CARIBBEAN

KINGSTON, Jamaica—Opposition Spokesperson on Tourism and Linkages, Andrea Purkiss, has charged that local ground transport operators are being shut out of the tourism sectorPurkiss spoke to the issue on June 9 during her contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives.She highlighted that the Jamaica Union of Travellers Association (JUTA) was created by former Minister of Tourism Francis Tulloch with one explicit mission: “Jamaican hands drive Jamaica's visitors and with […]

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP)—United States (US) President Donald Trump said Saturday that a deal with Iran to end the war in the Middle East would be signed on Sunday, and that the strategic Strait of Hormuz would be "open to all" immediately after.Iran had offered a different timeline earlier in the day, but nonetheless signalled an agreement was in the offing, as both the warring parties and their mediators expressed increasing optimism that weeks of halting negotiations were drawing to a close.The […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica—When he made his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on June 9, Minister with responsibility for Land and Settlements Robert Montague could not resist the temptation to talk about his unlikely victory in the 2025 General Election after opinion polls had shown him to be the most vulnerable of Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) candidates.He addressed the matter on June 9 during his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of […]

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC)–Guyana's Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) says it has secured convictions against Cuban-born Yuri Garcia Dominguez and his Guyanese-born wife, Ateeka Ishmael, who were each found guilty of illegally operating a Ponzi scheme.Magistrate Sunil Scarce, sitting at the Vigilance Magistrates’ Court, sentenced both defendants, with both accused fined one million Guyana dollars (One Guyana Dollar=US$0.008 cents) and a one-year jail term each for the offence of operating a […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica—Justice Minister Delroy Chuck says $680 million in judgment debt was paid out during fiscal year 2025/2026, to satisfy claims against the government.“This will encourage judges to continue to deliver timely judgments and be a part of the process of delivering a stronger justice system,” he said.Chuck made the disclosure on June 10 during his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives.He told the Parliament that, “As part of our commitment to […]

ACCRA, Ghana (AFP)—Ghana said Saturday it has formally lodged a protest over Canada's refusal to issue a visa for the World Cup to player Thomas Partey, who is facing trial in Britain on rape charges.In a statement the posted on social media by the Foreign Minister Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, Ghana called Canada's decision "high-handed and extremely unfair", calling Partey, "a key member of Ghana's senior national team"."Ghana has dispatched an official note of protest" to Canada, said the […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — After drawing more than 1,500 patrons to its debut earlier this year, Seychella Beach Society is set to return on August 15 with a new theme inspired by the hit reality television series Love Island.The event will be staged at East Beach in St Mary under the theme, "The Beach Becomes The Villa," promising an immersive experience featuring themed activations, entertainment and lifestyle offerings.According to organisers, the event's success was largely unexpected. Seychella […]

OCHO RIOS, St Ann—A woman reportedly died from injuries she sustained after being struck by a Toyota Mark X motor car along the Ocho Rios main road in St Ann on Saturday morning.Her identity has not yet been released.The Jamaica Constabulary Force Communications Network confirmed that the incident occurred sometime after 6 am. Further details surrounding the incident are still pending.More to come.

Jamaican reggae singer D'Yani has secured what could prove to be a career-defining opportunity after signing with UK-based independent powerhouse Lizzy Records, becoming the label's first artiste from Jamaica as it accelerates its international expansion.The move signals growing confidence in D'Yani's global potential following the success of songs such as Live a Little and Little Things, which helped establish him as one of reggae's most promising contemporary voices. Now, one of Europe's […]

ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica—A 19-year-old suspect accused of chopping his two brothers, one fatally, and wounding their mother, has been taken into police custody following a domestic dispute in Stephenson Town near Southfield, St Elizabeth, on Saturday morning.Police named the murder victim as Travis Williams, a resident and labourer of Stephenson Town, Seaview, St Elizabeth.A police report said shortly before 1:00 am, the 19-year-old allegedly inflicted chop wounds on his two siblings and mother […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica—Local Government and Community Development Minister Desmond McKenzie is mourning the passing of former Island Supervisor of the Bustamame Industrial Trade Union (BITU) Wycliffe Matthews.Matthews died on Friday after a period of illness. He was 90 years old."I am saddened to learn of the passing of Wycliffe Matthews and extend my deepest condolences, along with commiserations from the entire local government community to his family, friends and former colleagues. Wycliffe […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica—Paul Gray emerged as the overall winner of the Lindy Delepenha Golf Classic with 40 points at the Caymanas Golf Course last Saturday.Gray, who was winning the tournament for the first time, said he knew the course very well which aided his victory."I know the course inside out. Today, it played according to how I anticipated it, so it was just one day full of fun and so forth," said Gray, a Kingston College Old boy going up against a host of Munro College Old boys."The whole […]

