CARIBBEAN

KINGSTON, Jamaica –  Jamaicans Despiro Wray of Florida State University and Brandon Pottinger were winners on Friday’s second day of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Outdoors track and field championships in Louisville, Kentucky.Wray threw a personal best 18.63m, sixth best ever at FSU, to win the men’s shot put event, first for the school since 2018, breaking his previous best 18.25m set in March.His teammate Shamar Reid was fifth with 18.12m.Pottinger improved on his second-place […]

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — For most national soccer teams, playing a tournament on home turf is a huge advantage. For the United States, it can be the opposite.In the Gold Cup final last year, the US lost in a Houston stadium overwhelmingly packed with rival Mexico fans. The semi-final in St Louis, Missouri, was a sea of light blue for their opponents Guatemala.There were similar scenes at the US-hosted Copa America a year earlier.It is a huge concern for the US players under […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — A bearer employed at a popular financial institution was shot dead during an attempted robbery on a section of Half- Way Tree Road, St Andrew, on Friday afternoon.The dead man, identified as 68-year-old Lawrence Kessna from Phase 2, Seaview Gardens in St Andrew, was killed following a tussle with a wannabe thief.While expressing condolences to the family, friends and the business community affected by the killing, head of the Area Four police, Assistant Commissioner […]

ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica — Police in St Elizabeth on Friday distributed 30 helmets to motorcyclists in Junction as part of a road safety initiative.Head of the St Elizabeth police Superintendent Coleridge Minto, said the division has recorded 12 road fatalities so far this year compared to 14 for the corresponding period last year.“While we are seeing a decline in road fatalities motorcyclists continue to lead in the number of fatalities. In 2024, 14 motorcyclists died in crashes. In 2025, 16 […]

The nomination of controversial political figure and former TV anchor Kari Lake Halperin as the next United States ambassador to Jamaica has drawn mixed reactions from local commentators over what the potential appointment could mean for the island’s relations with Washington.Lake Halperin is considered a MAGA (Make America Great Again) diehard, whose time as the head of the US Agency for Global Media saw her controversially move to terminate hundreds of jobs at global broadcaster Voice of […]

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — The Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago  (AATT) Friday night said that a Ukrainian aircraft impounded at the Piarco International Airport after explosives were discovered onboard, had been given the authorisation to leave following extensive investigations by security agencies.In a statement, AATT said that Flight CVK-7078 had arrived in Trinidad and Tobago from The Bahamas on May 14 for a technical refuelling stop while en route to Cape Verde, with […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness departed the island on Friday for the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) where he is scheduled to participate in the official opening of Sandals Resorts International’s Treasure Beach Village.The prime minister will return to the island on Sunday.During the prime minister’s absence, Dr Horace Chang, deputy prime minister and minister of national security and peace, will be in charge of the Government.

KINGSTON, Jamaica – The NCB has donated $525,000 in vision kits for children through the Jamaica Society for the Blind (JSB) as the country marks Child's Month.“I couldn’t see what the teacher wrote on the board, and after a while my eyes would start to hurt,” said Ashayna Williams, a Grade six student at John Austin Primary School.“With the glasses, I can see so much better already! At first, I thought I would hate wearing glasses, but I love them. They look like regular […]

HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) — Power was restored across Cuba on Friday following a large-scale blackout, but the island's energy crisis remained acute, with oil supplies tapped out.The Caribbean island of 9.6 million people, under a United States (US) energy blockade since January, has suffered critically low energy supplies in recent days.Some 65 per cent of Cuban territory endured simultaneous blackouts on Tuesday, data compiled by AFP showed.And on Wednesday, Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy […]

Falling electricity rates pushed Jamaica’s inflation rate back into negative territory in April, offering consumers some relief from rising food and fuel costs and strengthening expectations that inflation could remain within the Bank of Jamaica’s target range in the near term.Data released Friday by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) showed that the All Jamaica Consumer Price Index declined 0.3 per cent in April, reversing the 0.3 per cent increase recorded in March, as lower […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Scotiabank Jamaica launched audio guidance at some of its automated teller machines (ATM) across the island, the bank said Friday.“We believe banking should be accessible to everyone and we are proud to introduce that our ATMs now have audio guidance. This feature enables individuals in the sight loss community to conduct transactions with greater independence, facilitating a seamless experience at our ATMs,” the bank said in a release to customers.To access audio […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The United States (US) dollar on Friday, May 14, ended trading at $159.02, down 17 cents, according to the Bank of Jamaica’s daily exchange trading summary.Meanwhile, the Canadian dollar ended trading at $115.78 down from $116.42, and the British pound at $213.08 down from $216.88

