A recent lethal airstrike carried out by the United States military against a suspected drug-trafficking vessel has pushed the cumulative death toll from Washington’s year-long anti-“narco-terrorist” campaign across Latin America to at least 182, according to official statements and independent counting. The strike, which took place on Friday, left two people dead aboard the targeted boat, US Southern Command — the military body overseeing all American operations in the Latin American and Caribbean region — confirmed in a public post on the social platform X. In its announcement, the command echoed the standardized language it has used to justify dozens of similar lethal operations launched since the campaign launched in September last year, claiming intelligence assessments verified the vessel was traveling along well-documented smuggling corridors in the Eastern Pacific and actively engaged in drug-trafficking activities. According to a tally compiled by Agence France-Presse, this strike marked at least the seventh such lethal operation carried out by US forces in April alone. Despite repeated claims that targeted vessels are linked to drug smuggling networks categorized as terrorist organizations by the US government, the Trump administration has yet to release conclusive, public evidence to back up these assertions. The lack of transparent proof has sparked fierce debate over the legal standing of the cross-border campaign. International legal scholars and global human rights organizations have raised sharp criticism, arguing that most of these strikes qualify as extrajudicial killings. Many of those killed, they contend, were unarmed civilians who did not pose any immediate, active threat to US national security, raising serious questions about the moral and legal legitimacy of the ongoing campaign.
作者： admin
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Palestinians to vote in first elections since Gaza war
For the first time since the outbreak of the latest Gaza war, Palestinian voters across the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the central Gaza district of Deir el-Balah are casting ballots Saturday in long-awaited municipal elections, a vote shaped by a limited political landscape and broad public apathy toward the ability of the process to deliver meaningful change.
Figures from the Ramallah-headquartered Central Elections Commission (CEC) show roughly 1.5 million registered voters will participate across the West Bank, joined by an additional 70,000 registered voters in Deir el-Balah. Unlike broader national elections, the vast majority of competing candidate lists are either aligned with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s secular nationalist Fatah party or running as independent candidates. Notably, no lists are fielded by Hamas, Fatah’s long-standing political rival that controls roughly half of the Gaza Strip.
Across most West Bank municipalities, Fatah-backed tickets face off against independent slates led by candidates from smaller opposition factions, including the Marxist-Leninist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. In dozens of districts, however, the lack of competition has already preordained results: in major population centers including Nablus and Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority (PA), only one candidate list was submitted, allowing that ticket to claim victory automatically without any voter turnout.
Many voters echo deep skepticism about the election’s ability to improve daily life under Israeli occupation. Mahmud Bader, a private business owner from the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, where two adjacent refugee camps have been under full Israeli military control for more than a year, said he planned to cast a ballot despite expecting no tangible improvements. “Whether candidates are independent or partisan, it has no effect and will have no benefit for the city,” Bader told AFP. “The Israeli occupation is the one that rules Tulkarem. This vote is just an image shown to international media — to pretend we have functioning elections, a state, or independence.”
Logistical challenges also shape the vote in war-ravaged Gaza. The CEC confirmed polling stations in the West Bank will operate from 7:00 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) through 7:00 p.m., but stations in Deir al-Balah will close two hours earlier at 5:00 p.m. The adjustment is designed to allow vote counting to finish before sundown, a necessary workaround given chronic widespread power outages across the war-damaged strip.
International observers have framed the vote as a rare step forward for democratic engagement amid ongoing conflict. UN Middle East coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov praised the CEC for pulling off a “credible process” under extreme constraints. “Saturday’s elections represent an important opportunity for Palestinians to exercise their democratic rights during an exceptionally challenging period,” Alakbarov said in an official statement.
This vote marks the first electoral contest held in Gaza since the 2006 legislative elections, which were won by Hamas. The Islamist group has controlled most of Gaza since 2007, splitting Palestinian governance between the Hamas-led strip and the Fatah-governed West Bank. Jamal al-Fadi, a political scientist based at Cairo’s Al-Azhar University, told AFP the PA’s decision to limit Gaza balloting exclusively to Deir el-Balah is a deliberate pilot test to assess public opinion in the post-war context, when no comprehensive public opinion polling has been conducted.
The selection of Deir el-Balah was also rooted in practicality: the district is one of the few areas of Gaza where a large majority of the original population has not been displaced by the more than two-year-long conflict between Hamas and Israel, al-Fadi explained. The 90-year-old Abbas, who has held the Palestinian presidency for more than two decades without holding a new presidential election, has repeatedly promised to hold national legislative and presidential votes that have yet to be organized.
