CARIBBEAN

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The United States (US) dollar on Friday, June 12, ended trading at $159.19 down 16 cents, according to the Bank of Jamaica’s daily exchange trading summary.Meanwhile, the Canadian dollar ended trading at $114.33, up from $113.61, and the British pound at $213.51 down from $213.65.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited (NCBJ) says it has received several international banking awards in 2026, including recognition from The Banker, Global Finance Magazine, JP Morgan and Capital Finance International.The bank said Friday that The Banker ranked it number one in Jamaica for profitability, operational efficiency, return on risk, liquidity and overall banking performance.NCBJ was also named Best Bank — Jamaica 2026, Best FX Bank — Jamaica 2026 for […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Scotia Group Jamaica Limited reported higher half-year profit in results published on the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Friday, alongside a separate announcement that its majority shareholder plans to take the company private.The banking group posted net income of $10.1 billion for the six months ended April 30, up from $9.2 billion a year earlier, supported by stronger lending, higher deposits and growth across its banking, investment and insurance businesses.Scotiabank […]

EAST RUTHERFORD, United States  (AFP) —  Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday that the five-time World Cup winners have a team capable of competing with the very best, as they bid to end a 24-year wait for another global crown.After winning five Champions League titles as a club coach, the Italian will make his managerial debut in the sport's biggest tournament at the helm of a Brazil side that has not lifted the trophy since 2002."It's a new experience, it's a new responsibility to […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) says it is expressing profound sadness at the death of 13-year-old Excelsior High School student, Kemelia Paul, who succumbed to injuries sustained after being stabbed while attempting to intervene in a domestic dispute at her home in St Andrew.In a statement on Friday, Chief Executive Officer of the CPFSA, Laurette Adams-Thomas, extended condolences to Kemelia’s family, friends, school community and all those […]

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The United States (US) Justice Department has approved Paramount Skydance's $111 billion deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, US media reported Friday.The department signed off without demanding any asset sales or other concessions, concluding the deal did not threaten competition, Politico and Bloomberg reported.The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but was expected to make an announcement on Friday, the reports said.The […]

TORONTO, Canada (AFP) — Co-hosts Canada grabbed a second-half equaliser to draw 1-1 with Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday in the first World Cup finals game ever played on Canadian soil.Cyle Larin got Canada's goal after Jovo Lukic put Bosnia ahead with a header on 21 minutes in Toronto.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — More than 200 student-athletes from across the island competed in the Jamaica Table Tennis Association's (JTTA) 2026 Preparatory and Primary School League finals at the University of Technology (UTech) Auditorium on Monday.Among the team champions, Hillel Academy won the preparatory girls title, while AISK captured the preparatory boys crown. Greater Portmore Primary secured the primary girls championship, while Whitfield Primary and Infant School took top honours in the […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) has successfully implemented a modern Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone system across its key health facilities and administrative offices.The new system has been activated at Kingston Public Hospital, Victoria Jubilee Hospital, the regional and the corporate offices in New Kingston, providing a more efficient, reliable, and integrated communication platform to support healthcare delivery and administrative […]

WESTMORELAND, Jamaica — The Universal Service Fund (USF) has launched 19 community and public Wi-Fi sites across Westmoreland, providing thousands of residents with free internet access through its Connec’ Di West Road Tour initiative.In a release, the USF said the Westmoreland leg of the tour, held on June 5 at Independence Park in Savanna-la-Mar, marked the start of a three-parish campaign that will see the launch of 65 Wi-Fi sites across Westmoreland, St James and Hanover.The agency said […]

HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) — Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Friday announced greater freedoms for small businesses across the country, as the communist government takes steps to liberalise the island's economy in the face of a crippling United States (US) blockade.In a speech broadcast on national television, Diaz-Canel said Cuba would open more sectors to private businesses and streamline the approval process for new ventures."For non-state forms of management, the list of prohibited […]

Sangster International Airport (SIA) has been officially upgraded to Level 3 of the Airports Council International (ACI) Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) programme - one of the most respected international benchmarks for airport carbon management. MBJ Airports Limited (MBJ), which operates the airport, confirmed the accreditation. At Level 3, the airport is assessed on its work to bring airlines, ground handlers, tenants, and other on-site partners into a coordinated approach to carbon […]

Pepsi-Cola Jamaica has officially launched its Football Nation campaign in Jamaica, naming national team captain Andre Blake as the local face of the global platform. Blake joins international football icons Vinícius Júnior, Florian Wirtz, and Sir David Beckham to spearhead a nationwide celebration of the sport.The announcement puts Jamaican fans at the center of the action during this peak football season. By building the campaign around the authentic traditions and match-day rituals of […]

