos Islands. As Chair, we are committed to working alongside our regional partners to elevate probation and parole as key pillars of public safety, rehabilitation, and crime prevention. This recognition underscores the important role our country plays in advancing rehabilitation in the region.”
CAPP is dedicated to advancing evidence-based practices, supporting offender rehabilitation, and fostering professional collaboration across the region.
Federal government shuts down after Senate fails to pass funding measures
Both Republican and Democratic proposals that would have funded the government past Tuesday failed in the Senate during the eleventh hour, effectively shutting down the government at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday.
The federal government ran out of money after a Democratic-backed spending bill that would have extended health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act and reversed cuts to Medicaid failed, as well as the GOP-backed stopgap funding measure that would have funded the government for seven weeks also failed.
The Senate is expected to vote again on Wednesday, likely on the same two measures that failed Tuesday.
Source- ABC
Jane Goodall, famed primatologist, anthropologist and conservationist, dead at 91
Jane Goodall, the most prolific primatologist of a generation, has died. She was 91 years old.
"The Jane Goodall Institute has learned this morning, Wednesday, October 1, 2025, that Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, UN Messenger of Peace and Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute has passed away due to natural causes," the institute said on social media. "She was in California as part of her speaking tour in the United States."
Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world.
It was July 1960 when Goodall, 26 years old at the time, first entered Tanzania and began her important research on chimpanzees in the wild. Throughout her study of the species, Goodall proved that primates display an array of similar behaviors to humans, such as communicate, develop individual personalities, and make and use their own tools.
Among the most surprising discoveries Goodall made when the research began was "how like us" the chimpanzees are, she told ABC News in 2020.
"Their behavior, with their gestures, kissing, embracing, holding hands and patting on the back," she said. "The fact that they can actually be violent and brutal and have a kind of war, but also loving and altruistic."
That discovery is considered one of the achievements of 20th century scholarship, according to the Jane Goodall Institute.
Goodall's research garnered both scientific honors and mainstream fame, and she was credited with paving the way for a rise in women pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math over the years. The number of women in STEM has increased from 7% to 26% in the six last decades, according to The Jane Goodall Institute, which cited census information from 1970 to 2011.
The anthropologist continued to lend her voice to environmental causes well into her 80s and 90s.
Source-ABC