CARIBBEAN

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP)—Nine people were due to fly into Britain Sunday from UK overseas territories after coming into contact with a person with hantavirus, Britain's health security agency said.The UKSHA confirmed in a statement that "nine asymptomatic contacts from St Helena and Ascension Island are expected to arrive in the UK this evening".They will be transferred to an isolation facility at Arrowe Park Hospital, near Liverpool in northwest England, the statement added.A medic from […]

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP)—West Ham's 3-1 defeat at Newcastle left Tottenham realistically only needing one more point to win the battle for Premier League survival, while Bruno Fernandes made history in Manchester United's 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday.Spurs can avoid dropping out of the English top flight for the first time in nearly 50 years with victory at Chelsea on Tuesday, but a draw would also likely suffice thanks to their much superior goal difference over West […]

Music producer Ricco Diplomats is teaming up with a duo of young emerging production houses to release a new dancehall banger, Redemption, by emerging star Tielo Lanez on the Mercy Lap rhythm project."This Redemption song has the potential to be a big hit. I believe this song will give us the big break as young producers. We all believe in Tielo Lanez so we've come together to bring different vibes and energy to make it happen," Ricco Diplomats, whose real name is Rick Foster, said.The single […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica—Despite the announcement earlier this month by Transport Minister Daryl Vaz that Cabinet has given approval for the development of a national ride-hailing policy that will establish the foundation for a comprehensive regulatory framework necessary to guide the operations of ride-hailing in Jamaica, Opposition Spokesman on Transport Mikael Phillips remains unconvinced of the Government’s commitment to regulating the sector.Talk of necessary oversight for the sector has […]

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)—United States (US) President Donald Trump on Sunday warned Iran "there won't be anything left of them" if Tehran does not quickly agree to a peace deal with the United States.Washington, locked in conflict with Tehran since US and Israeli forces launched major strikes on the Islamic republic beginning February 28, has struggled to break an impasse and make any progress toward ending a war that has shaken the Middle East and sent energy prices climbing."For […]

WASHINGTON, United States(AFP)—Cuba has obtained more than 300 military drones and recently began discussing plans to use them to attack the US base at Guantanamo Bay, US military vessels and possibly even Florida, Axios reported Sunday, citing classified intelligence.The report comes as tensions simmer between Washington and Havana and amid speculation that the United States may be building an argument for military action against the communist-run island.The development underscores the Trump […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica—The Jamaica Table Tennis Association (JTTA) on Monday, May 15, successfully hosted its 2026 Preparatory and Primary School League at the National Arena, bringing together players, coaches, administrators, sponsors, and supporters to celebrate the achievements of Jamaica’s young table tennis athletes and officially launch the new season.The event highlighted the continued development of grassroots table tennis in Jamaica and recognised the schools, coaches, and athletes who […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica—Agriculture Minister Floyd Green has announced Phase 2 of the Hurricane Melissa Recovery Programme in the amount of $250 million.He said Phase 1 has gone “extremely well”, allowing the country to realise the second best crop production on record.Green made the announcements on May 13 during his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives.“In 2025, Jamaica’s domestic crop sector produced 811,244 tonnes, representing a 5.7 per cent increase over […]

BURNT SAVANNAH, Westmoreland — Residents and business operators in Burnt Savannah staged a protest on Friday, May 15, voicing frustration over a curfew they say has crippled their livelihoods and left the community feeling abandoned by their Prime Minister and harassed by the police.According to residents, the curfew has been in place for more than two months and has severely affected their ability to earn an income, especially as many families continue to recover from the severe effects of […]

TRELAWNY, Jamaica—Three men were shot, one fatally, during an alleged confrontation with police in Hague, Trelawny on Saturday night.Reports are that sometime after 8:00 pm the men were among a group travelling in a Toyota Probox when they reportedly engaged the police in a shoot-out.When the shooting subsided, the three men were found suffering from gunshot wounds and were taken to hospital where one was pronounced dead and the other two admitted under police guard, a police source […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica—Young men are being encouraged to resist negative societal pressures, and instead focus on shaping their future while unlocking their full potential.The call came from Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, in remarks delivered by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Denzil Thorpe, during Friday’s Growth Lab 1.0: Skills Discovery Workshop for Young Men.The event was held at the Ministry’s New Kingston offices in observance of the […]

PARIS, France (AFP)—FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom described as "excellent" and "constructive" the meeting held on Saturday in Istanbul with the Iranian federation to ensure Iran's participation in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.The Iranians are scheduled to be based and play all three of their group matches in the US in spite of the war currently being waged in the Middle East."We've had an excellent meeting, a constructive meeting together with the Iran […]

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP)—Bruno Fernandes equalled the Premier League record of 20 assists in a season as Manchester United secured third place with a 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest.Fernandes, who was recently crowned the football writers' player of the season, moved alongside Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne when his cross was turned in by Bryan Mbeumo for United's third goal.Mbeumo was also involved for the game's most controversial moment when his handball in the build up to […]