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The United States (US) begin their World Cup challenge on Friday, taking on Paraguay in the first game in the tournament on US soil for 32 years.The World Cup co-hosts know that they must avoid slipping up in the showdown at the futuristic SoFi Stadium.US head coach Mauricio Pochettino says he expects his team to do much more than simply progress from Group D."For me, successful is to win, is to win tomorrow and win after," the former Tottenham coach said on […]

Forty-three members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force graduated from a seven-week Jamaican Sign Language and Deaf Culture Training Programme at a close-out ceremony held at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel on Thursday.Senior Superintendent Dennis Brooks, representing Commissioner of Police, Dr Kevin Blake, commended the graduates for their dedication and commitment to professional development and inclusive policing. “This ceremony marks an important achievement for every participant gathered here. […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) has established a special internal team to oversee its investigation into the islandwide blackout following the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited's (JPS) submission of a preliminary report on the incident.READ: Power outages reported across several parishesIn a release, the OUR said the team will provide direction to JPS, undertake the necessary preparations for the investigation, and review the utility company's final report […]

Top schoolboy football coach Vassell Reynolds has replaced Anthony Patrick as technical director of St Catherine High School after being released by Kingston College.Reynolds, easily one of the most successful coaches around, having won both the Manning Cup with Kingston College in 2024 and the daCosta Cup with Ruseas High in 2017, a rare feat in the history of schoolboy football. He also won the Walker Cup with Wolmer's Boys in 2015 and the all-island Flow Super Cup in 2016. Now he is tasked […]

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Shares in Elon Musk's SpaceX jumped more than 20 per cent on their trading debut Friday after the biggest IPO in history, making the polarising entrepreneur the world's first trillionaire as he vowed to take humanity to Mars.The blockbuster initial public offering, which raised more than $75 billion, is expected to kick off a series of major IPOs by AI companies in the coming months.The debut on the Nasdaq exchange in New York capped weeks of investor frenzy […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Jubilation has engulfed the camp of dancehall entertainer Munga Honourable, after he and his murder co-accused were set free on Friday.The prosecution in the case offered no further evidence against Munga, whose given name is Damian Rhodes, and Sheridan Gordon in relation to the 2017 murder of Cleveland Smith in Ackee Walk in St Andrew.The Jamaica Observer understands that the men were freed following too many inconsistencies in the testimony of the sole eyewitness in the […]

Gatorade Jamaica has officially announced an exciting one-year brand ambassadorship with 19-year-old rising football star Jaileah McPherson. The standout captain of the Jamaica Reggae Girlz Under-20 team joins the Gatorade family as the face of the brand's localized “No Shortcuts, Wi Sweat Hard” campaign. This announcement comes as McPherson continues to elevate her football career, having recently transferred to the University of Miami, one of the premier programs in NCAA Division I […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Scotiabank Caribbean Holdings Limited is moving to take Scotia Group Jamaica Limited (SGJL) private, in a transaction that would see minority shareholders bought out at $61.50 per share in cash.SGJL announced Friday that it has entered into a definitive arrangement agreement with Scotiabank Caribbean Holdings Limited, its majority shareholder, which already owns 71.78 per cent of the company.Under the proposed transaction, all SGJL shares not currently owned by Scotiabank […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Main Event Entertainment Group Limited (MEEG) sank deeper into loss in its second quarter as revenue fell across most of its business lines, with hurricane disruption, weaker discretionary spending and redirected event business offsetting efforts to cut costs and stabilise operations.The numbers suggest Main Event’s main challenge is not only controlling expenses, but restoring revenue in a market where events, promotions and production work have become less […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s dollar has held steady through an oil shock and a hurricane.That is not an accident.It is, in large part, the result of a financial cushion most Jamaicans rarely think about until pressure builds: the country’s foreign reserves.With inflation expected to rise further and the economy still recovering from Hurricane Melissa, the reserves have become more than a central bank number. They help determine how much room the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) has to smooth […]

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Pele's 1958 World Cup winners' medal is expected to fetch £500,000 ($670,000) when it is auctioned in England later this month.The medal, won by the Brazilian legend when he was a teenager, is part of a catalogue of 450 World Cup-related items being sold by sporting memorabilia specialists BUDDS, which estimates they will fetch £2 million in total.A Brazil shirt won by Pele in the 1958 final is estimated to sell for more than $6 million in a separate auction […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Leaders from sport, business, tourism, government, investment, media, technology, education and athlete development will gather in Jamaica later this month for the inaugural Made4Goal Jamaica Global Sports Summit.The two-day event, which will be held at the University of Technology, Jamaica on June 29 and 30, is aimed at exploring how Jamaica can move beyond producing world-class athletes to building a world-class sports industry.In a release, organisers said the summit is […]