CARIBBEAN

KINGSTON, Jamaica — With the Government increasingly optimistic that oil will be found in Jamaica’s waters in commercial quantities, Opposition Spokesman on the Environment and Climate Resilience, Omar Newell, is calling for clarity from the administration in relation to the environmental safeguards that will be implemented.Newell had several questions for the Government on Wednesday as he made his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives.He asked: “What is the […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Ministry of Education says it is closely monitoring the condition of students involved in Wednesday morning’s crash in Clarendon, which affected 39 students from Garvey Maceo High School.In response to the incident, the ministry sent an educational social worker from Region 7 to the hospital to offer moral support and guidance to both students and their families. Officials said the regional team will continue working with the school to assist those impacted as they […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Defending champions Cavalier are through to the final of the Jamaica Premier League for the fourth consecutive year after overturning a first leg 1-0 deficit to beat Montego Bay United 2-0 in extra time in the second leg of their semi-finals at the National Stadium on Wednesday.Kimarly Scott scored both goals for Cavalier, who also qualified for the Concacaf Caribbean Cup set to kick off in August.In Sunday’s final, Cavalier will meet Portmore United who had beaten Mt […]

BUKAVU, DR Congo (AFP) — A first Ebola case has been confirmed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's South Kivu province, in an area under the Rwanda-backed M23 militia's control, the armed group's spokesman said Thursday.Efforts to get a grip on the latest outbreak of the deadly haemorrhagic disease, which the World Health Organization has declared an international emergency, have been hampered by the DRC's long-running conflicts, including that between the Congolese army and the […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica—Portmore United overturned a first-leg 1-0 deficit to beat Mt Pleasant FA 4-2 in extra- time in Wednesday’s return leg of the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) semi-finals for a 4-3 win on aggregate and qualify for Sunday’s final.The teams had finished regulation time tied at 2-2, but Portmore, who were playing their fourth game in 10 days, scored twice in the extra 30 minutes to book a place in the final for the first time in seven years.The loss ended a three-year run with […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica—With issues relating to labour spread across different ministries, Opposition Spokesman on Labour and Sport, Wavell Hinds, is proposing the creation of what he calls the Ministry of Labour and Workforce Development.“All workforce training, legal protections, and certification programmes belong under one administrative roof, ensuring every working person has unhindered structural access to economic advancement,” said Hinds.He was speaking in the House of Representatives […]

SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland—One of 16 stunning beauties will be crowned Miss Universe Jamaica Westmoreland 2026 during the coronation show at the Hotel Commingle in Savanna-la-Mar on Saturday, May 23.The journey to the crown began on March 18 when the contestants were sashed before their sponsors and an appreciative audience.Since then, the contestants have made several appearances, including a courtesy call on Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar, Councillor Danree Delancy.Saturday's coronation show […]

Through Thick & Sin, a drama series starring Jamaican Keturah Hamilton, is scheduled for release this year.Hamilton, who plays Naomi, is also the creator and one of the show’s writers.According to a press release from blexmedia.com, Through Thick & Sin is, “a new vertical drama series directed by Emmy-Nominated writer Patricia Cuffie-Jones. The show is targeting a 2026 release, with distribution details to be announced at a later date.”Thomasina Gross as Wendy and Tara Joshi, who […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica—Opposition Spokesman on the Environment and Climate Resilience, Omar Newell, says the Beach Access and Management Policy recently tabled in the Parliament by the Government does not go far enough to address the problem of access by Jamaicans, even though it acknowledges that a problem exists.“Because the policy still approaches beach access as a managed permission rather than a fundamental public right,” said Newell on Wednesday during his contribution to the Sectoral […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica—Mayor of Kingston Andrew Swaby has pushed back against comments made by Minister with responsibility for Works Robert Nesta Morgan, accusing the minister of responding to his criticism regarding the establishment of the One Road Authority with personal attacks.Morgan, this week, expressed disappointment at what he says are contradictory and misleading statements made by Swaby, regarding the establishment of the One Road Authority.Morgan described as “factually […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica—Minister of Efficiency, Innovation and Digital Transformation, Ambassador Audrey Marks, has pledged to be so efficient at what she does that she will make her current job redundant.Marks gave the commitment on Wednesday during her contribution to the 2026/27 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives.She told the Parliament that to secure Jamaica’s future, “we must evolve beyond traditional physical service delivery into a Government Digital Twin: a fully […]