Ottey Sisters, a movie about a horrific crime in Toronto, Canada 31 years ago, was released on May 29. It is directed, written and stars Dwight Benjamin, a Jamaican familiar with that incident.The one hour, 50-minute movie is released through Theater Giant, an American pay-per-view company. It recalls the August 1995 murders of sisters Marsha and Tami Ottey by Rohan Ranger, Marsha’s ex-boyfriend; and his cousin Adrian Kinkead.Benjamin, a Los Angeles-based film-maker, was dating Tami at that […]

LOS ANGELES, United States  (AFP) — The United States could scarcely have scripted a better start to their World Cup as a Folarin Balogun brace and Gio Reyna curler fired the co-hosts to a 4-1 drubbing of Paraguay in front of Hollywood royalty in Los Angeles on Friday.The hosts took the lead in the tournament's first game on US soil within seven minutes thanks to an own goal, and by the end of an utterly dominant half the home fans were in dreamland, their side up by three.Tom Cruise, […]

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump said late Friday the United States has carried out a deadly strike on the leader of Tren de Aragua (TdA), a transnational gang founded in Venezuela."At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Nino Guerrero," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.The attack "was coordinated closely with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we are working very well," Trump […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s national record holder and national champion Ralford Mullings retained his NCAA men’s discus throw title after he threw 65.81m in a competitive event on Friday’s third day of the Outdoors Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.It was first and second for Jamaicans as Racquil Broderick of the University of Southern California was second with a personal best 64.15m.A third Jamaican, Christopher Young of the University of Alabama, was fifth with a […]

The Jamaica Police Federation is set to begin the process of selecting a new chairman following the promotion of its leader, Sergeant Arleen McBean, to the senior ranks of the Jamaica Constabulary Force as an assistant superintendent of police (ASP).McBean’s elevation marks the end of her tenure leading the organisation that represents rank-and-file police personnel, creating a vacancy at the top of the federation and paving the way for an election to determine her successor.The long-time […]

FLORIDA, United States – The inaugural staging of the From Deed to Key Investment and Housing Conference in South Florida recently, has been deemed a resounding success by organisers.According to the  organisers, the event attracted a strong turnout and engaged audience participation throughout the day.Held under the theme “Invest in Your Piece of Di Rock” the conference brought together industry experts, investors, professionals, and members of the Jamaican diaspora for a day of […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications, Daryl Vaz, says the Jamaica Urban Transit Company Limited (JUTC) is recording significant improvements in revenue generation, passenger numbers, fleet modernisation and operational efficiency.Speaking during a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Ministerial Update on Thursday, Vaz highlighted strong performance at the JUTC's Portmore depot.“In May, at the Portmore depot... we did $100 million in revenue coming from $60 […]

Ask any Jamaican importer what keeps them up at night and the answer is rarely sales. It is the gap between the day they pay their supplier in US dollars and the day their customers pay them in Jamaican dollars. A distributor in Kingston orders stock in March, settles the invoice in USD, and waits sixty days for local retailers to pay in JMD. If the rate moves against her in those sixty days, a deal that looked profitable on paper quietly is not.This is the hardest part of running a business in […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Realtors Association of Jamaica (RAJ) says its Multiple Listing Service (MLS)  data shows that Jamaica’s real estate market remains buoyant, generating nearly $99.3 billion in property sales in 2025 despite the economic fallout triggered by the impact of Hurricane Melissa.The parishes of St Andrew, St Ann and St Catherine accounted for the lion’s share of total property sales over the period.The data show a market driven by a mix of urban demand and […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica  –  The Jamaica Stock Exchange says some personal information was affected in a cybersecurity incident that has been contained, but says it has found no evidence that its trading or settlement platforms were compromised.In a notice to the public, the JSE said the incident was recently identified and contained, and that an investigation confirmed that some data was accessed without authorisation.“Based on our investigation to date, we have not identified evidence that […]

ST CATHERINE, Jamaica – A 51-year-old man has been charged with murder after allegedly injecting his fiancée with a toxic substance.Police say Paul Stephenson, otherwise called ‘Pablo’, of Sunset Crescent, New Harbour Village I in Old Harbour, St Catherine, was charged with murder following an incident at his home on Saturday, May 9.Dead is 29-year-old Tieah Singh of Francis Avenue in of a Clarendon address.Reports are that about 10:00 am Stephenson and his fiancée were at his home […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica— Like the steady flow of a river that nourishes everything in its path before meeting the sea, another transformative environmental initiative has reached its final bend — leaving behind stronger ecosystems, empowered communities and renewed hope for Jamaica’s natural environment.In a statement on Friday, the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) highlighted the completion of the six-year “A Jamaican Path from Hills to Ocean” project which it says marks a […]

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.