Just moments before La Soufriere volcano in St Vincent started spewing ash and hot gravel into the air last Friday morning, Ashecia Sam said she fled her home, after being alerted by her mother who heard strange sounds."Prime Minister D...

EMPLOYERS who say they will not be accepting liability for employees who contract COVID-19 on the job, may find themselves on the wrong side of the law, says attorney-at-law Gavin Goffe.In an interview with the Jamaica Observer, Goffe s...

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says he is committed to giving more focus to research and development as he's convinced that Jamaicans have the capacity to manufacture pharmaceutical drugs, such as vaccines, in much the same way as other ...

Following a ruling by the Supreme Court against the National Contracts Commission and the attorney general in favour of Cenitech Engineering Solutions, the company's CEO George Knight has decried as unjust the treatment that led to his...

TWO lawyers are of the view that there is nothing wrong with employers punishing employees who refuse to take the COVID-19 vaccine. But there is also a dissenting legal voice that the Jamaica Observer spoke to in respect of the situatio...

MANDEVILLE, Manchester - There is growing concern that the long-standing problem of traffic congestion in this south-central town is being made worse by car mart operators who use the roads to park cars awaiting sale. Two People's Natio...

Having been re-elected to the House of Representatives in the most recent general election last September 3, Henry remains "The Elder Statesman" among MPs in the House at age 85, and could very well break the 43-year record held by the ...

Group president & CEO, Victoria Mutual, Courtney Campbell (second right) shares a photo op with (from left) Anastacia Garrison, principal, Caledonia All Age and InfantSchool; Dr Roneckia Rose, past student, Cairn Curran Primary Scho...

Speeding does not make senseWHAT happened on the highway named after one of Jamaica's foremost heroes last Monday only goes to show that speeding is not worth it.At a time when so many drivers are on the loose, many of whom are not prop...

A service of inurnment was held on Monday, April 12, 2021 at St Mark's Anglican Church (Mandeville Parish Church) for former Jamaica Observer Editorial Department team member Grace Ives who died on March 20 at the age of 56.Ives, who...

MINISTER of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports Olivia "Babsy" Grange believes that her ministry's latest venture, creating a mural on the outside wall of Sabina Park in Kingston, will add to Jamaica's post-coronavirus pandemic re...

He turned only six last Thursday, April 15, but Ashish Dev Chandolu, born in Jamaica of Indian parents, opted against receiving gifts himself, as he wanted to share the day by rewarding some of Jamaica's essential workers.So, the young ...

THE results of the 2018 Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions have revealed that for people 14 years and older who were not enrolled in school or any educational institution, 60 per cent had no examination passes. The findings of the surv...

FORMER Prime Minister Bruce Golding has reiterated his call for Jamaicans to be vaccinated against COVID-19.He said he has lost seven friends to the virus including high-profile lawyers William McCalla and Paul Beswick.Golding and forme...

MANDEVILLE, Manchester - Former Custos of Manchester Dr Gilbert Allen, who died on Friday at age 92 after ailing for years, is being remembered for his dedication to public service, including 17 years as custos.Former Custos Sally Porte...

Minister of Housing, Urban Renewal, Environment and Climate Change, Pearnel Charles Jr, says the Government recognises the urgent need for housing solutions and structured policies to support the several vulnerable Jamaicans who curren...

JUST over a year since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic, we continue to see cases fluctuate worldwide, with approximately 140 million cases recorded in total and more than three million people having lost...

Few things are as powerful as the spoken and written word.The ability to speak is what distinguishes humans from all other species. We use the spoken and written word to carry out or authorise almost everything in today's world. Some p...

WINDSOR, England (AP) - As military bands played and a procession of royals escorted his coffin to the church, Prince Philip was laid to rest Saturday in a funeral ceremony that honoured his lifetime of service to the UK, the crown and ...

The choices we makeDictate the lives we lead.- ShakespeareMANY people have the privilege of making choices, while others do not, but have to accept whatever cards they are dealt. Even so, many do manage to shuffle the deck in their favo...

GRANGE HILL, Westmoreland - Police have launched a manhunt for heavily armed men who shot and killed three men in this community Wednesday night.The dead men, all of Westmoreland, have been identified as:* Chrissel Hudson, also called E...

Today is the 107th day of 2021. There are 258 days in the year.TODAY'S HIGHLIGHT1961: Cuba is invaded at "Bay of Pigs" by a US-supported invasion force of 1,500 Cuban exiles, who are defeated by Fidel Castro's forces. OTHER EVENTS1194:...

YOUNG Jamaican men should take notice of what COVID-19 is doing to male erections and go get the vaccine as soon as it is available to you.According to a just-released study, the virus increases the risk of developing impotence by nearl...

MANDEVILLE, Manchester - Twenty-four members of the Rotaract Club of Mandeville have adopted the Candle in the Dark drop-in centre as they continue their efforts to assist those in need, especially homeless individuals in this south-cen...