For some first-time voters, the election carries symbolic weight even amid its limitations. Farah Shaath, 25, said she was eager to cast her first ever ballot Saturday. “Although it is unlike any election in the world, it is a confirmation of our continued existence in the Gaza Strip despite everything,” Shaath said.
Organizing the Gaza vote has also required navigating competing security claims. CEC spokesman Fareed Taamallah told AFP that the commission has recruited polling staff from local Palestinian civil society groups and contracted a private security firm to guard the 12 polling centers in Deir el-Balah. But an anonymous CEC source based in Gaza told AFP that Hamas police have insisted on taking responsibility for securing the electoral process, planning to deploy unarmed plainclothes security personnel around all polling sites.
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JC’s Salmon upgraded to first in Penn Relays discus
The 130th edition of the historic Penn Relays, one of the most prestigious annual track and field competitions in the United States, delivered another day of thrilling action at Philadelphia’s Franklin Field on Friday, with Jamaican high school throwers turning in dominant performances across multiple events.
Leading the charge was Joseph Salmon of Jamaica College, who turned his 2023 second-place finish in the boys’ high school discus throw into a national title this year. Competing against a field of top young throwers from across the region, Salmon notched a winning mark of 63.55m, even with only three valid throws landing inside the legal sector. The victory adds another prestigious accolade to Salmon’s breakout 2024 campaign, which has already seen him claim top honors at both the ISSA Boys’ Champs and the Carifta Games Under-20 division.
Behind Salmon, it was another Jamaican sweep of the top three positions: Kamari Kennedy of Calabar High took silver with a throw of 61.19m, while Rajeem Streete of Munro College secured bronze with a 60.25m effort. Daijon Budhai of Kingston College placed fourth with 57.63m, and Calabar High’s DeAndre Henry finished seventh with a throw of 52.68m.
In the boys’ high school javelin competition, Addison James of Edwin Allen High cemented his status as the best young thrower in the region by successfully defending his Penn Relays title. James, the current Dominican national Under-20 record holder, delivered a massive personal best throw of 72.44m to claim gold. That mark stands as the third-best javelin performance in the history of the Penn Relays high school division, marking a dramatic improvement from his 2023 winning throw of 65.98m, which had placed him 10th on the event’s all-time rankings entering this year’s competition.
In the opening day’s other throwing event, Nkosana Johnson of Kingston College claimed third place in the boys’ high school shot put national championships with a throw of 19.15m. Friday’s results once again highlighted the long-standing dominance of Jamaican high school track and field programs in throwing events at the Penn Relays, a tradition that has drawn Caribbean athletes to the iconic Philadelphia competition for decades.
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Kingston hotspot RawBar sets the stage for brunch experience
Kingston’s beloved nightlife hub RawBar, a standout venue in the city’s competitive hospitality landscape, is expanding its signature curated experience beyond after-dark hours with an exclusive new daytime offering. Scheduled for this Sunday, April 26, the pop-up event dubbed RawPar: The Brunch will break away from the venue’s iconic Barbican Road rooftop to take over the sprawling lawns of the UWI Visitors’ Lodge, running from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm. This one-day-only gathering is crafted to deliver the same electric, intentional atmosphere RawBar is known for, reimagined for a relaxed yet vibrant open-air setting.
Attendees can look forward to a premium champagne and cognac-inclusive brunch spread, with all food covered in the ticket price, designed to suit guests looking for a standout daytime social experience. The concept for RawPar: The Brunch grew directly from customer demand, according to Kenneisha Campbell, head of public relations and marketing for the popular lounge. “Even though every night at RawBar carries its own theme and experience, people have been asking for more; more moments, more opportunities to be part of what the RawBar team has created,” Campbell explained in a statement announcing the event. She added that the new brunch offering is the venue’s direct response to that public enthusiasm, extending the brand’s signature energy and high service standards into daylight hours for the first time.
Presold tickets for the exclusive event are priced at JMD $8,000, and can be purchased directly at RawBar’s physical location or through the TickGateway platform. Campbell noted that pre-sale interest has already outpaced early expectations, with tickets selling quickly as locals and regular patrons rush to secure their spot at the unique daytime gathering.
For context, RawBar has built its reputation as one of Kingston Corporate Area’s most sought-after rooftop nightlife destinations since its launch, based at 90A Barbican Road. The venue draws a consistent, diverse crowd of working professionals, creative industry leaders, social media influencers and cultural tastemakers, drawn to its refined elevated ambience, menu of fresh seafood, custom crafted signature cocktails, and distinct Miami-inspired vibrant energy. Unlike many casual nightlife spots, RawBar has positioned itself as a polished, thoughtfully curated venue that delivers intentional, memorable experiences for every guest. This reputation has earned the venue industry recognition: just this year, RawBar took home the award for Best Watering Hole (Kingston) at the 2024 Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards, a win that further solidifies its leading position in Jamaica’s competitive hospitality and entertainment space.
