News

State Minister in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Donovan Williams (left), greets farmworker, Arnold Campbell (centre), at a send- off for seasonal agricultural workers to Canada, held at the Ministry’s Overseas Employment Centre on East Stre
January 6, 2026

Improved employment contract for Jamaican seasonal workers to Canada

Jamaicans participating in Canada's Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme are set to benefit from improved employment contract conditions. Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and…
They are to go back to court on May 1.
January 6, 2026

Update |St Catherine man charged for alleged Christmas Day rape of intoxicated woman granted $200,000 bail

The Spanish Town, St Catherine man accused of raping an intoxicated woman on Christmas Day while she slept was today granted $200,000 bail with surety in the parish court. Dave Dacres is charged with…
In this photo released by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, rescuers and villagers search for victims after flash floods hit Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province, Indonesia. (BASARNAS via AP)
January 6, 2026

Flash floods in Indonesia kill at least 16 people and sweep away homes

MANADO, Indonesia (AP) — Flash floods triggered by torrential rain killed at least 16 people in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province, officials said Tuesday. Days of monsoon rain burst riverbanks…
File photo.
January 5, 2026 by Bryan Miller

Hanover trash heap

Western Bureau: With the recent passage of Hurricane Melissa, higher-than-normal levels of household waste and other debris have been produced across the island, awaiting clearance by the state-run…
Wilman Gonzalez shows an injury he says he suffered when his home was hit during US military operations to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Catia La Mar, Venezuela.
January 5, 2026

‘Still shaken’

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP): An anxious quiet fell over Venezuela ‘s capital on Sunday as trepidation mixed with joy while a nation waited to see what comes next. People were slow to resume routines in…
From left: Mark Smith, immediate past president of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA); Mark Malabver, president of the JTA; and Evelyn Tugwell, retired JTA western regional officer, cut the ribbon to reopen the JTA’s Western Regional Office in Mon
January 5, 2026 by Albert Ferguson

‘If not now, when?’

WESTERN BUREAU: President of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) Mark Malabver says the long-running dispute over teachers’ salaries and conditions of service is not simply an industrial issue but…
Fitzroy Wickham
January 5, 2026

Fitzroy Wickham | Every child must learn

Growing up, I was frequently exposed to the Ministry of Education’s motto, ‘Every Child Can Learn, Every Child Must Learn’. As a child, I understood the second phrase as an implicit threat: I must…
Jervon Sands
January 5, 2026

Jervon Sands | Repurpose regional education for today’s realities

Education in the Commonwealth Caribbean has a history spanning over three centuries, with more than 75 per cent of that time taking place during colonial rule. Consequently, our education systems,…
Abbie Godoy-Guillen
January 5, 2026

Abbie Godoy-Guillen | Expand human rights education in the Caribbean

Across the Caribbean, the denial of human rights is neither a rare nor exceptional event. It is woven deeply into the fabric of everyday life. It appears when young men are stopped and searched…