CARIBBEAN

KINGSTON, Jamaica—Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited (KFTL) is advising that operations have resumed at the company following what it described as an "illegal" industrial action involving some members of staff, which affected terminal activities for several hours.KFTL, in a press release Friday afternoon, said it will extend its operating hours and has implemented measures aimed at facilitating the timely processing of cargo to minimise the impact of the disruption on its customers.“At the […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica—Transport Minister Daryl Vaz says although the demerit points provisions under the Road Traffic Act and its regulations are in force, the Island Traffic Authority's (ITA) administrative and business processes remain incomplete to facilitate the assignment of points and the suspension or revocation of licences following court decisions.The minister said discrepancies in the data from the traffic management system across the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), the judiciary, and […]

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)—United States (US) President Donald Trump on Friday announced the appointment of conservative commentator Katie Zacharia as his new White House press secretary, praising her as a loyal supporter."She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform."She is, likewise, a devoted fan and member of MAGA!" he added, referring to his Make America Great Again […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica—State Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Senator Abka Fitz-Henley says it was the Attorney General’s Chambers’ “appropriate recommendation” for uniformity and consistency in the law that is responsible for a reduction in some fines for breaches of certain provisions under the Jamaica Consumer and Competition Authority (JCCA) Act, 2026.“The fines have been reduced to bring them in line with similar legislation which prescribes sanctions which are available […]

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States (US) on Friday announced sanctions on the International Criminal Court, vowing to cripple the tribunal's operations just hours after the Nobel Peace Prize went to a former ICC judge who warned of mounting political attacks on the court.Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would ban transactions with what he called a "rogue court," escalating a long-running campaign by President Donald Trump's administration against the Hague-based […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister with responsibility for Works Robert Nesta Morgan is commending the Mayor of Kingston, Andrew Swaby, for the patching programme announced recently.While commending the initiative, Morgan, in a statement on Friday, highlighted what he described as fundamental inconsistencies and a lack of public accountability in the handling of parochial road infrastructure by People’s National Party (PNP) municipal leaders."For months, Mayor Swaby and other mayors have publicly […]

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Mexican authorities have arrested a senior former provincial official on charges of extorting judges, governors and employees of the presidency by using AI to clone their voices.The security ministry said Thursday that the former treasurer of the state of Michoacan, his wife, children, and a bodyguard, were all arrested on suspicion of running a scheme that extorted "substantial amounts of money."The ministry did not name the defendants but Mexican media identified […]

This column started in June with ChatGPT arriving in Google Sheets. Nineteen weeks later the other large AI company has done the same thing, with more care about permissions, and the result is worth a careful look from anyone whose business lives in a Google spreadsheet.Claude for Google Workspace is a single add-on from the Google Workspace Marketplace. Install it once and a Claude sidebar appears in Docs, Sheets and Slides. In Anthropic’s own description, the existing Claude connectors let […]

CHICAGO, United States (AFP)—Mike Ditka, a larger-than-life coaching legend for the Chicago Bears who won two NFL titles as both a player and coach, died on Friday, his family announced. He was 86.Ditka, the fifth overall pick in the 1961 NFL Draft, played as a tight end from 1961-1972 and helped the Bears win the 1963 league crown. He also caught a touchdown pass for Dallas in the Cowboys' 1972 Super Bowl triumph.As a coach, Ditka guided the Bears to victory in the 1986 Super Bowl, the 46-10 […]

PENSACOLA, United States (AFP) — Hurricane Isaias's outer bands began lashing the US Gulf Coast on Friday, with the category three storm triggering mandatory evacuations and poised to bring life-threatening storm surge when it makes landfall by evening.Isaias is the first hurricane of an Atlantic season held in check by a historic El Nino phenomenon, and is set to become the first hurricane to strike the US mainland since Milton in 2024.Fueled by record-warm Gulf waters heated by climate […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Flow Jamaica has successfully completed the decommissioning and removal of its legacy underground copper network, marking another significant milestone in the company’s ongoing transformation of Jamaica’s telecommunications infrastructure.The completion of this work creates greater capacity for Flow to accelerate the undergrounding of vulnerable aerial fibre transmission routes, strengthening the network and providing greater protection for critical connectivity […]

PANAMA CITY, Panama (AFP) — A magnitude 7.7 earthquake jolted Panama on Friday, setting off panic in the capital city and warnings of dangerous tsunami waves.USGS said the quake was detected at 1756 GMT with an epicentre 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) from the small town of Pitaloza Arriba in the south-central part of Panama. It was initially measured at magnitude 8.The quake was registered at a shallow depth of 12 kilometres, meaning its impact was likely to be more severe.Many people were […]

