The Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited (KFTL) was under a virtual lockdown for several hours until late Friday as security forces continued a high-level operation into a major cocaine bust that the police have estimated at approximately J$1 billion. The operation reportedly began Thursday morning and remained active late Friday as police, the Jamaica Customs Agency and other members of the security forces restricted movement in and around the port while pursuing leads into the shipment and persons who may have been involved.

For some boys, the journey from childhood to manhood is shaped by challenges that are not always visible in the classroom. Low self-esteem, peer pressure, limited motivation, difficult home circumstances and the absence of positive male role models can influence how they learn, behave and see themselves.

The St Thomas Health Department will host a series of free back-to-school medical clinics and vaccination drives across the parish throughout August, as part of its annual public health outreach programme. Medical teams will provide health assessments, administer HPV and other routine vaccines where required, and complete school medical forms, to help ensure students are prepared for the new school year.

Experienced attorney-at-law Kelly-Ann Murdock has officially been installed as the country’s chief corruption prosecutor, about four months after acting in that role at the Integrity Commission (IC). Murdock, who is the director of corruption prosecution at the IC, has the task of prosecuting acts of corruption and related offences, including illicit enrichment, bribery, and failing to file or filing false statutory declarations. At the same time, Sashein Wright-Chin has been appointed director of corruption prevention, stakeholder engagement and anti-corruption strategy.

São Paulo, Brazil: Brazil is awaiting Jamaica’s response to a proposed sanitary agreement that would clear the way for poultry and pork exports to the island. Although Brazil is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of animal protein, it is currently not authorised to export poultry or pork to Jamaica because no bilateral sanitary certification agreement is in place. Brazilian beef exports to Jamaica are also limited to processed or canned products.

The Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited (KFTL) was under a virtual lockdown for several hours until late Friday as security forces continued a high-level operation into a major cocaine bust that the police have estimated at approximately J$1 billion. The operation reportedly began Thursday morning and remained active late Friday as police, the Jamaica Customs Agency and other members of the security forces restricted movement in and around the port while pursuing leads into the shipment and persons who may have been involved.

A Jamaican man recently pleaded guilty for his role as a high-ranking member of an international fraud ring that stole more than US$9 million from over 200 elderly Americans in a decade-long sweepstakes fraud scheme, United States federal prosecutors announced. Thirty-year-old Jordan Trought entered a guilty plea on June 1 for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and bank fraud. Trought was arrested in Jamaica in August 2025 and extradited to the United States to face charges.

AP – Airline passengers know to expect possible flight delays when weather forecasts call for thunderstorms, heavy snow or strong wind. The omens are less obvious on a hot summer day with clear skies. Yet extreme heat also disrupts flights and travel plans. On the hottest days, thinner air can make it harder for aircraft to get off the ground safely. Airlines may have to lighten the load by removing passengers or cargo, or carrying less fuel.

WESTERN BUREAU: As Jamaica celebrates its 64th year of independence this year, Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon says that the nation’s growth over the decades is connected to the history of the African continent, with the Caribbean and African regions’ collaboration being indicative of strength across borders.

WESTERN BUREAU: Montego Bay-based reggae artiste Hezron Clarke never expected to be publicly honoured on Independence Day for his musical contributions to St James and the wider Jamaica.

FALMOUTH, Trelawny: The historic Water Square in Falmouth provided a fitting backdrop on Thursday as the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), in partnership with the Trelawny Municipal Corporation, hosted the parish’s Independence Civic Ceremony. The ceremony, commemorating Jamaica’s 64th Anniversary of Independence under the theme ‘United in Celebrating Resilience’. brought together government officials, civic leaders, members of the uniformed services, students, and residents in a patriotic observance celebrating Jamaica’s achievements.

WESTERN BUREAU: Disappointment over low public turnout overshadowed St Elizabeth’s Independence Day observance on Thursday, as civic and municipal leaders gathered with only a handful of residents to mark Jamaica’s 64th year of Independence. The flag-raising ceremony, a symbolic display of resilience and national pride, was held against the backdrop of the parish’s ongoing recovery from Hurricane Melissa, which destroyed homes, public facilities and the municipal offices.

