Survival stories Defence attorney Isat Buchanan has raised concerns about what he describes as a troubling signal being sent by law enforcement following charges laid against popular podcaster Jhaedee Richards, more popularly known as Jaii Frais, in connection with Sunday’s shooting incident at a carnival afterparty in St Andrew. Buchanan said the decision to charge his client risks discouraging Jamaicans from defending themselves in life-threatening situations.
MSMEs facing triple threat crisis The Young Entrepreneurs Association of Jamaica (YEA) is calling for urgent, targeted support for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) following the sharp rise in global oil prices to nearly US$100 per barrel, a development that now confirms risks previously highlighted ahead of the national budget discussions.
Second chances, renewed purpose What began as a life-altering medical emergency nearly a decade ago has since blossomed into a beacon of hope for vulnerable students across Jamaica. For entrepreneur and philanthropist Shadeka McIntosh, May 12, 2016, remains etched in memory as the day she was granted what she describes as a “second chance”. That defining moment, born out of a frightening health emergency during her final year at university, has now inspired the launch of the Shadeka McIntosh Second Chance Scholarship, an initiative through which 10 students are set to benefit annually.
From classroom to coastline When the world ground almost to a halt at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, millions were forced to reimagine their futures overnight. For Sashae Shaw, a young woman from Portland pursuing an associate degree in psychology at Excelsior Community College (ECC), the disruption was more than an inconvenience – it was a turning point that reshaped her life’s trajectory. Today, at 30, Shaw stands not only as a fisherwoman, but as a symbol of resilience, adaptability, and the growing role of women in Jamaica’s fisheries sector.
Bernard questions IRD model’s benefit to ordinary Jamaicans The Senate on Friday passed the Casino Gaming (General) Regulations, 2025, but not before Opposition lawmaker Allan Bernard cautioned against the pitfalls of the integrated resorts development (IRD) model, which has been espoused by the Government as the approach to strengthening Jamaica’s tourism competitiveness. The IRD model, among other things, includes luxury hotel rooms, luxury shopping, entertainment facilities and casinos in particular.
‘Platform for action’ Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, has said that the upcoming 11th Biennial Diaspora Conference in Montego Bay, St James, will offer an opportunity to deepen and strengthen the relationship between the Jamaican diaspora and Jamaica. “The conference will provide a platform for action,” the minister said. Johnson Smith was delivering the keynote address at the official launch of the Diaspora Conference at the ministry’s offices in Kingston on Wednesday.
St James Traffic Department urging motorcyclists to wear certified helmets WESTERN BUREAU: With some 111 persons killed in motorcycle crashes across the island last year, and many others suffering life-altering injuries, Corporal Ellington Clarke, of the St James Traffic Department, is calling for motorcyclists to obey the road traffic regulations and wear certified headgear. Clarke made the appeal during a press conference in Montego Bay yesterday, where he revealed that in ongoing police operations in St James this year, 13 persons have been arrested for breaching the Road Traffic Act, while 70 motorcycles have been seized.
Ontario man faces Canadian court over theft of hurricane relief supplies headed to Jamaica A man from Brampton, Ontario, in Canada has been arrested and slapped with multiple charges following the theft of relief supplies destined for Jamaica, in the wake of the devastation the island sustained during Hurricane Melissa in October last year. According to the Peel Regional Police in Ontario, the Commercial Auto Crime Bureau laid charges on 40-year-old Varinder Dhillon. The police said Dhillon is currently on probation for similar offences and has been prohibited from driving indefinitely.
Economist urges Jamaica to leave oil alone Executive director of the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI) Dr Damien King hopes Jamaica never strikes commercially viable oil – and he means it. King, a former lecturer in economics at the University of the West Indies, fears what development economists call the ‘resource curse’ – a pattern in which the discovery of natural resources weakens, rather than strengthens, a country’s institutions and governance.
BLOCKED! Shockwaves rippled through the global track and field community – particularly in Jamaica – after World Athletics (WA) on Thursday blocked the transfer of allegiance to Türkiye for 11 professional athletes in an unprecedented ruling. WA said the move, first revealed in June 2024, amounted to a coordinated state recruitment effort driven by financial inducements, with athletes lacking any genuine connection to Türkiye. The governing body argued that such arrangements undermine eligibility rules and threaten the integrity of international competition.