CARIBBEAN

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) - Sean "Diddy" Combs's lawyers will deliver their closing arguments in his defense Friday, one day after the prosecution spent nearly five hours detailing a "climate of fear" they say he created as the alleged head of a decades-long criminal ring.Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo is expected to take the floor for Combs, the 55-year-old music mogul who faces upwards of life in prison if convicted on charges including racketeering and sex trafficking.Combs, who was once […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — National record holder Nickisha Pryce stayed on course to retain her 400m title after she eased into Friday’s semi-finals running 50.68 seconds to win her heat on Thursday’s opening session of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association’s National Championships at the National Stadium.Pryce, who is in her first season as a professional and was running only her second 400m race outdoors, looked easy as she won her heat.Stacey-Ann Williams was next best with […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Bryan Levell’s season’s best 9.99 seconds (-0.5m/s) was the only major surprise in the first round of the men’s 100m on Thursday’s opening session of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association’s National Championships at the National Stadium.Fresh from his wind-aided 19.79 seconds in the 200m at the Racers Grand Prix earlier this month, Levell was the only man to dip under the 10.00 seconds barrier in the first round as all the favourites made progress to […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Shericka Jackson produced a timely reminder of her pedigree on Thursday after she strolled to a smooth 11.20 seconds (-1.4m/s) to lead the qualifiers for Saturday’s semi-finals in the women’s 100m of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association’s National Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston.Jackson has competed sparingly this season after missing last year’s Olympic Games with an injury, causing speculations about her form, but erased any doubts […]

PORTLAND, Jamaica — Prime Minister Andrew Holness broke ground for the Port Antonio Bypass Project on Thursday, hailing it as a landmark investment that will unlock Portland’s economic potential and transform the eastern parish into a modern hub of opportunity and growth.Speaking at the official groundbreaking ceremony, Holness declared, “Today marks the breaking of barriers that have long held back the full economic potential of this beautiful parish and its people… It’s the dawning […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Olympic Games and World Championships finalist Ackelia Smith retained her women’s long jump title after she produced a wind-aided 6.81m (4.3m/s) to win the event on Thursday’s opening session of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association’s National Championships at the National Stadium.Smith, who was aiming for her third title, took over the lead in the second round with a wind-aided jump of 6.72m (2.7m/s) and also had a 6.78m (4.8m/s) jump in the fifth […]

ST MARY, Jamaica -- The Annotto Bay fire station in St Mary has reopened following a $108-million rehabilitation, which positions the facility as a modern, purpose-built emergency response unit.The renovation was completed in three phases, resulting in several new amenities, including adequate dormitory space, a conference room, a mini gymnasium, dining room, industrial washing machine and a standby generator for continuity of operation in the event of power outages.Addressing the reopening […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Saturday’s men’s 400m hurdles final of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association’s National Championships at the National Stadium promises to be a close and exciting race after all the top contenders qualified from Thursday’s semi-finals.Assinie Wilson had the fastest time of the day after he won his heat with 49.27 seconds, with Tyrece Hyman next with 49.96 seconds and World Athletics Championships finalist Roshawn Clarke running 49.99 seconds.Demar […]

The School of Visual Arts (SVA) at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA/Edna) has been celebrating 75 years of innovation and impact with its 2024/25 Final Year Student Exhibition, themed Social Reconstruction: Reimagining the Carib[BE]an. The exhibition opened to the public on Saturday, June 7, 2025, and reached a major highlight on Thursday, June 19, with the highly anticipated Corporate Evening —a private showcase for members of the corporate sector, media, […]

Jamaican anime is entering a new era with the upcoming premiere of Jamaica No Jam Makai (The Spirit World of Jamaica), a supernatural action series set on the island and voiced by local talent. The premiere of the pilot episode will take place this Saturday from 6:00pm to 7:30pm at Carib 5.The anime stars Ethan Campbell-Reid, popularly known as Yaadman Ethan, as the voice of Kaito Takahashi, a samurai-descended Jamaican youth. Campbell-Reid also serves as the cultural director of the project, […]