KINSHASA, DR Congo (AFP)—The World Health Organization declared an international health emergency on Sunday over an outbreak of an Ebola strain in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has killed more than 80 and for which there is no vaccine.Fears of further spread grew when a laboratory on Sunday confirmed a case in the major eastern DRC city of Goma, which is controlled by the Rwanda-backed M23 militia.A total of 88 deaths and 336 suspected cases of the highly contagious haemorrhagic fever […]

Shenese Walker of Florida State University (FSU) successfully defended her women’s sprint double as the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Outdoors Championships came to an end at University of Louisville in Kentucky on Saturday.Walker clocked 11.07 seconds (1.1m/s) to win the 100m and then returned later to win the 200m with 22.65 seconds (0.2m/s) while Clemson University’s Briana Campbell was eighth with 23.53 seconds.Clemson University’s Shantae Foreman also defended her women’s triple […]

Dejanea Oakley of the University of Georgia became the second Jamaican woman to go sub-49.00 seconds in the 400m after she ran a sublime personal best 48.92 seconds to win the event on Saturday’s final day of the South Eastern Conference Outdoor Championships held at Auburn University.Oakley’s time is the new world leading and NCAA number 1 as she dipped under her previous best of 49.65 seconds and is now only behind Nickisha Pryce’s national record 48.57 seconds.Oakley made up for her […]

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP)—Israel launched a massive series of airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday, despite an extension of the truce between the two countries.Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah but the strikes were preceded by an evacuation warning covering nine villages.And the continuing bombardment has only increased scepticism about the truce among the many thousands of Lebanese driven from their homes in the south.Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported strikes on […]

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica—Health authorities in Westmoreland are maintaining heightened surveillance amid regional concerns about hantavirus, even though Jamaica has not recorded any confirmed cases of the disease.This was disclosed by Medical Officer of Health for Westmoreland, Dr Marcia Graham. She was addressing the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation’s monthly meeting in Savanna-la-Mar on Thursday.Graham noted that monitoring has been intensified at the country’s ports of entry to prevent […]

The Supreme Court in Kingston has ruled in favour of ATL Automotive in a lawsuit brought by a customer who alleged that the company failed to replace a defective part in his Volkswagen Polo motor vehicle.In the ruling handed down in February, Justice Tara Carr found that while the claimant established that there was an agreement between the parties for the repair of his vehicle, he failed to show that there was a breach of the contract.Recardo Lugg filed the claim on March 13, 2019, alleging […]

LAGOS, Nigeria (AFP)—A senior Islamic State group leader, described as "the most active terrorist in the world", has been killed in a joint operation by US and Nigerian forces in the west African country, the two countries' presidents said.Under US sanctions since 2023, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was the second-in-command of IS worldwide, according to US President Donald Trump and the two militaries.The killing comes as IS activity is increasingly concentrated in Africa. It hit a record high of 86 […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica—Jamaica is in the final stages of developing a dedicated menopause and andropause policy which will guide the governance of men and women with adverse conditions at the level of the family, community and workplace.Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton said this was necessary as some 240,000 women are affected by menopause and 145,000 men by andropause, with many not knowing how to treat with what can be debilitating conditions as people age.Tufton spoke to […]

Manchester City defeated West Ham 4-1 on Saturday to claim the Women's Super League (WSL) trophy with Jamaican striker Khadijah 'Bunny' Shaw scoring twice.According to a report by BBC, Jade Rose put City ahead in the 13th minute with her first WSL goal, blasting home from inside the six-yard box after West Ham failed to clear a corner from the left.Shaw later scored two goals for City in the 57th and 72nd minutes to become the league top scorer with 21 goals in 22 matches. She is the first […]

Kingston, Jamaica— Worldwide, operations paused on Thursday across offices of Keller Williams as the organisation observed its annual RED Day, a powerful tradition dedicated to service, gratitude, and community impact.RED Day, which stands for renew, energise, and donate, is more than just a corporate initiative; it is a global movement where thousands of agents step away from business as usual to pour directly into the communities that support them year-round.In Kingston, Ocho Rios, and […]

ST MARY, Jamaica—Huddersfield main road claimed another life on Thursday, May 14, after a pedestrian was struck by a motor truck.Dead is 28-year-old Oneil Tavares known to many in the community as “Philly”. He died after being hit while walking along along the roadway in St Mary.The incident took place around 8:45 pm.According to the St Mary police, Tavares was walking along the roadway when he reportedly stepped into the path of a westbound Toyota Hiace truck. He sustained severe […]

Kingston, Jamaica—Home care entrepreneur, hotelier and author, Dr Patricia Smith recently presented a signed copy of her book I Persist to Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett, during a brief ceremony at the AC Hotel in Kingston.The presentation took place on the sidelines of an engagement where leaders from tourism, education, and business gathered to discuss resilience and innovation in Jamaica’s service sectors.In handing over the book, Dr Smith said I Persist was written to encourage […]