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  • From Deed to Key Investment and Housing Conference set for June 5 in South Florida

    From Deed to Key Investment and Housing Conference set for June 5 in South Florida

    A landmark conference focused on unlocking the untapped economic potential of Jamaican real estate is set to bring hundreds of industry leaders, investors and community stakeholders together in South Florida next year. Scheduled for June 5, 2026, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Sunrise – Sawgrass Mills, the From Deed to Key Investment and Housing Conference has been designed to tackle longstanding barriers to formal land ownership, generational wealth building and targeted investment across Jamaica’s property sector.

    Organizers framed the event as a targeted solution to three of the sector’s most persistent challenges: untitled family land passed down through generations, undeveloped idle properties held by landowners without access to development capital, and outside investors seeking vetted, high-growth opportunities in Jamaica’s expanding real estate market. The initiative targets both Jamaican citizens living locally and the large Jamaican diaspora based across North America, many of whom hold inherited land interests but lack clear guidance to formalize and leverage those assets.

    The conference draws direct endorsement from Jamaica’s senior diplomatic leadership in the United States. Oliver Mair, Jamaica’s Consul General to Miami, has backed the gathering as a critical venue to deepen engagement between the Caribbean nation and its overseas community, creating new pathways for cross-border investment that drive inclusive economic growth across Jamaica. A full roster of top sector specialists from Jamaica will travel to South Florida specifically to share on-the-ground expertise and actionable insights with attendees.

    A diverse lineup of expert speakers will cover legal, technical, financial and strategic topics tailored to the needs of first-time asset holders and experienced investors alike. Leading real estate and estate attorney Makeda Bramwell, owner of Cedars Estate, will open the technical programming with a session focused on title securing and common fraud risks, delivering critical legal guidance for families seeking to formalize and protect inherited property assets. Commissioned land surveyor Al Taylor will follow with a step-by-step breakdown of the formalization process, outlining practical actions for communities and families with untitled land to gain full legal ownership of their properties.

    Cordell Williams, a leading entrepreneurship and wealth strategist and CEO of Transformational, will expand the conversation beyond property ownership, sharing actionable strategies for attendees to build diversified long-term wealth and intergenerational legacy outside of land and housing alone. Jhanine Jackson of VM Group Property Services Limited will lead the core real estate investment track, breaking down the evolving dynamics of Jamaica’s property market and highlighting emerging opportunities for both new homebuyers and institutional investors.

    Developer and seasoned real estate investor Kevin Frith will shine a spotlight on one of Jamaica’s most promising emerging growth regions, detailing the ongoing transformation of St Thomas as the nation’s next major frontier for large-scale development and high-yield investment. Technology and infrastructure will also feature prominently on the agenda: Richard May, CEO of ECHOS Consulting and Powersource Jamaica, will explore how modern digital and sustainable technology must be embedded into the design and construction of new Jamaican communities to meet 21st century needs.

    To address growing concerns about climate risk, Dr. Leighton A Ellis, president-elect of the Jamaica Institution of Engineers (JIE), will deliver a keynote session on future-proof construction and climate-resilient infrastructure, equipping developers and landowners with knowledge to build assets that stand the test of a changing climate. Closing the full day of programming, David Cummings, vice president and head of real estate and project finance at Sygnus Capital, will unpack collaborative financing solutions for landowners stuck with undeveloped property due to capital constraints. His talk, titled “From Capital to Concrete,” will focus on structuring public-private partnerships to turn dormant, unused land assets into active wealth-generating ventures that create lasting family legacies.

    Organizers recently announced an adjustment to the speaker lineup: entrepreneurs David Mullings and Gabrielle Gilpin-Hudson have withdrawn from the 2026 conference due to unresolvable prior professional commitments, a change organizers called regrettable but necessary.

    Beyond expert-led sessions, the conference will host a dedicated exhibition hall featuring industry stakeholders from across Jamaica’s property ecosystem. As of the latest update, 15 exhibitors including major developers, licensed realtors and leading industry service providers have already confirmed their participation, with conference leadership projecting that number could double over the coming week as interest continues to surge. The exhibition will give attendees direct access to vetted investment opportunities, pre-vetted development projects and available property listings across every segment of Jamaica’s growing real estate market.

