Jamaica Gleaner

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:19:56 -0500
Red-tape gridlock
Jamaica’s ability to develop at a faster pace is being hampered by “excessive bureaucracy”, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness is arguing. Holness, who was speaking at the official handover ceremony of the Essex Valley Agro-Processing Facility ...

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:19:45 -0500
Accused Clansman member fires finger gun at witness cop
A startling incident outside the courtroom brought renewed tension to the ongoing anti-gang trial involving reputed Clansman gang leader Tesha Miller and 24 other accused yesterday, shortly after the matter was adjourned on day one at the Supreme......

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:08:01 -0500
A century of memories
At 100 years old, Isaiah Freckleton still marvels at the passage of time. Lying in his bed one night, alone with his thoughts, the centenarian found himself pondering. “I began to count from one to a hundred,” he said. “And I lay down, and I.....

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:18:02 -0500
‘I believed I had played my part’
Agriculture Minister Floyd Green yesterday maintained that he would have taken no further action after sending an anonymous letter to the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) about a 2013 Acadia Drive, St Andrew shooting, saying he...

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:17:17 -0500
Elderly man, disabled sibling lose independence following Clarendon fire
It has been a hellish week for two elderly siblings whose four-bedroom home in May Pen, Clarendon, was engulfed by fire, taking all their possessions and decades of hard work and accomplishments. Chef Byron Desport, 67, said he was at his cook...

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:16:50 -0500
Disaster Fund Committee missing in action for 24 months
The National Disaster Fund Committee (NDFC), which has the critical responsibility of managing the National Disaster Fund (NDF) and signing off on sums to be allocated for relief and other purposes in the wake of a natural disaster, has been non-......

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:17:04 -0500
ODPEM falls short in documenting items purchased
Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis has raised concern that the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) purchased food items, tarpaulin and water costing $59.6 million for Hurricane Melissa victims but failed to document...

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:19:07 -0500
JMDA gives UHWI ultimatum
The Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association (JMDA) has issued an ultimatum for the management of the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) to take steps to resolve a number of long-standing issues. Failing this, the JMDA said it could not...

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:16:45 -0500
STARLINK RED FLAG
Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis has flagged as a breach of procurement rules actions taken by senior Cabinet minister Daryl Vaz in relation to the purchase of 200 Starlink devices valued at $12.12 million. In a compliance audit tabled in...

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:16:57 -0500
AuGD: 121 of 200 Starlink devices unused several weeks after acquisition
Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis is reporting that of the 200 Starlink devices delivered to the Office of the Commissioner of Police, only 120 were distributed to 17 entities, while the remaining 80 were on site and not in use on January 6, 2026....

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:18:42 -0500
Sykes to rule on plea as Silvera blames provocation for wife’s death
The prosecution has reportedly accepted a guilty plea from former People’s National Party (PNP) Member of Parliament for St Mary Western, Jolyan Silvera, on charges of manslaughter on the grounds of provocation in connection with the death of his....

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:19:13 -0500
A life changed in a blink
What began as a simple attempt to pick ackees ended in catastrophe. Electrocuted by overhead power lines in Portmore, St Catherine, last January, Chace Singh lost both hands and feet and now needs $10 million to piece together a life altered in...

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:16:10 -0500
Cyber Crimes Act amendments clear House
The Government has moved to reassure Parliament that amendments to the Cyber Crimes Act will strengthen protections against online abuse, even as the Opposition warned that vague language in the bill could weaken safeguards for victims of non-...

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:14:47 -0500
PAC members raise concerns about oversight at Parliament
Admitting that the Houses of Parliament breached the procurement guidelines in acquiring 16 air-conditioning (AC) units, Clerk to the Houses Colleen Lowe blamed a former operations manager for the violation, saying that he was on a “frolic of his....

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:14:18 -0500
105-y-o weathered Cat 5 Melissa in outdoor bathroom
WESTERN BUREAU: As Hurricane Melissa tore roofs from homes and shattered windows last October, centenarian Vera Brown – partially blind, deaf and almost entirely non-verbal – rode out the Category 5 monster in an outdoor bathroom, emerging not j...

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:15:30 -0500
Norwood rocked by double murder
WESTERN BUREAU: Two unidentified men were shot and killed by unknown assailants in an abandoned building in Norwood, St James, on Tuesday, shattering a yearlong period of calm. The killings brought to an end a year without any murders in the once-.....

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:14:16 -0500
NEW TWIST
Former People’s National Party (PNP) member of parliament for St Mary Western, Jolyan Silvera, has reportedly pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter in relation to the death of his wife, Melissa Silvera. The reported plea was entered...

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:15:39 -0500
Johnson Smith urges Haiti to respect Feb 7 red line on transition amid council turmoil
Days before Haiti’s transitional government is set to expire, Foreign Affairs Minister Kamina Johnson Smith has warned that any move away from the February 7 deadline would risk further fragmentation, insisting that the agreed-upon date must be th...

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:15:22 -0500
The gift of play
Six-year-old Allahana Commock had never known what it felt like to run freely or play without fear of collapsing. Born with tetralogy of fallot – a rare and complex congenital heart defect – even short walks left her exhausted, dizzy, and prone ...

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:15:53 -0500
Private contractors not expected to know FAAA, court hears
Contractors who do business with the Government, as well as private-sector workers, are not necessarily expected to understand or comply with the Financial Administration and Audit Act (FAAA), a senior finance ministry official told the Kingston...

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