A team of experts from the Pan American Health Organization's (PAHO) office in Port-au-Prince has been deployed to evaluate damage and coordinate an appropriate health response following the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that shook Haiti on ...

LES CAYES, Haiti (AP) - The death toll from a magnitude-7.2 earthquake in Haiti soared yesterday as rescuers raced to find survivors amid the rubble ahead of a potential deluge from an approaching tropical storm.Saturday's earthquake le...

SEVERAL household workers across the island are currently at loggerheads with their employers regarding their employment status, now hinged on their decision to take the COVID-19 vaccine.The household workers, who spoke with the Jamaica...

TERTIARY-TRAINED women are more likely than other women to be abused by their boyfriends or husbands during the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to recent survey findings by researchers at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) .The s...

SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth - The People's National Party (PNP) has confirmed its executive in St Elizabeth North Eastern (NE) and St Elizabeth South Eastern (SE) following constituency conferences.Chairman of the PNP's Region Five, Hopeto...

Jamaica's embassy in Japan has made contact with 25-year-old Tijana Stojkovic, the Olympics volunteer who helped Jamaican hurdler Hansle Parchment get to the Olympics Stadium in Tokyo on Tuesday, July 3 for his semi-final race, after he...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (AP) - Tropical Storm Grace formed yesterday morning in the Atlantic Ocean and grew stronger, while Fred weakened into a tropical wave as it headed into the eastern Gulf of Mexico.Both systems were expected to b...

Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke says Jamaica is experiencing early signs of a strong economic recovery from the ravages of the novel coronavirus pandemic, providing as evidence, government revenues for the April to June 2021 quarter. ...

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AFP) - Rescue workers scrambled to find survivors after a powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti early yesterday, killing at least 304 and toppling buildings in the disaster-plagued Caribbean nation still ...

Saturday, June 6, 2020 is a day that the family of Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Private Lexton Clayton will never forget.Their world "fell apart" on that day with the gruesome discovery of her body, as well as that of her two-year-old so...

Three Sandals team members have been awarded the inaugural Gordon "Butch" Stewart Tourism, Hospitality and Service Scholarship.The scholarship is open to team members across the Sandals and ATL Group, including the Jamaica Observer, Is...

Aston Harris with his prize, courtesy of Guardian Group, at the Jamaica Observer offices onBeechwood Avenue in St Andrew last Thursday. He was the first to respond correctly to thequestion asked during the final Your Health Your Wealth ...

The JDF from another angleMy gratitude goes out to the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) for allowing me to see, from another angle, more to the Jamaican army than meets the eye.Last Thursday, the army's head, Lt General Rocky Meade, invited ...

WHILE admitting that, anecdotally, there has been an increase in mental illnesses among Jamaicans since the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic, a psychiatrist is arguing that at least one upside to the ongoing crisis is the spotlig...

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security has scheduled a meeting for tomorrow to reduce mounting tension threatening the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) Company Limited's operations over a three-year-old payment dispute with its technic...

A woman whose painful skin condition has left her unable to fully use her hands is now seeking help to continue her treatment regime.Dihema Duffus, who lives in Tinsbury, St Mary, has been left in debilitating pain caused by a skin cond...

WESTMORELAND, Jamaica - Councillors Kevin Murray and Rudolph Uter are urging taxi operators in this parish to cancel a strike scheduled for tomorrow. Cabbies who ply the routes from Savanna-la-Mar to Grange Hill, Grange Hill to Green Is...

A frequently asked question by sceptics around the world is: "Why do I need to take the COVID-19 vaccine if I can still get the virus?" If that's something you've also been wondering about, Dr Kate O'Brien, director of the department of...

THE pursuit of love and a happy life took Gabrielle Peat away from her country of birth, Trinidad and Tobago, in the 1970s and brought her to Jamaica. Today, Peat celebrates her 100th birthday and says she has no intention of ever retur...

DRIVING is an activity that requires focus and the use of our senses such as seeing, hearing, and feeling. Unfortunately, as persons grow older, particularly when they have approached their senior years, their mental and physical agilit...

T he British High Commission in Kingston has announced that 17 more Jamaicans have been awarded Chevening Scholarships to pursue master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The 2021-2022 scholars were selected from a short-listed cohort of...

DURING pregnancy, oral health care is often neglected. However, this is actually one of the most crucial times for the proper management of oral health care.Some pregnant women, too, may wonder what, if any, dental procedures might do h...

'SILVER tech' or technological innovations, products and services developed for seniors, may be one of the most lucrative modern industries. At present, 750 million of the world's 7.9 billion inhabitants are aged 65 and over, and that f...

CHOOSING to retire early requires careful consideration. A few years ago, the Jamaican Government introduced the Special Early Retirement Programme (SERP) to public sector workers. Permanent Government of Jamaica employees between the a...

OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to call snap elections for September 20 to seek a new mandate to steer the nation's pandemic exit, much to the dismay of his rival parties.In office since 2015, T...

HEALTH systems need to be prepared to deliver high-quality health care for older people that is integrated among providers and settings and one that is linked to the sustainable provision of long-term care, the Pan-American Health Organ...

O, Jesu,This is excellent sport,I faith!- ShakespeareIN other words, "OMG, what a way de sport sweet." And so it was at the 2020 Olympics that actually took place in 2021 because of the accursed novel coronavirus pandemic. I say accurse...

PORT MARIA, St Mary - Chairman of the St Mary Municipal Corporation Richard Creary has challenged his officers to go beyond serving stop orders and to start dragging more people before the court for illegal building construction in the ...

The problem facing Jamaica with scores of people refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine was underscored during a 30-minute taxi ride recently as the driver pointed to religion and spouted unscientific data as reasons he would never take...

PORT MARIA, St Mary - The police have apprehended 'quite a number' of criminals fleeing other parishes and seeking refuge in St Mary, according to Superintendent Bobette Morgan-Simpson who is in charge of the parish. "What we need to un...

PORT MARIA, St Mary - One week into the State's four-week summer youth programme two youngsters from St Mary have already quit, eliciting criticism from Port Maria Mayor Richard Creary who has promised to find replacements. Another 85 p...

IN just over a week, children 12 and older will be prioritised when health authorities start administering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines across the island.The Government has been working to bolster the local vaccination programme, and wi...

HEALTH Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has hit out at individuals behind COVID-19 vaccine "myths", charging that ignorance is fuelling different theories, including that the jab is "the mark of the beast" referred to by the biblical book...

PORT MARIA, St Mary - Promoters whose applications to host parties are still pending in this parish have become a major target as police and other authorities on Thursday declared a zero-tolerance posture towards the hosting of events.T...

OCHO RIOS, St Ann - The police are blaming gang feuds for a number of recent murders in the Steer Town section of this parish. There have been at least six killings reported in the area since the start of the year, making it St Ann's mo...

Despite the dangers posed by flooding and repeated calls to properly dispose of domestic waste, people continue to dump garbage on the streets which then ends up in gullies and drains when it rains. At the same time, it is obvious that ...

Children 12 and older will be prioritised for the first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines set to arrive in the island next Tuesday, August 17.Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton last evening revealed that Jamaica is set ...

OCHO RIOS, St Ann - Verona White was hoping that by now, eight months after her son was shot dead, someone would have been held responsible. She is still awaiting answers. According to a police report, Delroy Trowers was in a taxi on hi...

Commuters using vehicles in the privately-run public transportation system will start paying 15 per cent more starting on Monday, the Transport Authority announced yesterday.This means that commuters using route taxis and "Coaster" buse...

A number of principals at non-traditional high schools say they are worried that they may have to spend the first few months of the new academic year conducting interventions to remediate the competence and mastery deficiencies they env...

SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland - Many school administrators in western Jamaica are confident that they are ready if COVID-19 is tamed long enough for face-to-face classes to resume in September. Most are eager to have students return to t...

While insisting that the Government does not have land or money sweeteners to entice Jamaicans to take COVID-19 vaccines, like some other countries, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton yesterday said linkages are being ma...

MONTEGO BAY, St James - After a more than 16-month hiatus because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, cruise ships are expected to resume calling on Jamaica next Monday.In fact, between Monday, August 16 and Tuesday, October 26, cruise p...

Young men assist the police after this service vehicle stalled Wednesday on Maxfield Avenue inSt Andrew. (Photo: Garfield Robinson) 

Today is the 225th day of 2021. There are 140 days left in the year.TODAY'S HIGHLIGHT2006: On his 80th birthday, Fidel Castro cautions Cubans that he faces a long recovery from surgery. His younger brother, Raul, makes a first public ap...

MANDEVILLE, Manchester - After an almost two-month grace period, the Manchester Municipal Corporation has ramped up its enforcement efforts to clamp down on various breaches.Deputy mayor of Mandeville and councillor of the Mile Gully Di...

The battle for lottery dollars is heating up again with newcomers to the local betting scene, Izizzi, firing the latest salvo.Izizzi is now offering Jamaicans more returns on their bets by increasing the winnings of its popular single ...

A man who made arrangements to have a television set airfreighted from the United States to Jamaica is now angry and frustrated after he received the product in a severely damaged state.Steve Foster told the Jamaica Observer that he pa...

BELMONT, Westmoreland - A banana tree residents planted in a pothole on the main road of this community was enough to get the authorities to fix the gaping hole as work began yesterday and is expected to be completed by next week. "My c...

THE Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) has added a new utility vessel to its fleet named Jamaica III, which is the first of its kind, replacing the 42-year-old Jamaica II vessel.The 39 metres long utility vessel, which is 12 metres longer ...