    Maxine Miller, the conceptualizer behind the From Deed to Key initiative, noted that momentum around the event has grown far faster than initial projections. “There is tremendous unmet demand for trusted connections between the Jamaican diaspora and the professionals, partnerships and opportunities that turn land ownership into sustainable, long-term wealth creation,” Miller explained. “Our goal is to turn that interest into actionable progress that benefits both landholding families and the broader Jamaican economy.”

    Ultimately, the conference is positioned as more than an industry gathering: organizers frame it as a catalyst for systemic change, working to expand education, foster new investment partnerships, and empower stakeholders to navigate the complexities of Jamaican land ownership, housing development and real estate investment with confidence.

  • WATCH: Mayor urges calm after murder of beloved Papine Market supervisor

    WATCH: Mayor urges calm after murder of beloved Papine Market supervisor

    A brutal mid-afternoon shooting at Jamaica’s Papine Market has left a well-loved local staff member dead and sent shockwaves through the adjacent Mona Commons community, prompting Kingston’s top official to plead for restraint amid public grief and anger.

    Colleen Bernard, a long-serving supervisor at the popular public market, was gunned down in a public attack this past Friday. Within hours of the shooting, law enforcement officers launched an urgent manhunt for the perpetrator. Pursuing the suspect across the area, police eventually intercepted the shooter, who was wounded in the confrontation and remains hospitalized for treatment as of the latest updates.

    Two days after the killing, Kingston Mayor Andrew Swaby — who also serves as chair of the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) — released a public video address directly to residents of the nearby Mona Commons neighborhood. In the message, Swaby urged community members not to resort to vigilante justice in response to Bernard’s death, emphasizing that official investigations remain in their early stages.

    “In moments like this, it’s only natural for people to want to form their own conclusions about what happened, but right now, many critical details are still unconfirmed,” Swaby said in the address. He stressed that the responsible path forward is to let trained police investigators complete their work unimpeded by community unrest.

    Swaby also shared that the entire KSAMC workforce is reeling from the unexpected loss of one of their own. “Colleen was an exceptional, dedicated worker,” he said, describing the attack as a pointless act of violence. “It’s senseless that someone would walk into a busy public market, take her life, and then try to run away.”

    The mayor publicly praised responding police officers for their rapid work that led to the suspect’s apprehension. Looking ahead, Swaby confirmed that municipal leaders are already reviewing next steps to improve public safety at the market, and will arrange professional mental health counselling for both market staff and vendors who witnessed the traumatic incident.

  • Unity Cup gets FIFA Tier 1 designation – report

    Unity Cup gets FIFA Tier 1 designation – report

    LONDON — Just days ahead of its opening kickoff at Charlton Athletic’s London stadium, the four-nation Unity Cup has secured official confirmation as a FIFA Tier 1 international football competition, multiple football sources have confirmed. The designation grants every match in the tournament full international recognition under FIFA’s governing rules, though a key caveat means player appearances will not be added to their official national team cap counts. The unusual arrangement stems from the tournament’s scheduling outside of FIFA’s official international match window, which does not open until June 1 this year.

    Four national men’s teams will compete for the title: Nigeria, Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz, India, and Zimbabwe. The tournament kicks off May 26 with the first of two semi-final matches, as Nigeria takes on Zimbabwe in the opening fixture. The second semi-final will follow a day later, on May 27, pitting hosts-region side Jamaica against India. Both the third-place playoff and the tournament final are scheduled to take place on May 30 at Charlton’s home ground.

    For Jamaica, this tournament marks a return to the Unity Cup for the third consecutive iteration. The Reggae Boyz have advanced to the final in both of their prior appearances, but have fallen to Nigeria on both occasions. Most recently in 2025, Jamaica forced a 2-2 draw against Nigeria after full time, only to lose the title in a penalty shootout.

