CARIBBEAN

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Ja'Kobe Tharp produced a record- breaking performance on Wednesday, running 12.75 seconds (+1.0m/s) to break the men's 110m hurdles world record at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon.The Auburn athlete stunned the athletics world with the historic run, which came in the preliminary round rather than the final.Tharp crossed the line in an incredible 12.75 seconds, lowering the previous world record and booking his place in the final.He will return for the final […]

Lutec Electronics has launched its new intelligent door lock system in Jamaica, offering homeowners enhanced security and greater control over property access as it aims to position itself at the forefront of growing demand for smart home technology locally and in the region.Lutec’s Sentinel Intelligent Door Locks feature advanced biometric and remote access systems for enhanced security and convenience, eliminating the need for a traditional key.“Your home must be as intelligent as you, […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Chain of Hope is celebrating 30 years of transforming the lives of children with heart disease in Jamaica with a special anniversary medical mission to Bustamante Hospital for Children from June 8 to 15.Led by paediatric cardiac surgeon Professor Victor Tsang, the volunteer team of surgeons, cardiologists, anaesthetists, intensive care specialists, nurses and perfusionists will perform life-saving open-heart surgery on eight to 10 Jamaican children with complex heart […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Manchester police have released a composite sketch of two men who are wanted in connection with a murder in Dobson, Coleyville, Manchester, on Saturday, June 14, 2025.Dead is Ceejay Mongal, otherwise called ‘Indian,’ a labourer of Dobson, Coleyville in Manchester.According to police reports, about 5:00 am, Mongal was attacked and fatally chopped by three men.Subsequent investigations led to one man surrendering to the police, and he is currently before the court. […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Shadow Minister of Local Government and Participatory Democracy, Natalie Neita Garvey is calling for the creation of a Smart Municipal Jamaica Initiative to transform municipal corporations into digitally capable, citizen-centered institutions.Neita Garvey made the call on Wednesday during her contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives.She said the initiative would enable citizens to be able to apply online for permits, licenses and municipal […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Justice Minister Delroy Chuck has declared that there are no human rights problems in Jamaica.He made the declaration Wednesday afternoon during his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives.He was responding to Opposition Spokesperson on Justice Zuleika Jess who, during her contribution to the debate last Wednesday, took Chuck to task while highlighting a range of issues she deemed to be injustice or human rights abuses.“Jamaica does not, and I […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Police are seeking the public's assistance in locating 40-year-old pharmacy technician Kedecia McLeod of Allison district, Bombay, Manchester, who has been missing since Tuesday, June 9.McLeod is described as being of brown complexion and slim build.Reports from the Mandeville police are that about 1:11 pm, McLeod was last seen at her workplace wearing a white blouse, grey sweater, brown pants and a pair of white slippers.Police said all efforts to contact her since then […]

MANCHESTER, Jamaica — Detectives in Manchester are awaiting an autopsy to continue their investigation into the death of a 72-year-old woman whose body was found in a barrel at her home in Mandeville amid no signs of foul play.A senior police source told the Observer Online on Wednesday that so far detectives theorise that the woman identified as Primrose Hall fell into a cardboard barrel while searching for an item and suffocated to death.Police said about 10:00 am Hall, who had been […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Justice Minister Delroy Chuck says the Integrated Electronic Case Management System (IECMS), a digitisation model pioneered by the Government of Rwanda, will bolster Jamaica’s justice reform efforts and eliminate the outdated paper-based case management system now being used in Jamaican courts.Chuck said that eventually, paper will be eliminated from all courts.He has asked all Jamaicans to “visualise a scenario, within the next two to three years, when all our justice […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — KFC Jamaica has signed Reggae Boyz captain and goalkeeper Andre Blake as the face of its 2026 Summer World Cup campaign.The partnership will also see KFC supporting outreach activities through Blake’s foundation, extending the arrangement beyond advertising into youth development, empowerment and community work.Blake joins a list of Jamaican athletes previously featured in KFC campaigns, including Leon Bailey, Khadija “Bunny” Shaw and Jaydon Hibbert.Andrei Roper, […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The United States (US) dollar on Wednesday, June 10, ended trading at $159.31, up 38 cents, according to the Bank of Jamaica’s daily exchange trading summary.Meanwhile, the Canadian dollar ended trading at $115.59 up from $114.14 and the British pound at $214.03 up from $213.03.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government says it accepts the findings of the Auditor General’s Performance Audit Report on the National Water Commission’s (NWC) management of capital projects and budget execution, while noting that several corrective measures identified in the report are already being implemented.In a statement on Wednesday, Water Minister Matthew Samuda said the audit was consistent with the Auditor General’s constitutional mandate to promote accountability and value for […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The National Health Fund (NHF) says investigations into a recent cyber incident affecting the agency are ongoing, but the delivery of its services remains unaffected.In a release on Wednesday, the NHF said it is continuing to assess the impact of the incident while strengthening its security controls to protect its systems and data.According to the agency, beneficiaries have not experienced any disruption in accessing NHF services and continue to receive their benefits as […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — A minor earthquake measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale was felt in sections of Jamaica on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Earthquake Unit at the University of the West Indies (UWI).Preliminary reports indicate that the quake occurred at approximately 4:11 pm and was felt in parts of St Catherine, Kingston and St Andrew.The epicentre was located about 15 kilometres south of Annotto Bay, St Mary, within the Wagwater Trough North region.The earthquake had a focal depth […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Opposition spokesman on science, technology, data and digital transformation Christopher Brown is urging the Government to accelerate the introduction of cybersecurity legislation following the reported cyber incident involving the National Health Fund (NHF).Brown said the incident highlighted the urgent need for a comprehensive Cybersecurity Act and argued that the legislation should be tabled this year rather than delayed until 2027.In a statement, Brown noted that […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s Jordan Scott rebounded from his first loss of the season to win the men’s triple jump at Wednesday’s Oslo Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway, the sixth stop on the Wanda Diamond League series, jumping a wind-aided 17.66m (2.6m/s).Scott, the reigning national champion and the World Athletics Indoor Championships silver medalist and two-time World Athletics Championships 400m bronze medalist Rushell Clayton, who was second, were the only Jamaicans who had podium […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — For years, Paul Simpson’s international engagements could easily have been read as high-level networking: a Jamaican financial-sector executive photographed with global political and business figures at major international forums.But as Cornerstone moves Barita into a new phase involving digital banking, asset management, real estate, regional expansion and technology-led financial services, those meetings are being presented by the group as part of a broader process: […]

ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica – The assault case against Spanish Town Mayor Norman Scott was dismissed in the Balaclava Criminal Court in St Elizabeth on Tuesday after the matter was successfully resolved through mediation.Scott had been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and malicious destruction of property arising from an incident at a polling station during the September 3, 2025 parliamentary election.The allegations stemmed from a physical altercation at BB Coke High School in […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association President Christopher Jarrett says the tourism industry remains concerned about the proposed increase in General Consumption Tax (GCT) on tourism activities and is again urging the Government to meet with stakeholders.In a release on Wednesday, the JHTA said it has repeatedly sought discussions since March but has not yet received an opportunity to engage on the proposal, which it argues could have significant implications for […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Motorists should see a decrease at the pumps in the price of gasoline effective Thursday, June 11, according to the latest ex-refinery costs from Petrojam.90-octane will be sold for $201.08 per litre after a decrease of $0.25, while 87-octane will be sold for $193.63, down $0.25.Automotive diesel fuel will be sold for $212.00 per litre after an increase $10.50 and ultra-low sulphur diesel will be sold for $220.85 per litre, up $12.50.Kerosene increased by $4.50 and will be […]

MANCHESTER, Jamaica — Police are now on the scene where a 72-year-old woman, who had been reported as missing since Sunday, was found dead in a barrel at her home on Gray’s Hill Close in Mandeville.Police named her as Primrose Hall and said she was found face down in a clothes barrel about 10:00 Wednesday morningThe grisly find was made during a search by concerned relatives and friends.Detectives have since cordoned off the area leading to Hall’s home as they process the scene.— […]

BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) — Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday said Christians could not consider themselves such if they "promote war" -- a thinly veiled reference to United States (US) President Donald Trump's administration.In a homily at Barcelona's Sagrada Familia basilica, Leo also appeared to refer to migration, saying Christians could not "abandon... those who flee from misery"."We cannot believe in Jesus and promote war. We cannot believe in Jesus and kill the innocent," the pope said in front […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — A woman accused of stealing a cell phone from a man she spent the night with will return to court in late June for trial on simple larceny.It is alleged that the accused, Horasha Green, had spent the night with the man before he discovered his cell phone and other items missing when he arose from sleep.The prosecution further alleged that Green admitted to taking the items when asked and arranged to give them back to the complainant at an agreed location. When that did not […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — A 34-year-old businessman has been charged after allegedly trying to enter the country with US$270,580 (J$42.8 million) in his luggageShawn Walker, a business operator from Crawford District, St Elizabeth, has been arrested and charged with several breaches of the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), including: failure to report to the designated authority the transportation of cash into or out of, possession of criminal property, and concealment of criminal property.According […]

ST JAMES, Jamaica — The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has confirmed that four men were killed during an early morning police operation at the Retirement Dump in St James on Wednesday.Police say the armed confrontation between the men and members of the security forces occurred about 5:40 am.According to the cops, the targeted operation in the Retirement community was driven by intelligence developed during ongoing investigations into recent acts of violence in the area, including the […]