NEW YORK: Jamaicans across the United States and Canada have been well represented among the 140 people in this year’s list for national honours and awards list. At least 12 diasporans are set to be among those honoured on National Heroes Day in October. Heading the list is Donette Chin-Loy, who has been awarded the Order of Jamaica (OJ), the nation’s fourth highest national honour. She has been honoured for her contribution to nation building in Jamaica and Canada.

The doors of One Police Plaza, the headquarters of the New York Police Department (NYPD), will be thrown open on August 11 to Jamaicans and friends when the Jamaican American Law Enforcement Organization (JAMLEO) hosts its third annual Heritage Night. The event will be held in commemoration of Jamaica’s 64th anniversary of Independence. Lt Danae McFarlane, president of JAMLEO, said Heritage Night serves as a powerful bridge between the Jamaican diaspora and the law-enforcement community.

WESTERN BUREAU: The Jamaica Umbrella Group of Churches (JUGC) is calling on the Government to treat Haitians who risk their lives to reach Jamaica by sea, to seek asylum, with more dignity and compassion. The JUGC’s call comes against the background of the issuing of deportation orders for eight Haitians who landed in Jamaica on July 17. The orders would see them meeting the same fate as other Haitians who were sent back to their violence-torn homeland without being allowed to present their cases for asylum.

WESTERN BUREAU: The giant swing tourist attraction demolished in Norwood Pen, St James, yesterday was “very, very dangerous” and posed the risk of a major tragedy, according to St James Municipal Corporation Acting Chief Engineer Pete Jackson. The municipality ordered the demolition after discovering that the attraction had been erected without the required building and planning approvals. Officials said cease notices served earlier in the day had been removed before enforcement officers returned to the site.

After tough and sometimes stalled negotiations between the Government and unions representing public-sector workers, an agreement has been reached on wages for the three-year period from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2028. St Patrice Ennis, president of the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU), told The Gleaner yesterday that the unions have agreed to a one-off payment of $80,000 for the period April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026. Additionally, the Government has improved its wage offer from seven per cent over the three-year period to 10 per cent.

Outgoing Bank of Jamaica Governor Richard Byles is among seven Jamaicans who have been appointed to the Order of Jamaica (OJ) and will join 139 other nationals journeying to King’s House in October for recognition at the National Honours and Awards Ceremony. Joining Byles in the OJ are philanthropist Donette Chin-Loy Chang; Cabinet minister Daryl Vaz; former parliamentarians Maxine Henry-Wilson and Derrick Smith; leader and philanthropist Diana Stewart; and private sector leader Christopher Zacca.

WESTERN BUREAU: For nearly three days, a viral video showing dancehall entertainer Elephant Man dragging Dream Weekend videographer Dario Shields across a stage has fuelled debate on social media. But the man behind the camera says the widely shared clip tells only part of what happened.

Two noted advocates have welcomed a proposal by President John Mahama of the Republic of Ghana to create a pathway to citizenship for people of African descent, describing it as a major step toward the long-sought right of return to Africa. Reviving the decades-old issue of repatriation, Mahama announced yesterday that his government is considering legislation to establish a pathway to citizenship for members of the global African family.

WESTERN BUREAU: Twenty-six students from Knockalva Polytechnic College (KPC), in Hanover, who were impacted by the passage of Hurricane Melissa, have received scholarship support to the tune of J$4 million from the school’s overseas based past students to help ease their financial burden going into the new school year.

A cluster of four suspected suicides reported across Jamaica in less than 24 hours has heightened public concern and renewed scrutiny of the country’s mental-health challenges amid a string of similar incidents reported across the island in recent months. The latest cases began unfolding on Monday at the May Pen Police Station in Clarendon, where serving Police Constable Kenroy Pitter was found with a wound to his neck inside an office after colleagues reportedly forced open the door when they became concerned about his whereabouts.

Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama on Monday declared that the global reparations movement has reached “a defining moment”, arguing that the international community must move beyond acknowledging the atrocities of slavery and colonialism to taking meaningful steps to address their lasting consequences.

WESTERN BUREAU: For nearly three days, a viral video showing dancehall entertainer Elephant Man dragging Dream Weekend videographer Dario Shields across a stage has fuelled debate on social media. But the man behind the camera says the widely shared clip tells only part of what happened.