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Blind with a vision: Sasha Thorpe defies odds to become teacher
For most people, losing full sight at the peak of their academic journey would feel like an insurmountable barrier to chasing a lifelong dream. But for 39-year-old Jamaican educator Sasha Thorpe, complete vision loss only strengthened her resolve to turn her childhood goal of teaching into a reality, defying low expectations and building a rewarding, impactful career that continues to lift up students across the island.
Thorpe’s journey to the classroom began with a congenital eye condition that would gradually rob her of her sight. By the time she was 22, a second-year student pursuing her teaching diploma at St Joseph’s Teachers’ College, glaucoma — a degenerative condition that damages the optic nerve and causes permanent blindness if left unaddressed — took her vision completely, leaving her fully blind in both eyes. Instead of surrendering to despair, Thorpe made a deliberate choice to double down on her efforts, adjusting to her new reality with remarkable speed and resilience.
“I never really felt stressed or depressed; I just adjusted very quickly,” Thorpe told Jamaica’s Observer Online in a recent interview. “I knew that I would lose my vision eventually over a period of time, but when it happened, I told myself that I have to work harder to accomplish my goal. I’m not giving up, I can’t give up.”
That unshakable determination carried Thorpe across multiple academic milestones. After completing her teaching diploma at St Joseph’s Teachers’ College, she pushed forward to earn a bachelor’s degree in primary education from Mico University College, before stepping into her first professional role in education. Her first posting was a two-and-a-half-year stint at Jamaica’s School for the Blind, after which she transitioned to the country’s mainstream primary education system, where she now works as a civics teacher at a Corporate Area primary school.
Thorpe’s calling to education grew from a seed planted decades earlier, when a kind primary school teacher showed her the compassion and support she needed as a young student living with progressive vision loss. That early act of kindness inspired Thorpe to pay that generosity forward, creating warm, supportive learning environments for students who need extra encouragement.
“You have students who need a little love, somebody to be there for them, somebody to motivate them. What I received, I now give back to them,” Thorpe explained. Her own experience as a visually impaired learner has shaped her approach to teaching: while she relies heavily on heightened listening skills and environmental awareness to lead her classes, she has built a reputation for dynamic, engaging civics lessons that keep students excited to learn. The subject, which explores Jamaican culture, local politics, and global issues, comes alive through interactive activities and games that make every class feel like an adventure.
“Civics is a very interesting subject. It is fun, my lessons are fun. We play a lot of games, so the students always look forward to coming to class. It’s very interactive,” she said.
Now with more than 15 years of experience in Jamaica’s education system, Thorpe says her students are the source of her daily inspiration, just as a former teacher’s belief in her changed the course of her life. “As teachers, we can speak life into children. When I was at the School for the Blind, I had a teacher named Mrs Christian that woman spoke life into me. That’s why I am here today,” she shared. “Sometimes you are having a bad day, and they will say something small that makes you smile and feel special. I really love my students.”
Beyond the classroom, Thorpe is preparing to share her story of resilience with a wider audience. She is currently putting the finishing touches on her first book, which she hopes to launch this June. The book, which centers on her experience building a full, purpose-driven life after losing her sight, carries a message that aligns perfectly with Thorpe’s life’s work: it is possible to live without sight, and still have a clear, powerful vision for the future.
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St Mary police probing death of former teacher of Clonmel Primary
In the quiet community of Highgate, St Mary, local law enforcement has launched an investigation into the sudden death of 51-year-old Bevin Hamilton, a retired educator formerly attached to Clonmel Primary School. Hamilton, who was widely known by his nickname “Googie”, was found unresponsive inside his private residence on Thursday afternoon.
According to official reports, Hamilton resided at the property with his elderly mother, and it was a family relative who made the tragic discovery at approximately 5:00 pm. Investigators from the Highgate division of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) have classified the case as a suspected suicide, pending further forensic examination to confirm the cause and circumstances of death.
Longtime local residents who knew Hamilton for years have shared details about his long-running struggle with mental health instability. One resident, who spoke to local media outlet Observer Online on condition of anonymity, recalled a noticeable shift in Hamilton’s behavior during his time working at the primary school. The resident explained that Hamilton experienced a severe mental health episode that altered his demeanor, leading to frequent verbal outbursts directed at people around him. The situation escalated to the point that school staff were forced to contact police to de-escalate the incident, and school administrators subsequently connected Hamilton with support services to address his condition.
