CARIBBEAN

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.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited (NCBJ) says it has received several international banking awards in 2026, including recognition from The Banker, Global Finance Magazine, JP Morgan and Capital Finance International.The bank said Friday that The Banker ranked it number one in Jamaica for profitability, operational efficiency, return on risk, liquidity and overall banking performance.NCBJ was also named Best Bank — Jamaica 2026, Best FX Bank — Jamaica 2026 for […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Scotia Group Jamaica Limited reported higher half-year profit in results published on the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Friday, alongside a separate announcement that its majority shareholder plans to take the company private.The banking group posted net income of $10.1 billion for the six months ended April 30, up from $9.2 billion a year earlier, supported by stronger lending, higher deposits and growth across its banking, investment and insurance businesses.Scotiabank […]

EAST RUTHERFORD, United States  (AFP) —  Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday that the five-time World Cup winners have a team capable of competing with the very best, as they bid to end a 24-year wait for another global crown.After winning five Champions League titles as a club coach, the Italian will make his managerial debut in the sport's biggest tournament at the helm of a Brazil side that has not lifted the trophy since 2002."It's a new experience, it's a new responsibility to […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) says it is expressing profound sadness at the death of 13-year-old Excelsior High School student, Kemelia Paul, who succumbed to injuries sustained after being stabbed while attempting to intervene in a domestic dispute at her home in St Andrew.In a statement on Friday, Chief Executive Officer of the CPFSA, Laurette Adams-Thomas, extended condolences to Kemelia’s family, friends, school community and all those […]

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The United States (US) Justice Department has approved Paramount Skydance's $111 billion deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, US media reported Friday.The department signed off without demanding any asset sales or other concessions, concluding the deal did not threaten competition, Politico and Bloomberg reported.The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but was expected to make an announcement on Friday, the reports said.The […]

TORONTO, Canada (AFP) — Co-hosts Canada grabbed a second-half equaliser to draw 1-1 with Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday in the first World Cup finals game ever played on Canadian soil.Cyle Larin got Canada's goal after Jovo Lukic put Bosnia ahead with a header on 21 minutes in Toronto.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — More than 200 student-athletes from across the island competed in the Jamaica Table Tennis Association's (JTTA) 2026 Preparatory and Primary School League finals at the University of Technology (UTech) Auditorium on Monday.Among the team champions, Hillel Academy won the preparatory girls title, while AISK captured the preparatory boys crown. Greater Portmore Primary secured the primary girls championship, while Whitfield Primary and Infant School took top honours in the […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) has successfully implemented a modern Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone system across its key health facilities and administrative offices.The new system has been activated at Kingston Public Hospital, Victoria Jubilee Hospital, the regional and the corporate offices in New Kingston, providing a more efficient, reliable, and integrated communication platform to support healthcare delivery and administrative […]

WESTMORELAND, Jamaica — The Universal Service Fund (USF) has launched 19 community and public Wi-Fi sites across Westmoreland, providing thousands of residents with free internet access through its Connec’ Di West Road Tour initiative.In a release, the USF said the Westmoreland leg of the tour, held on June 5 at Independence Park in Savanna-la-Mar, marked the start of a three-parish campaign that will see the launch of 65 Wi-Fi sites across Westmoreland, St James and Hanover.The agency said […]

HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) — Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Friday announced greater freedoms for small businesses across the country, as the communist government takes steps to liberalise the island's economy in the face of a crippling United States (US) blockade.In a speech broadcast on national television, Diaz-Canel said Cuba would open more sectors to private businesses and streamline the approval process for new ventures."For non-state forms of management, the list of prohibited […]

Sangster International Airport (SIA) has been officially upgraded to Level 3 of the Airports Council International (ACI) Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) programme - one of the most respected international benchmarks for airport carbon management. MBJ Airports Limited (MBJ), which operates the airport, confirmed the accreditation. At Level 3, the airport is assessed on its work to bring airlines, ground handlers, tenants, and other on-site partners into a coordinated approach to carbon […]

Pepsi-Cola Jamaica has officially launched its Football Nation campaign in Jamaica, naming national team captain Andre Blake as the local face of the global platform. Blake joins international football icons Vinícius Júnior, Florian Wirtz, and Sir David Beckham to spearhead a nationwide celebration of the sport.The announcement puts Jamaican fans at the center of the action during this peak football season. By building the campaign around the authentic traditions and match-day rituals of […]

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The United States (US) begin their World Cup challenge on Friday, taking on Paraguay in the first game in the tournament on US soil for 32 years.The World Cup co-hosts know that they must avoid slipping up in the showdown at the futuristic SoFi Stadium.US head coach Mauricio Pochettino says he expects his team to do much more than simply progress from Group D."For me, successful is to win, is to win tomorrow and win after," the former Tottenham coach said on […]