TACOMA, United States – A Jamaican man who was extradited to the United States (US) on lottery scam charges in 2025 was sentenced to three years in prison on Thursday.Roshard Andrew Carty,34, was sentenced in a US District Court in Tacoma after pleading guilty to a lottery scheme that cost an elderly victim more than $600,000, the United States Attorney’s office said on Friday.According to records filed in the case, Carty first contacted the 73-year-old southwest Washington victim in 2020. […]

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AFP) — Haiti coach Sebastien Migne said Friday his team are targeting a place in the knockout rounds of the World Cup as he named a 26-strong squad for the tournament.Haiti are returning to the World Cup this year for the first time since qualifying for the 1974 finals, where they have been placed in a daunting Group C that includes Brazil, Morocco and Scotland.Migne said while Haiti's main goal is to win a first ever point in the World Cup, the bigger challenge was to […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — In response to  what he described as “grossly misleading narratives” concerning the Government’s expenditure on relief and recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, Senator Marlon Morgan said Friday the Government is spending $67 billion on the efforts.In a statement, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Communication Taskforce member said: "The public should note that Finance Minister Fayval Williams had itemised the $67 billion being spent on Hurricane […]

ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica — Authorities in St Elizabeth are working to identify alternative emergency shelters ahead of the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season, which begins June 1, while also seeking to ensure the parish has adequate safe havens should residents need to be relocated.Speaking during the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation’s monthly meeting on Thursday, Chairman and Mayor of Black River, Councillor Richard Solomon, noted that a high-level meeting held last week in Kingston with the […]

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Democrats accused United States (US) President Donald Trump of corruption on Friday after the disclosure of major stock market transactions carried out in his name, although his son denied there was wrongdoing."The President's corruption is a national security disaster," Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote on X.Warren referred to the purchase of shares in Nvidia -- the maker of advanced chips used by AI companies.Trump allowed the company to sell products to […]

It’s a “heart of love” affair for reggae sensation Immanuel “Ras-I” Kerr, who officially released his third studio album, Heart of Love, on Friday, May 15.The project is a compilation of groovy, feel-good reggae music with standout tracks including Somewhere Wonderful, Reggae Mountain and Oya featuring Govana.The Kingman Ting and Crazy Over You singer continues to cement his status as a hit-maker, with his new body of work serving as testament.The album launch, held at Janga’s […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Integrity Commission on Friday submitted to Parliament, four reports of investigation, together with associated indicative rulings from the Commission’s Director of Corruption Prosecution.Indicating that it anticipates that the reports, and the associated indicative rulings, will be tabled in both Houses of Parliament as soon as possible, the commission says the documents were formally received and signed for at the Parliament at 11:15 am Friday.Hard copies of the […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Mayor of Kingston Andrew Swaby has raised concerns about the implications of the newly passed National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) Act 2026, warning that the legislation could significantly weaken the authority of the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC).Speaking during a council meeting, Swaby urged councillors to familiarise themselves with the contents of the legislation, describing its impact on local government as “significant and […]

VILLY-LE-PELLOUX, France (AFP) — A French toy spaniel named Lazare thought to have been "the world's oldest dog" has died aged 30, his carer said on Friday.AFP contacted the Guinness World Records to find out if Lazare had held the record before he passed away on Thursday, but did not receive an immediate response.Lazare, a Papillon dwarf spaniel with stand-up "butterfly" ears, was born on December 4, 1995, according to animal charity worker Anne-Sophie Moyon.He spent most of his life with […]

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) Friday said that a “security-related matter” involving a cargo aircraft had occurred at the Piarco International Airport on Thursday and “is currently engaging the attention of state security agencies”.In a statement, the TTPS said that in keeping with the heightened security posture under the ongoing state of emergency (SOE), routine checks identified irregularities which required immediate precautionary […]

ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — The Antigua and Barbuda Government has given the green light to a new initiative aimed at strengthening multilingual education and deepening cultural and economic engagement within the region by establishing Spanish as the country’s official second language.A statement issued following the weekly Cabinet meeting noted that, as part of the national policy decision, the recently re-elected Government of Prime Minister Gaston Browne has mandated the Ministry of […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Accompong Electoral Committee says nomination day activities scheduled for Friday in Accompong, St Elizabeth will proceed as planned despite a Supreme Court injunction ordering a halt to the election process.On Wednesday, Justice N Hart-Hines granted an interim injunction staying both nomination day and election day activities until June 10, 2026, or until the amended application before the court is heard.The legal action was brought by Meredith Rowe, a former colonel […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government will welcome Daren Tang, director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), for an official visit to Jamaica from May 16 to 20, 2026.The visit marks a significant milestone in Jamaica’s efforts to strengthen its intellectual property (IP) ecosystem, deepen international partnerships and advance innovation-led economic growth.The Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce (MIIC), through one of its 20 agencies, the Jamaica […]