More recently, sources confirm that Hamilton’s marital relationship broke down over his behavioral changes, with his wife moving out of the shared family home just a short time before his death.
In the wake of this tragic incident, the Jamaica Constabulary Force has issued a public statement reaffirming the critical importance of proactive help-seeking for people living with mental health challenges. The JCF is urging any member of the public currently experiencing persistent emotional distress or suicidal thoughts to reach out to trusted loved ones or licensed mental health professionals to access the support they need before a crisis occurs.
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Gaza civil defence says Israeli strikes kill 13
On a violent Friday across the besieged Gaza Strip, multiple Israeli attacks left at least 13 Palestinians dead, including civilians and police officers, in a sharp escalation of ongoing clashes that have persisted despite a fragile ceasefire brokered in October. Gaza’s civil defence agency, a rescue body operating under Hamas administration, has detailed three separate incidents that spread fear and grief across both the northern and southern regions of the territory.
The deadliest single attack struck a police vehicle traveling through Al-Mawasi, a district of the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis, killing eight people including one child and leaving multiple others wounded. Gaza’s interior ministry confirmed two of those killed in this strike were active police officers. Further north, near the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahia, Israeli artillery hit local residential homes, killing a woman and her two young children. A third attack, carried out by an Israeli aircraft against a police patrol in Gaza City, the territory’s most populous urban hub, left two more police officers dead and two others injured.
Among the 13 confirmed casualties, 12 have had their names formally released by administrators at Gaza’s Al-Shifa and Nasser hospitals. The 13th victim was identified only as a 12-year-old child, whose full identity could not be immediately confirmed amid the chaos of the violence. Mourners gathered at Al-Shifa hospital, where grief-stricken relatives wept over the bodies of their loved ones as victims were transferred out of the facility’s morgue. In the Khan Yunis tent camp where the vehicle strike occurred, local residents and onlookers crowded around the charred, skeletal remains of the targeted car on an unpaved dirt road, bearing witness to the destruction.
For many Gaza residents, the strikes confirm that the ceasefire has done little to stop the bloodshed. “The war never stopped… this is not fair,” Mohammed al-Qassas, brother of one of the victims, told AFP from Al-Shifa hospital.
The Israeli Defense Force initially declined to immediately respond to requests for comment on the strikes, before releasing a short statement confirming one of the day’s operations. “Earlier today (Friday), IDF troops under the Southern Command identified armed Hamas terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip, who operated adjacent to the troops and posed a threat. In order to remove the threat, the terrorists were eliminated in an aerial strike,” the statement read.
Hamas has issued a fierce condemnation of what it calls “barbaric Zionist attacks that reached all parts of the Gaza Strip since this morning,” hitting out at the international community for what it describes as a failure to uphold its responsibility to end ongoing violence against Palestinian civilians.
The October ceasefire was intended to bring a halt to the full-scale Gaza war that erupted after Hamas’s cross-border attack on October 7, 2023. But in the weeks since the truce took effect, violence has continued unabated. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, whose casualty statistics are deemed reliable by the United Nations, reports that at least 792 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began. The Israeli military has also confirmed five of its soldiers have been killed in Gaza during the same period.
Due to strict media restrictions and limited access for independent journalists operating in Gaza, AFP has not been able to independently verify the casualty counts or report freely on frontline clashes.
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Two dead in Boscobel crash
A routine Friday morning commute along Jamaica’s Boscobel main road turned into a deadly tragedy when a high-impact collision between two passenger vehicles claimed the lives of two local men and left multiple others with traumatic injuries. The devastating crash unfolded shortly after 9:00 a.m. in close proximity to the back entrance of the popular Beaches Ocho Rios resort, a well-known tourism destination in the St Mary parish.
Preliminary law enforcement investigations have outlined a clear sequence of events leading to the collision. Both vehicles were traveling along the same stretch of highway when the driver of one vehicle initiated a passing maneuver. As the overtaking vehicle attempted to merge back into the travel lane, it struck the rear end of the second car. The force of the impact sent both vehicles careening off the paved roadway. One vehicle rolled multiple times before coming to a stop, while the second slammed into a roadside tree and also flipped.
Three people were pulled from the wreckage and rushed immediately to Port Maria Hospital for urgent medical intervention. Tragically, two of those patients were pronounced dead shortly after arrival. The deceased have been formally identified as 57-year-old Rudolph Cox and 49-year-old Terrice Richards, both residents of Jeffery Town in St Mary parish. Additional people involved in the collision, who sustained a range of non-life-threatening injuries, also received evaluation and treatment at the same medical facility.