    As of Sunday, England-based players called up to the Jamaican national squad have already begun arriving at the team’s pre-tournament training camp in London. Jamaican-based players are scheduled to complete their arrival by Monday, just one day ahead of the Reggae Boyz’s semi-final opener.

  • JIBA hails Lalor as visionary, transformational leader

    JIBA hails Lalor as visionary, transformational leader

    The passing of legendary Jamaican business leader Dennis Lalor, founder of the regional insurance giant ICWI Group Limited, has drawn widespread tributes from the nation’s business community, with the Jamaica Insurance Brokers Association (JIBA) hailing him as a transformative figure whose influence reached far beyond the boundaries of corporate Jamaica. Lalor died on May 14 at the age of 91, leaving behind a decades-long legacy of innovation, institution-building, and mentorship that reshaped Jamaica’s insurance landscape and strengthened the country’s homegrown private sector.

    In an official press statement released Friday, JIBA President Levar Smith reflected on Lalor’s extraordinary contributions to Jamaica’s financial ecosystem, noting that the late titan was far more than a decorated leader in the insurance space—he was a visionary who laid the foundational framework for the modern, professional industry that exists today. “Through his unwavering commitment to operational excellence, ongoing professional development, and intentional mentorship, Lalor nurtured a culture of continuous learning that has empowered generations of insurance practitioners and elevated the entire field,” Smith explained. “His legacy endures not only in the robust institutions and industry he helped build, but also in the thousands of professionals whose careers and personal lives were shaped by his guidance and moral example.”

    JIBA’s statement emphasized Lalor’s unique role in Jamaica’s post-independence economic development, at a time when nearly the entire Caribbean insurance sector was controlled by foreign-owned firms. Lalor emerged as part of a groundbreaking cohort of local business leaders who proved that Jamaican-led financial institutions could not only compete with international players, but also grow to command widespread respect across the region. His founding and steady expansion of ICWI Group is now widely regarded as one of the most landmark achievements of indigenous Caribbean enterprise, growing from a local startup into one of the most recognized and respected insurance and financial services groups across the Caribbean.

    Over his decades-long career, Lalor cemented his status as one of the most trusted and respected voices in Jamaican business, building a reputation for rigorous, disciplined leadership, unwavering professional standards, and a long-term commitment to building enduring institutions that served the Jamaican people. Beyond his transformative work in insurance, Lalor played a key role in shaping an entire generation of Jamaican business leaders and strengthening core national private sector institutions.

    Smith closed the tribute by reaffirming JIBA’s respect for Lalor’s decades of service, saying: “On behalf of the entire Jamaica Insurance Brokers Association, we pay tribute to a true pioneer, dedicated mentor, and business statesman whose impact on the insurance industry will be felt for many generations to come.”

  • Allied Protection Foundation lends helping hand at hurricane-hit St James basic school

    Allied Protection Foundation lends helping hand at hurricane-hit St James basic school

    On a dedicated Saturday mission, a volunteer team from the Allied Protection Foundation set out for western Jamaica to kick off critical restoration work at DRB Grant Demonstration Basic School, located in Montego Bay’s Catherine Hall neighborhood. This hands-on community improvement project forms a core part of the foundation’s official programming for Jamaica’s 2026 Labour Day, a national observance centered on voluntary public service.

    In an official media statement released two days ahead of the mission, the foundation detailed the urgent need for the work: more than six months after Category 5 Hurricane Melissa swept through the island on October 28 of the previous year, the rural basic school continues to grapple with lingering storm damage that has disrupted learning for its young students.

    The initiative is not a solo effort, the foundation noted. It has partnered with three local Jamaican organizations—JN Foundation, Rainbow Appliances, and Maa Sai Enterprise Limited—to pool resources and labor for the project. When completed, the team will have refreshed the school’s campus with new coats of paint and vibrant, student-centered murals designed to brighten the learning environment. Beyond structural improvements, the collaborative group also donated two critical assets to the school: a 1,000-gallon water storage tank to address ongoing water access challenges left by the hurricane, and a 32-inch smart television to support digital learning for the student body.

