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Hospitals damaged by Hurricane Melissa are set to reopen or have major facilities restored this month, as the health sector continues its recovery nearly a year after the storm. Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton gave the update at this morning’s post-Cabinet press briefing. He said the male and female surgical wards at Black […]

Member of Parliament for Westmoreland Central, Dwayne Vaz, is calling for a tiered system to be implemented to provide equity in relation to the Constituency Development Fund. In his contribution to the state of the constituency debate in the Lower House yesterday, Mr. Vaz said it is not fair for all constituencies to receive the […]

Jamaicans are being urged to celebrate the country’s significant decline in murders, with Information Minister Dr. Dana Morris Dixon stressing the importance of recognising the progress. As of October 6, 407 murders were recorded, compared with 534 over the corresponding period last year, representing a 24 per cent decline. Dr. Morris Dixon says violent crime […]

The Ministry of Health and Wellness is partnering with the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NARRA) to advance the development of four new hospitals as part of a major modernization and climate-resilience initiative. Portfolio Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton made the announcement at this morning’s post-Cabinet press briefing. He said the collaboration will see the Ministry […...

The Government has allocated $19 million towards sanitation and beautification works in each constituency for the upcoming Christmas period. Works Minister Robert Morgan said the Constituency Mitigation Programme for December 2026 will be implemented by the National Works Agency and the National Solid Waste Management Authority. Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Morgan noted that the programme [&#...

There is concern about an increase in electrical fires due to overload, as citizens plug in more appliances to deal with the unbearable heat. Commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade, Stewart Beckford noted the use of fans and air conditioning units. He is urging residents to get an electrician to check their systems in a […]

A Public Order Ticket Information Management System has been developed by the Ministry of National Security and the Jamaica Constabulary Force to treat with violations, such as noise and illegal vending. Tickets for public order violations will be issued by JCF officers, as well as by municipal corporations. Minister of National Security, Dr. Horace Chang, […]

President of the Jamaica Medical Doctors Association, Dr. Jubilee Brown-Service, says Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton will update the association when the internal review of the Industrial Disputes Tribunal ruling is completed. The association met with Dr. Tufton today. The ruling, which relates to overtime rate for doctors, was handed down yesterday and followed a […]

Principal of the Denham Town High School, Yvette Richards Thompson, has described the death of 11-year-old Jaydon Whyte as a tremendous loss. The boy is one of two people who died in an early morning fire at North Street in Kingston this morning. The other deceased is 60-year-old Junior Barrett. Jaydon, who was in Grade […]

Two people are dead following a fire at North Street in Kingston this morning. The deceased are 60-year-old Junior Barrett and 11-year-old Jaydon Whyte. Tomorrow is Jaydon’s birthday. Six adults and a child have been left homeless. The house was occupied by nine people. According to the Jamaica Fire Brigade, the upper floor of the […]

By Clement Reid and Marlene Freeman The National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NARRA) has entered a five-year lease for its new headquarters at the Digicel Building in Downtown Kingston at a cost of $115 million annually. According to a press release from the Office of the Cabinet yesterday, operations at the location are scheduled to […]

Managing Director of the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ) Doreen Prendergast has criticized some of the island’s contractors for not performing efficiently. She said this inefficiency is dragging out project timelines and causing delays in completing housing developments on schedule. Mrs. Prendergast was speaking at the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development’s World...

Jamaica’s chronic shortage of housing solutions should be considered a national emergency. That’s the view of Chairman of the Jamaica Developers Association, Dayton Wood, as he addressed a panel discussion during the World Habitat Day Exposition at the Summit hotel in Kingston today. Hosted by the Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development Ministry, the exposition was […]

Managing Director of the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ) Doreen Prendergast, has stated that land availability and bureaucratic delays are among the key issues affecting the agency’s ability to supply housing solutions. She was addressing a panel during the Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development Ministry’s World Habitat Day Exposition today. The HAJ is a land […]

Head of the St. Andrew South Police, Senior Superintendent Damion Manderson, says for the first time since Independence the division is poised to finish the year with fewer than 50 murders. He made the statement at a church service in the division yesterday. According to SSP Manderson, since the start of the year, 37 murders […]

The Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT) has ruled in favour of the Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association (JMDA) in relation to the overtime rate for doctors. The ruling comes after the island’s doctors staged a 24 hour strike at the weekend, stepping up pressure on the IDT to hand down the long-awaited ruling. The JMDA has been […]

The door remains open for the Government and the Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association (JMDA) to settle their overtime dispute, without a ruling from the Industrial Disputes Tribunal. That is according to JMDA’s Industrial Relations Consultant, Lambert Brown, who says the bargaining units can legally return to the negotiating table and hammer out an agreement while […]

Justice Minister Delroy Chuck says he expects court proceedings to resume in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland and Black River, St. Elizabeth, after new locations were secured to replace the facilities. Both courts were severely damaged during Hurricane Melissa last October. Mr. Chuck said a lease agreement has already been signed for the Savanna-la-Mar Parish Court and it’s […]

Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness has stated that it is not beyond legislators to make laws tougher, while ensuring that the innocent are protected. Dr. Holness made the statement during a meeting with the Jamaican Bar Association and the Advocates Association on the Firearms Act on Friday. Attorneys protested last month as they called for […]

The Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association (JMDA) says it has not received any update from the Industrial Disputes Tribunal since its 24-hour strike over the delay in the Tribunal’s ruling on the overtime rate for doctors. JMDA members are to meet early this week to chart their next course of action. The doctors withdrew service from […]

As National Anti-Bullying Week gets underway today, the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) is warning that the damage caused by bullying can extend far beyond the schoolyard and says tackling the problem requires action across all sectors of society. Anti-Bullying Week is being observed from October 4 to 10 under the theme; “Kindness […]

The Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA) is calling for a national risk based assessment of school security systems.   It also wants a funding programme for perimeter fencing and other security measures.   JTA President Lasonja Harrison pointed out that the relevant authorities should not wait until there is another security related incident at a school, […]

Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness has given a firm commitment that persons involved in the murder of a young mother in Olympic Gardens last month will be pursued and brought to justice.   Dead is 25 year old Ornielia Walker, otherwise called Nana and Chin, of Hibiscus Avenue in Olympic Gardens, Kingston.   Walker was […]

  Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness has instructed Justice Minister Delroy Chuck to convene the Legal Reform Committee to explore how the Firearms Act can be refined and strengthened. Dr. Holness’ directive follows a meeting with members of the Jamaica Bar Association and the Advocates Association at the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday. The […]

The Health Ministry says regional health authorities reported no adverse event at public health centres and hospitals due to protest action taken by doctors yesterday. The doctors withdrew their services as part of efforts to press the Industrial Disputes Tribunal to hand down its ruling on overtime rates. The Jamaica Medical Doctors Association (JMDA) said […]