The St Mary Police Department has launched a full investigation into the incident to confirm the exact cause of the crash and whether any traffic violations contributed to the fatal outcome. Authorities have not yet released additional details on the condition of the surviving injured patients as of Friday’s initial reporting.
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Jamaica Customs warns public of fraudulent message claiming car auction access
KINGSTON, Jamaica – A growing scam circulating on private messaging platforms has prompted an urgent public warning from the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA), which is moving quickly to alert residents of fraudulent communications claiming to offer insider access to discounted customs disposition sales. The fake messaging, which has spread widely via closed chat groups and one-on-one conversations on WhatsApp, lures targets with false promises of exclusive perks: early previews of upcoming auction inventory, the ability to reserve high-demand items before the general public, and private arrangements to secure goods at below-market rates. In an official press statement published Friday, the JCA emphasized that this scheme is entirely fabricated, and in no way aligns with the agency’s standard operational protocols. La Donna Manning, the JCA’s Director of Public Relations and Customer Service, reiterated the agency’s caution, stressing that all official customs auctions and disposition sales follow strictly structured, transparent, legally mandated procedures. There are no allowances within these processes for private item selection, early entry to listings, or preferential treatment for any participant, Manning explained. She added that the agency never conducts formal public business through informal messaging platforms or private, unsolicited conversations. The JCA is urging all community members to exercise extreme caution when encountering unsolicited messages of this nature, advising people not to respond, engage with the scammers, or share any sensitive personal or financial information. The agency also warned against sending any form of payment to individuals claiming to arrange early access to customs auctions, noting that all legitimate transactions are processed through verified, official channels only. For members of the public seeking accurate, up-to-date information on upcoming public auctions, all official listings are posted exclusively on the JCA’s official website, jca.gov.jm. The agency closed its statement by urging anyone who receives these suspicious fraudulent messages to immediately cut off contact, ignore all demands, and report the incident to local law enforcement and relevant regulatory authorities to prevent further victimization.
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Venezuela, Colombia pledge military cooperation on first post-Maduro visit
In a landmark moment marking the first foreign leader visit to Venezuela following the ousting of longtime authoritarian ruler Nicolas Maduro, Colombian President Gustavo Petro sat down for high-stakes talks with Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez in Caracas, where the two heads of state committed to coordinated military action against transnational criminal networks operating along their shared 1,375-mile border.
Rodriguez stepped into the interim presidency earlier this year after a rapid U.S. military special operations raid on the Venezuelan capital on January 3 successfully captured Maduro, the socialist leader who had held autocratic control of the country for more than a decade. Following his capture, Maduro was extradited to New York City to face formal charges related to large-scale drug trafficking.
Speaking to reporters after closed-door negotiations, Petro outlined the core mission of the newly announced partnership: the joint military push will target criminal mafias that have turned the porous border region into a hub for a wide array of illicit economies, with cocaine trafficking, unregulated illegal gold mining, human smuggling, and the illegal extraction of rare earth minerals topping the list of priorities.
For her part, Rodriguez confirmed that the two nations have already begun advancing concrete operational plans to back up the pledge. Beyond joint military deployments, the countries are moving quickly to put in place formal cross-border systems for real-time information sharing and coordinated intelligence gathering to disrupt criminal operations more effectively.
The Trump administration has thrown its full political and diplomatic support behind Rodriguez’s interim government, which has already moved to open Venezuela’s massive untapped oil reserves to development by U.S. energy companies, a major policy shift from Maduro’s long-standing nationalization of the country’s oil industry.
The meeting comes amid long-running tensions between Petro and the Trump White House. Petro, a leftist leader, has openly and harshly criticized the January U.S. military raid that toppled Maduro, prompting fierce pushback from Trump, who has publicly attacked Petro and claimed the Colombian president has failed to take sufficient action to curb drug production within Colombia’s borders.
A planned summit between the two leaders was originally scheduled to take place in March in Cucuta, the major Colombian border city that sits at the heart of cross-border smuggling routes. However, the meeting was abruptly scrapped at the eleventh hour for undisclosed reasons, leaving diplomatic relations in a holding pattern until this week’s visit.
For decades, the border region surrounding Cucuta has been a hotbed of activity for left-wing guerrilla factions and drug trafficking rings, with successive Colombian governments long accusing previous Venezuelan administrations of providing funding and safe haven for these armed groups. Monday’s agreement marks a new chapter in bilateral relations, as both countries seek to address long-standing security challenges that have plagued the border for generations.