SHE had been diagnosed with sickle cell disease from an early age, but when 35-year-old Felicia "Sheena" Dickenson was admitted to the St Ann's Bay Hospital, relatives never expected that the two weeks she spent at the institution would...

Wilbert Parkes, in whose honour Campion College will this morning name its cricket field, has had a stellar career as an educator, coach, sport official, and journalist, stretching more than three decades.A citation prepared for this mo...

COLLEAGUES of murdered Clarendon primary school teacher Nattallie Dawkins said yesterday that, while not having a child of her own, she showed extra care and compassion for her students and went the extra mile to keep them happy while t...

As I sweated profusely between bouts of sickeningly high fever, I was changing shirts three times a day. To my certain recollection, I had never had a fever for more than two days at a time. COVID-19 unleashed on me a 10-day fever like ...

THE Government has identified 20 major crime-producing communities across the island and is devising strategies to quiet them. Prime Minister Andrew Holness made the disclosure last Thursday during a question and answer session with the...

Jamaica Observer has appointed Natalie Chin as its first deputy managing director, as well as a member of the company's board with effect from May 1.Chin, who is the newspaper's dynamic head of Advertising, Marketing and Communications,...

PORUS, Manchester - After nearly five weeks since his 75-year-old father's disappearance, Howard Carter has renewed his appeal for the public's assistance in locating his dad, Norman. Carter's plea was highlighted in the Jamaica Observe...

Today is the 106th day of 2021. There are 259 days in the year.TODAY'S HIGHLIGHT1925: Kingston College in Jamaica is declared open. OTHER EVENTS1856: Declaration of Paris abolishes privateering, defines nature of contraband and blockad...

INDIVIDUALS who have received the first dose of the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine are being cautioned that they are not fully inoculated and should ensure that they take the second dose at the required time, or their levels of protection...

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent (CMC) - Volcanologist Professor Richard Robertson is warning that while explosions at La Soufriere volcano have been getting weaker and less frequent over the last two days, this does not mean that the eruption has...

EVEN as business operators in Portmore, St Catherine, applaud the Government for its introduction of the E-commerce National Delivery Solution (ENDS), many are expressing concern about the delivery fees charged by some entities particip...

SHE had been diagnosed with sickle cell disease from an early age, but when 35-year-old Felicia "Sheena" Dickenson was admitted to the St Ann's Bay Hospital, relatives never expected that the two weeks she spent at the institution would...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY for Friday, April 16, 2021: Passionate, brave and steely, when you get into something, so does all your heart. This year, you succeed at a challenging position. Money comes fast and furious, so plug any leaks that might s...

THERE were jitters yesterday in August Town and surrounding communities following a Court of Appeal order that alleged gang leader Christopher "Dog Paw" Linton be set free after serving more than seven years in prison for illegal posses...

DARLISTON, Westmoreland - Two administrators at the Clifton Boys' Home have been suspended, pending the outcome of a probe by the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) and the police into allegations of corporal punishment...

With almost 400 murders across the island since the start of the year and increasingly louder calls for the Government to introduce drastic measures to deal with the criminals, Prime Minister Andrew Holness remains adamant that there is...

MINISTER of Local Government and Rural Development Desmond McKenzie says the Jamaican Government is organising support for St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), now being affected by the La Soufriere volcano."Our Government has been in c...

JAMAICAN employers are being warned that they could find themselves on the wrong side of the law if they dismiss any employee who refuses to take the COVID-19 vaccine.The issue was moved to the front burner yesterday after Caledonia Out...

Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang says that the Government is making an effort to reduce rape and other types of sexual violence in Jamaica by improving facilities that deal with them.Dr Chang was opening the debate on a mot...

PUBLIC relations officer of the Lay Magistrates Association of Jamaica (LMAJ) Claudette Bryan is crediting custodes and the organisation's disciplinary committees for maintaining order and discipline among justices of the peace (JPs). B...

JUST four weeks ago, Craig Powe, 25, was isolated at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) battling COVID-19 for the second time and thinking he was going to die.Powe, an entrepreneur, said he had never thought about a will ...

At left, a man and a woman keep themselves busy on their cellphones as they wait at the National Arena in St Andrew on Tuesday to get the COVID-19 vaccine.(Photo: Joseph Wellington) 

The humanitarian and economic crisis unleashed by the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano on the Caribbean island of St Vincent will last months and could extend to nearby islands, a UN official warned yesterday."It is a crisis that wi...

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent (CMC) - Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves yesterday made an impassioned plea for people to leave the red zone area as the La Soufriere volcano continues to erupt, generating possibly pyroclastic density currents (P...

Today is the 105th day of 2021. There are 260 days left in the year.TODAY'S HIGHLIGHT1912: The passenger luxury liner SS Titanic sinks and more than 1,500 lives are lost. OTHER EVENTS1862: A Bill ending slavery in the US District of Co...

THE House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the Tobacco Industry Regulations (Validation and Indemnity) (Repeal) Act 2021.Piloting the Bill, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Floyd Green said the Bill emerged from a decision of C...