    This project marks a key milestone for the newly launched Allied Protection Foundation, which recently consolidated all of the parent organization’s major charitable programming under one centralized umbrella to streamline impact. Beyond the Montego Bay hurricane recovery work, the foundation manages two other long-standing education-focused initiatives: a daily school breakfast program serving students at Clan Carthy Primary School in St Andrew, and the Donald Williams Scholarship, which provides financial support to eligible Jamaican students pursuing further education.

    In closing, the foundation emphasized that all of its programming, from disaster recovery to ongoing education support, grows out of the parent company’s deep, long-standing commitment to advancing education, driving inclusive community development, and upholding meaningful corporate social responsibility across Jamaica.

  • Arsenal lift Premier League trophy after beating Palace

    Arsenal lift Premier League trophy after beating Palace

    LONDON — Arsenal’s long 22-year wait for an English top-flight title ended in jubilation on Sunday, as the Gunners wrapped up their Premier League campaign with a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, before lifting the coveted league trophy in front of thousands of travelling fans.

    The title had already been sealed days earlier, on Tuesday, when closest challenger Manchester City could only manage a draw away to Bournemouth, handing Mikel Arteta’s young side their first domestic crown since 2002. Sunday’s clash marked Arsenal’s first match on the pitch since that historic title confirmation, and the side did not let the occasion overshadow their performance.

    With Arteta making sweeping changes to his starting lineup to rest key players including Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice for next weekend’s Champions League final, 16-year-old academy graduate Max Dowman made history, becoming the youngest player ever to start a Premier League match. At 16 years and 144 days old, Dowman broke a 17-year-old record previously held by Jose Baxter, who started a match at 16 years and 198 days old back in 2008. Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner followed Arteta’s lead, also resting multiple first-team regulars to prepare for his side’s own upcoming European final in the UEFA Conference League.

    Palace gave the new champions a traditional guard of honour as they walked out onto the pitch, a nod to Arsenal’s status as 2024-25 league winners. The first 45 minutes saw the Gunners carve out multiple clear chances, with Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus hitting the post in the fifth minute and forcing a save from Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson just moments later. Jesus finally broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute, converting a precise, slipped pass from Gabriel Martinelli to drill a low shot past Henderson at the near post, putting Arsenal ahead going into halftime.

    Just three minutes after the interval, Noni Madueke doubled the Gunners’ lead from a set piece – a hallmark of Arteta’s title-winning campaign. Kai Havertz nodded a corner back into the path of Madueke just inside the 18-yard box, and the winger volleyed a clean strike into the back of the net to put Arsenal 2-0 up.

    Arsenal’s five-match winning streak to close the season, which began after a tough away loss to Manchester City back in April that many thought had handed the title back to Pep Guardiola’s side, secured a 26-win campaign from 38 matches, and a seven-point gap over second-placed City. Palace pulled one back late, when Jean-Philippe Mateta nodded home a cross in the 89th minute, but the goal did nothing to dampen Arsenal’s day.

    The final whistle marked the start of the historic trophy ceremony. US-based Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke and his son Josh carried the Premier League trophy onto the pitch, where squad medals were handed out first before captain Martin Odegaard stepped forward to lift the silverware. Red confetti and fireworks erupted over the Arthur Wait Stand as Odegaard hoisted the trophy, with players spraying champagne in celebration and Arteta tossed into the air repeatedly by his jubilant squad.

    Travelling Arsenal fans kept the party going long after the ceremony ended, singing chants, waving inflatable trophy replicas and joining the team in a rendition of the club’s iconic anthem “North London Forever”. Though the trophy lift was held away from Arsenal’s home ground at the Emirates, the moment was no less glorious for the side, who will parade the silverware for their full fanbase at a victory march through north London on May 31.

    Next up for Arteta’s side is the biggest match in the club’s recent history: a first-ever Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, scheduled for May 30 in Budapest. Having ended their two-decade title drought, the Gunners now have a chance to cap off what would be the greatest season in the club’s modern history by adding Europe’s most prestigious club trophy to their cabinet.