Two noted advocates have welcomed a proposal by President John Mahama of the Republic of Ghana to create a pathway to citizenship for people of African descent, describing it as a major step toward the long-sought right of return to Africa. Reviving the decades-old issue of repatriation, Mahama announced yesterday that his government is considering legislation to establish a pathway to citizenship for members of the global African family.

NEW YORK: What was originally announced as the first Jamaica Day Parade in Brooklyn on Saturday, August 8, has now been reimagined as a Diaspora Road March and Cultural Festival. Billed as ‘Jamaica Rising Day’, the organisers have announced that the event has been reimagined as the staging of the Jamaica Rising Diaspora Road March and Cultural Festival 2026, a community-centred cultural celebration designed to unite the Jamaican diaspora, while building momentum towards Jamaica’s historic 65th anniversary of Independence in 2027.

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has announced that additional funding will soon be allocated to the Government’s ROOFS programme, assuring Jamaicans who have not yet received grants that they have not been forgotten. Speaking at the Whitehouse Community Centre in Westmoreland during a tour last Friday, Holness said the initial allocation could only cover about half of the applicants.

At the May 2026 first anniversary of the official opening of the Morant Bay Urban Centre (MBUC) in St Thomas, KFC was the only business operating from the sprawling development. Since then, two more businesses have opened their doors while several other prospective tenants are putting the finishing touches on their spaces ahead of launching operations. Despite the premium rental rates, government agencies, including the St Thomas Municipal Corporation and Tax Administration Jamaica, are among the tenants preparing to occupy the complex.

Veteran attorney Bert Samuels has delivered a stinging rebuke of Britain, describing the Emancipation Declaration read at midnight on July 31, 1838, as “a scam” that deceived the formerly enslaved and whose legacy, he argued, continues to shape Jamaican society nearly two centuries later. Samuels made the remarks on Friday, exactly 188 years after the declaration was read by then Governor Sir Lionel Smith at midnight, ushering in Emancipation Day in the British West Indies on August 1, 1838. “The British are super scammers,” Samuels told The Gleaner.

WESTERN BUREAU: The National Education Trust (NET) says at least 40 clerks of works – on-site building inspectors – are needed to adequately oversee the massive school restoration programme following Hurricane Melissa, warning that current staffing levels are insufficient for the scale of repairs. Speaking to The Gleaner on Monday, NET Executive Director Latoya Harris Ghartey said the agency is urgently trying to recruit 15 clerks of works as an immediate measure, while acknowledging that significantly more personnel will ultimately be required.

The grief was almost too much for Bartholomew Brown to bear. The father of 43-year-old musician and actor Brian Todd Boucher, better known by his stage name ‘Ras Ajai’, said the news that his son had been shot dead on Saturday night came as a devastating blow, leaving the family struggling to process the tragedy. Boucher’s death comes just two years after a major milestone in his career, when he appeared in the acclaimed Hollywood biopic Bob Marley: One Love, portraying reputed gangster and Marley associate Claude Massop.

Former Prime Minister Bruce Golding has renewed his criticism of the United States’ (US) approach to Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, arguing that Washington’s recent demands and policies are putting smaller states under increasing pressure and do not reflect the actions of a true friend. Golding, who has been warning since earlier this year that Caribbean countries are being forced to navigate an increasingly difficult geopolitical environment, said the region’s response must be measured because of its economic vulnerability.

The Court of Appeal has found that the Financial Services Commission (FSC) had no proper basis to seize Stocks and Securities Limited (SSL) in January 2023. “The FSC failed at this first hurdle,” Justice Kissock Laing wrote in the court’s judgment, handed down on Friday, “since these were predicated on a necessary foundation that was, in fact, non-existent.”

Former Prime Minister Bruce Golding has defended the cautious approach Caribbean governments have taken in dealing with the Donald Trump administration, pointing out that a wrong move could result in retaliation.

WESTERN BUREAU: Jamaica’s tourism industry is still recovering from the worst series of shocks in its history, leaving the sector ill-prepared to absorb a proposed increase in the general consumption tax (GCT), Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) President O’Brian Heron has argued. Heron said many hotels remain under pressure from rising operating costs and growing competition from regional destinations as the industry continues its recovery.