BRAZIL – An arrest has been made in the case of a family in Brazil, who were poisoned on Christmas Eve after eating a cake containing arsenic. Three people died and three others were hospitalized after the incident, which occurred in the city of Torres, in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.

At a press conference Monday, the Civil Police of Rio Grande do Sul confirmed that the daughter-in-law of one the victims is the main suspect. According to police, there were seven people in the room when the cake was served. One person did not eat the cake, but the other six who did were all hospitalized. Three women, sisters Maida and Neuza, and Neuza’s daughter Tatiana, later died.

The suspect, arrested Sunday, is the daughter-in-law of Zeli dos Anjos, 60, who made the cake, according to CNN Brasil. Police told CNN the suspect had disagreements with her family for more than two decades. She has been charged with triple homicide as well as three attempted homicides. Dos Anjos is currently in the ICU, according to police, along with her 10-year-old great-nephew.

Police said large amounts of arsenic were registered in the bodies of the three women who died, with expert analysis showing high levels in their urine and stomach samples. “The arsenic levels in these samples are so high that they are considered toxic and lethal. And that explains the cause of death,” Marguet Mittmann, director general of the General Institute of Expertise, a public security body working with the police, said at the press conference.

BAHAMAS – Chief Magistrate Roberto Reckley has recommended that three Haitian nationals who overstayed their visitors’ visas in The Bahamas, be repatriated to their homeland after either paying the fines or serving the jail sentences. The three Haitians — Yvens Gazena, 38, Cassandra Valde, 40, and Alain Lemour, 36 — all pleaded guilty to a charge of overstaying at their arraignment.

The court heard that Gazena, who was fined US$1,500, had overstayed her legal visit by one year, three months and five days. Failure to pay the fine would result in a six-month jail term. Valde, who overstayed by seven months, was given the option of paying the US$750 fine or spending three months in prison, while Lemour, who spent almost two years in the country illegally, was fined US$1,500 with a default sentence of six months in prison. Speaking through a Creole interpreter, Lemour told the chief magistrate that he didn’t have the money to pay. But the chief magistrate said that he could not reduce the fine and that Lemour could appeal his decision. The magistrate later recommended the repatriation of the group upon either payment of their fines or the completion of their sentences. (Jamaicaobserver)

PARIS – Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy ‘s trial started on Monday over alleged illegal financing of his 2007 presidential campaign by the government of then-Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Sarkozy, 69, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, did not speak to the press at arrival at the Paris court. He has denied any wrongdoing.

The Libyan case, the biggest and possibly most shocking of several scandals involving Sarkozy, is scheduled to run until April 10, with a verdict expected at a later date. Sarkozy faces charges of passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, concealment of embezzlement of public funds and criminal association, punished by up to 10 years in prison. The trial involves 11 other defendants, including three former ministers. Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine, accused of having played the role of intermediary, has fled in Lebanon and is not expected to appear at the Paris court. (Jamaica-Gleaner)

Photo: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrives as he goes on trial over alleged illegal financing of his 2007 presidential campaign by the government of late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. (AP)

President Dr. Irfaan Ali, last Friday, visited the CV (Craig Vegetables) Hydroponics Farm in Friendship on the East Bank of Demerara. During the visit, the President received an update on the farm’s operations from its founder and owner, Mr. Kitaka Craig.  The farm produces a variety of crops, including lettuce, kale, spinach, mint, parsley, and cilantro. According to Craig, it operates on less than two acres of land and is managed by a team of five staff members.

The farm established its first greenhouse in 2009 and has since expanded to 15 shade houses, with plans for further expansion. Last year alone, CV Farms produced over 33,000 pounds of lettuce and more than 9,000 pounds of kale. Craig said the produce is sold to local supermarkets and restaurants. He also noted that, with the future expansion of his farm, he will target the international market.

In brief remarks, the President commended Craig and said that the Ministry of Agriculture will collaborate and support the model farm.  “This is food security. This is building innovation, entrepreneurship, science and technology…” President Ali noted. (Kaieteur News)

Photo: President Irfaan Ali inspects the hydroponics farm at Friendship, East Bank Demerara. (Kaieteur News)

ISLAMABAD –  The outlawed armed group Pakistan Taliban, known by the acronym TTP, has issued a warning to the Pakistani army, stating that it will continue targeting security personnel and expand its attacks to the military’s business interests. In a statement issued last Sunday, the TTP pledged to go after various commercial enterprises run by the Pakistani military. Among the companies the group named were the National Logistics Cell, a Rawalpindi-based logistics firm; the Frontier Works Organisation, which specialises in engineering and construction; Fauji Fertiliser Company, a fertiliser manufacturer; military-run housing authorities across Pakistan; a commercial bank; and several other entities.

The Pakistan Taliban warned civilians to divest from military-run organisations within three months, urging employees of these companies to find alternative sources of income. The military has not issued any response to the Pakistan Taliban statement as yet. Al Jazeera also reached out to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, for a response but did not receive a reply. The TTP warning comes amid growing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan over the group’s activities.

Last month, the Pakistani military launched air raids in Afghanistan, targeting alleged hideouts of the armed group. Pakistan accuses the Taliban, which has ruled Afghanistan since August 2021, of providing safe havens for TTP fighters, allowing them to carry out cross-border attacks on law enforcement personnel within Pakistan. The Taliban in Afghanistan denies these allegations. The Pakistan Taliban is ideologically aligned with the Afghan Taliban. It was founded in 2007 during the so-called “war on terror” by the United States, and has been waging a rebellion against the state of Pakistan for more than a decade.

The group’s demands include the imposition of strict Islamic law, the release of its imprisoned members, and a reversal of the merger of Pakistan’s tribal areas with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Since the Taliban’s ascension to power in Kabul, TTP activities in Pakistan have surged dramatically, with nearly 1,000 people — mostly security personnel — killed in 2023. Violence persisted in 2024, which the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), an Islamabad-based think tank, described as the deadliest year in nearly a decade.

According to CRSS, 2,526 people were killed in attacks last year — including nearly 700 security personnel, more than 900 civilians and some 900 armed fighters. These deaths represent a nine-year high, exceeding the previous peak record of 2,432 deaths in 2016. Imtiaz Gul, executive director of the CRSS, warned that the Pakistan Taliban’s warning should not be dismissed. “They know full well that the Pakistani army is the linchpin against them in this fight, and their objective is to hurt the army and undermine its interests,” Gul told Al Jazeera.

Security researcher Abdul Sayed, based in Sweden, said the Pakistan Taliban’s statement signals a “significant policy shift” in the group’s strategy. “Under Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, the leader of the TTP since July 2018, a policy was introduced to limit attacks primarily to security forces. However, recent air strikes in Afghanistan’s Bermal district, which also resulted in civilian casualties, likely led internal hardliners within the group to revise this approach,” Sayed told Al Jazeera. (Al Jazeera/AP)