Lead Stories

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness.
Updated 9 hours ago Kimone Francis/Senior Staff Reporter

TOUGH ROAD AHEAD

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness says a report on the status of the economy has indicated that there are “headwinds” ahead even as recovery from Hurricane Melissa takes shape. Holness, who was speaking at a ceremony where the European Union, through the World Bank, gave a €5 million grant to the National Reconstruction Implementation Support Project on Tuesday, said Middle East tensions, high energy costs, and reported drought have created additional challenges for the country.

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Opposition Leader Mark Golding.
23 Sep, 2026 0

‘You are playing with fire’ - Golding suggests retro levy bill leaves loophole for legal claims, Gov’t dismisses concerns

The parliamentary Opposition’s protest that a bill giving retroactive effect to the environment protection levy from June 2007 to the present does not go far enough to protect the Consolidated Fund…
NET Executive Director Latoya Harris Ghartey.
23 Sep, 2026 0

NET calls for FAA Act changes to fast-track payment for emergency school repairs

Jamaica’s legislators are being urged to amend the Financial Administration and Audit Act (FAA Act) to enable faster payments to contractors engaged in emergency construction such as the repairing…
The Somerset Primary and Infant School in St Andrew has just 14 students on roll despite having the capacity for 245 pupils.
23 Sep, 2026 0

14 students left at Somerset Primary as enrolment plummets

Somerset Primary and Infant School was void of the usual bustle and sounds that accompany a school day last Thursday, mirroring the quietness of the surrounding rural St Andrew community. A student…
Terriann Nisbeth (stooping, left), principal of Tavares Gardens Primary School, is joined by her students as they plant a tree during the official launch of the 2026-2027 Trees for Peace Competition on Monday at their Payne Land, Kingston-based school. Obs
23 Sep, 2026 0

Gang violence takes toll on Tavares Gardens Primary

The impact of gang violence in Payne Land, St Andrew is being felt in the classrooms of Tavares Gardens Primary School, where only 80 students are enrolled at an institution built to accommodate 415.…
Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness.
23 Sep, 2026 0

Holness defends $1.2b spend on container home foundations

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has defended his administration’s $1.2 billion spend to construct foundations for semi-permanent container houses, arguing that the bases are designed to give…
Kristopher DaCosta (centre) of the Jamaica Tourist Board and Accenture’s Dean Challis listen to RochHouse Hotel’s owner Paul Salmon (right) during a forum on artificial intelligence at the recently concluded JAPEX in Ocho Rios, St Ann.
23 Sep, 2026 0

AI could decide whether and how travellers vacation in Jamaica

WESTERN BUREAU: Jamaica is moving to make its tourism industry ready for a future in which artificial intelligence could help determine not only whether a traveller visits the island, but where that…
Police and soldiers with members of the Pathways International Kingdom Restoration Ministries outside the Montego Bay-based church, where a deadly service unfolded on October 17, 2021.
22 Sep, 2026 0

Heavenly fire

The late leader of the Pathways International Kingdom Restoration Ministries had reportedly claimed to be the prophet ‘Elijah’ and tried to summon heavenly fire before shooting at cops during a bloody…
Steve Kameka, cousin of deceased Jordan Smith, says the family was moved to protest to ensure Smith’s death does not go in vain.
22 Sep, 2026 0

‘I used to say, ‘Good job, police’, but now I feel it’

Relatives of 35-year-old businessman Jordon Perry Smith took their grief and anger to the streets of Seaford Town, Westmoreland, on Monday, demanding answers over his fatal shooting during a police…
Dr Carl Bruce, medical chief of staff at the University Hospital of the West Indies.
22 Sep, 2026 0

‘I will never get weary doing good’ - UHWI chief Dr Carl Bruce found not guilty of assault charge

Dr Carl Bruce would not admit he was worried that Monday’s judgment in an assault case could have prevented him from keeping a promise to his deceased mother to “never get weary doing good”. A guilty…