  • Enhanced Games begins Sunday with two Jamaicans set to compete

    Enhanced Games begins Sunday with two Jamaicans set to compete

    As the controversial Enhanced Games prepares to kick off on Sunday, May 24 in Las Vegas, at least two Jamaican track athletes are gearing up to take the stage at the unprecedented, rule-breaking competition.

    Sprinters Denae McFarlane and Shockoria Wallace joined the event’s athlete roster earlier this year, marking their participation alongside a global field of competitors. In the track and field division, they will share the venue with high-profile names including American sprint star Fred Kerley and Guyanese runner Jasmine Abrams. The competition also draws athletes from across the world in other disciplines: Bulgarian swimmer Antani Ivanov, Mexican competitor Miguel De Lara Ojeda, and Great Britain’s Emily Barclay are among those set to compete in the pool, while weightlifters will round out the inaugural event’s programming.

    Organized as both an elite sporting competition and a commercial performance products venture, the Enhanced Games has sparked fierce global debate since its launch due to its unprecedented policy: it permits participating athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) if they choose. This stance has drawn sharp condemnation from leading international sporting organizations, which have raised urgent warnings about two core issues: the severe long-term health risks that unregulated PED use poses to competing athletes, and the irreversible damage the event could do to the integrity of competitive sport as a whole.

    According to estimates from U.S. media outlets, more than 40 athletes in total will compete across the three hosted disciplines: track and field, swimming, and weightlifting. To attract top competitors despite the controversy, event organizers have pledged an aggressive prize structure, including large bonuses for new world records set during the competition. Any athlete who breaks an existing world record at the Enhanced Games will walk away with a bonus of up to $1 million USD, on top of regular prize winnings.

    For audiences around the world interested in watching the unprecedented event, the entire Games will be available to stream for free across multiple major digital platforms, including Roku, Rumble, Twitch, Kick, and YouTube.

  • Haaland crowned Premier League’s top scorer

    Haaland crowned Premier League’s top scorer

    MANCHESTER, U.K. – In a fitting bookend to a dramatic 2024-25 Premier League campaign, Erling Haaland secured his third Golden Boot in four seasons with Manchester City this Sunday – a remarkable milestone achieved even as the Norwegian striker watched from the stands, sidelined for Pep Guardiola’s emotional farewell match at the Etihad Stadium.

    Guardiola, the architect of City’s unprecedented decade of domestic and European success, rotated his full squad for his final fixture in charge, leaving Haaland out of the matchday roster for the club’s 2-1 loss to Aston Villa. The fixture doubled as a celebration of Guardiola’s trophy-laden 10-year tenure at the helm of the club.

    Across 35 league outings this term, Haaland found the back of the net 27 times, a haul that was not enough to push City past Arsenal in the tight title race that went down to the final weeks of the season.

    With this latest win, Haaland joins an elite group of Premier League greats, becoming just the third player after Alan Shearer and Harry Kane to claim the Golden Boot three times since the Premier League’s rebranding. Only two legends of the competition – Mohamed Salah and Thierry Henry – have claimed the award four times, leaving Haaland one win shy of matching that all-time record.

    Brentford frontman Igor Thiago finished as the runner-up in the Golden Boot race with 22 goals, a breakout season that earned him a call-up to Brazil’s senior national squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

    Haaland’s 2024-25 campaign got off to a scorching start, with 19 of his total goals coming in the first 17 matchweeks. His importance to City’s title push was thrown into sharp relief during a mid-season slump that ultimately derailed the club’s bid for back-to-back titles. Around the turn of the year, Haaland endured a seven-game dry spell where he only scored once – a penalty against Brighton – with City scraping just two wins across that run of fixtures.

    The 25-year-old rediscovered his cutting edge for the final stretch of the season, netting the match-winning goals in critical away clashes against Liverpool and a highly anticipated title-deciding fixture against Arsenal last month. Even with Haaland’s late surge in form, dropped points in separate away trips to Everton and Bournemouth handed Arsenal the long-awaited title, ending the Gunners’ 22-year wait for a Premier League crown.