TRELAWNY, Jamaica — The Trelawny police are investigating a second fatal stabbing in the parish within two weeks, following the killing of a man in his community Thursday morning.The deceased has been identified as 60-year-old Simon Blancard, a resident of Retreat Heights.According to reports, Blancard was attacked near his gate by unknown assailants who stabbed him.He was rushed to the Falmouth Public General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.His killing comes less than two weeks after […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Andrenette Knight sounded a warning that she will be hard to beat in Saturday’s final of the women’s 400m hurdles after leading the qualifiers at the opening session of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association’s National Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston on Thursday.Knight, who is seeking her first national senior title, was an easy winner over defending champion and two-time World Athletics Championships bronze medallist Rushell Clayton, who […]

The 5K Eco Run returns to the grounds of The Tryall Club in Hanover on Sunday, August 24, 2025. Registration for the run opened in June and persons interested in participating or donating are encouraged to visit www.ecorunjamaica.com. The 5K event, hosted by Jamaica Sotheby’s International Realty in partnership with The Tryall Club, continues to promote wellness, environmental awareness and community impact under the theme “Run with Purpose. Run for Jamaica’s Future.”The first staging […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The United States (US) dollar on Thursday, June 26, ended trading at $161.47, up by twenty-six cents, according to the Bank of Jamaica’s daily exchange trading summary.Meanwhile, the Canadian dollar ended trading at $118.43 up from 117.56 and the British pound ended at $220.24 up from $219.43.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Health authorities are now meeting to assess reports of the deaths of 24 babies at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital in Kingston since June 1, 2025.The South Eastern Regional Health Authority (SERHA) confirmed to Observer Online on Thursday that a high-level meeting is underway but declined to provide further details at the time.Victoria Jubilee Hospital is the largest maternity hospital in the English-speaking Caribbean and has faced scrutiny in the past.In 2022, 12 babies […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Shafiqua Maloney led the first round of the women’s 800m at the opening session of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association’s National Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston on Thursday.Maloney made it through to the final with the fastest time, running 2:00.03.Kelly Ann Beckford was the top Jamaican to secure her spot in the final, running a season’s best of 2:01.03, followed by many-time national champion Natoya […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, has welcomed the tourism growth between Nassau, The Bahamas and Montego Bay, Jamaica, following the successful launch of Bahamasair's direct, twice-weekly service that began in November 2024.Since the inaugural flight touched down at Sangster International Airport seven months ago, visitor arrivals from Nassau to Montego Bay have seen an increase, with Jamaica welcoming 3,092 arrivals and 3,074 departures to The Bahamas.“The success […]

Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) President Michael Ricketts says several issues will be addressed regarding what he describes as a poor showing by the Reggae Boyz at the Concacaf Gold Cup recently.Ricketts, who was speaking at the relaunch of the JFF’s Coaching Education Programme on Thursday morning, said it was necessary to apologise to the public for the team’s performance, which he describes as disappointing.Ricketts said the public will be informed of the decisions as soon as they are […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Christopher Taylor led the qualifiers for the first round of the men’s 100m after the opening session of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association’s National Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston on Thursday.Seven of the 42 men who were in the qualifying round advanced to the first round set for Thursday evening.Taylor, who returned to competition in May after a suspension, clocked 10.27 seconds (-0.2m/s) to lead the qualifiers.Former William Knibb […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The six people accused of a multi-million dollar scam targeting an elderly customer of the National Commercial Bank (NCB) are closer to a trial date as the crown continues to build its case.Five of the accused — Marlando Rowe, Nemoy Rodney, Shamar Cammock, Kimmor Peters, and Briana Smickle appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Tuesday with their attorneys.Reports from the Major Organised Crime & Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) are that the six accused […]