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada (CMC)—Cuba on Wednesday condemned “in the strongest terms” what it described as the despicable accusation by the United States Department of Justice against former president Raúl Castro.Washington announced criminal charges against the 94-year-old brother of revolutionist Fidel Castro, in what political observers say is the latest escalation of tensions between the two countries.Raul is reportedly charged with conspiracy to kill US nationals, destruction of an […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica—A number of teenagers have been included in Jamaica’s 24-man squad that was named on Wednesday to take part in the Unity Cup football tournament set to be played in London later this month.Two members of the national Under-20 team, goalkeeper Joshua Grant and Netherlands-based defender Marlon Van de Wetering, have been included in the team, as well as 16-year-old Manchester City academy player Caelan-Kole Cadamarteri, getting his first call-up.Additionally, two 19 […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica—The Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA) says it is set to meet with the management of the National Works Agency (NWA) on Tuesday, May 26, at 10:00 am to address concerns raised by workers regarding restructuring, reclassification and other urgent matters.The JCSA, in a press release on Wednesday, said in light of this development, it is asking members to return to work on Thursday, May 21, 2026, pending discussions with management and the Ministry of Finance and the […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica—The British High Commission in Jamaica, the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), and the High Commission of India in Jamaica have joined forces in support of the Unity Cup 2026, celebrating the power of football to bring communities together and highlighting the strong cultural and diaspora connections between the United Kingdom, Jamaica and India.The Unity Cup, set to take place on May 26-30 at The Valley in Charlton, London, returns as a major celebration of international […]

ST MARY, Jamaica —The St Mary police are investigating the death of a 43-year-old contractor from Comsee, Highgate, in what appears to be a case of suspected suicide.According to police reports, around 10:00am, a relative went to the back of the contractor's house after noticing a foul odour.Upon investigating, the body of Oneero Roberts, also known as “Anif”, was reportedly found in a bushy area hanging from a tree.The body was in a state of partial decomposing.Robert's death is the […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The United States (US) dollar on Wednesday, May 20, ended trading at $158.38, down 45 cents, according to the Bank of Jamaica’s daily exchange trading summary.Meanwhile, the Canadian dollar ended trading at $115.20, down from $115.59, and the British pound at $212.63, up from $212.22.

WASHINGTON, DC (PAHO) – Suicide among adolescents and young adults in the Americas has increased over the past two decades and remains the third cause of death among individuals aged 10 to 24, according to a new study published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas.According to PAHO, in 2021, 18,157 adolescents and young people died by suicide in the region. It said that while three out of every four suicide deaths occurred among males, the increase has been faster among females. The […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica—Over one million transactions were processed via the Government’s online payment facility, PayGate, during the last financial year.This was revealed on Wednesday by Minister with responsibility for Efficiency, Innovation and Digital Transformation, Ambassador Audrey Marks, during her first contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives.She noted that PayGate, which falls under the Information, Communications and Technology Authority (ICT), enables […]

ST MARY, Jamaica—The St Mary police are searching for the driver of a motor vehicle involved in a fatal hit-and -run onthe Heywood Hall main road near the Hampstead entrance in the parish.According to police reports, around 9:00 pm on Tuesday, an unidentified man believed to be of unsound mind was walking along the roadway when he was hit by a vehicle. The driver failed to stop and left the scene.Residents found the injured man and took him to the Port Maria hospital, where he was pronounced […]

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP)—Aston Villa ended their 30-year trophy drought in style as spectacular goals from Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendia inspired a 3-0 win against Freiburg in the Europa League final on Wednesday.Unai Emery's side took the lead late in the first half in Istanbul through Tielemans' thunderous volley.Buendia increased Villa's advantage with a sublime curler seconds before the interval.Morgan Rodgers' second-half goal finished off the outclassed Germans, sealing Villa's […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Motorists should see an increase at the pumps in the price of gasoline effective Thursday, May 21, according to the latest ex-refinery costs from Petrojam.90-octane will be sold for $201.82 per litre after an increase of $4.50, while 87-octane will be sold for $194.38, up $4.50.Automotive diesel fuel will be sold for $202.00 per litre after an increase of $4.50, and ultra-low sulphur diesel will be sold for $208.84 per litre, up $4.50.Kerosene increased by $4.50 and will […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — A technical failure affecting the microphone system inside Gordon House caused a delayed and at times chaotic start to Wednesday’s sitting of the House of Representatives.The malfunction became apparent shortly after proceedings began when Deputy Speaker of the House Heroy Clarke attempted to activate his microphone, triggering a loud burst of screeching feedback that rendered his remarks inaudible.He was quickly handed a wireless microphone to continue delivering his […]

ST JAMES, Jamaica—The St James Municipal Corporation on Wednesday donated $20 million to the Montego Bay Multi Sports Development Limited towards the “cleaning up” phase of the rehabilitation of the Montego Bay Sports Complex.Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon, announced the contribution at a ceremony held at the complex on Wednesday to unveil plans for the development of the facility, along with the refurbishing following severe damage caused by the passage of Hurricane […]

CAMERAS on houses in residential communities, in and around commercial buildings, on traffic lights, or otherwise placed in public places for surveillance and security purposes, record our “to and fro” on a daily basis.Every now and then, we may be captured incidentally in the background of a selfie or an image in which we were not intended to be the main subject. There are also instances when a person who we may or may not know intentionally records our image for recreational purposes, or […]