  • Sixty-two women rescued and three people arrested during a large-scale operation against alleged aggravated pimping in Puerto Plata

    Sixty-two women rescued and three people arrested during a large-scale operation against alleged aggravated pimping in Puerto Plata

    A large-scale coordinated crackdown on criminal networks accused of aggravated pimping and the commercial exploitation of women has delivered a major breakthrough in the Dominican Republic’s Puerto Plata province, launched jointly by local prosecutors and the National Police before dawn on Sunday.

    The multi-location operation stretched across five key areas of the province: the main city of Puerto Plata, the popular coastal towns of Sosúa and Cabarete, plus the Cangrejos district and Sabaneta de Yásica. Investigative teams targeted commercial venues and private boarding houses that had long been flagged in preliminary probes for ties to human exploitation rings, executing search warrants at each site as part of the coordinated anti-crime action.

    Among the establishments raided were a commercial car wash in Sabaneta de Yásica, four named venues—El Secreto in Cabarete, La Choza in central Puerto Plata, and Río Verde in Cangrejos—alongside at least three unnanounced boarding houses. All targeted businesses have been ordered to suspend operations temporarily as the official investigation moves forward, and investigators collected physical evidence from the boarding houses to trace potential connections to the exploitation ring.

    Early official data shared with local Dominican outlet InfoENN – El Nuevo Norte confirms that 62 women held in these illicit operations have been rescued from exploitation, and three individuals with alleged links to the criminal network have been taken into custody to face formal investigation.

    As of the latest update, law enforcement has not publicly disclosed the identities of the three arrested suspects, nor has it released a complete inventory of evidence seized during the raids. The Special Prosecutor’s Office is set to publish additional details on the case in the coming hours, when it will also outline what legal actions will be pursued against those found responsible.

    Investigators are currently working to map the full scope of the criminal network, determine the exact level of criminal liability for the arrested suspects, and hold accountable any owners or managers of the targeted establishments who are found to have participated in the exploitation ring.

  • Man Utd’s Fernandes sets new outright Premier League assist record

    Man Utd’s Fernandes sets new outright Premier League assist record

    On the closing day of the 2024-25 English Premier League season at Brighton’s Amex Stadium, Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes etched his name into league history by claiming the outright single-season assist record, capping off a breathtaking individual campaign that has helped steer the Red Devils back to the upper echelons of English football.

    The deadlocked matchup against Brighton remained goalless until the 33rd minute, when a precise Fernandes corner found rookie teammate Patrick Dorgu, who hammered home a powerful header. That strike pushed Fernandes’ league assist total to 21, breaking the previous benchmark of 20 that he had shared alongside two of the Premier League’s greatest playmakers: Arsenal legend Thierry Henry and Manchester City’s star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.

    The milestone was far from the only highlight of Fernandes’ day. After winger Bryan Mbeumo extended United’s lead to two goals, the Portuguese playmaker got on the scoresheet himself in the 48th minute. Collecting a return pass from Dorgu, Fernandes drilled a low, clinical shot into the bottom corner of Brighton’s net to notch his ninth league goal of the campaign and put the game out of reach at 3-0.

    Fernandes’ historic performance capped off a remarkable collective turnaround for Manchester United this season. Working under interim manager Michael Carrick, the club climbed steadily through the table to finish third, locking in automatic qualification for the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League – a massive achievement for a side that struggled for consistency in recent campaigns.

    The new assist record adds to a growing list of individual honors for the United captain, coming just 24 hours after he was named the Premier League’s official Player of the Season. He had already claimed the Football Writers’ Association’s equivalent award earlier this month, cementing his status as the league’s most impactful player this term.

    Speaking last week ahead of the final matchweek, Fernandes emphasized that team success will always outstrip personal accolades for him. “I want collective awards more than anything,” he said. “But knowing that your job is being recognised by many people, a lot of players came out and said I was player of the season, for that I am very grateful.”