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Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange presents the winning trophy to an emotional Chantal Smalling Stephenson (left), the winner of the Jamaica Gospel Star 2026.
August 5, 2026 by Yasmine Peru

‘I was expecting to win’

On Sunday night, a new Jamaica Gospel Star was crowned inside the Indoor Sports Centre at the transformed Independence Village in St Andrew. She is Chantal Smalling Stephenson, the gospel singer who…
A customer enter Flash Ship Courier Service, one of the businesses that recently opened its doors.
August 4, 2026 by Karen Madden

After slow first year, MBUC welcomes new tenants - Other gov’t agencies, businesses prepare to move in

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…
A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, July 30, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
August 4, 2026

US stocks rally near record as falling oil prices ease Wall Street’s worries about inflation

US stocks are rallying to the edge of their all-time high on Monday after easing oil prices helped calm Wall Street’s worries that inflation could get even worse. The S&P 500 jumped 1.5 per cent…
A 12-year-old unaccompanied minor who crossed into Spain is escorted by a Spanish soldier to the Spain-Morocco border from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Monday.
August 4, 2026

Hundreds of migrant children stranded after mass crossing

CEUTA (AP): The teenage girl made it through the waves to Spanish territory. Her little brother did not, drowning in the Mediterranean, while their mother disappeared in the chaos when tens of…
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
August 4, 2026

Lula launches re-election bid

SAO PAULO (AP): What is very likely to be the last re-election bid of Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was confirmed on Sunday by his Workers’ Party as the 80-year-old leader faces…
NET Executive Director Latoya Harris Ghartey.
August 4, 2026 by Christopher Thomas

INSPECTOR SHORTAGE

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…
Manu Yaw Fofie, a cocoa farmer, walks through his farm in Kona, Ghana, March 6, 2026.
August 4, 2026

Cocoa farm crimes could bring 20-year prison terms

ACCRA (AP): Ghana’s parliament passed a bill that could send cocoa farmers to prison for up to 20 years if they convert their farms to other uses without government approval, according to a copy of…
A volunteer firefighter observs a flame rising next to a house during a wildfire near Porto Germeno, northwest of Athens, Greece, Sunday.
August 4, 2026

Europe’s hot, dry summer takes its toll

ATHENS (AP): A record-breaking hot and dry summer tightened its grip on Europe yesterday as water-dropping planes swooped over a major wildfire in Greece, firefighters in France sought to stabilise a…
Members of the board of the newly formed Jamaica Actors Guild Association, from left, Michael Nicholson, Nicolette Neilson, Sherando Ferril, Christina Cooper, Kadeem Wilson and Cornelius Grant at its official launch last Thursday at the Canopy Courtyard in
August 5, 2026 by Nicola Cunningham

Jamaica launches first actors’ union

With a commitment to ensuring high professional standards, fair wages and safe sets for Jamaican actors, the Jamaica Actors Guild Association (JAGA) was officially launched last week at the Canopy…