Dancehall artiste Mavado earned his first Brit certification Friday as his 2010 hit song When U Feel Lonely was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).When U Feel Lonely earned the equivalent of 200,000 units in sales and streaming to receive the certification.Produced by Daseca Productions, When U Feel Lonely is included on Mavado's EP titled Invisible, which was released in November 2012. Other songs featured on the EP are Invisible, Believe U, Aktion Pak and Gyal […]

RANCHI, India (AFP) -- Skipper Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford struck blazing knocks as the West Indies recorded the second-highest T20 chase of all time on Friday to beat India by six wickets.After India posted 249-5 batting first, the West Indies rode on a 120-run fourth-wicket partnership between Hope, who hit an unbeaten 102, and Rutherford (84) to achieve the target with nine balls to spare in Ranchi.Hope completed the win with the ninth six of his innings and one that brought up his […]

Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) is advising that all customers have been restored with electricity following service disruption across several parishes on Friday morning.The electricity provider said the outage was due to transient trips on the transmission network which also impacted generating units. Adverse weather conditions were being experienced at the time of the trips, JPS said in a release.All customers were restored by 11:34am following the system disturbance at 10:14am. The […]

MBJ Airports Limited, operator of Sangster International Airport (SIA), is advising passengers and airport users to plan additional time for their journey to the airport as ongoing road works along the western and eastern roadway corridors may cause delays. “While these road improvements are underway, we recommend that passengers allow additional travel time to ensure they arrive prepared and on time for their flight,” said Sharon Hislop-Holt, Manager, Commercial Business Development and […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The I Have A Heart Foundation (iHAH) has recorded its most successful blood drive to date, collecting 146 units of blood during its 14th annual staging of the initiative, potentially saving up to 438 lives.The blood drive, held on Saturday, October 3, at Emancipation Park in Kingston, was organised in partnership with the Islamic Council of Jamaica (ICOJ) and attracted 228 registered participants.According to the foundation, the 146 units collected represent the highest […]

Tile City and Home Centre launched its state-of-the-art Signature Showroom on Constant Spring Road in St Andrew on Thursday, bringing an immersive experience that the company says opens the door to a fresh approach to building, renovating and designing spaces.The company invested approximately $290 million in the 10,000 square foot showroom, including $40 million in a 240 kilowatt solar energy system.Among the guests at the launch were Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Senator Aubyn […]

One year after the first phase of the St Ann Justice of the Peace (JP) Initiative was launched, the second phase rolled out last Friday at Exchange Primary School.Among those in attendance at the launch were several Justices of the Peace as well as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Justice, Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert, who brought greetings.Pastor and JP, Wesley Boynes who is also a custos commando, reflected on the first phase of the initiative.“The reception from students was […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Leader of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives, Phillip Paulwell, has challenged a decision by Minister Floyd Green not to refer concerns about staff morale, high turnover and management practices within Parliament to the House Committee.In a letter to Green, dated October 8, Paulwell rejected the minister’s position that the issues raised in earlier correspondence fell outside the committee’s mandate, describing his interpretation of its […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Member of Parliament for St Andrew East Central, Dennis Gordon, has joined calls by his parliamentary colleagues for an increase in allocations under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).Speaking during the State of the Constituency Debate in Gordon House on Thursday, Gordon said the current CDF allocation was grossly inadequate to meet the expectations and needs of constituents, resulting in growing frustration and voter apathy.According to a PNP release on Friday, he […]

ST JAMES, Jamaica — Police Constable Andrew Wilson, who is charged with the murder of Granville resident Latoya “Buju” Bulgin, had his bail extended when he appeared before the St James Circuit Court on Friday morning.Wilson, who appeared for a case management hearing, is scheduled to return to court on December 4, 2026, for further case management.His legal representatives were absent when the matter was called up.Presiding judge Andrea Pettigrew Collins extended Wilson’s existing bail […]

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US Homeland Security Chief Markwayne Mullin lashed out at New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday over his demand that federal immigration agents leave the city following the shooting of a Dominican man."His words are dangerous and incite hostility," Mullin said at a press conference during which he defended the conduct of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.Mullin said Oscar Belgal, 28, the man shot and wounded in the Bronx by ICE agents on […]

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Condemnation of the Pentagon's plan to livestream the firing squad execution of a convicted military base mass shooter escalated Friday, with the United Nations (UN) saying it would amount to torture and US lawmakers from both parties slamming the move.Nidal Hasan's execution — which is scheduled for December 3 at Fort Hood, where he gunned down 13 people in 2009 — is set to be the first by US military firing squad since 1945.Senator Thom Tillis, a […]

NEW YORK, United States (CMC) — Caribbean immigrant advocates have strongly condemned the shooting of a man by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the Bronx, New York, calling for an immediate investigation and accountability for those involved.The shooting occurred on Thursday in the Marble Hill neighbourhood of the Bronx, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD).In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, the NYPD said its officers were neither […]